Anyone Is Capable - Response & Refection #2 by Gennesis Ayala

Rape is an unfortunate situation that I have been aware and warned about since a young age. I was taught that rape is an action that was committed by men towards women, but Beloved has taught me otherwise. While reading Beloved I was surprised and saddened to learn that rape can happen to anyone and can be committed by anyone. I have heard many stories of cases of rape, all committed by men and the victims were women. I have never been told of a story where a man was the victim or a woman was the offender of a situation of sexual abuse until I read Beloved.

While Paul D was in prison for trying to kill someone, he witnessed a fellow inmate “taking a bit of foreskin” instead of getting a “gunshot to his head” (127), meaning that the inmate was forced into oral rape so the prison guard wouldn’t shoot him to death. This shows a man being sexually abused by another man. This is an unfortunate event that Paul D had to witness and a cringing passage that made me rethink of what I thought I already knew about rape. Another passage that made me rethink my knowledge of rape is when Beloved demands that Paul D touches her “on the inside part” and calls her by her name (137). Although that did happen, Paul D is “convinced he didn’t want to” (148). If Paul D was convinced that he did not want to have sex with Beloved, then this leads to the thought that Beloved may have raped Paul D since it was against his will. These passages have allowed me to see that rape does not only come from a male towards a female, but can also come from a male towards another male or a female towards a male. Although it wasn’t shown in the book, I now believe that sexual abuse can also be committed from a female to another female. Beloved has allowed my knowledge on sexual abuse to expand and recognize that sexual abuse can be committed by anyone and anyone can a victim, despite a persons gender.