Literature of Witness

I think that the purpose of a literature of witness is to share thoughts and feelings of what one knows. It is a chance to share with the world what you have learned, how you learned it, and what you got out of a certain experience. Zandy sums this all up in the beginning of the section by saying, "attentice listeners and speakers for those who have not had a chance top tell their own stories. These writers are not private crusaders, romanticizing the past, but rather witness bearers who use their historical memories and skills as narrators, poets, reporters, scholars, and songwriters to make visible the diverse culture and history of working people." (Zandy, 89). These women just want their thoughts and ideas to be heard. They don't want to sit by quietly and watch others pass. They want to be involved and they want people to know the work that they do. Not because they want people to feel guilty that they are working so hard for so little, but just to make themselves known. Zandy states, "Their purpose is not to evoke useless guilt but to make visible what is too often conveniently invisible." This is shown throughout the various passages in the section. For example, in "I Want You Women Up North to Know" (Olsen, 91), Olsen speaks much about sweat and blood and such that is put into their work. She is not telling the "women up north" that they should be doing the same. It seems to me that she is just asking them to recognize that she is visible, that she is human, and most importantly she is a woman as they are, but she leads a different life. Her pain and frustration is almost downplayed in the title, like she is saying, "just so you know, this is what I go through everyday", but her words are so powerful that you almost feel what she is feeling, and that certainly makes her visible to all of her readers.

Zandy, Janet. Bearing Witness. Calling Home: working class women's writings: an anthology edited and with an introduction by Janet Zandy. 89-90.

Olsen, Tillie. I Want You Women Up North to Know. Calling Home: working class women's writings: an anthology edited and with an introduction by Janet Zandy. 91-94.