Who Sings for the Songbird - Assignment Example

Due Who Sings for the Songbird? Understanding cultures and traditions around the globe is different than actual living and experiencing them first hand. One can say they sympathize or empathize with the oppression of another human being, but until an actual occurrence, one can never really know the parameters that are involved with something as simple as silence. Silence is used for many reasons and in this film it was used for disempowerment, violence, and control. The silence was depicted in the music, metaphoric meanings, and decisions. The comparisons made between one generation and the next still included the silence that had been established long ago. The use of silence was a tool that disempowered women in the palace by not allowing them to speak about what was happening to them in their life. If they were forced into a behavior they did not want, they were expected to remain silent about the situation. If they were sick, they bore their pain in silence. The women knew what was going on in the palace, but were not allowed to talk to anyone about what they knew. If the woman was not married, the name of the father of any children was never uttered (Tlatti, 1994). The women were considered household slaves and were not allowed to leave the house, were expected to cook, clean, and perform any other duties, as requested by the family, without saying a word. They talked among themselves, but even that conversation was limited. Each woman had to bare her own burden in silence. The only way this silence could have been used to empower the women is if they would have been able to communicate with the outside world and then the family would have had to pay them to keep quiet about the affairs of the palace. Sexual violence was included in the lives of these women, but none of them were allowed to have a voice in the situation. The women were not allowed to refuse, they could fight back until they were over powered, but the act would still take place if the man wanted it to happen (Tlatti, 1994). None of the other women were allowed to come to the aid of anyone being forced and the harm that was caused was not discussed by the victim. If medical attention was needed, a nurse was summoned. Demanding that a woman have an abortion is just as violent and results in death as other violent acts that can and have been performed on people in society. Making sure the slave/servant women remained in the home at all cost required that all births happened without any medical intervention (Tlatti, 1994). This could also be considered a form of violence toward the women, as some have been known to suffer severe medical trauma or even die during childbirth. The women being made to endure their pain and sorrow in silence is also a form of violence because of its repressive nature. When a person is not allowed to express their feelings, the inner turmoil builds to an explosive level and can cause medical problems beyond realization. This may be one of the reasons Alia’s mother died at such a young age (Tlatti, 1994). The music throughout the film appeared to support the feelings of the women and the political atmosphere of the country and seemed very appropriate. Even when the music was upbeat and happy, there was still a hint of sorrow or pain that lingered in the melody. The lyrics also fit the music, like when Alia was singing in the garden with her lute and speaking of a different life than what she lived (Tlatti, 1994). Understanding the music in context to the culture and traditions helped to clarify why some songs were banned from the palace and others were repeated. When Alia was singing the song that had been banned, at the engagement party, the actions of the people in attendance getting up and leaving solidified the non-acceptance of the song during political unrest in the country (Tlatti, 1994). Alia expresses her experiences through the songs that she sang in public that were often full of lyrics about unrequited love. Lofti commented that her voice would enchant any listener, but that is not the way Alia felt about the songs she sang. The comparison between Alia’s and her mother’s life seemed to parallel each other. Alia’s mother could not speak of her sorrow and pain and Alia sang, but could not find happiness in the life she chose. Her mother was a slave/servant and obeyed the rules of the palace, while Alia had several abortions at the demand of her boyfriend (Tlatti, 1994). While not every moment of Alia’s life was unhappy, it seemed that the music spoke of a people who had experienced many sorrows over the years. The metaphorical meaning to the abortions and stillborn songs is that part of Alia was either dead or being torn from her to die. She sang as though she was searching for something that was just beyond her reach. The only time she smiled when she sang was at the engagement party (Tlatti, 1994). The void that was caused by the feelings of loss from the abortions that Alia had experienced could not be filled with songs. That may be why the songs were referred to as “stillborn” like they had started out as something and in the end the void of belonging was still there in Alia’s soul. It is almost like she gave every part of her to the audience when she was singing, but in the end, she really had nothing left to give because it had all been taken away from her. She had no one she could talk to about her experiences and Lofti expected her to be submissive to his demands as he pressed her to get another abortion (Tlatti, 1994). She used her voice to create enjoyment for others, but in the end, no one reciprocated in kind; no one sings for the songbird. Alia’s decision to keep her unborn child was going to alter her life again because it would probably mean that Lofti would no longer be in the picture. She would be forced to raise the child without a father the same way that she had been raised. The symmetry would be that her life had come full circle and she had repeated her mother’s decision. She was raised without a father and now her child would be raised without a father. Somehow she would have to figure out how to support the child, whether by singing or becoming a servant/slave like her mother and keeping her child with her. This seems to imply that the choices available to women in this culture are not very promising. The next generation is repeating the actions of the last generation of continuing to live in an oppressed situation. There may be some hope as the world continues to become more westernized and many of the old traditions are replaced with democracy and new ideas for a better future. As each area struggles to gain independence from a governing body, the likelihood of sexism and exploitation disappearing is good, but may take time because the men will not relinquish any power to the women easily. When asked, the men may explain that there is no reason because the women want for nothing in their opinions. Many men do not view equality the same way women do and they may become frustrated or violent if their leadership were usurped by someone who has always been submissive. References Tlatti, Monfida, Dir. Les Silences du Palais. Canal Horizons. 1994. Film Read More