Position Paper presentation

1st September 2009, Tuesday


The topic that I do for position paper is a play entitled “Thirty Days in September” by Mahesh Dattani. The reason I choose this play is I am interested and is easy for me to come up with my position that is Shanta’s silence about the sexual abuse brought harm to her life. This play is prominent about sexual abuse issue that has been occurred from one generation to the next that is the sexual abuse from Shanta, the mother to Mala, her own daughter by Vinay Bhaiya, Shanta’s eldest brother and Mala’s uncle. The same man had continuously sexual abusing his own sister and his niece. It is very terrible.
My position is focused on Shanta’s silence about the sexual abuse issue, the reason of her silence and the harm that entails from this silence. The main ideas to support my position are Shanta’s pride made her silence, Shanta’a silence made her failure as a wife and marriage and Shanta’s silence is an open door to Vinay Bhaiya, her eldest brother to gain more threat to her life.
Initially, my main ideas were not written in such a way but only focused on the outcome of Shanta’s silence such as bad mother and daughter relationship, failure and a wife and marriage and Vinay Bhaiya continuously dominating Shanta’s life. I was focusing on the outcome of Shanta’s silence but did not think about the other side that is the reason of Shanta’s silence. After Miss Dzeelfa’s comments on my position paper presentation, I did some edition and wrote about the reason of Shanta’s silence is due to pride, failure as a wife and marriage and due to her brother’s threat.
In my opinion, position paper is not an easy assignment because the position has to be refutable or arguable. I am not good to state an argumentative topic. Therefore, I am not really satisfied about my position paper. Shanta’s silence about the sexual abuse issue is obviously bad for herself and to her daughter. If to think of the refutable points, it can be her silence can maintain her pride and earn respect from her daughter, continue to enjoy her brother’s secure of providence and the paying for her apartment. These are the refutable points that I thought about if it is based on my position of Shanta’s silence about her sexual abuse issue brought harm to her life.
In the position paper class, I learned that the position that we made has to be arguable. Therefore, the position is not necessarily in line with the common thinking. For example, someone can come out with a position such as abortion is good for women to maintain their pride in the society even though the common thinking disagrees with this position. However, this is one way to throw out a refutable topic. I hope I can improve on my position writing and come out with a stronger refutable statement.