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Final Essay

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Sophia Fugazzotto 

ECL 305 

Professor Pressman 

May 7th, 2024 

The Contemporary Mermaid

Mermaids, although fantastical creatures, are created by humans, and can represent humans’ own struggle with the concept of gender. They are modern entities that are gender fluid, that do not assign roles or confine people, but are also like humans on their top half. Instead of being a foreign being of nature that is allowed to act differently than us, they are a hybrid that sits between human and nature. Mermaids of contemporary culture complicate gender roles with their refusal to conform to a gender, forcing us to reflect on our own need to categorize people into genders. In this essay, three different mediums of mermaids will be examined; Stephanie Burt’s “We Are Mermaids”, River Solomon’s The Deep, and my own photograph. 

Stephanie Burt’s poem “We Are Mermaids” is an example of a piece of work that encourages the reader to consider gender norms and roles by providing the perspective of a non terracentric world. Perhaps with this title, Burt is making the point that we ourselves are mermaids; we are gender fluid beings, and mermaids are a reflection of a part of us that does not need to be confined to gendering by genitalia. The poem focuses on a world in the water, one that seems constant, but is complex and full of choice. The water is a place of fluidity, freedom, lacking the pressures we feel on land: “You can spend your life benthic, or brackish, subsisting and even thriving where a fingertip comes away saline and still refreshing, exploring the estuary, the submerged lip, and congeries of overlapping shores on the green black water, the harbor, the bay” (Burt, lines 24-29). This gives a view into a world that is unconstrained by demands of human life, the aquatic world is allowed to be ever-changing and fluid–as contemporary mermaids are in their lack of gender conformity. The poem also constantly changes the point of view, through use of ‘we’, ‘they’, and ‘you’. By changing this point of view, it prevents the reader from creating a solid conception of a being, and allows for an interpretation of fluidity. Another relevant part of this poem is the author herself. Stephanie Burt is a transgender woman, and many of her poems in this collection focus on the transgender experience and activism. This perspective is important to gender fluidity because it shows that one can be fluid in expressing their gender. 

In addition, the poem also brings up the topic of purpose in our world, and the nature focused perspective allows us to see our society in a different light. “You don’t have to be useful, you are not required to come up with something to say” (Burt, lines 21-23). This stanza, by Burt, tells us that we don’t have to play by the rules of this industrial society; rather we can be whoever we want to be, we don’t have to meet the expectations of others. Sophia Raya discusses this stanza in her blog post, considering how our value as a person comes from the role we play in an industrialized world, and gender roles create social expectations within this world. She also says: “Being a mermaid, like more oceanic ways of thinking, is not constrained to rigid structures that have been imposed on them by society and other terracentric ways of thinking. Instead, mermaids and any other aquatic creatures can occupy any space or even become a part of that space where fluidity and water is found” (Raya, 2024). Without a society and the need to be useful, mermaids are allowed a free and fluid lifestyle, where they can choose to express themselves however they please.

Another text that represents contemporary, gender fluid mermaids is The Deep by Rivers Solomon. In this novel, the main character, Yetu, interacts with Oori. Yetu is a mermaid, who lives in the depths of the ocean, while Oori is a human, or ‘two-legs’ as the mermaids call them. The contrast between these two characters is important because it provides a perspective of our culture’s social norms from someone from a different culture, and even a different world. As Yetu and Oori converse, the topic of sex comes up. Yetu, being a mermaid, possesses a tail, as opposed to two legs, like humans. Yetu reflects on the perspective of gender of the wajinru: “Wajinru bodies didn’t tend to have differences along those lines, but like two legs, there were men, women, both, and neither. Such things were self determined, and Yetu wondered if two-legs had body determination too” (Solomon, 116). This passage illustrates the self determined nature of the wajinru. It opens the possibility of there being more than two genders, as well as the ability to choose for oneself. This presents a sharp contrast to our society, where gender is assigned at birth, based on the genitalia that one possesses. Rather than being determined by their orientation in a sexual relationship, their gender is chosen by themselves, which separates sex and gender. Although sex is determined by chromosomes, our culture associates gender with sex and the lines between the two are blurred. Gender often comes with roles and expectations as it is a social construction. Yetu adds later: “‘Wajinru have a place to envelope, and then there’s something else, and that is what gives sperm. Yet it is always tucked away until the time of mating’” (Solomon, 117). This quote is an important addition to the first because it emphasizes the point that wajinru are capable of taking on both ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ roles of sexual acts, yet their gender could be man, woman, both, or neither, regardless of whether they choose to envelope or to release sperm during mating. 

This part of this novel is an important example of how mermaids allow us to reflect on our cultural norms of gender through their lack of need to confine a mermaid to one, and through the innocence of Yetu. Yetu does not understand how our culture works, and how we choose to assign gender and categorize people, and this perspective can show us how unimportant our idea of gender is. 

Finally, this photograph, created by me, is intended to portray a gender fluid mermaid through the posing, model choice, and mermaid tail. The mermaid is a hybrid creature, and depictions of them often allow us to project ourselves into them because of their half human nature. In this photo, the model’s top half is human, with a piece of human clothing covering their chest. The bottom half, however, is in a mermaid tail. 

Posing was an important part of this shoot. I wanted to create a more masculine mermaid, since many depictions of mermaids tend to be feminine–even the name mermaid is feminine. In this photo, the mermaid is flexing their arm, which is a more traditionally masculine pose, since strength is often associated with men. Having masculine posing on a more feminine body creates a disruption in categorizing this mermaid into a gender, and allows us to rest in a place of fluidity. In addition, the choice to have the mermaid on a rock, and not in the water, represents mermaids’ ability to be part of our world. Even the rock on which the model sits is disrupted by a rusted pipe that is clearly manmade, showing the mix between two worlds. This photograph was taken on the beach, as it is a common place for mermaids to be across different mediums. 

The model for this shoot is also gender fluid, going by she/her, they/them, and he/him pronouns. This is particularly relevant to this topic, as contemporary mermaids represent a gender fluid entity through their intentional indecision on gender. Being able to work with a gender fluid model who was also comfortable moving between more feminine and masculine poses was an advantage in this shoot. 

And the mermaid tail, of course, contributes greatly to this photo. Mermaids do not have what we have; they possess tails on their bottom half. In this photo, the mermaid tail covers the bottom half of the model. Therefore, we cannot categorize them so easily, and although we may be tempted to, we do not need to. Representations of contemporary mermaids, such as this photo, and the wajinru in The Deep emphasize the point that we should perhaps reflect on our need to categorize and organize.  

These three contemporary works contain mermaid centered ideas that allow us to reflect on ourselves. These fantastical creatures can easily be seen as separate from us, part of nature, different, but the reality is that they can be used as a mirror to analyze ourselves, our social norms, and our history. They can show us how our norms, such as gender and gender roles, are not as significant or ‘correct’ as we think, with their own fluidity and lack of need to categorize themselves or each other. 

Works Cited 

Burt, Stephanie. We Are Mermaids, Graywolf Press, 2022.

Mermaid on Rock. 16 Apr. 2024. Windnsea Beach, San Diego.

Raya, Sophia. “We Are Mermaids .” Literature and the Environment: Mermaids, 29 Apr. 2024, 

https://spring2024-ecl305.jessicapressman.com/we-are-mermaids-2/.

Solomon, Rivers, et al. “Chapter 7.” The Deep, Saga Press, 2019, pp. 106–126. 

Final Essay

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Can You Hear The Sea? 

The Water Will Carry Us Home by Gabrielle Tesfaye includes a very significant closing scene where an African woman creates a complicated, yet innovative pair of “shellphones” (headphones crossed with seashells) and plugs them directly into the sand. With intricate wiring and artifacts straight from the sea, these “shellphones” being plugged into the sand demonstrates how history has been hidden and it has to be searched for by using new perspectives and technology. In this case listening instead of looking while using a new device forces a concealed part of history to be uncovered. 

In Derek Walcott’s poem The Sea Is History he says history is “in that grey vault. The sea. The sea has locked them up. The sea is History” (line 4). Understanding the historical context of both these texts is crucial, as the film dives into the notion that history is not a singular, objective truth but rather subjective and multifaceted. Both the film and the poem suggest that the ocean serves as an archive, preserving specific histories that may be otherwise overlooked or marginalized. We have convenient access to set views, leaving the other in the vault. Both of these texts compare land based European history to the sunken history of Africans. By juxtaposing these perspectives, they highlight the importance of recognizing different viewpoints and understanding the complexities of historical narratives. With that we are able to recognize the differences in perspective and better understand the final scene in The Water Will Carry Us Home. 

This film demonstrates a heavy time in history, and shows how pregnant women were thrown overboard during the Middle Passage and this led to the birth of Yoruba and the coming of the water spirits. Tesfaye’s film The Water Will Carry Us Home uses multimedia including water color, collage, real articles and photos, animation, music, and live action throughout. By offering multiple creative methods it allows for several demonstrations, offering a new lens and thus a new understanding of the film. Using multimedia enhances communication and makes information more memorable through visuals. This allows us to acknowledge the metaphors that are otherwise difficult to understand. This approach not only makes the information more accessible and engaging but also allows for a deeper understanding of the layered and stratified nature of history. By using collages, it offers a way to grasp the hidden history, the layers, and the complexity of it all. In perceived negative times, the ability to turn these tragedies into something beautiful is a great representation of strength. 

Furthering this idea, The Water Will Carry Us Home alludes to the way that they are able to take such tragedy and create a meaningful story out of it. Instead of leaving these bodies behind with no recognition, comes a sentiment that demonstrates hope and optimism. It suggests that even in the darkest moments of history, there is strength and hope to be found. This encourages the idea of changing perspectives and not dwelling, but embracing. These are such horrible times from history but the spirits turn it into a meaningful part of their culture. With that being said we can bring back the ocean as an archive, and reiterate how the ocean holds an important part of their history. Again, in The Sea Is History by Derek Walcott says “it is locked in them sea-sands out there past the reef’s moiling shelf, where the men-o-war floated down;”. The question is how do we find it? 

This is where the “shellphones” come in as a new device made to discover.  The concept of them in this film symbolizes the importance of innovation in uncovering lost histories. Using new technology in this way helps access marginalized histories. The expected way to find this history would be to look, but in this case she using the “shellphones” to listen. The use of “shellphones” as a new device not only reflects the innovative approach needed to access hidden histories but also emphasizes the importance of listening to these narratives rather than relying solely on visual or written records. Moreover, the comparison between land-based European history and the sunken history of Africans highlights the need to recognize different perspectives and understandings of history. By acknowledging the ocean as an archive of specific histories, both texts emphasize the subjective nature of historical narratives and challenge the notion of a singular, objective truth. Ultimately, the concept of “shellphones” serves as a powerful metaphor for the importance of innovation, perspective shifts, and listening in uncovering marginalized histories. By embracing new technologies and approaches, we can work towards a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of the past.

Speaking of this new device, the creation of the “shellphones” represents a merging of traditional and contemporary elements. The use of seashells, artifacts straight from the sea, connects to the overarching theme of the ocean as a vault of history. By incorporating these natural elements into a modern device like headphones, the scene suggests a bridging of past and present, tradition and innovation, human and nonhuman. The specific the act of plugging the “shellphones” directly into the sand symbolizes a deeper connection to the hidden histories that are buried beneath the surface. Instead of searching for history through traditional means like written records or visual artifacts, the film suggests that listening to the ocean is key to uncovering concealed truths. 

In conclusion, “The Water Will Carry Us Home” by Gabrielle Tesfaye suggests the exploration of hidden histories and the importance of new perspectives in order to uncover them. The film’s closing scene, featuring the creation of “shellphones” and their connection through the sand, symbolizes the fusion of tradition and modernness, as well as the importance of listening to the tales of the past. Through this, Tesfaye highlights the complexity of history and the need for new approaches to unravel its concealed truths. Ultimately, the concept of “shellphones” serves as a powerful metaphor for the importance of innovation, new perspectives, and active listening while uncovering marginalized histories. By embracing new technologies and approaches, it offers a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of the past, honoring the diversity and experiences that shape our collective narrative. Through Tesfaye’s visual storytelling, we are reminded of the significance of our connections to history and the power of listening to its untold stories. The film invites the intersection of ideas, highlighting the importance of listening to alternative perspectives and challenging traditional narratives. By merging ocean and land, old and new, and artificial with artifact The Water Will Carry Us Home by Tesfaye invites us to reconsider our understanding of history using new approaches. By using the “shellphones”, combining traditional and contemporary technology the film recognizes the interconnectedness between past and present. Tesfaye challenges the idea of looking for history and rather listening to it. By changing perspectives, we can challenge conventional western ideas of history in an inclusive way that allows for various experiences and views to come forth. She reminds us that history is complex and prompts us to reconsider the way we discover and understand history. Allowing for a more diverse understanding of history comes from a shift in perspective.

Final Essay

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The Water Will Carry Us Home in the “shellphones” scene shares that history has been lost and in order to find it it has to be searched for by using new perspectives. In this case listening instead of looking, by changing the way she understands the ocean a new side of history can be uncovered.

I really enjoyed this film and wanted to try and encapsulate the lesson I learned from it, and how history is not one truth and in changing perspectives we can see that. I am still making sure my thesis is strong enough so let me know if you have any advice!