Module 14 Blog

One theme that the two stories have in common is the idea that although life is often difficult and unfair, there is no choice but to keep going and figure it out. In “Traveling While Black,” Camille Dungy listens while her husband exchanges stories about being victims of racism. At first their stories are funny, but as they begin to try one-upping each other, the stories get worse and worse. They then visit a memorial for three black men who had been lynched nearly a century earlier, paying their respects to those who unfairly lost their lives to racism. Dungy notes a street sign pointing to the memorial says, “ONE WAY” and states that “sometimes it is easy to draw meaning from the arbitrary order of things” (77). The sign is significant because it is symbolic of the fact that there is no going back from what has been done. There is no undoing all of the atrocities committed against people based on the color of their skin. Since there is no going back, the only thing left to do is move forward and try to make a better world for future generations.

According to Butler, an important phrase for Cubans is “Resolver,” meaning “Figure it out.” Living under Castro’s rule left many Cubans restricted, such as Fernando, Butler’s landlord, who is not legally allowed to rent him a room. There was also Castro’s 1962 ban on professional sports, which resulted in many talented boxers, baseball, and chess players never leaving Cuba. The baseball players claim not to regret staying in Cuba, but they also wonder about the lives they might have had. However, these professionals were well-respected in Cuba: “Our lives here have always been a struggle, and approaching that struggle with the courage of a boxer or the cunning and intelligence of a chess player is something that commands our respect. The same rules apply in a boxing ring or on the chessboard or growing up in our crazy system: resolver” (Butler 51). They acknowledge the struggle that they have faced and instead of living bitterly, they have mutual respect for one another and the hardships they have endured. They know that one way or another life goes on, so the only thing they can do is figure it out and keep trying.