Peter Ferguson Post #2

On Thursday we discussed the reading about the Venus Hottentot. At first after reading I had no idea what the poem was about nor the purpose of the reading, and after doing the research and discussing it in class I was blown away that anything like this had ever gone on. The embarrassment and humiliation that Sarah Baartman was put through had me sick to my stomach. The way they were portraying her in the movie with curves that were bigger than usual and at one point having a male examine her as if she was an animal, was utterly sickening. When Sarah was sold in the movie to an animal owner in France I was speechless, to think they used her as a circus act for money, and who knows if she saw any of the money or how badly she was treated behind closed doors. The fact that something like this had ever went on was revolting and I was at least happy to hear that they had returned her back to her home in Africa. It was something that should of been done 200 years ago when she first passed away, never should she of been put on display after her passing, its unjust and heartless. I really better understand the focus of this reading after the discussion in class and it really gave me a chance to better understand the Venus Hottentot.