Hmmm…Ruined. What can I say about this play? It was one of the most moving pieces of work I’ve ever read in my life and made me think about what goes on in this world. I actually had a friend who was forced into a marriage and after realizing the abuse that she was going through, her parents let her get a divorce after 3 months. 3 months? I can’t imagine all the horrors this poor girl saw during that time. And what about all those helpless women in African countries? I can’t even begin to imagine what they go through everyday of their lives.
Most of us sit comfortably at home everyday, not appreciating what we are blessed with. Reading Ruined under my covers, I began to think about if I had gone through even half of the pain that sexually abused women go through. After being abused, they have no one to look to. For example in Ruined, many of these women were rejected from their homes, and left to wander the streets alone. If a person’s own family won’t take care of them, then who will? Think about all the women that go through this sort of suffering. Most of the time, no one is there for them. A majority of women die from the overwhelming pain and humiliation they get from their loved ones. I think a woman that has gone through that should be supported rather than kicked out of her home. By rejecting a woman who has gone through such an immoral act, the person is committing even a more immoral crime. For example, was it Salima’s fault that she was forcefully raped? No. Then why was she blamed for it? Well, one would say that it is because she has disgraced the family. However, the people who say this should think twice and ask themselves if this happened to us, how would we feel?
I think that culture plays a major role in determining a person’s life outcome. However, everyone around the world should think for him/herself. Question the boundaries of the world, and reflect upon the actions we make everyday. There was a time during the 1800’s when Americans thought that slavery and racism was perfectly okay. If everyone continued to think that way then where would we be today? However, there were those individuals who disagreed upon these ideas and fought back. They were the ones who stood up for justice. I feel like there is not enough of independent thought in today’s world. As Metal Children showed, we are often greatly influenced by societies pressures. An individual can only answer the questions of what is right and what is wrong. Our responsibility to the world is to research and learn about why we exist. We should take an active role not only in our communities but also the international community.
I rarely hear of horrifying stories of torture in the news. There is usually one bizarre one here and there. However, people are suffering every day whether we want to accept it or not. There are innocent lives being killed, and millions of families being torn apart. What is our role in this? Most of us sit back and live our daily lives. We are so caught up in school, work, that we forget about the reality of things. Nottage traveled far and reached out to these women to spread awareness of all these horrible tragedies. The education she has given so many people around the world is very valuable. If we all make an effort and spread awareness about the torture women go through in their lives because of rape, and/or sexual abuse, we will be doing a great deed.
I felt very moved when I was reading Ruined. It made me appreciate that I have a home to go everyday where I can peacefully study and live. It also made me aware that not everyone in this world has this privilege. I hope to research more and learn about the reality of things so I can become a part of the solution rather than the average person who just sits and watches.
