Baker - Brokeback Mountain Short Story

A heterosexual lifestyle is dominant in today’s society, and the majority of the states that make up USA have heterosexual laws that prevent the marital union of homosexuals. Flashback to the 1960s when homophobia was rampant – a homosexual male walking the streets could eventually be found in a ditch beaten to death, as confirmed by Ennis’ account of the 2 homosexual men, “I was what, 9 years old, and they found Earl dead in an irrigation ditch” (Proulx 79). Due to such brutish scare tactics from homophobic, macho males, homosexual men would go to great lengths to conceal their costly secret – they would marry wives, have children, and fight, with great fervor, their natural predisposition towards the same sex. Such was the life of a homosexual male during that time period, but is it really so different in today’s society?

Look no farther than the year 2000 when Vermont became the 1st state to legally recognize civil unions between homosexual couples – only 11 years ago. Progress is being made toward the gay rights movement, but the gains are not coming quick enough to cover the losses – “roughly 20 percent of gay, lesbian and bisexual teens said they had made an attempt (at suicide), versus 4 percent of straight kids (Tanner, huffingtonpost.com).”

Ennis and Jack discuss the possibility of creating a life together, but the fairytale is soon dismissed at the thought of the ridicule, embarrassment, and potential yet likely harm they would surely suffer for such a life. Instead, they each create families of their own and, in doing so, compromise the emotional wellbeing of everyone involved. Ennis displays an extreme form of sexism when he subjects wife Alma to witnessing him passionately kiss and grope his secret lover Jack, yet she is forced to live by Ennis’ motto, “if you can’t fix it, you’ve got to stand it” (Proulx 79). Finally, Alma grows strong enough to break away from Ennis’s emotionally abusive ways as she takes full custody the 2 girls and marries another man. One Christmas, Ennis is invited to Alma’s house for dinner. While the 2 are in the kitchen, Ennis assaults Alma as she reveals her knowledge of his love for Jack, and again, his sexist ways get the better of Alma causing her physical and emotional pain.

Ennis, being a man, believes that he is stronger and superior to Alma; thus, he feels that he may treat her without compassion or consideration. Jack portrays the same message as he cheats on his wife for another rancher’s wife who lives down the road. The problems of homophobia and sexism that were documented in Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain are still very much present in 2011. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual suicide rates are through the roof, and families are being torn apart due to homophobic and sexist issues. In a constant search for vindication and happiness, Ennis finds himself broke, divorced, and without his true love Jack all because he was too afraid to live a life he truly deserved with another man.

Bonnin- Introduction

Hi everyone!

My name is Sonya Bonnin. I am 26 years old. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. My younger sister Frances is an undergrad at Loyola. I love New Orleans, so I decided to spend part of the summer here with her in this wonderful and vibrant city. In college I majored in history, but after a series of unfortunate and life changing events I decided that what I really wanted to do was become a physician. As a result, I have spent the last two years taking all the prerequisites to apply to medical school.

Aside from science, history, and literature I really enjoy traveling and tasting local dishes. I love eating good food, I suppose this stems from the fact that my mother is an incredible cook and my brother Jose is a chef, but it’s also part of our culture. My family loves getting together to cook, eat and converse. In Puerto Rico everyone lives relatively close-by, so it's easy to maintain tight ties with close and extended family alike. You can imagine how crowded these informal dinner gatherings can get. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes one needs some space, but I have learned to appreciate the importance of having a tight and loving family and have come to understand the powerful role food plays in bringing people together. This is not to say that I am a great cook myself, but I am fortunate to have many around me.

Of course, New Orleans has incredible food, so I’m in the right place. It also has amazing artists and is full of so much life. I look forward to the time I’ll be spending here in the city and online with all of you.

Castellon: Brokeback Mountain Film

The scene that is the most sympathetic is when Alma reveals to Ennis in the kitchen that she knew what was going on between him and Jack. Before that point, Alma had been reserved and quiet about the whole situation. I felt that she should have revealed her frustration and anger to Ennis the next day after she witnessed them embrace and kiss outside their home.

I don't think that any married woman can withstand her husband embrace and kiss another man or woman in the manner that Ennis and Jack greeted each other. Although her reaction of their scandalous behavior was belated, she was right to confront Ennis. I think that she needed time to heal and gain the courage to reveal what she knew about them.

The reason why I think she needed time to develop courage is because she had never referred to Jack Twist as "Jack Nasty" in the past. Whenever Ennis spoke of Jack, Alma would refer to him as his friend. Despite the fact that she knew what was going on between the two of them, she never referred to Jack or Ennis in a derogatory manner.

Alma knew that Ennis would get angry when she slandered Jack's name. Furthermore, she wanted to let Ennis know that he was never fooling her. I think it angered Alma to know that he perceived her as ignorant and stupid.

What I took from that scene was that Ennis lost his cool and threatened to harm Alma while her husband and their daughters were present. Ennis yelled at Alma and stormed out of the house without giving any explanation to his daughters. This type of behavior would make any parent look bad in the eyes of his or her children.

I think that Alma planned it this way so Ennis can blow up and their daughters, along with her husband, can see that Ennis is temperamental. It serves him right since he committed adultery for such a long time with another man, notwithstanding, she was expected to have his children and work. I'm glad that she unleashed her anger because this may have been her way of gaining some piece of mind after all those years of neglect.

Baker - Brokeback Mountain Short Story

White male supremacy — and the idea that any other race, gender, or sexual orientation is secondary — plays a role in American society. Homophobia, particularly in males, can often stem from a person's supposed understanding that homosexuality demeans masculine power and dominance. The fear that openly gay men could somehow undermine the learned masculinity taught in society often places homosexual males in a position to receive more intolerance than homosexual females. This observance ties into sexism in American society and the misogynistic views that frequently run as an undercurrent in relationships involving men and women.

One particular example of sexism in Brokeback Mountain is the relationship Jack and Ennis share with their wives, more specifically the relationship between Ennis and Alma. Even as Ennis participates in what society would perceive as an emasculating and shameful relationship, he still maintains the belief that his wants and needs are above his wife's. Alma is not spared the disrespect of witnessing her husband being intimate with another individual, never mind if the person is male or female. The same goes for Lureen, Jack's wife, and the fact that Jack believes it is alright to have relationships with several other people throughout the course of his marriage. While I sympathized with the fact that both Jack and Ennis were polluted with their own cases of homophobia, I found it hard to be completely understanding because of the mistreatment of their wives.

Even so, it was sad to me that Ennis' and Jack's relationships with Alma and Lureen only seemed to come about because of society's expectation for a man to get married and procreate. It was the isolation and solitude of Brokeback Mountain that allowed Ennis and Jack to be open in a way they could not in regular society, and yet, both men still struggled with removing their front of masculinity. Their unwillingness to let go of the cultured belief of what a man's life should be like is what ultimately limited their relationship from becoming something more.

McCay Posting Blogs

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McCay blog posting

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Alejandro Vitanza Introduction

Greetings everyone.

My name is Alejandro and I’m majoring in business management. Some of my interests include sports such as golf, kickboxing, soccer and basketball. Listening to music is probably what I enjoy doing the most. I could spend a whole afternoon listening to a good record, which range from rhythm and blues to electronic music and everything in between. To name a few of the artists I enjoy listening to and highly recommend include; Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, Armin Van Buuren, ATB, and the list goes on. I believe music takes an important roll in every ones life. You can tell a persons mood by what they’re listening to, you can change a persons mood by playing some hyped up music, like “You Get What You Give” – from the New Radicals. Enough about music, you can tell I’m a musician, even though I don't play any instruments.

I was born and raised in Honduras, a Central American country with a very wide range on climates and touristic attractions. I lived closed to the north coast, in the city of San Pedro Sula. One of the most important cities of my country I might add, they call it the “Industrial Capital” of Honduras. My family decided to come and reside in the US back when I was still in Junior high, hence we moved to Baton Rouge, FL. The change was radical but my siblings and I had no problem adjusting, I speak on my behalf of course. What I miss the most is probably the food; the beans here in the US are never like those from my country. If any of you do travel a lot, I highly recommend you visit the north coast, including the Bay Islands, which are amazing! Most of the gastronomic menu of my country consists of fried beans, and pot roast, there’s just something about the flavor you wont forget, trust me.

I look forward on taking this English course; since reading is another thing I enjoy doing. I am acquainted with most of the readings assigned to this course and some have been of my interest for some time now, like The Road by Cormack McCarthy.