Each Shirt is A Story

Like some of the previous chapters have discussed writing and healing – especially the introduction and chapters 3, 5, and 9 – chapter 14 focuses on creative outlets that involve writing as a tool for healing. The theme of writing to discover the self as transformative was once again present within the discussion in the piece, and I really like that all of these motifs are being explored and evaluated on in the subsequent chapters. I thought this was one of the most powerful readings we’ve had yet, because just as the author does not want to speak for the voices of those who have abused physically, mentally, or sexually, she gives us the excerpts from the shirts, and I thought this was very effective. She does elaborate a bit on the common themes and tricks they used – telling what happened, sharing the wounded experience through a journey (which focuses on the outcome of hope), speaking back to the abusers, and claiming a sense of wholeness – but other than that, these voices and their presences really stand out.

The essence of the essay, despite sharing some of the stories from the Clothesline Project, wants to reiterate how much writing and the language we use can work extremely effectively for those who have been hurt and are in need of healing. Through this process of speaking out and sharing your story (in this creative, tangible, and representable way) you not only break your silence, but you join in an individual healing as well as a type of social healing or transformation. The project “is the gathering of individual names or voices into a single visual metaphor” (359) and shows these women that they are not alone in their struggle. It leads to a collective healing, and I thought that was powerful and also very significant. And the fact that the project can not maintain in the same place, the way it is placed up and taken down and reconstructed really goes back to the idea how text can be “re-created and revised.” (360).

I think what we should discuss further in class are other types of creative outlets we notice like the Clothesline Project. I know she briefly notes a few: Take Back the Night rallies, maybe even Slutwalks could be an example. And we could even further discuss any we have or have noticed in the Ithaca region.