Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Haley Reading Group 1: Nafissa Thompson-Spires's “Whisper to a scream”


[Haley Reading groups Spring 2021]

By Lakenzie Walls and Howard Rambsy II

In Nafissa Thompson-Spires's final story, “Whisper to a scream,” we meet Raina, a young black high school student who makes ASMR videos. She deals with online harassment and self-esteem issues because of unusual interests. Her routine of whispering fairy tales and stroking feathers into her microphone gives her a large online following.

In one instance, Raina receives a message from a user she suspects is one of the guys from her high school. The comment suggests she wear her “Dorsey uniform in the next 1” (119). She makes a conscious effort to ignore racist and sexist comments online. Despite the online harassment, Raina continues posting content because she “worked best in short frames, quiet silvers, fragments” (134).

There are a number of fascinating or important moments in this story. Identify just one and briefly explain why you found that one most interesting or significant to consider in a short story. Please provide a page number. 

52 comments:

Kenisha Townsend said...

One moment I found quite interesting in this story is when Raina had told her mother about how Kevin tried to "feel her up" on a class trip, and her mother questioned her to see if she had provoked him in any way (126). I found this interesting, because her mother offered little to no support for her daughter. With boys at that age, I'm sure almost anything could've made him think he could touch her. Young girls like Raina can't control the way they are shaped and shouldn't be sexualized for it.

Kenisha T.

Thomas Siganga said...

This story brings more to light that the people behind the screen are human. Also, the problems that arise to people knowing you are somewhat famous, especially in Raina's case in how people bothered her online. "Raina sometimes fantasized about running away, saving her money, taking her equipment, and finding a community of people who could really see her"(132) was an interesting line to me since it's hard for viewers to walk in the same shoes as the content creator. This is also increased as she felt more and more distant from her mother and boyfriend throughout the story.

-Thomas Siganga

James Taylor said...

In the reading, one part I found to be significant is what her mother told her in the beginning. On page 121 her mom says, "You don't want people to see you as one of those nasty girls, do you." Its significance is bigger than what people might see it as on the surface. Her mom is explaining to her indirectly that you need to be mindful of your online reputation, and you should be careful in how you represent yourself in the sight of others. Her mom is trying to give her this advice so that she won't be too caught up in pleasing her subscribers. Who may try to sway her towards the direction her mom is trying to prevent her from coming towards. Her mom wants her to be a respectable woman, and not one who is not.

{James Taylor}

EvanCeleste said...

I find it interesting and sad that her mother is so unsupportive and judgmental of her channel. On page 123, she says to Raina, "Why don't you reconsider plus sized modeling if you want to be in videos and make money? Or at least go back to doing hair and makeup tutorials, so people can see how pretty your face is, instead of them just watching your chest jiggle while you talk". I thought that this was a very insensitive comment to make, especially to such a young girl who just wants to make a difference in the world and is already struggling with insecurities.

Devin Ellis-Martin said...

I enjoyed hearing the mindset of the mother towards the daughter. While some may find this to be demeaning, there is also something familiar about it. My grandmother is very stern and proper, and although she would never say anything "mean" to me, she was very supportive but also gave tough love. And that is what it was, out of love.

-Devin Ellis-Martin

Linda H. said...

I didn't like how when Raina told her mother and the principal about Kevin feeling her up that no one believed her or did anything about it. When her mother turned it on her and asked if she provoked it on page 126 I was questioning why she wouldn't stand up for her own daughter. Too often in history women have been treated like objects to be taken, touched, or disrespected without care to their feelings or bodily autonomy. It seemed like the mother wanted to sweep the incident under the rug out of embarrassment but it sends the wrong message to her daughter that people are allowed to treat her wrong and she should just ignore it rather than try to stop it because she won't be protected anyway.


-Linda H.

Donovan Washington said...

The lack of support given to Raina by her mother stood out to me. On page 122 Raina states, "It bothered her that her mother felt more concern over anonymous perverts or racists typing lewd comments from remote places than she felt for the bully down the block, the one at her school". I think this statement is very telling to the treatment Raina has felt her mother has given her regarding the videos she has been making.

Samontriona P. said...

One thing I found significant was the reaction of Raina’s mother after finding out that a boy had touched on her. Not only did she fail to support her daughter in the situation, but she implied that there might have been something she did to make him touch her. This is something that happens all too often and it is not only from mothers. Society as a whole always makes excuses as to why someone was touched, sexually assaulted, etc. The problem is he shouldn’t have touched Raina to begin with!

Jovahna Williams said...

On page 126 when Raina was asked if she was the cause of the sexual assault done by Kevin by her own mother I was disappointed but not shocked. Victim blaming is a huge problem when it comes to sexual harassment, assault, and abuse. It happens to all women but especially plus size women because as soon as they wear anything even slightly revealing, people take it as an invitation to touch or harass them which is ridiculous. This often happens too much in the black community as well. I have personally witnessed a lot of black women say that wearing revealing clothes or showing any amount of skin is an invitation for men to make you uncomfortable or for harassment, simply because "they're men and that is what men do". This is ridiculous and insensitive as enabling men to indulge in this sort of behavior only makes the problem worse.

Jovahna W.

LaTrina Brown said...

On page 121, I found it interesting how her mom stated "You don't' want people to see you as one of those nasty girls now do you". I found this interesting because you would think that she would support her daughter in whatever it is she wants to do, and a lot of parents do realize how their words can affect their children negatively. I can relate to possibly how Raina was feeling when her mom said this because my mom is very opinionated.

Alexis S. said...

A moment that I found interesting, began on page 131 and continued to page 132, when Raina's mother had asked her what was wrong and stated that, "You never talk to me anymore". I found this part to be interesting because Raina then began to list off the reasons in her head as to why she doesn't confide in her mother. All of the reasons were very sad because you would expect for a mother to support, protect, and help their child, but instead Raina's mother does the opposite. Her mother does not realize that her words and actions have impacted Raina negatively. This helped put into perspective why Raina has self-esteem problems and feels unsupported.

- Alexis S.

Danielle Hawthorne said...

The most interesting thing in the part of the story to me was on page 122. On page 122 it stated that “It bothered he that her mother felt more concerned over anonymous pervert or racist typing lesbian comments from remote places than she felt for the bully down the block, the one at school. Raina did not feel safe.” This was interesting to me because I felt that the mother should be more concerned with her daughters current safety rather than people online. This part of the book squally bothered me because it stated that Raina didn’t feel safe. That was alarming to me. In my opinion Raina should express to her mom how she feels.


Danielle Hawthorne

Samantha A. said...

One moment I found important was when Raina was talking to her boyfriend about her ASMR videos. On page 123, Raina stated that she had to avoid having her hair in the natural look for her videos as her views increased when it is straightened. Her boyfriend was not supportive either with allowing her to feel comfortable in her own hair as he persuades her to show more hair in the videos. This moment was significant to me as many people try to persuade people that they are less attractive in their natural hair and that straighten hair is better, when in reality everyone has the right to have their hair the way that they want it.

Kalonji said...

One moment that was significant to me was on page 126 when Michael whispered to Raina that one of the first things that he would do to her was grab breasts and cut one of them off. Previously, Michael has sexually assaulted her. When Raina told her mother she said that they needed to deal with that situation, but she also asked if Raina was acting in a way towards him that could've made him feel like that was okay. This moment made was a reminder of the all too real occurrence of victim-blaming. It was already saddening that Raina had to go through that but to not have the unquestioned support of her own mother had to make the whole ordeal tougher.

Teighlor Traywick said...


An important moment happened on page 123 when Raina talked about how she was transitioning her hair from relaxed to natural. This means that her hair would not appear as straight. Dom felt her views went up when she had her long hair visible. This moment just makes me think about how even when we are doing something that is supposed to be auditory, we still crave the visual component, and that component has to match what society deems as acceptable. Raina just wants to be herself and that’s why she was drawn to make ASMR videos, but even in this medium, she still is expected to adhere to society’s standards of beauty. It’s honestly sad because she is so young and will be molded by the comments and opinions of others, no matter how damaging.

Teighlor Traywick

Anonymous said...

I found the story included on page 126 about her trip to Catalina pretty interesting being that she was basically harassed and did not have anyone to confide in not even her own mother. I felt like the mother should have been more on her daughter's side of the story especially being that she is a woman. I also feel like there's always this preconceived notion that a woman is asking to be sexually harassed. It's always "she must have been asking for it" instead of "who raised this boy to think that he can do whatever he wants to women?" 9 times out of 10 the woman is not asking for it nor is she seeking the attention of men.

I'yauna

Alliyah M. said...

One moment that I found interesting was on p.122 that stated "It bothered her that her mother felt more concern over anonymous perverts or racists typing lewd comments from remote places that she felt for the bully down the block, the one at school." This part was interesting because it seemed that Raina's mother was more concerned about Raina's image/reputation online rather than being concerned about her safety in real life and the struggles she faces every day at school. I think Raina's safety should have been the main focus at that moment as her safety wasn't always guaranteed.

Tracy Long said...

One page 126 one of the things that stuck out to me is how the mom victim blamed the daughter when she was sexually assaulted . Many victims do not talk about it due to fear of embarrassment and fear of the abuser . I think that it was terrible the mother was not very supportive

Anonymous said...

This story made me feel so sad. I am disgusted with her mother for victim shaming Raina (126). Carmen is clearly more concerned about Raina’s figure than her wellbeing. Kevin has assaulted her and threatens to do worse, but all Carmen is worried about is Raina going down two dress sizes. I believe this story highlights the objectification of women and how trying to please everyone will only displease yourself.

Alexys Williams

Isaiah Jackson said...

I think the conversation with Dom starting on page 122 (and Raina's entire relationship with Dom) is one of the most important parts of this story. I was surprised by the way Raina was willing to agree to the restrictions Dom wanted to put on their relationship, even though she clearly was not comfortable with them. For me, this scene highlights how battered Raina's self esteem had become from her family and school. She is willing to do what Dom wants because she hopes someone will see her, but Dom ends up being the same as them; only wanting her for what she can give them and not caring about how she feels. That is why she breaks down at the end of the story, and why the ending is so sad to me.

-Isaiah Jackson

Noah Jones said...

The part in the story that I found most interesting was on page 121. This section talked about how some of the viewers of her ASMR videos talked about how some users used it for "grosser purposes" and I think that many peoples' minds go to these places when they hear of ASMR. I think her explanation directly after when she talks about the girl with PTSD benefiting from the videos gives a nice perspective of how therapeutic it can be and how it isn't or doesn't have to be this "gross" thing.

- Noah Jones

Jaydyn Z. said...

The part of the story that surprised me most was when Raina discusses how Kevin had sexually harassed her during a trip to Catalina (126), and her mother's response was extremely harmful. Instead of comforting her daughter and making her feel safe, she asked Raina if she had given Kevin any ideas. I felt horrible for Raina, and I cannot imagine how that would continue to have an impact on her wellbeing. It was a reminder as to how our society often likes to victim blame, rather than serve justice to the perpetrator.

Ayo J said...

One moment that I found interesting was the last paragraph which states "...she canceled the upload and deleted the footage. She could start over later, returning to her fairy tales...Everyone said so" (134). This shows that Raina is so insecure.
She is unable to made decisions that works best for her. She finds herself having to deals with all these pressures by compromising all the time. Thus, this makes her to feel vulnerable all the time.

Brooke Harris said...

One moment i found signifigsnt to put in the story would be the incident where she was "felt up" by kevin. Instead of asking how she was feeling her mother asked did she provoke him, and I feel this was significant because as a woman, especially a black woman, there is never really a reputation with people believing them when it comes to serious issues like this. I think it is sad that women are subject to this all the time.
-Brooke Harris

Kelsey McNeil said...

There were so many parts in this story that stood out to me. The one that stood out to me the most was when Carmen came home and told Raina that she bought her dresses. She bought the dresses in a size 10/12 instead of 14, despite knowing that Raina was a size 14. She then went on to say, "Yes, but you have two weeks"(129). Meaning, she wanted Raina to lose weight in order to fit into the dresses. This stood out so much to me because Raina is young and having someone say something like that to you is very harmful to one's self esteem and overall body image. It is also clear throughout the story that Raina and Carmen do not have the best relationship so I can only imagine how hurt she must have felt when that was said to her.

Kelsey McNeil

Ehriana . C said...

An important part that stood out to me was when Raina was looking through some of the disturbing comments on her video(124-125). I feel like Raina enjoyed what she did because of the help she provided. It made her feel disrespected and looked over talent wise. This stood out to me because i used to make youtube videos about clothes a fashion and at times i would get disturbing comments that people would post and other times people would really appreciate the videos i put out there. i feel like i felt similar to how Raina felt.

Breana B said...

There are so many meaningful moments in this chapter. The one that stuck out to me the most was when Raina stated, "It bothered her that her mother felt more concern over anonymous perverts or racists typing lewd comments from remote places than she felt for the bully down the block, the one at school." This spoke volumes to me. At lot of time parents focus on the wrong thing in there child's life. Raina's mom was worried about comments on youtube but wasn't concerned with a bully she encountered in real life. The lack of support and criticism Raina received from her mother was disheartening. Her mother should've been concerned with the bully.

-Breana Buford

Alayna M said...

I found the part in the story where we meet Dom to be interesting. This happens on page 123, and we learn that they don't video chat face-to-face. Dom prefers to feel like he's part of one of Raina's ASMR videos. This was so interesting to me because on page 131 that when they first began talking, Dom would show his face. I'm curious as to why he hides his face now that Raina's growing an audience. I'm assuming he's not who he says he is and maybe feels more threatened now that she has some "fame"


- Alayna M.

Dasmin Whitted said...

One part of the story that is important to discuss is the small discussion between Rainia and her mom. "" Fiber will help you with some of that belly" Carmen had said the week before, on her way out to some event, focusing her eyes on Raina's midsection for longer than necessary" (120). Body shaming for women is so prevalent through social media and family which could harm self-esteem for many women. Raina should not be getting those types of comments from her mother. She should be promoting exercise and a better eating style not criticizing her body. I hate to see that Raina has to go through bullying and body shaming from Youtube and her mother.

- Dasmin W.

Phoenix Johnson said...

What caught my attention the most is how Kevin tried to trash Raina at the end of the first paragraph on page 126. He was rejected after sexually Harrison her and then has the audacity to ca her a slut. It us very interesting why young boys and men shame women when they do not want them. As well vice versa, why can't they just get the rebound and take a another shot on a different basket. Not sit there and hang on the rim and mess up the basket.

William Akpan said...

The most significant portion of the story in my opinion, was near the end of the story when she was about to upload the video where she basically said how she was feeling and what she thought, but deleted it instead. I thought it was compelling that after holding in how she really felt for the entire story, she finally was able to talk about her feelings and at the very end, she ended up deleting the video before uploading it anyway.

-William A.

Anonymous said...

The part of the story I found most important was on page 126 when Kevin grouped Rania without her permission and later called her a slut when he got rejected. According to Rania Kevin used to be a nice guy who got meaner as he got older which makes me think this dude has a classic case of nice guy/girl syndrome. Where people believe acting nice is the only thing that is needed to get someone to like and therefore respond positively to romantic/sexual advances. Then immediately turn nasty once rejected like being nice entitles them whomever they desire. Situations like this really annoyed me and I hate that people have to go through these types of issues similar to Rania because some people can't take no for an answer or keep their hands to themselves.

Chris W.

Justin Jubert said...

The part that stood out to me was the sequence on pages 122-23. The part where they talked about how her mother felt more concerned over comments spoke to me because I grew up in a generation of online personas and unrealistic standards. People must be educated on the harmful effects of social media and how it can impact people's mental health and wellbeing. Raina feeling unsafe is not okay, and her mother should empathize with her more. It really shows how conceited some individuals can be. -JJ

Adejoke Adanri said...

One part of the story that I found most important was on page 125 where it said "Raina felt briefly, that everyone wanted or saw only a piece of her, not a whole, that she was a mere flesh,...". This seemed important to me because throughout the story all though she only wanted to practice her hobby, Raina receives constant gross harassment from online trolls and people she knows. Her mother didn't even try helping her when she told her about her harassment from Kevin, instead, she victim-blamed.

Anonymous said...

On page 126 her mother said “ did you do anything to make him think he could touch you like that? Did you give him any ideas?“ i thought this part was interesting. People like to shift the blame to the women in one way or another whether that’s intentionally or unintentionally. We see this happen a lot, it’s either because of our outfits or because of our body shapes or because they think we used those things to provoke them in a sense. I dislike that her mom asked her that question...
-Tymera Washington, 4/22/21

gabby said...

A spot in this story that I found interesting, and that really stuck out to me was when Raina approached her mother and confided to her how Kevin tried to inappropriately touch her while she was on a field trip. I found it extremely disheartening when her mother asked her if she had provoked him in any type of way (this was on page 126). There is no reason that the mother should have placed any type of blame on this girl. This is a problem in our society as we sometimes look as to why the woman was assaulted instead of focusing solely on the perpetrator.

Philip Bowen said...

The part that stood out to me was the last comment about Raina on page 125 how her Asmr whispers. This part stood out to me because it show how women are sexualize and harassed online for work they actually just wanted to practice. This also stood out to me because this is happening so often to women and it show how certain men in the world can be creepy and disturbing.

Anonymous said...

On page 126 when she told her mother Kevin tried to feel her up and her mother blamed her for it told an interesting tale of her relationship with her mother. It pretty much shouted that it was an unhealthy relationship for Raina and her mother was completely unsupportive of her. At this age children tend to have less self control and it is up to the parents or teachers to teach them what is inappropriate and support the victims of such. All the while letting them know that they do not have to put up with such harassment.

Breann Walton

Anonymous said...

on page 122, Raina is discussing with her mother about how unsafe her mother thought her daughter could be when acquainting the online world. although she was not very concerned about all the mistreatment and bully she was enduring on a daily basis at school. It is important to highlight how sometimes our parents overlook the real danger, the danger that is near, meanwhile they only care about "potential" dangers. Raina had some issues, but could not rely on her mother to be of help.

Geonel M

Keaira C. said...

I definitely think there were so many significant and important moments in this story but one that really stuck with me was when Raina's mother victim-blamed her, and asked if she did anything to provoke Kevin. This moment was so disappointing to me, I think it immediately hurt and disappointed me so much because I've witnessed and seen interactions like this in person before and I can't imagine how that feels coming from someone that you call "mom". This moment took place on page 126, and this approach is how her mother chose to "deal with the situation" which makes it so much more impactful and unfortunate. Because it reflects toxic and dysfunctional parenting abilities. It's already embedded within society that even though women are the ones that get their bodies sexualized that we still need to be the ones that somehow stop it from happening by minimizing ourselves. So to also point the finger at women when there's a continuous battle to embrace and take pride in all that makes us women, is conflicting and disheartening.

Anonymous said...

I feel disgusted. I did not like how mom did not believe Raina! How are children supposed to feel safe in this world if they are not protected from these traumatizing things happening to them! She needed that support. She should not have implied that she might have done something to provoke the act. Too many times is that asked to the victim. On another note, I did like how her mom was concerned with the image of herself she was putting out to the world, showing some care.

Rotrisha Epps

James Beverly III said...

It was so disheartening to see how unsupportive Raina’s mother was. Usually, mothers would want to see the best in their kids and want to make sure that they reach their full potential. Raina’s mother made many passive comments about Raina’s weight and appearance. This is so discouraging and honestly abusive for a child to grow up in. Many would call it a toxic environment.

-James Beverly III

Raillane Kamdem said...

The most saddening thing I read in this reading was when Raina had told her mother a boy had sexually harassed her and the first thing her mom tried to do was figure out how she could’ve been in the wrong and let this happen to her. I feel as though that’s the kind of dangerous thinking that lurks in America today and it was saddening seeing it in the reading.

Torian henry said...

One thing that really caught my eye was how little support she being in the situation she was in. I think it really made me think and realize how many people are in that situation around the world, and what makes it even worse is that her own mother even treated her awful. because if your own mother won't support you throughout this, who will.
Torian H

Anonymous said...

One thing that really stood out to me in this story was the fact that on page 126 Raina’s mom asked if she led Kevin on in anyway rather than asking or making sure she was okay. Her mother made it out to seem like Raina was the reason for what happened to her rather than Kevin just not being a good person. In today’s world you see this quite often and it should just never be the case, a woman is never to blame fir being sexually assaulted.

-Kenyon Davis 4/29/21

Anonymous said...

On page 133-134 Raina recorded a video of her being honest about everything. She wanted to post it, but the two people she mentioned just so happen to try talking to her before she pressed the upload button. It was really important for her to do this because she needed to express herself and be honest with herself. She did delete, which was another good thing because she should talk to them about it oppose to posting about it on social media. Raina may have been feeling closed off, but she was taking the right steps. She taught me to speak up about what people are doing and always stay true to you. It’s nice to have validation, but you don’t always need it.

-Alexis H., 4/26/21

Anonymous said...

One part from the excerpt that stuck out to me was her uncertainty about continuing to post her videos. Even though she received mostly positive feedback from viewers, Raina still had an emptiness that she did not know how to fill. This can be tied back to many young social media users who struggle with mental health or anxiety and are unsure about how to properly respond to those issues.

-Ronald A.

Unknown said...

When Raina goes, “She could start over later, returning to her fairy tails. Editing was the easiest part anyway; she worked best in short frames, quiet slivers, fragments. Everyone said so.” It speaks to a larger picture of a how hard it is to be real about being your true authentic self.
-Jayla Pierce, 5/3/21

Kristian Beal said...

The part that I thought was important was when her mother was victim shaming Raina on page 126. All Carmen is worried about is Raina's figure, even when Kevin is literally assaulting and threatening her. Carmen is clearly more concerned about Raina’s figure than her wellbeing.

Anonymous said...

One particular part caught my eye in this short story. On page 126, Raina's mother questioned her and asked if she had done anything that caused Kevin to act this way toward her. I have never understood the idea behind victim-blaming, and why it is so prevalent in our society. As a young woman, I am often told that I shouldn't wear certain outfits because they're too "suggesting." I should be able to wear what I feel comfortable in without having to worry about another human harassing/assaulting me.

-Jada Baker

Jasmyn Kloster said...

One moment I viewed as important in this final story was on page 123 when Raina spoke about changing her hair for views and Dom said she would get more views if she had it a particular way. This stuck out to me because Raina makes ASMR videos. This just proves that even with videos that are just supposed to be used for sounds, there will still be people to judge a person’s appearance. Why should it matter what type of hair Raina has in a particular video if people are just watching for ASMR? It is because in society if a woman does not look a certain way, no matter what content she is putting out, she will not get as many views as a woman that looks like the societal standard of beauty. Raina began to notice this so she avoided her natural hair for the videos for views.
Jasmyn Kloster

unknown said...

The story in general was pretty angering because of the simple fact that black girls aren’t safe anywhere. Although Raina isn’t the first person to do ASMR, nor is it harmful or offensive, yet people still found a reason to degrade her. I also found it disheartening that no matter the content produced, she was unhappy with the results and received hate.

~Ronald Allen