Author Archives: Naomi Mireles

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Naomi Mireles

Professor Pressman

ECL 305

May 9, 2024

Ocean-Centric Maternal Identities

The Deep by Rivers Solomon is a thought-provoking fiction novel published in 2019. Drawing inspiration from the song of the same name by the group Clipping, Solomon crafts a novel that explores the lives of the Wajinru, descendants of African slave women thrown overboard during the Middle Passage, who then adapted to living underwater as Mermaids. The Deep presents a transformative narrative that illuminates and challenges Western, terra-centric paradigms of motherhood by incorporating a diverse array of maternal identities, including the Ocean itself, whales, and pivotal characters like Amaba and Yetu. Through this rich combination of maternal figures, the novel challenges narrow perceptions of motherhood as exclusively human or tied to terrestrial realms.  

The novel follows the Historian of the wajinru: Yetu who holds the memories of her ancestors for her community. Yetu embodies a profound form of motherhood as the keeper of memories for the wajinru. Yetu carries the collective history of both joys and sorrows of all the people before her. Yetu ensures that these memories are never forgotten, while her role also serves as a connection between past and present as she holds the heritage of her people. Maternal love manifests in Yetu’s deep empathy for the wajinru, specifically in her decision to return and save her people from the overwhelming burden of their memories. As the keeper of the memories, she intimately understands the pain that comes with carrying these memories. “The wajinru were her people, and for now they were held captive by the History, living lives of the ancestors from beginning to end.” (Solomon, 39). Yetus’s act of returning to her people showcases her deep sense of responsibility and love, as she prioritizes the health of herself and her people as a collective. Her selfless actions exemplify a form of maternal care, as she momentarily shoulders the weight of the memories, and in turn, the memories are shared as a collective, challenging the terra-centric idea that maternity is synonymous with sacrifice without personal gain, “They were two, Historian and her subjects. It was time for the two to be merged.” (Solomon, 148).  In Western narratives, motherhood is often depicted as a selfless act of giving, with no emphasis on agency or empowerment. However, Yetus’s journey subverts this notion by showcasing that after all she endured while being the Historian, she gained something much greater, her own identity and personal growth. Rather than perpetuating the idea that benefits after sacrifice is one-sided, the narrative challenges the terracentric idea that motherhood, while encompassing sacrifice can also be a source of personal fulfillment, growth, and empowerment. 

The Ocean serves as a central maternal figure in The Deep, though not explicitly mentioned until the end of the novel, “ In this remembering, there is a lone wajinru pup floating, alive and content. It was the ocean who was their first Amaba,” (Solomon, 149).  Solomon highlights the Oceans nurturing role as the first Amaba for the pup, which emphasizes that maternal care and protection can transcend human boundaries. The pup floating happily in the Ocean’s embrace presents a deep sense of security, belonging, and nurturance, one that is not seen in Western perceptions of the Ocean. The wajinru people, being born to African slave women thrown overboard, were born to dead mothers, the society and culture of the wajinru shifted so that anyone and anything could be their mother and share a deep sense of caring and joy for one another. Before the eighteenth century, if the perspective of the Ocean as a safe place of comfort and nurture was mentioned, it would have been surprising and disagreeable news. But, the Ocean was and had always been a constant for the wajinru, a place of safety and care, the way one misses a mother, Yetu often missed the deep Ocean when in the shallow water with the two legs, “..coveting the deep sea, its blanket of cold and dark.” (Solomon,71). The idea of the Ocean’s cold and darkness being comforting is a newer perspective, and one not seen too often in Western depictions of the Ocean. As seen in John Gillis’ The Blue Humanities, published in 2013, “The sea was portrayed as dangerous and repellant, ugly and unfit for literary or artistic representation.” (The Blue Humanities, n.d.). The lack of difference between the womb and the Ocean is shown throughout the novel, “..there is very little difference between a bornt pup and one still encased in the womb.” (Solomon, 150). The emphasis on this idea, that the womb and the Ocean are the same, breaks the barrier that the womb is strictly tied to individual human birth. The Ocean taught the wajinru how to breathe, and how to survive, the portrayal of the Ocean as mother serves as a reminder of the wajinrus interconnectedness of all life forms and shows why they share this idea of collectivity and community. The Ocean does not go through painful transformations or sacrifices to nurture the pups, nor does it struggle or lose anything by doing so. Terracentric views (and I must admit my own) on motherhood, tend to believe the idea that motherhood comes with the pain of losing a past self, and the struggle to become someone new. The Ocean remains the same before and after birthing and raising the wajinru, not having to lose their identity while being a mother, it remains constant regardless. Focusing on the Ocean as a mother challenges key factors seen in terracentric views on motherhood while simultaneously showing that motherhood can look different in different cultures, races, and ethnicities. 

Aside from the Ocean and Yetu as a mother, The Deep holds significance as it challenges anthropocentric ideologies by acknowledging maternal qualities inherent in non-human entities, in this case, whales. Whales are more than just marine creatures but as nurturing, protective, and essential maternal figures within the wajinru community, “We live only by the graciousness of the second mothers, the giant water beats… who feed us, bond with us and drag us down to the deepest depths were we are safe.” (Solomon 42). Whales are seen as, “second mothers,” which carries layers of meaning, considering that their first mothers died tragically. The first mother’s physical presence was lost to the Ocean, but the spirit and resilience live on through the wajinru and their connection to the whales. In Western perspectives, motherhood is equated with biological mother-child relationships that emphasize genetics and reproduction. The connection with whales as the mother goes beyond biological ties. The idea that whales nurture and protect not through genetic connection but through emotional bonds, guidance, and communal care. The whales in their guidance challenge the idea that motherhood is only defined by genetic lineage. Whales mother as a community, in contrast to Western views that motherhood is individualistic, the wajinru have an array of mothers and share a communal approach to maternity. 

Yetu and Amaba share a complex relationship characterized by an interplay of love, and tension. Their initial bond is displayed with a lack of understanding while they navigate their roles within the wajinru community. They constantly find themselves at odds because of their differing perspectives and experiences.  When Yetu returns to the deep, their relationship is shifted as Yetu is determined to save Amaba. There is Yetu’s willingness to challenge roles of dependence and protection, where mothers are seen as the central roles of protectors and saviors. Amaba’s response reflects her shift in perspective and a recognition of Yetu’s strength that she had before undermined or overlooked. Amaba stands by Yetu and reassures her that this is not something she can do alone, “I would sooner die than let you suffer this alone.” (Solomon, 147). After having lived through the rememberings, Amaba is now more understanding than ever of all her daughter endured. Rather than a one-sided dynamic of protection and sacrifice, this mother-daughter relationship evolves to showcase mutual support and understanding. They share their burdens and sorrows, challenging the notion that mothers must bear the weight of caregiving alone. Rivers Solomon’s The Deep presents an exploration of motherhood that challenges traditional Western paradigms and anthropocentric ideologies. Through the several identities of the Ocean, whales, Amaba, and Yetu, the novel illuminates a transformative perspective that expands our understanding of maternal roles beyond terracentric customs. The Deep contradicts that motherhood is solely defined by sacrifice, pain, and genetic ties. It does so by recognizing the diversity and complexity of maternal experiences. The Ocean as the first mother, showcases a nurturing role that transcends human boundaries while also contradicting the Western perspective of the Ocean as devoid and dangerous. Yetu’s role as Historian embodies a deep form of motherhood that pushes the idea that maternity is not synonymous with sacrifice without personal gain. The significance of whales as maternal figures allows us to recognize maternal qualities in nonhuman entities. Motherhood is much more than biological ties, motherhood transcends a multitude of human standards to encompass a complex web of emotions and connection. Motherhood is not just pain, guilt, trauma, and sacrifice as seen in a terracentric human perspective. Motherhood is a multifaceted experience that encompasses love, resilience, and a shared journey of mutually shaping and guiding each other’s lives and futures.

Citations

Solomon, R., Diggs, D., Hutson, W., & Snipes, J. (2019). The deep. Hachette UK.

The Blue Humanities. (n.d.). The National Endowment for the Humanities. https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2013/mayjune/feature/the-blue-humanities

My Final Takeaway

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This class was by far the best class I have ever taken. I loved everything about this class, mainly the confusion I experienced. There were so many moments in this class where I thought “What the heck does that even mean,” but in hindsight, I loved the confusion because it pushed me to dive deeper and think about why it confused me. I learned to be confident, in myself and my voice, but more than that I learned to be confident in my ideas and thoughts. So many times in our discussions I felt as if things I thought or wanted to say were irrelevant or pointless, but with the help of our amazing professor, I learned that thoughts and ideas are always worth sharing. Of course, confidence is a neverending thing you must work on but I am glad this class opened my eyes to sharing and having an open discussion and recognizing that each idea and thought you have can add a lot to a discussion

On top of this, this class made me have a huge mindset shift regarding mermaids and our environment. I have always loved and cared for the Ocean, but so many stories regarding mermaids and the Ocean made me grow an even deeper appreciation for the Ocean and how other cultures view and perceive it.

This class made me question things, to not just listen and accept what you are told or reading. It also taught me that we are all interconnected, there is no separation between humans and nature, and the Ocean does not belong to us, we belong to the Ocean. Every single person in this class has taught me something, and for that, I am extremely grateful.

We are Mermaids

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“You don’t have to be useful. You are not required to come up with something to say.” In reading this poem, this line stuck out to me. For mainly one reason, some humans, spend a lot of our lives trying to figure out our purpose, and I have struggled with this. Trying to think why and what we are supposed to do with our lives. Many times I have felt that you are only important for actions that set you apart from others, that you have to be this huge important person and change lives and pave the way for millions of people. While those people are important, the ones who don’t make “revolutionary” changes are just as important. I don’t need to rush myself to be someone or do something huge to recognize the value and importance of myself. Maybe our purpose isn’t to be “useful”l or to change the world, maybe our purpose is to just enjoy life and love one another. Changing the world doesn’t have to start or end with changing a million people, it can be changing yourself, your community, and your loved ones. I am sure this line can and has been interpreted in many different ways but this line and the last one were extremely comforting to me, there’s no need to rush in life or stress over things we cannot control, because as Stephanie Burt says, “Some of us are going to be okay,” and I know I will be one of them.

The Deep Chapter 5

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In this week’s reading of The Deep, I would like to focus on a passage in the text that I found rather comforting. While Yetu is leaving the Wajinru, she experiences different memories and rememberings in different parts of the ocean. She realizes she’s unsure of if these memories are hers or not, but in drifting she feels a sense of identity has appeared. Something that she has struggled with since she carries the remembering of her community. Specifically, “Rememberings didn’t haunt her. She was just Yetu. She wasn’t quite sure who that was, but she didn’t mind the unknowing because it came with such calm, such a freedom from the pain.” This part of the chapter brought me some comfort, mainly because in Western and/or certain individual perspectives, the Ocean has been seen as this scary vast force that entails danger. This part of the book challenges that. The feeling that there could be comfort and familiarity in this huge space even though it is unknown. And the factor of it being unknown it doesn’t deem it scary or dangerous was a refreshing point of view.

I appreciate this specific part of The Deep because it pushes me to hold (even more) of a personal and intimate perspective on the Ocean and I also like that it challenges the view of sublimity associated with the Ocean since it suggests that the Ocean can heal and comfort individuals, like Yetu in this case.

Aganju and Yemaja

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This week’s reading on Aganju and Yemaja was of course an interesting one, as they all are. We are first introduced to both Aganju and Yemaja, “Mother of Fish,” who gives birth to Orungan. In the story, Orungan develops a lustful relationship with his mother and decides to pursue this, forcing his mother into relations with her. Yemaja is taken aback by this and rejects all his notions of having a romantic future together. What I found interesting about this, aside from the several counts of incest, was the fact that after this traumatic and painful experience of being taken advantage of by your son, creation follows. In most stories have seen or heard, things of this sort would often lead to catastrophe and destruction, but instead led to the creation of several Gods and Goddesses that in turn gave them rivers, agriculture, wealth, etc. In Yoruba mythology, Yemaja is the central role of a creator, and their origin story is one I am not familiar with at all. My confusion lies within the moments leading up to this creation, I think in one sense it’s obvious that Yemaja is birthing all these Gods from the ravishing that came from Orungan, on the other hand, I don’t know if the creation is coming from the pain and fear she is experiencing. I suppose the creation could be coming from both the traumatic experience and the pain, but would it make a difference if it was coming from one or the other? Regardless, a whole bunch of creations came from it and gave them new life and purposes, or maybe it’s just an optimistic perspective on something really disturbing.

Unveiling Terracentric Language Through Ocean by Steve Mentz

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Naomi Mireles

Professor Pressman 

ECL 305

14 April 2024

Unveiling Terracentric Vocabulary and Its Relevance in Contemporary Marketing

Advertisement for Meditation Practice class by TotallyMeditation

The deterritorializing preface in Ocean by Steve Mentz reveals how common word associations are deliberate choices and prioritize land over the ocean. Attention is brought to linguistic biases that favor terrestrial environments and overlook the importance of the sea. Steve Mentz’s Ocean teaches readers to recognize terracentric vocabulary and its influence. This insight can be applied to the contemporary marketing and selling of universal happiness, meditation, and spirituality, as showcased in my object of study. Analyzing the specific language of “grounding” as good and spiritually centered favors an individual way of viewing and being. This language also excludes a large non-western demographic and their practices of well-being and values. 

Terracentric vocabulary is a term used to describe language and cultural attitudes that center on land-based perspectives at the expense of the Ocean. This includes languages that emphasize the importance of stability and the centrality of land-based environments. The commonness of this language allows for neglect of the Ocean and how it shapes human roles, identity, and history. Some other examples of terracentric vocabulary often used in messages of spirituality and well-being that associate positive attributes with the land environment are grounding, rootedness, and stability. Terracentric vocabulary also reinforces cultural narratives and biases that favor land-based lifestyles over maritime and submarine cultures and industries.

The Deterritorializing Preface by Mentz gives an overview of terracentric vocabulary and how we recognize land as familiar, and ocean as alien. In this preface, there is a portrayal of the Ocean as dynamic and ever-changing which is characterized by its vastness and responsiveness to external features. My object of study: an ad for a meditation class where grounding and centering techniques are taught, is a perfect example of how Mentz’s insight is applied to contemporary marketing practices. Spirituality has been around for a fairly long time, this is an ideology that to many is synonymous with well-being, and mental and emotional health. From our terra-centric standpoint, this has led to various forms of thinking that only favor Western practices and tie together land-based ways of thinking as the only correct form of being

In this advertisement, grounding is explained as an act or technique in which you will “feel unshakeable in the face of controversy and release negative emotions.” There is comfort established in feeling “stable” and “grounded,” both terracentric terms. Being grounded alludes to a state in which you are rooted. The act of being rooted confines you to one place, there is no going forward or backward, only linear progression. In a state of not going backward or forward, I question: is there room for genuine spiritual well-being and growth? Success in the Western world is measured in linear progress. Contrary to success in the Western world, emotional and spiritual growth is not always linear progress.

Ocean by Mentz offers the readers a paradigm, both metaphorically and literally, “nothing stays on the surface forever.”  If focusing on terra-centric language as “ground,” were to shift to ocean-centric language, what would happen to what we know about being grounded and rooted? Like our metaphors, we must be flexible and adaptable to ever-changing circumstances, instead of firmly grounded. Not one thing will remain stable or fixed for its entirety. Embracing fluidity and change rather than rigid structures invites us to shift from terra to Oceanus. The unfamiliarity of shifting from terra to Oceanus would not be a bad thing, on the contrary, it may expand our thinking and perspectives of how we view Western and non-Western values and practices. The featured article, The Blue Humanities by John R. Gillis, shares with us that in the Western world, the Ocean was always viewed as a means of transport, “they used the sea merely as a highway to get to the next landfall.” (Gillis) The rise of the blue humanities is a late recognition of this prolonged attitude towards the Ocean by Western Culture. For centuries, even Western explorers on the Ocean were learning more about land than the Ocean, it “was a discovery more by sea than of the sea.” (Gillis). This perspective of the Ocean was not a global one, many cultures and societies, mainly coastal ones have always recognized the Ocean as more than just a passage or an abyss. 

Analyzing the advertisement by Totally Meditation allows us to recognize the marketing patterns used for advertising spirituality in Western society as land-based. Everything in this ad is heavily terracentric, from the language to the green color, even the water pictured is green. Extreme land-based marketing excludes cultures and practices that are ocean-centric. Cultures such as the previously mentioned island and coastal communities have always had strong ties to the ocean in their everyday lives and cultural practices and traditions. In these cultures, the Ocean provides sustenance, connects people with their past, and inspires cultural values and traditions. These groups are widely indigenous communities and many of their origin stories begin in the ocean, which guides the harmonious relationship between humans and the Ocean. Unlike Western society, these indigenous communities, such as native Hawaiians, Samoans, and other Indigenous Islander cultures view themselves as stewards of the Ocean. People residing in these communities and cultures would not relate to these terra-centric forms of happiness and well-being. 

The terracentric marketing approach shares broader implications for how our Western society has developed and remains in a terracentric environment. An environment that excludes and is hostile towards non-western, ocean-centric ideologies and cultures. There is not only one correct or positive practice of spirituality and well-being, as our terracentric language and this advertisement suggest. Ocean by Mentz allows us to recognize how land-based language has narrowed our perspective and influenced many factors in our everyday lives, such as self-help and spirituality. Recognizing the use of terracentric language in our everyday lives, such as in marketing approaches, is the beginning of reframing our current terracentrism to non-western, ocean-centric. The unfamiliarity of ocean-centric culture and perspective would allow us to reimagine how we see spirituality and being “grounded,” to something more fluctuating and ever-changing, inclusive and welcoming to non-terracentric thinking.

Works Cited

John Gillis, “The Blue Humanities” (Humanities: The Journal of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Web. 2013)

“Live Event Aug 23: Centering & Grounding.” Totally Meditation, www.totallymeditation.com/live-event-aug-23-centering-grounding/.

Steve Mentz, Ocean (Bloomsbury, 2020): “Deterritorializing Preface” (pgs. xv-xviii). 

Carry Us Home

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In watching the stop motion short film for this week’s reading, I found the video to be quite pleasant to watch, the colors in the film were very soothing and comforting. The story being told is of African Slaves traveling the middle passage via ship. On this slave ship, there is a point in which the slaves, the majority being pregnant women are thrown into the Ocean, where they are saved by Omambala and turned into mermaids. Their children are soon born of seashell clams. The title of this film, “The Water Will Carry Us Home,” stood out to me. In retrospect, everyone has their perception and definition of “home,” to some people, it is their own house, for others, it can be their hometown or where they grew up. The title using the word home led me to the question: Is the Ocean our home? For many indigenous cultures theirorigin stories begin in the water. Another indigenous origin story I can think of is Turtle Island. In indigenous North American Folklore, their origin story consists of a turtle who holds the world on its back. This being the second origin story I’ve consumed, it has led me to believe why there is a difference in origin beliefs. If so many indigenous cultures share beliefs in coming or beginning in the ocean, where and why did Christians believe in something completely different?

Going back to the language of home, it kind of was comforting to me that Home might be the Ocean. Although it can be scary for some to think about, for most people who enjoy the Ocean and the beach, it was a nice thought to have. Before this video, if I were to think of home I would probably think of a concert place, this short film allowed me to shift my terra-centric form of thinking in regards to what I consider and call my “home.”

Post-human Mythologies

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Like most of my peers, the noises and sounds in the background of this short film caught my attention. While I was watching it surprised me how it felt strangely peaceful instead of the eerie or haunting feeling. It reminded me of whale sounds and how people use these to help them fall asleep. Aside from the noises, I enjoyed the scene right before the last clip of the mermaid swimming in the open ocean—the one where the mermaid creature is swimming in a sort of canal-looking thing. I think the contrast between the two scenes was fascinating, one moment the mermaid is swimming in a confined man-made space with water in between allowing the mermaid to inhabit and live in this area. This interested me because it shows the duality between “nature,” humans, and man-made objects. While it shows this balance between entities, the next clip is a lot more freeing. Comparing these two clips to each other in my perspective allowed me to appreciate both realities. The one in the canal was a reminder of the world and environment we live in today, where nature and creatures have sort of adapted to all our man-made creations. On the other hand, the last scene in the film felt captivating, because the mermaid was in a big open space, and in my eyes, it looked more natural, but also led me back to the discussions we have had in class about what is versus what is not natural.

Another thing worth pointing out, when doing some research on the director of the film, I found the description of Sirenomelia which included, “Sirenomelia links man, nature and machine and posits possible post-human mythologies.” I thought the post-human aspect was interesting since I was watching with the lens of humans and mermaids co-existing in this universe, but it seems as if it was made in the vision of a post-human environment. I related this posthumanism idea with our climate crisis and the notion that with global warming and climate change, our planet independently will survive, humans on the other hand, may not. On top of this, I thought the concept of this film being directed in a post-human reality was really interesting and I definitely would not have thought about this if I hadn’t read the description from the director.

The Ocean as a Place

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Before modern scientific exploration, the Ocean was seen as an expanse devoid of life. This was a belief that prevailed until the 19th century. This was mainly due to the Ocean being vastly unknown, there was a lot of space left up to humans to create and imagine many things. Because of this perspective, there were also many superstitions and fears when it came to the ocean’s depths. Eventually, scientists experienced modern technology and were able to explore the Ocean and the diversity of life within. When reading Eric Paul Roorda’s text, many things stood out. Still, on exploring the theme of the Ocean being seen as devoid of life, Roorda mentions how the Ocean was seen as inexhaustible which is one of the reasons for our climate crisis. However, this was not why it stood out, it stands out mainly because of the contrast in views. “The fish and marine mammal populations of the Ocean have also seemed unchangeable, inexhaustible, and impervious to the onslaught of the harvesters. But such is not the case.” (p.1) The Ocean has been overexploited for many years since people began to fish and attempt to conquer the Ocean, which led me to the question: If the Ocean was viewed as devoid of life, why was it also seen as unchangeable and inexhaustible? For me at least, they are two very different states. Something inexhaustible to me is everchanging and abundant, so, if people had seen it almost as lifeless, why did they believe it was an everlasting resource for them?

Mortal Animals

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The Emergence of Environmental Humanities was not eye-opening because it was their first time reading about our environmental crisis, nor will it be the last time. What did catch my attention was a point made towards the middle of the text. We have all been experiencing this concept in this class, the idea and question of whether or not we are apart or a part of nature. “Human beings are not independent of the natural world but are part of it.” (p9). There is an interaction between the environment and humans, which leads me to lean towards humans being apart and dependent on nature, in accordance with what the text says. Others of course can feel differently, and there’s no right or wrong answer but it is important, at least I think so to see where certain beliefs come from and how they have developed, or not developed.
Another point in the text is “Human beings are animals and are mortal.” (p10). My first reaction to this line was confusion, mainly because of all our in-class discussions on the line between human and animal, or human and monster. So when I initially read this I was caught a little off guard. When continuing the reading I realized the text was referring to evolution, but I think it plays a bigger role than just that.

The last thing I would like to touch on is the use of the word “interconnectedness,” throughout the reading. The use of it reminds me a lot of the discourse on whether we are or are not a part of the natural world. In a way, it reassures me or leans me even forward to the idea that we are, especially today because of how our actions can and have heavily impacted our environment.