Analysing ‘The Women’s Swimming Pool’

Analysing ‘The Women’s Swimming Pool’ 1. In The Women’s Swimming Pool, the narrative revolves around a young girl living in rural Lebanon and who has dreams to swim. Guided by this desire, she makes a trip to the city of Beirut, where she plans to visit a private swimming pool. Her grandmother accompanies her on this trip. However, when she ultimately gets there, she finds that her conservative upbringing and her ideas about her body make it difficult for her to swim. The experiences of this protagonist can be compared to those of Ghani’s daughter in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children (The Perforated Sheet). When she falls sick, her father insists that the doctor can only examine her through the use of a perforated sheet. He maintains that doing this will guard his daughter’s modesty.

Buy this excellently written paper or order a fresh one from acemyhomework.com

Both stories show the manner in which young girls’ freedom to move is often restricted by patriarchal systems. In these two stories, the girl in The Women’s Swimming Pool was restricted by her religion while the girl in Midnight’s Children was restricted by her sexuality. Having my freedom of movement limited in public spaces keeps me from expressing my fullest self. It communicates that I lack the agency to make my own decisions.

2.

The first stanza of Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale could be rewritten as follows: “I am suffering from heartbreak.

I am drowsy and I cannot feel my limbs. It is as if I have drunk a poisonous substance or smoked a dangerous drug.

A minute has passed and I feel as if I have no memory.

But I do not envy you because of your happiness.

Instead, I envy that you, as a bird, get to spend all your time among the branches of the tree, singing about summer without a single worry in the world.”

I would not say that I currently relate to the speaker of the poem. However, I understand the extent to which his anguish could have driven him to be envious of a bird’s simple life.

Responses II think the connection you make between the two stories is quite unique. I also agree that the experiences of the girls in both stories are governed by the rules of patriarchy. It is also really interesting that, through your reflection, you were able to show how patriarchy is also connected to other forms of oppression, such as racism. I think your rewrite of Keats' poem is so well done. It captures the tone of the author while also giving it your unique interpretation.

I'm really pleased to see that, just like me, you made a connection between the girl in "the Women's Swimming Pool" and "The Perforated Sheet." I also think that the experiences of the girls in the story are determined by the rules of patriarchy. Freedom of movement in public spaces is connected to a person's agency and any limitation of this freedom usually adversely affects girls and women. I also like your rewrite of the second stanza Keats' poem. I think you were able to remain faithful to its overall message while giving it your own unique interpretation. I also empathize with your need to get away from life's hassles every so often. Regarding your interpretation of Separate Ways, I wonder

whether you would agree that the story is also a reflection of how social class can influence the development or non-development of romantic love?