Medina |1

Medina Kimberly
Professor Vana Derohanessian
English 115
December 3, 2014
Invisible Voices
When we came across an excerpt titled No Name Woman from The Woman Warrior
by Maxine Hong Kingston it resonated with my soul and my beliefs. In the excerpt we read up
on a woman on who gets pregnant after her husband is shipped away to America. She is labeled
as an adulterer and one of the men organizes a raid against her with the entire village. We
assume she is raped because Chinese traditions usually hold women to do whatever men say
whether you like it or not. She later commits suicide by drowning herself and her baby girl. This
woman was raped and received no justice. We found it to be quite familiar to what we were used
to hearing in the media, the news, and adults. This is usually victim blaming and slut shaming in
serious cases. What she got was shame, abuse, and pain. The Invisible War, the Columbia
University rape, and my story can all link back to rape culture and how it is viewed as a norm.
The Woman Warrior was published in 1975 meaning it has been almost 40 years since this book
was made and rape is still a norm. This is what people believe is normal and we need to take this
out and invite the new wave of feminism so that we can create equality between men and
women. We need Feminism because slut shaming, victim blaming, and dealing with abuse
towards woman and men is still happening today. Being a feminist is view negatively in our
society and we should change that. The way we begin trying to bring change is by hitting the
root of the problem and that is the way we raise our children and what we raise them to believe.

Medina |2

By doing this we can create actual awareness that will turn into action ultimately changing
history for women and men.
Invisible War is a 2012 documentary about women who have been sexually assaulted in
the military who have been punished and have received no justice. About 19,000 cases were
made in 2010 about sexual assault in the military. Only 3,000 were actually pursued and only
244 perpetrators were actually charged. All statistics from this film is from U.S. Government
studies. There were 7 victims who came forward in this film to share their story with the world.
Something that is not easy to talk about because of the fear of social stigma rape has in this
generation and the past. These women showed evidence, rape kits, bruises, and multiple accounts
of stories from different officials and they were pushed away, laughed at and abused once more.
Four out of five women were actually punished after making a report. No officer was punished
for any assault. During the documentary you get to see testimonials from friends and family
about how each day can be a struggle for each survivor. With this in mind we can see how it
affects them as well as far as a husband saying When your wife doesnt come home, and you
have to rummage for a suicide note. You call the police with one hand, while youre restraining
her from killing herself with the other hand. (Captain Ben Klay 51.00min) This can be a thought
for many survivors even some going as far as fulfilling it, we can see it is a serious issue that
should not be taken lightly. These women felt the pain and hopelessness that No Name Woman
felt when that man took something away from her. She resorted to suicide as her only option
because she knew no justice was going to come. Out of all of these 7 victims, none of the
assailants have been charged. In fact many have been rewarded and even promoted to a better
role in the military.

Medina |3

A young woman named Emma Sulkowicz in Columbia University was raped in her dorm
by a fellow orientation leader. Two other woman came forward and the school went on to create
their own verdict and said he was not guilty. She has begun a movement in her school in which
she carries the mattress she was raped on because she feels the need to carry the weight that has
been given to her. She will not stop until her assailant is expelled. She is trying to create change
because she made a report and wasnt believed and now she is able to see her rapist amongst
school grounds. During the school trial everything was handled with such little care. They
twisted her words around and even putting in their biased opinions as an administrator said 'I
don't know how it's possible to have anal sex without lubrication first. (Paragraph 7, How To
Start a Revolution) As if stating it is impossible and her claim is not credible. To think this was
an only case situation would be different but many schools do not follow their policies. One of
the administrators at another school stated Rape is like football. If you look back on the game,
and you're the quarterback ... is there anything you would have done differently? (Paragraph 14,
How to start a Revolution.) As if this is just a game to them. Many say its idiotic to believe this
young woman because shes had consensual sex with her assailant before but a simple reminder
for all of us who might forget that a womans sexual history does not give you the right to touch
her whenever you want. To live in a world like this is scary and that was our exact thought when
the rapist of No Name Woman organized a raid against her and destroyed almost everything in
her familys home because she was carrying his child. To live in a world where three womens
voice was less important than the voice of one man. This has become the norm all over the
country and it needs to come to an end. Victim blaming is not only harming to the survivor but
its making other believe they can do whatever they want because a woman provoked them.

Medina |4

When I was 16 years old on August 11th, 2012 I was sexually assaulted on a bus on my
way to see my friend and her family. I was scared and something in me believed it was truly my
fault. I have nightmares like the women on the documentary and it is hard to maintain
relationships with others without falling apart at times. My friend encouraged me to report it the
next day and when I did the police officer started asking me what I was wearing and why I
hadnt come sooner. I was confused by his questioning and asking myself why I was at fault. He
then said You just put others at risk for not coming in sooner, what the hell were you thinking!
(0fficer Rodriguez I was appalled by his reaction and later found out by friends and family that
this was normal to ask and it was perfectly fine because men wont usually attack unless you
provoke them. As most of the reactions I got from adults were why I wasnt with somebody, why
didnt I scream, why didnt I wear a loosely worn sweater instead of a t-shirt. The real reason lies
within society and how it raised others to truly think this was an appropriate reaction. Rape is an
atrocious act and should not be a norm in society because the harm it brings upon the victim
along with the traumatic side effects it causes to the survivor and their loved ones. My story is
one in a million and we want people to realize that this argument lines in with why we need
feminism and why we need to change our ways with how we treat our children.
Some might dispute that real change is being created like Nirbhayas case in India. A
young woman who was gang raped by six men and died 13 days later after sustained injuries
from the attack. These men were convicted as guilty and the case was spread through the
headlines everywhere. People were so moved by her case that Michelle Obama honored her with
an International Woman of Courage Award as well as Indian Minister P. Chidambaram created a
fund to empower and promote safety for women. This also included a consideration for a new
criminal law bill in her name. We also can receive positive reviews about Invisible War

Medina |5

documentary bringing some change as Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta taking the decision to
prosecute away every high ranking commander and have higher ranking officials take care of
sexual assault cases. It is change but this is not enough because according to the Rape, Abuse,
and Incest National Network every two minutes a woman is raped in the U.S. As Im typing this
somebody is being sexually assaulted and isnt this enough to boggle our minds as to what we
are actually doing with ourselves to attempt to create some change? All of this so that we can see
within ourselves that clothing, flirting, smiling is not the problem but how we raise our children
to behave and believe in.
We have to realize that people are bringing awareness and this just proves that rape is still
a norm. We have to stop trying to bring awareness to a situation that should never have to exist
instead we should search for a solution that might stop the problem from growing into something
more dangerous in the future. Our solution would have to be with the way we raise our children.
Since we were young we have always heard for our daughters to not go out late at night and to be
careful of what we say or wear. As if this problem was lying under women, a simple solution
anybody could follow is to stop treating our daughters as if they should be scared of being
themselves and start teaching our sons not to rape. That no means no and yes means yes and
that only approach is what we should follow. We should start teaching them that a womans
sexual history is not permission for us to touch her in any manner. This solution can also apply to
women who attempt to take advantage of men. If we can start beating the problem where it is
growing then we can finally stop bringing awareness because past and future generations will
know how to treat this problem.
As a society we should be able to realize our mistakes as humans. As a decent person in
this world we should know how to react to certain situations. At this point we can conclude that

Medina |6

we should not lay a hand on anybody based on what we believe of them. Nobody should be
forced to do what they do not want and justice should be served accordingly to the extent of
damage that has been done. Women/men can no longer be silent, whether we are shamed and
ridiculed we all know that no person deserves the treatment these women received in The
Invisible War. No woman should fear of seeing their rapist in the school library, and no woman
should feel like there is no hope or love for them in this world. No Name Woman inspired me to
write about how her hardships might have felt in her lifetime and how all these woman have to
live a daily struggle of trying to piece their life together. With a little compassion between all of
us as humans we can see where our problems lie and its time to start teaching boys not to rape
instead of teaching our daughters what not to wear or say. Its time for change for our neighbors,
coworkers, family, and loved ones.

Medina |7

Works Cited
Kingston, Maxine Hong. "No Name Woman Excerpt." No Name Woman - Google Docs. Knopf
n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014
Magner, Mike. "Exposing Military Predators." National Journal Daily 20 June 2012. General
OneFile. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
Invisible War. Dir. Kirby Dick. Chain Camera Pictures, 2012. Documentary.
Younis, Jinan. "What Happened When I Started a Feminist Society at School." The Guardian
Winnner Pulitzer Prize. The Guardian, 20 June 2013. Web.
Grigoriadis, Vanessa. "How to Start a Revolution; Emma Sulkowicz, who will not put her
mattress down until her alleged rapist is expelled, is its new public face." New York 22
Sept. 2014. General OneFile. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
Chaudhury, Shoma. "The Girl Who Fired an Outcry in India." Newsweek 29 Mar. 2013: 1.
General OneFile. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.