Deconstructing the Representation of AIDS in Poetry/By James
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Bell 8 Howell Information and Leaming 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 USA National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K 1A ON4 Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Canada Canada Your hie Voire relerence Our bre Narre relerence The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sel1 reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in rnicroform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts From it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. A ihcsis submittcd to thc School of Graduate Studics in partial Iùltillmeni ofthe rrquirements Ibr the dcgrcc ot' Mastu o t' Arts St. John's A bs trac t 1 n port- wittcn about A lDS ( Acquired Immunode tïcicncy Syndrome). the contraction of thc diseasc. is continually divulged b> expiainin- to nhich yroup thc pwr. as speaking subject. or the sutyoct. as the individual about whom the poem is writtcn. helongs. homoscuunl. as subjeçt or speaking suljtlct in AIDS poetn*.conksscs the means of contraction of HIV to he gay ses. An intravenous drug abuser. as subject or spcaking subjcct in MDS puetp. confesses thc shariiig of syingcs as thc msrins of contraction. Thc SU~JCC~or speaking subject's position within a sociallyiefined cominunitv or an idcntity group continua1 l!- reattirms the bclicf thlit /\ID5 onlv aî'fccts certain already-marginalized groups. Rcad individuliliy. poems ahout AlDS continuülly marginalizc the rspcricncc of thosc intèctrd by hiling to ücknowirdgc the univcrsalit> of Al l>S from which, as Jacques Ilcrrida cxplains. "no human is cver safe" IDerrida. 70 1. In in\. thesis. L NIII argue that the poctic representation af AlDS is mtOrmed bv idcntit\. issues that resisi univcrsalizing the experience of AIDS. 1-.or Debrii. for beiny rny rvqthing. For Mom and Dad. for mnkiny etenthin2 pcissiblr. I%r Dr Golfman. for helping mt. wiih ewrything. For !hc HoI!: Spir!t. !or impmng swqthiiig. Table ot' Contents Paye Abcltract .............................................................................................. I t\ckno\\ Iedgcinents ............................................................................... I i Chapter I - Introduction t low I io Thew I'ocins I I 3 r Preseniation and R~.prrsentati«nof AI DS -7 1 3 > il ndcrstanding A IDS as lin lit cnl and .AI DS Poetn as ()ccasional 7 1 4 AIIIS Poctn is Occasional I'octp 1 I I 5 ) rheoriiing MDS Derrida and Rcprcscntaiion 14 1 6 \ Rcprrsenting i\I[>S as sa? 1 i3 71 1 71lad\ AIIX Pwtn 8-7 Greg Ba! sans and Kobrn I3ouçhcron d- 1 8)AIDS Poctn 1987- 1980 Witness. i'cstimon~and Politicnl Poet? 27 chaptrrI- introduction ........................................................................ 45 7.7 ) Womrn Rcprcsrnting AIDS: Wendy Barkrr. Robin Hchn and Lynda Hull ...................................................................... -18 2 3 ) AIDS and Raçr: Gay Black Poets DadWarren Frechette and Essex Hemphill ....................................................................... 53 7.4) Rrprrsrntinp the Biseuual: Michael S. Montgome? .............................. 57 7.5)Restructuring and Repoliticizing tne Gay Perspective: Allen Ginsberg, Robert Loutharn and Michael Lasse11 ........................................ 6 1 2.6) Conclusion ................................................................................................ 70 Chapter 3 .Introduction .................................................................................. 72 3.2 ) The Mrdical Cornmuni ty and AIDS: RaFael Campo. Maq*Jane Nealon and Belle Waring ........................................................... 77 3 3 1 t kmophiliacs and RIDS: Tom Andrcus ................................................ 79 ? . 4 ) I II V Si. rupic& claiiw Tuhl arid Ga- Ses iiichard iaym .......................... 37 3.5)i\lM and Rilcè II: Manin I< . Whitc .......................................... 34 3 . h Kcprt.sc.nting the Fcminine: I3eiitri.i Gates and Maril yn I-iackrr ................. 87 3.7) Concl usion ....................................................................................... 92 All changed, changed utterly: A ternblr beau- is bom. "Easter 19 16" WB. Yeats Chapter One 1.1) Introduction: How 1 Came to These Poems My understanding of AIDS ( Acquired Immunodeficirncy Syndrome) has dways been infornicd by the possibility that 1 could brcomr infecied if 1 wrre not careful. By the time 1 cntercd high school. my grade nine bioloe ttracher e'tplained how the virus drcimates the immune systrm. exposing the drfenseless individual to opportunistic infections that a healthy immune system would nonally keep in check. By grade ten. speakers with HIV (Human Immunoditiciencv Virus), the virus believed to cause AIDS. rame to rny school ro wam us that we were dl vulnerablr to HIVAIDS and that wt: should not remain indi fferent to its possibility After watching the film PhildeJphiaand reading the play An-eis In Ameriu, 1 qurstioned the possible existence of squaliy poignant poetq about AIDS. 1 was convinced that thrre would be an abundance of two types of poems. One type would represent the way AIDS has altered the way we cxpenence our sesuality by imbuing it witli death, and the second would be wnttrn b> or about the dying. Much to my surprise. there were very few of the former and a great rnany of the latter. As 1 researched my thesis, I found rnyself able to empathizt with the plight of thosc witing about AIDS; however, 1 couid not identify with any of them. since in most cases. those 1 idantified with were described by the pets as enemies to the cause. Continuously placed on the outside of the poems, 1 tried to hda way to enter thern by questioning my own identity. To say I am best described as a product of the hegemonic culture would be accurate, even if I perceive myself as a scholastic gadfly flyinb j ust on the fnnge of the culture 1 critique. These posrns made me accept that I am mainstream Truth be told, whilz I could not identify with any of the poets writing about AIDS, the porms thrrnselws forced me to confront al1 my liberal assumptions about AIDS and the marginalized goups represented in the poerns, such as homosexuals and heroin addicts. In mu thrsis. I will argue that the poetic represrntation of AlDS is inlormed bv identity issues that resist unicersaiirins the experience of AiDS. 1.2) Presentation and Representation of AiDS Beiore researchi ng my thcsis, 1 was not aware of any poems about AIDS. let alonc an? poems that werr as cntically or commercially successful as Philuphia or -1s ln Amcricri. Because I had not read any poerns about AIDS. I thought that they would provr interrsting inasmuch as one could analyze the rvolution of the portic representation of AlDS Thc ongoing social. medical and political construction of AlDS makcs it possible to intrrpret AIDS "as if it were a painting or a giant movie scrcrn, [becausel AIDS provides an available, daily, massive readability" (Derrida. "The Rhetoric of Drugs" 10). While it struck me that even thouph port- is not as popular an art form as iilm or theater. 1 thought that poetry could offcr a variety of rniotional and persona! accounts of the enperience of AIDS. When AIDS first emergrd on the cultural landscape. it was securely inscribed as a homosrxual disçase. Over timc, other idrntity groups, such as heroin addicts and hemophiliacs, began to be associated with AiDS. However, by late 1983 the etiolob~of the disease was discovered to be viral. The virus that causes AIDS would later be knowm as HIV (Human Irnrnunodeficiency Virus). * With the knowledge '~hefirst published accounts of the viral cause of AIDS appeared