This seminar paper deals with: "BODY: Reading Jackie Kay’s The Adoption Papers (1990-1991)"
INTRODUCTION
1 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WRITING
2 PODOROGA’S PHENOMENOLOGY OF BODY
3 DAUGHTER’S BODY
3.1 BODY-OBJECT
3.1.1 Wounded body
3.1.2 Dead body
3.1.3 Being touched
3.1.4 Being commanded
3.1.5 Examined body
3.2 BODY-“MY-BODY”
3.3. BODY-AFFECT
CONCLUSION
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
1 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WRITING
2 PODOROGA’S PHENOMENOLOGY OF BODY
3 DAUGHTER’S BODY
3.1 BODY-OBJECT
3.1.1 Wounded body
3.1.2 Dead body
3.1.3 Being touched
3.1.4 Being commanded
3.1.5 Examined body
3.2 BODY-“MY-BODY”
3.3. BODY-AFFECT
CONCLUSION
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This paper examines Jackie Kay’s collection of poems "The Adoption Papers" through the lens of Valerij Podoroga’s phenomenological framework to explore the daughter's bodily experiences and the complex identity formation of an adopted, mixed-race woman in Scotland.
- The intersection of autobiographical writing and performance.
- Podoroga’s conceptualization of body-object, body-“my-body”, and body-affect.
- The daughter’s struggle with skin, color, and objectifying social gazes.
- The significance of acoustic mirroring and voice as a strategy for self-affirmation.
- The therapeutic and aesthetic potential of writing in addressing traumatic displacement.
Extract from the Book
3.1.3 Being touched
As mentioned in 3.1, the daughter’s body-object can be constituted provided there is an observer. Skin as a perceptive surface and the phenomenon of touch in its wider sense as pointed out by Sartre is considered by Podoroga to be the domineering layer of sensuousness in the phenomenological constitution of corporality (PODOROGA 1995, 7). Throughout the first four chapters of The Adoption Papers, the daughter’s body is touched by glances through the glass cot. It is only in Chapter 5 that direct physical contact – with the birth mother – ensues: picks up my baby and strokes her cheeks endlessly (19). Physical contact with the adoptive mother is associated with the traumatic experience of becoming aware of the fact that this mother is not her real mother: After mammy telt me she wisnae my real mammy / I was scared to death she was gonnie melt / or something or mibbe disappear in the dead / of night […]. / […] So the next morning I felt her skin / to check it was flesh, but mibbe it was just / a good imitation (22, emphasis added). On the same page the reader is confronted with the daughter’s another trauma received as a result of an accident that happened to the adoptive mother: Mammy’s skin is toffee stuck to the floor. / And her bones are all scattered like toys (22). In both cases, direct physical contact is impaired. This second episode might have been chosen by Kay because “[her] mother was frequently ill throughout [her] childhood and that kind of created […] a different set of imaginings, fearful imaginings” (Kay in DYER 1999, 57).
Summary of Chapters
INTRODUCTION: The introduction establishes the autobiographical nature of the work and introduces Valerij Podoroga’s phenomenology of the body as the primary theoretical tool for the analysis.
1 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WRITING: This chapter contextualizes the work within postmodernism and explores the performative and therapeutic aspects of autobiographical writing.
2 PODOROGA’S PHENOMENOLOGY OF BODY: This section defines the key theoretical concepts of the study: body-object, body-“my-body”, and body-affect as thresholds of experience.
3 DAUGHTER’S BODY: This chapter serves as the central analysis, applying the theoretical categories to the daughter's experiences in The Adoption Papers.
3.1 BODY-OBJECT: This section examines the body as a thing subject to external gazes, including trauma, displacement, and social categorization.
3.1.1 Wounded body: Analyzes birth and early life as an initial traumatic wound using the text's imagery of forceps and glass cots.
3.1.2 Dead body: Explores the symbolic killing and burial of the daughter’s original self, often linked to maternal figures.
3.1.3 Being touched: Focuses on the role of skin and physical contact as sites of trauma and social interaction.
3.1.4 Being commanded: Discusses the objectifying pressure of social institutions like schools and the demands imposed on the daughter.
3.1.5 Examined body: Investigates the daughter’s transition from object to subject through self-reflexive examination of her own identity.
3.2 BODY-“MY-BODY”: This chapter addresses the internal feeling of possessing one's own body and the search for identity amidst mirror-like projections.
3.3. BODY-AFFECT: Explores the extracorporeal states and intense emotional experiences that go beyond the body-canon.
CONCLUSION: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, confirming the therapeutic necessity of the daughter’s multi-voiced narrative.
Keywords
Jackie Kay, The Adoption Papers, Phenomenology of Body, Valerij Podoroga, Autobiography, Body-object, Identity, Postmodernism, Adoption, Trauma, Voice, Multiplicity, Corporality, Self-reflexivity, Skin.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on Jackie Kay’s poetry collection "The Adoption Papers," analyzing how the daughter’s body is constructed and experienced through the specific phenomenological framework developed by Valerij Podoroga.
What are the primary themes addressed?
The central themes include the complexity of autobiographical narrative, the traumatic nature of adoption, racial identity, and the struggle to achieve subjectivity through voice and writing.
What is the main research question or objective?
The objective is to explore how Jackie Kay uses the "multiplicity of voices" as a strategy to negotiate identity and body-possession after the traumatic experience of being adopted.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author employs Valerij Podoroga’s "Phenomenology of Body," specifically focusing on his classification of body states: body-object, body-“my-body”, and body-affect.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section covers the daughter’s experience as a "body-object" (wounded, dead, touched, commanded, and examined), the internal realization of the "my-body," and the role of affective bodily states.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
The key concepts involve adoption, phenomenology, the daughter’s body, multiplicity of voices, autobiographical truth, and the transformation of the body-object into a subject.
How does the author characterize the role of the "Other" in the poem?
The "Other" is portrayed as an objectifying force, such as a school teacher or a stranger, who imposes norms or racial gazes, forcing the daughter to confront her own body as a visible, marked entity.
Why is the acoustic "mirroring" more important than visual mirroring for the protagonist?
Because the protagonist does not physically resemble her adoptive parents, she finds a sense of unity and shared identity through the sound of the voice and "being on the same wavelength" rather than through the mirror.
- Quote paper
- Maryna Zühlke (Author), 2007, Reading Jackie Kay's The Adoption Papers (1990-1991), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/154007
