Kate Chopin has a very unique life that is not heard of by many. She was extremely intelligent, but had been through so much her whole entire life. Her whole family was infected with the satanic disease we all must carry, yet it swept through her family like wildfire leaving her as a lone wolf: death. She carried all of this pain through her and channeled it into her heartwarming literature. The biography uses a contradicting, yet balanced amount of information to describe how she wrote, and what affected it. Her, pain, her passion, her emotion was directed to her writing.
To begin, Kate was always surrounded by intelligence and this is how she picked up her distinctive personality. She was constantly around “smart, independent, single women,” which gave the reason for the constant use of women in her short stories (Wyatt 2). The women used in her stories are a reflection of the intelligence she possessed, including the source of these gifts of knowledge. The Story of an Hour gave a glimpse of this knowledge when the woman who lost her husband realized that she was now free. This refers back to the cult of true womanhood which was going strong at this time. She followed all her duties as a true woman, yet she had nearly no authority, but when her husband died, she obtained this liberty and she knew it. In Desiree’s Baby she once again reveals this, but adds a tone of passion and love, a woman willing to accept the cult of true womanhood. Desiree cared for and loved her husband even though he ostracized her because of her unknown and false identity as being black. What do these women have in common besides the cult of true womanhood? They both knew what had to be done and they did it. They both coped through the good and bad times and stuck it through as women to make their lives able to deal with. Unfortunately both of these women died and suffered much throughout their lives.
Another relation to the tales Chopin writes and her life is her distress. Ever since birth she had been through a large amount of death. Her father died, and she was the only child out of 5 to live past 25 (Wyatt 1). Not to mention the loss of her husband 12 years after marriage, the passing away of every other person in her family besides her kids and the loss of her only friend known of by us, Kitty. This added to the writing she used also. As stated before both women in the examples of her stories died. Desiree committed suicide when her husband denied her a woman because of the suspicion of being black. Louise died of heart failure when a piece of her heart was ripped out of her. This is another direction to the cult of true womanhood. They both followed this belief, yet died according to it. It describes the view Kate has on that belief. It is a belief that should be hated by all women, and something that they cannot live with, yet they do. She also believed that they deserved their credit for putting up with it and their freedom from this curse. Her biography brings together the ideas in her writing and the events in her life.
Chopin truly shared the happiness and grievances of her life by using it in her writing. There was a paradox in many of her passages as well: love and hate. Both short stories used happiness and love, but it soon turned into hatred and their demise. The biography gave a clear link to the many things used in her writings and how, like many of the characters in her novels, wanted acceptance from society, preferably without the cult on their backs and like them, her journey was cut short.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Story of an Hour Quotes
1. "Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death." This is an introduction that will draw a reader in. This is a very sad situation but everyone wants to hear something about death (people we can't lie about this). It's always "Who died?" "How did it happen?" "What was the reason?" etc. It will draw attention to the reader and beofre you know it, you're reading the passage.
2. "veiled hints that revealed in half concealing." I chose this phrase because the way the sentence is worded is an eye catcher, because it is unusual. It makes you read it twice and it also describes the way the sad info was given and taken.
3. "pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul." This is another rhetoric type from Kate Chopin that, once again, catches the eye of the reader, simply because of its uniqueness. This personification was given also to give the reader the idea of how emotionally "weighted down" she was.
4. "She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will..." I chose this phrase because it has that vague suspense that Chopin uses so much in her writing. It's like you have an idea what may happen, but in all honesty you have no idea. She used this in Desiree's Baby when Desiree noticed weird behavior with her family and then compared the baby to the black boy.
5. "There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully." This is significant because it begins the climax of the story. Here is where you begin to wonder what is going and is where you get the first sense or thought (if you didn't know already) that she may be dying.
Questions I have:
1. What did Chopin mean by saying "And yet she had loved him--sometimes,"?
2. Was Brently Mallard her husband and if so, why was Brently Mallard considered dead?
3. Who was really killed in the magazine if it wasn't the Brently Mallard they knew?
2. "veiled hints that revealed in half concealing." I chose this phrase because the way the sentence is worded is an eye catcher, because it is unusual. It makes you read it twice and it also describes the way the sad info was given and taken.
3. "pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul." This is another rhetoric type from Kate Chopin that, once again, catches the eye of the reader, simply because of its uniqueness. This personification was given also to give the reader the idea of how emotionally "weighted down" she was.
4. "She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will..." I chose this phrase because it has that vague suspense that Chopin uses so much in her writing. It's like you have an idea what may happen, but in all honesty you have no idea. She used this in Desiree's Baby when Desiree noticed weird behavior with her family and then compared the baby to the black boy.
5. "There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully." This is significant because it begins the climax of the story. Here is where you begin to wonder what is going and is where you get the first sense or thought (if you didn't know already) that she may be dying.
Questions I have:
1. What did Chopin mean by saying "And yet she had loved him--sometimes,"?
2. Was Brently Mallard her husband and if so, why was Brently Mallard considered dead?
3. Who was really killed in the magazine if it wasn't the Brently Mallard they knew?
Monday, October 27, 2008
Disturbia
Kale I believe showed a natural amount of detail in his actions which gave him a good role (for what I saw). The role of actors is to play the part as if they were in it. This means there is no room for mistakes. The overdoing or lack of anything can make the picture look wrong. Kale used the perfect amount of detail in describing parts of his life as meaningful. He put emphasis on things that were significant to him (like the girl that moved in) and used less emotion of what he was not really caring about (like school). So this way you can find out what goes through his head.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Aren't I A Woman Response
Sojourner Truth was a brilliant woman with the voice that every woman wanted to hear. Her thoughts were as of every slave: why am I not equal, why am I treated so badly, what can I do to get the recognition of a human being? Sojourner constantly stressed her point in “Aren’t I A Woman?” by repeating it and giving clear examples that pointed to the obvious truth. She attacks many people who deserve to be targeted because they are snatching what is hers and transferring it to someone less deserving right in her face.
Sojourner cleverly attacks both, the race and sex issue at one time. She spoke about how the white woman gets all the respect and recognition of a queen, yet it is said by white men that women deserve these rights. This is where conflict occurs because white or black, she is a woman. This is a question she must address, because she is telling the public she is confused (sarcastically). She goes back and forth between the simple question, “Aren’t I a woman,” and proof that she not only amounts to a woman but amounts to more than most men. She has suffered more than most men that is (obviously) shown here, “I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well,” (Truth 2). This just goes to show how corrupt their society was another thing she states throughout her speech. How can a certain type of woman get all the recognition she needs if another type does all the working and suffering and is considered less than human?
Based on the last fact she comes directly at the cult of true womanhood. How can a black woman be classified as a minority if she does the majority of the work? There is a contradiction that she wanted everyone to see, or better yet, know that she saw it. She did all the things of a true woman and received no recognition and this is not right; she said this to clarify her rights to all people. She even attacks one of their biggest topics: Christianity. She contradicts their statement with this one, “…women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman. Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him,” (Truth 4). Here she uses repetition to emphasize her statement and cut deeply into the mind of the audience; she makes you think and the italics of the third repeating of the statement is a sign of how much strain she put on this phrase. Christ came from a woman and God, something man was completely powerless over. A woman was given the power to give birth to the most important man in history without the help of another man. This gives her a vital point about her deserving everything right she has earned through her hard work.
Sojourner Truth adds another vital point to conclude, “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again,” (Truth 5). She has endured so much, in many cases more than men, and she is worthy of her rights as a human and as a woman. The true answer to her question is that she is a woman and she needs to receive what is rightfully hers.
Sojourner cleverly attacks both, the race and sex issue at one time. She spoke about how the white woman gets all the respect and recognition of a queen, yet it is said by white men that women deserve these rights. This is where conflict occurs because white or black, she is a woman. This is a question she must address, because she is telling the public she is confused (sarcastically). She goes back and forth between the simple question, “Aren’t I a woman,” and proof that she not only amounts to a woman but amounts to more than most men. She has suffered more than most men that is (obviously) shown here, “I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well,” (Truth 2). This just goes to show how corrupt their society was another thing she states throughout her speech. How can a certain type of woman get all the recognition she needs if another type does all the working and suffering and is considered less than human?
Based on the last fact she comes directly at the cult of true womanhood. How can a black woman be classified as a minority if she does the majority of the work? There is a contradiction that she wanted everyone to see, or better yet, know that she saw it. She did all the things of a true woman and received no recognition and this is not right; she said this to clarify her rights to all people. She even attacks one of their biggest topics: Christianity. She contradicts their statement with this one, “…women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman. Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him,” (Truth 4). Here she uses repetition to emphasize her statement and cut deeply into the mind of the audience; she makes you think and the italics of the third repeating of the statement is a sign of how much strain she put on this phrase. Christ came from a woman and God, something man was completely powerless over. A woman was given the power to give birth to the most important man in history without the help of another man. This gives her a vital point about her deserving everything right she has earned through her hard work.
Sojourner Truth adds another vital point to conclude, “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again,” (Truth 5). She has endured so much, in many cases more than men, and she is worthy of her rights as a human and as a woman. The true answer to her question is that she is a woman and she needs to receive what is rightfully hers.
Sojourneer Truth Questions
1. To whom and to what is truth responding?
Sojourner is responding to the fallacy of women having rights to recieve manners and the best things, yet she has none of this and she has done more than any ordinary woman. She also responds to the ones who say and believe this because they aren't truly fulfilling it if they don't count all women.
2. Truth's argument takes the form of examples. What are they examples of, and what point do they help her make?
They are examples of the many things white women recieve and the many things white men say to disclaim the fact that blacks are human (both man and woman) as well. They help her make the point of how she is a woman and does not receive these things, pointing out the corruption of society.
4. Imagin u were in the audience when Truth delivered this speech in 1851. What perceptions of her might u have had, and how might what she said have countered them?
I would have seen her and thought "Everyone has a story, so what's hers?" She would not have countered what I had thought about her because I wouldn't have judged her knowing what she had to have been through. Her words would have validated my thoughts of how she was going to say something intelligent, truthful, and needed to be heard.
Sojourner is responding to the fallacy of women having rights to recieve manners and the best things, yet she has none of this and she has done more than any ordinary woman. She also responds to the ones who say and believe this because they aren't truly fulfilling it if they don't count all women.
2. Truth's argument takes the form of examples. What are they examples of, and what point do they help her make?
They are examples of the many things white women recieve and the many things white men say to disclaim the fact that blacks are human (both man and woman) as well. They help her make the point of how she is a woman and does not receive these things, pointing out the corruption of society.
4. Imagin u were in the audience when Truth delivered this speech in 1851. What perceptions of her might u have had, and how might what she said have countered them?
I would have seen her and thought "Everyone has a story, so what's hers?" She would not have countered what I had thought about her because I wouldn't have judged her knowing what she had to have been through. Her words would have validated my thoughts of how she was going to say something intelligent, truthful, and needed to be heard.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Poem Response
I chose to do Swing low, sweet chariot. What I did was add an extension to the ending of this poem which is more of a reality than the poem itself. It is about her actually making it to her destination, which is why i added swing home instead of swing low. In the original is sounds like a hopeful, incomplete sense which is seen a lot with this topic. So for a twist, I added an extended ending to assure him/her maling it.
Swing home, sweet chariot
I made it here just like I said!
Swing home, sweet chariot
My soul is free, my body dead.
Swing home, sweet chariot
My children do not weep for me
Swing home, sweet chariot
For God has blessed me graciously
Swing home, sweet chariot
If you remember my commands
Swing home, sweet chariot
Then you'll walk right into my hands.
Swing home, sweet chariot
I made it here just like I said!
Swing home, sweet chariot
My soul is free, my body dead.
Swing home, sweet chariot
My children do not weep for me
Swing home, sweet chariot
For God has blessed me graciously
Swing home, sweet chariot
If you remember my commands
Swing home, sweet chariot
Then you'll walk right into my hands.
Slave Packet Responses
The times of a slave were unbelievably unbearable, yet some people still found happiness in such a perilous period of time. The vioces of those people had to be heard, because many want to know how did a people rise up from such a depressing period. Both Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and the Autobiography of Fredrick Douglass are very powerful influences on us as a people. They both are written for those who care or can bear hearing the hardships of a slave as well as the pathos to go with it. The many things mentioned in Ch. 1 and 7 of Slave Girl and Ch. 1 of Fredrick Douglass add an impulse in one's mind. Fredrick's loss of a mother and the inability to see her or even know of her death can pierce any individual's mind, not to mention the witness of the beating of his aunt which was so oppressive to him, "I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld it," (Douglass 8). Harriet Jacobs had a similar mental experience with the conflicts of her master and her owner. She was never allowed to marry the free man she loved because she was a slave; he master would not allow it. Imagine how you would feel if you constantly had to see and think about the one you love only to face the reality that you can never be together. Does this not take a toll on your heart? This goes along with the weight of being a slave, which was so unbearable to Harriet that she yelled at her master, a crime possibly punishable by death! Even as cruel as he was he soon felt remorse for her; a slave owner felt remorse for his slave for what he did to her. If it hurt him, then you know it was an unimaginable pain!
These pangs of slaves are also told by whites. Now why would the very culture who enslaves Africans vouge for their suffering? These suffereing are inhumane and wrong to any person. These people are writing to those who favored slavery as well as all who endured it. They told of the wrongs done to black people. Slavery was known as a bad thing and especially bad to those who took advantage of their slaves to show their vulgar side. These people are human beings that were reduced to being worth less than a human. Their families, their lives were torn apart at the hands of slavery. Those who write for them tell those supporters of slavery that it was abominable and the sufferers of slavery that all caucasians do not support it. They are telling their story and defending them, giving them renewed hope, a blessing that is needed and, at least, earned by the slaves.
Those who suffered deserve to have their stories told to the world. They deserve that since their lives were ruined by such a curse. These people endured so much and still came out strong. They tell their stories and they let everyone know that they survived and kept going, and those who didn't deserve to be commended because they were captors of such a time. They are also told that they are not alone. The brothers of the slave owners themselves will help tell the stories, because they need to be told so that all will know the stories of the slaves.
These pangs of slaves are also told by whites. Now why would the very culture who enslaves Africans vouge for their suffering? These suffereing are inhumane and wrong to any person. These people are writing to those who favored slavery as well as all who endured it. They told of the wrongs done to black people. Slavery was known as a bad thing and especially bad to those who took advantage of their slaves to show their vulgar side. These people are human beings that were reduced to being worth less than a human. Their families, their lives were torn apart at the hands of slavery. Those who write for them tell those supporters of slavery that it was abominable and the sufferers of slavery that all caucasians do not support it. They are telling their story and defending them, giving them renewed hope, a blessing that is needed and, at least, earned by the slaves.
Those who suffered deserve to have their stories told to the world. They deserve that since their lives were ruined by such a curse. These people endured so much and still came out strong. They tell their stories and they let everyone know that they survived and kept going, and those who didn't deserve to be commended because they were captors of such a time. They are also told that they are not alone. The brothers of the slave owners themselves will help tell the stories, because they need to be told so that all will know the stories of the slaves.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
HELP ME OUT HERE!
This is my multi-draft essay and i would really appreciate criticism about Hawthorne's style.....
Fear is something we all have to live with. It has the power to control our lives. Anxieties are all around us, manifested or obscured. We do, though have fears that are buried deep within our minds, things that we never thought we would dread, things we never thought would come. This is my story, the story about the fear that I had not known existed. The thought that never crossed my mind or even came into it was the fear of moving.
The date was May 30th 2003. The school seemed quieter than ever. I was walking down the halls, looking around at the blue chipped paint and classroom doors. The lights manifested the lack of care for the school, the dingy paint, and the dirty floors. All of this was superfluous to the joy and turmoil that escaped our school everyday. The school was built as if it was one hallway; you walked in the front door and right across the hall was the gym room, in the basement was the lunchroom, to the immediate right was the main (and only) office, and the left hall was the grade school side, and the right hall was the jr. high side. I had only been down that hall once. And that was it…was not much to our school, but it was ours. I walked down the left hallway waving timidly at anyone I saw. Then I got to my classroom. Everyone greeted me as if I was a hero. Even those who were not fond of me came to say goodbye. My teacher gave me homework over the summer, which was odd because I would never see him again. I looked around at what was left of everything I remembered about that class, about that school. All of the faces seemed to calm me because they told me that I was truly cared for. There were promises made, not in the midst of the warm air around me but in the heart. I eventually had to leave. I saw tears as I was given a farewell. I slowly closed the door, to get a last glimpse of it and I sealed my part of the promise; they would never be forgotten. This was my last day at Carroll School in Chicago, IL. I will now take you to when it all started.
I departed for school that day. Something seemed so peculiar about it though. The morning held a secret from me. I figured whatever it was, it was not so important. The day was a normal day with nothing out of the ordinary. I was the quiet one in school but everyone had my back. The intention of our teacher was to get a decent amount of work done in hurry, which is sort of ironic due to the unknown situation. We did as we did everyday. The week before my friend and I were thinking of unforeseen events that would reveal themselves to us and my thought was that of moving; I had no idea how right I was. As the day ended I was taken home. When my parents got home they said they had to tell us something. Immediately I thought we had been found out when we tried to skip chores the previous Friday. They looked at us and said it straightforward, “We’re moving,” as if it were an ordinary piece of news. I dared to challenge my father about why, but his eyes told me the answer, “We’re moving and there is nothing you can say or do about it.” My mind went racing a mile a minute against everything I had ever done and wanted to do at home and all the people I had met at school. My friends were my biggest concern. I almost forgot to ask why we were moving since I got so caught up in the moment. They claimed that they wanted to leave the area before it got dangerous. They also wanted us in better schools (I tried arguing the that we could deal with our school, but it was in vain), and they did not want our grandparents running back and forth fourteen miles everyday to watch us.
So it was settled. Our home turned into a tourist attraction, since such a surplus of strangers came to see it. It did not bother me because we had to be out of the way, so they kept us busy with something entertaining. The next day, nice as it was, seemed so grim in my mind. I told everyone I knew about our unfortunate situation. I tried to match my saddened heart with the expression on my face. My closest friends, once the news was told, ended all other thoughts in their mind so fast they did not even blink; their eyes extended out far enough in which I thought they would fall into their hands and matured wrinkles appeared on their forehead attempting to interpret what I had truly said. The silence was three seconds at the most, but it felt like five minutes because all this was present as well as the thoughts racing through my mind. There was a sense of depression hidden from my friends and happiness is what acted as a veil. Teachers simply caressed me as if I were their small child who ran and wounded his leg as he tripped and said that I would be sorely missed. Few others had the same affect as my friends. The time flew by and more and more people came and saw the house. I began to notice a sense of fear in my heart, the closer we got to moving. This emotion I had was the thought of losing my friends, my old life. I had always hoped that we would not be like those seen on TV who forgets their friends. A lot of us planned on finding the same college together to keep our friendship alive. I now know how foolish such a child’s dream was. We got an offer and it looked like that day had come. For seven days my parents were taking care of paperwork with every day a bigger frustration. Then they got a phone call that incensed my father, in which he unfurled his anger toward the receiver of the vicious blow of words and then put the phone down with a smile. He grabbed my mother and they began hopping with excitement. I asked if the house was sold and they said the exact opposite. They lost an offer; the reason was because the people who offered had been trying to mess with my parents’ time and money, something that should never be attempted. This taught me never to try to decipher the peculiar things I heard from them. After that, I became less concealed as time progressed because I did not want my last memories in Chicago to be depressing. I also did not know when that fateful day would come, much like the Day of Judgment. This added pleasure to my last days.
We got even more upsetting news two days before leaving. We were told that we had to go live with our grandparents since the house was not selling fast enough. So the dismal day, the day we had to leave, arrived. That was the day with the most sincere feeling I had ever known. Everyone I knew was saying goodbye as if I were a part of their family and my fearful thoughts that I would never see them again. That summer went by so strangely. Nearly mid-June (ironically the same time when Carroll started summer break) we had gotten the house sold, but the house we bought was not ready yet. In result my parents moved in with my grandparents as well, which was kind of humorous because they could not tell us we owned nothing like they oh so discreetly reminded us because they did not either. After one month the house was ready and although moving to a place called South Holland we were welcomed by all our neighbors as if we were a new opportunity in their lives and not just a stranger. Summer on 2003 ended quickly after that and I had gotten a phone call from McKinley about me starting school ASAP. I found McKinley immense compared to Carroll. The lighting made the inside as well as every corner of the building shine as if it was freshly unwrapped. At first sight it stood as a majestic fortress or a castle. There were vast hallways and more peers than I could imagine. Even at entrance there was a sense of welcome as a teacher came to greet me and several others with a smile that would be fit to greet a king and gave us a tour of the school. This tour took fifteen minutes as compared to Carroll only taking three. There was so much that I had never experienced before; I felt like a foreigner just entering the free country of America. As soon as things began I unintentionally established my old reputation as the silent, passive kid as I had before. Such a title stayed with me due to my actions and the second day made a close friend who was the opposite of me. He was loud, outgoing, and fearless in some respects and was not afraid to get into trouble as long as it was not the serious kind. I soon decided that I would not be as inert as I was before and I would become more outgoing. This was sensed in each of our minds and is what sparked our friendship. It just goes to show that fear can be as deceiving as a magician’s trick; it is all smoke and mirrors to keep you from seeing the real picture. The real picture I was kept from was a better life. Think deeply about what you fear and maybe you will realize that it may be for the better.
Fear is something we all have to live with. It has the power to control our lives. Anxieties are all around us, manifested or obscured. We do, though have fears that are buried deep within our minds, things that we never thought we would dread, things we never thought would come. This is my story, the story about the fear that I had not known existed. The thought that never crossed my mind or even came into it was the fear of moving.
The date was May 30th 2003. The school seemed quieter than ever. I was walking down the halls, looking around at the blue chipped paint and classroom doors. The lights manifested the lack of care for the school, the dingy paint, and the dirty floors. All of this was superfluous to the joy and turmoil that escaped our school everyday. The school was built as if it was one hallway; you walked in the front door and right across the hall was the gym room, in the basement was the lunchroom, to the immediate right was the main (and only) office, and the left hall was the grade school side, and the right hall was the jr. high side. I had only been down that hall once. And that was it…was not much to our school, but it was ours. I walked down the left hallway waving timidly at anyone I saw. Then I got to my classroom. Everyone greeted me as if I was a hero. Even those who were not fond of me came to say goodbye. My teacher gave me homework over the summer, which was odd because I would never see him again. I looked around at what was left of everything I remembered about that class, about that school. All of the faces seemed to calm me because they told me that I was truly cared for. There were promises made, not in the midst of the warm air around me but in the heart. I eventually had to leave. I saw tears as I was given a farewell. I slowly closed the door, to get a last glimpse of it and I sealed my part of the promise; they would never be forgotten. This was my last day at Carroll School in Chicago, IL. I will now take you to when it all started.
I departed for school that day. Something seemed so peculiar about it though. The morning held a secret from me. I figured whatever it was, it was not so important. The day was a normal day with nothing out of the ordinary. I was the quiet one in school but everyone had my back. The intention of our teacher was to get a decent amount of work done in hurry, which is sort of ironic due to the unknown situation. We did as we did everyday. The week before my friend and I were thinking of unforeseen events that would reveal themselves to us and my thought was that of moving; I had no idea how right I was. As the day ended I was taken home. When my parents got home they said they had to tell us something. Immediately I thought we had been found out when we tried to skip chores the previous Friday. They looked at us and said it straightforward, “We’re moving,” as if it were an ordinary piece of news. I dared to challenge my father about why, but his eyes told me the answer, “We’re moving and there is nothing you can say or do about it.” My mind went racing a mile a minute against everything I had ever done and wanted to do at home and all the people I had met at school. My friends were my biggest concern. I almost forgot to ask why we were moving since I got so caught up in the moment. They claimed that they wanted to leave the area before it got dangerous. They also wanted us in better schools (I tried arguing the that we could deal with our school, but it was in vain), and they did not want our grandparents running back and forth fourteen miles everyday to watch us.
So it was settled. Our home turned into a tourist attraction, since such a surplus of strangers came to see it. It did not bother me because we had to be out of the way, so they kept us busy with something entertaining. The next day, nice as it was, seemed so grim in my mind. I told everyone I knew about our unfortunate situation. I tried to match my saddened heart with the expression on my face. My closest friends, once the news was told, ended all other thoughts in their mind so fast they did not even blink; their eyes extended out far enough in which I thought they would fall into their hands and matured wrinkles appeared on their forehead attempting to interpret what I had truly said. The silence was three seconds at the most, but it felt like five minutes because all this was present as well as the thoughts racing through my mind. There was a sense of depression hidden from my friends and happiness is what acted as a veil. Teachers simply caressed me as if I were their small child who ran and wounded his leg as he tripped and said that I would be sorely missed. Few others had the same affect as my friends. The time flew by and more and more people came and saw the house. I began to notice a sense of fear in my heart, the closer we got to moving. This emotion I had was the thought of losing my friends, my old life. I had always hoped that we would not be like those seen on TV who forgets their friends. A lot of us planned on finding the same college together to keep our friendship alive. I now know how foolish such a child’s dream was. We got an offer and it looked like that day had come. For seven days my parents were taking care of paperwork with every day a bigger frustration. Then they got a phone call that incensed my father, in which he unfurled his anger toward the receiver of the vicious blow of words and then put the phone down with a smile. He grabbed my mother and they began hopping with excitement. I asked if the house was sold and they said the exact opposite. They lost an offer; the reason was because the people who offered had been trying to mess with my parents’ time and money, something that should never be attempted. This taught me never to try to decipher the peculiar things I heard from them. After that, I became less concealed as time progressed because I did not want my last memories in Chicago to be depressing. I also did not know when that fateful day would come, much like the Day of Judgment. This added pleasure to my last days.
We got even more upsetting news two days before leaving. We were told that we had to go live with our grandparents since the house was not selling fast enough. So the dismal day, the day we had to leave, arrived. That was the day with the most sincere feeling I had ever known. Everyone I knew was saying goodbye as if I were a part of their family and my fearful thoughts that I would never see them again. That summer went by so strangely. Nearly mid-June (ironically the same time when Carroll started summer break) we had gotten the house sold, but the house we bought was not ready yet. In result my parents moved in with my grandparents as well, which was kind of humorous because they could not tell us we owned nothing like they oh so discreetly reminded us because they did not either. After one month the house was ready and although moving to a place called South Holland we were welcomed by all our neighbors as if we were a new opportunity in their lives and not just a stranger. Summer on 2003 ended quickly after that and I had gotten a phone call from McKinley about me starting school ASAP. I found McKinley immense compared to Carroll. The lighting made the inside as well as every corner of the building shine as if it was freshly unwrapped. At first sight it stood as a majestic fortress or a castle. There were vast hallways and more peers than I could imagine. Even at entrance there was a sense of welcome as a teacher came to greet me and several others with a smile that would be fit to greet a king and gave us a tour of the school. This tour took fifteen minutes as compared to Carroll only taking three. There was so much that I had never experienced before; I felt like a foreigner just entering the free country of America. As soon as things began I unintentionally established my old reputation as the silent, passive kid as I had before. Such a title stayed with me due to my actions and the second day made a close friend who was the opposite of me. He was loud, outgoing, and fearless in some respects and was not afraid to get into trouble as long as it was not the serious kind. I soon decided that I would not be as inert as I was before and I would become more outgoing. This was sensed in each of our minds and is what sparked our friendship. It just goes to show that fear can be as deceiving as a magician’s trick; it is all smoke and mirrors to keep you from seeing the real picture. The real picture I was kept from was a better life. Think deeply about what you fear and maybe you will realize that it may be for the better.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Scarlet Letter Review Questions
1. Hester Prynne’s sin was her adultery. She slept with another man (Mr. Dimmsdale) while her husband was not around. The consequence was that she had to walk around with a red letter “A” for adulterer on her chest. She also received a living scarlet letter, her daughter Pearl which reminds her everyday of what she truly has done. Minister Dimmsdale was the one who slept with Hester Prynne and he is at fault about this as well. Even though he did not have a wife, he still had sex before marriage, a sin. He also lived in a contradicting life since he was a minister who sinned so wrongly. This pained his heart so unbearably, that he killed himself.
Chillingsworth’s sin was revenge. Vengeance is not the right thing to look for even at such a serious betrayal against him. Thinking of harmful things or ways to get back at people is a bad thing. It is not only a sin but a sickness that can take over you and eventually lead to your downfall. His consequence was his loss of life, both literally and figuratively. Once he could not seek his revenge he lost all means of living. He soon died afterwards, and was only mentioned as a footnote throughout the rest of the book. This proves that revenge gets you nowhere.
2. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a wide variety of literary terms in his writing. One of these terms is imagery. On nearly every page Hawthorne describes something; he gives vivid detail that paints a perfect picture of what is going on. “…She took off the formal cap that confined her hair; and down it fell upon her shoulders, dark and rich, with at once a shadow and a light in its abundance, and imparting the charm of softness in her features. There played around her mouth and beamed out of her eyes a radiant smile that seemed gushing from the very heart of womanhood…Her sex, her youth, and the whole richness of her beauty, came back,” (Hawthorne 185-186). Is this not a brilliant description about the appearance and expression Hester must have had? He also went on to speak about the gloomy forest they were in becoming radiant and beautiful. This not only paints a picture but adds possibly a movie clip to your mind, viewing all of this happen. It is said that Hawthorne does this (thanks to Todun) because there was no good quality pictures he could print with his book. So he decided to paint pictures of his own.
Another good quality in his writing is his diction. This is probably obvious since it is an older book and English was different then as it is now. Words like effervescence (enthusiastic or excitement) and jollity (merriment) add a very unique twist on Hawthorne’s work (Hawthorne 208-209). This is one book that you would want to read near a dictionary (or the internet)! He also uses symbolism in his story. These things are everywhere; one of them is the comet that Mr. Dimmsdale saw fly through the sky, looking like a big A. This symbolized his guilt as well as foreshadowed him as the other adulterer. Pearl’s name is also a symbol of how much Hester treasures her despite her origin. She cared for Pearl even though she is a living scarlet letter herself (another symbol).
3. Although Hester was a disloyal spouse, she was widely known around the town and not because of her sin. She actually was better than most other women because, despite her sin and mistakes, she still acted as a noble woman or at least tried to the best of her ability. It was hard at first, but she accepted her sin and went on with her life. She could have easily run away, but she didn’t. “It may be marvelous, that, with the world before her…free to return to her birthplace, or to any other European land…this woman should still call this place her home,” (Hawthorne 73). Although there was nothing binding her to that place and there was so much shame she could have avoided, she stayed there and accepted her punishment. This is not only a true woman, but a powerful woman. She also took care of the daughter she made during her sin and this little girl was a handful! She kept taunting her mother with the scarlet letter and teasing her, as if its existence could be removed without a second thought and her mother was dumb enough to wear it. She wouldn’t even let her daughter get taken away from her. She accepted her punishment entirely.
She also began giving back to society. “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it.” (Hawthorne 78). Even though she felt like she never belonged to society, she still helped people out. Also you notice this early within the book, not near the end as some sudden realization. She did even more service to the community at the end. As the book concluded it said, “Women…came to Hester’s cottage, demanding why they were so wretched, and what the remedy!” (Hawthorne 239). Even after it was all said and done, she passed on her stories to those who needed guidance. She surely gave back so much that some thought that the scarlet letter be removed from her bosom. This sin had the consequence of death and she was let go with a pardon, and now they thought it should be gone altogether? She must been a very acceptable person for a thought even to cross their minds! Hester proved that even with such a heavy burden, you can still turn your life around. Hester proved herself, through much persecution, a true woman.
4. The second scene on the scaffold is the biggest part of the story. It is when the truth is yet revealed about everything. Dimmsdale tells the public that he is Pearl’s father; he is the one that slept with Hester Prynne. Dimmsdale was considered a perfect person almost. He was a minister that everybody loved and had a lot of credibility as both a minister and a trustworthy person. He had a lot going on for himself. He threw all of that away (along with his life) when he confessed his sin. There was also the sense that he was dying. Hawthorne kept describing him as pale, old, sickly, as if he were going to die and death jumps out at everybody as something exciting, sad or not.
Also everyone else had a drastic change in their lives. Chillingsworth could not get revenge, so his life seemed to fade away. That’s all that he lived for and since the secret was out, he couldn’t use it against him. Everyone that admired Dimmsdale was now dumbfounded because he was an adulterer. Hester now lost her beloved Dimmsdale and had no other secrets now that he was gone, and Pearl’s purpose was served. When the truth was revealed she became the innocent girl she always appeared to be and no longer mocked the scarlet letter. The title served every purpose it could as The Revelation.
5. Pearl’s name is symbolic due to the fact that she was made based off a sin and although this was true, as well as her being a living punishment Hester, still kept her as her prized possession. This showed the determination of Hester living with her punishment and accepting, but also about Pearl being the most valuable thing in her life. Dimmsdale came to the conclusion of being a dimwit because of his thought of Chillingsworth not wanting revenge. I also believe he is a bit stupid for committing adultery with Hester and he is supposed to be a minister. That is not a smart move.
Chillingsworth, I had two thoughts for. One of them was the fact that he scared (sent chills) just about everyone around him since he entered the book. An entrance as an old man dressed in savage clothes and with an Indian will creepy a few people out. I also thought since he pretty much acted like a jerk throughout the book (and aggravated me) he was a worthless person besides the fact he was Hester’s former husband. His life wasn’t worth a single chilling to me.
6. Throughout the story Hester somewhat grew into her character. At the beginning she was very passive (at least more in the beginning than in the ending). She did not walk away from her deed; she accepted it, but was still submissive towards everyone, even her daughter. As time progressed she became more in tune with the “cult of true womanhood” in a few aspects. She took more care for her daughter and stood her ground as a mother. In other words she did not let Pearl push her as hard as she had been.
She was also helping people more and acting more as a true woman. This made some people disregard her scarlet letter and possibly (if it wasn’t embroided on her chest) forget it altogether. She was the strong woman that endured her sin and was getting along with people well. This sent a message to the reader as well as the people. She was able to fit back into society despite her mistake. This gives the heartwarming message that anyone can do it as well.
Chillingsworth’s sin was revenge. Vengeance is not the right thing to look for even at such a serious betrayal against him. Thinking of harmful things or ways to get back at people is a bad thing. It is not only a sin but a sickness that can take over you and eventually lead to your downfall. His consequence was his loss of life, both literally and figuratively. Once he could not seek his revenge he lost all means of living. He soon died afterwards, and was only mentioned as a footnote throughout the rest of the book. This proves that revenge gets you nowhere.
2. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a wide variety of literary terms in his writing. One of these terms is imagery. On nearly every page Hawthorne describes something; he gives vivid detail that paints a perfect picture of what is going on. “…She took off the formal cap that confined her hair; and down it fell upon her shoulders, dark and rich, with at once a shadow and a light in its abundance, and imparting the charm of softness in her features. There played around her mouth and beamed out of her eyes a radiant smile that seemed gushing from the very heart of womanhood…Her sex, her youth, and the whole richness of her beauty, came back,” (Hawthorne 185-186). Is this not a brilliant description about the appearance and expression Hester must have had? He also went on to speak about the gloomy forest they were in becoming radiant and beautiful. This not only paints a picture but adds possibly a movie clip to your mind, viewing all of this happen. It is said that Hawthorne does this (thanks to Todun) because there was no good quality pictures he could print with his book. So he decided to paint pictures of his own.
Another good quality in his writing is his diction. This is probably obvious since it is an older book and English was different then as it is now. Words like effervescence (enthusiastic or excitement) and jollity (merriment) add a very unique twist on Hawthorne’s work (Hawthorne 208-209). This is one book that you would want to read near a dictionary (or the internet)! He also uses symbolism in his story. These things are everywhere; one of them is the comet that Mr. Dimmsdale saw fly through the sky, looking like a big A. This symbolized his guilt as well as foreshadowed him as the other adulterer. Pearl’s name is also a symbol of how much Hester treasures her despite her origin. She cared for Pearl even though she is a living scarlet letter herself (another symbol).
3. Although Hester was a disloyal spouse, she was widely known around the town and not because of her sin. She actually was better than most other women because, despite her sin and mistakes, she still acted as a noble woman or at least tried to the best of her ability. It was hard at first, but she accepted her sin and went on with her life. She could have easily run away, but she didn’t. “It may be marvelous, that, with the world before her…free to return to her birthplace, or to any other European land…this woman should still call this place her home,” (Hawthorne 73). Although there was nothing binding her to that place and there was so much shame she could have avoided, she stayed there and accepted her punishment. This is not only a true woman, but a powerful woman. She also took care of the daughter she made during her sin and this little girl was a handful! She kept taunting her mother with the scarlet letter and teasing her, as if its existence could be removed without a second thought and her mother was dumb enough to wear it. She wouldn’t even let her daughter get taken away from her. She accepted her punishment entirely.
She also began giving back to society. “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it.” (Hawthorne 78). Even though she felt like she never belonged to society, she still helped people out. Also you notice this early within the book, not near the end as some sudden realization. She did even more service to the community at the end. As the book concluded it said, “Women…came to Hester’s cottage, demanding why they were so wretched, and what the remedy!” (Hawthorne 239). Even after it was all said and done, she passed on her stories to those who needed guidance. She surely gave back so much that some thought that the scarlet letter be removed from her bosom. This sin had the consequence of death and she was let go with a pardon, and now they thought it should be gone altogether? She must been a very acceptable person for a thought even to cross their minds! Hester proved that even with such a heavy burden, you can still turn your life around. Hester proved herself, through much persecution, a true woman.
4. The second scene on the scaffold is the biggest part of the story. It is when the truth is yet revealed about everything. Dimmsdale tells the public that he is Pearl’s father; he is the one that slept with Hester Prynne. Dimmsdale was considered a perfect person almost. He was a minister that everybody loved and had a lot of credibility as both a minister and a trustworthy person. He had a lot going on for himself. He threw all of that away (along with his life) when he confessed his sin. There was also the sense that he was dying. Hawthorne kept describing him as pale, old, sickly, as if he were going to die and death jumps out at everybody as something exciting, sad or not.
Also everyone else had a drastic change in their lives. Chillingsworth could not get revenge, so his life seemed to fade away. That’s all that he lived for and since the secret was out, he couldn’t use it against him. Everyone that admired Dimmsdale was now dumbfounded because he was an adulterer. Hester now lost her beloved Dimmsdale and had no other secrets now that he was gone, and Pearl’s purpose was served. When the truth was revealed she became the innocent girl she always appeared to be and no longer mocked the scarlet letter. The title served every purpose it could as The Revelation.
5. Pearl’s name is symbolic due to the fact that she was made based off a sin and although this was true, as well as her being a living punishment Hester, still kept her as her prized possession. This showed the determination of Hester living with her punishment and accepting, but also about Pearl being the most valuable thing in her life. Dimmsdale came to the conclusion of being a dimwit because of his thought of Chillingsworth not wanting revenge. I also believe he is a bit stupid for committing adultery with Hester and he is supposed to be a minister. That is not a smart move.
Chillingsworth, I had two thoughts for. One of them was the fact that he scared (sent chills) just about everyone around him since he entered the book. An entrance as an old man dressed in savage clothes and with an Indian will creepy a few people out. I also thought since he pretty much acted like a jerk throughout the book (and aggravated me) he was a worthless person besides the fact he was Hester’s former husband. His life wasn’t worth a single chilling to me.
6. Throughout the story Hester somewhat grew into her character. At the beginning she was very passive (at least more in the beginning than in the ending). She did not walk away from her deed; she accepted it, but was still submissive towards everyone, even her daughter. As time progressed she became more in tune with the “cult of true womanhood” in a few aspects. She took more care for her daughter and stood her ground as a mother. In other words she did not let Pearl push her as hard as she had been.
She was also helping people more and acting more as a true woman. This made some people disregard her scarlet letter and possibly (if it wasn’t embroided on her chest) forget it altogether. She was the strong woman that endured her sin and was getting along with people well. This sent a message to the reader as well as the people. She was able to fit back into society despite her mistake. This gives the heartwarming message that anyone can do it as well.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Really Ms. Brown? The Gettysburg Address?
1. He may have been expected to speak more about the issues and effects of the war in an economic sense. He was probably expected to be more political and to tell the states to unify. He came out and told them his standpoint, denying slavery and saying that those who have died will not die in vain. He was speaking of finishing the war as the victor not just ending it because it was affecting people.
2. This sentence was put into the speech to remind people of what their country truly stood for. This country was made based off the breaking away of another country and declaring freedom. We are/were one of the few free countries of the world, but how can we be a free country with enslaved people? It's strange how it took them so long to realize this. Slavery and freedom contradict each other; they are TOTAL opposites. Lincoln's last sentence gives people the idea that all men have the right to be free and that all human beings deserve this right.
3. The Declaration of Independence was written to tell Britain and the world that we are now a nation alone. We aren't under the noses of Britain or anyone else. It denied the purpose of a king by saying all men are created equal. Lincoln's address was about that very statement. There should be no slaves because we are all equal. He was speaking of freedom for the people and reminding everyone what this country was made of and based off. The people are suppose to be regulated and directed, not controlled as puppets. They need law enforcement and punishment, not a whip to the back because they're too old to pick cotton. The Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address both spoke of freedom, but in two different ways. Jefferson spoke of government freedom, Lincoln spoke of people freedom.
4. Out of all the speeches I have heard, this one is extremely short. It is though very effective despite it's lack in length. It gave a simple message that people needed to hear. It also spoke for the future, not just that time period. Lincoln speaks of people not being forgotten for what they have done. He also tells us about what we need to be reminded of: all men deserve to be free.
2. This sentence was put into the speech to remind people of what their country truly stood for. This country was made based off the breaking away of another country and declaring freedom. We are/were one of the few free countries of the world, but how can we be a free country with enslaved people? It's strange how it took them so long to realize this. Slavery and freedom contradict each other; they are TOTAL opposites. Lincoln's last sentence gives people the idea that all men have the right to be free and that all human beings deserve this right.
3. The Declaration of Independence was written to tell Britain and the world that we are now a nation alone. We aren't under the noses of Britain or anyone else. It denied the purpose of a king by saying all men are created equal. Lincoln's address was about that very statement. There should be no slaves because we are all equal. He was speaking of freedom for the people and reminding everyone what this country was made of and based off. The people are suppose to be regulated and directed, not controlled as puppets. They need law enforcement and punishment, not a whip to the back because they're too old to pick cotton. The Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address both spoke of freedom, but in two different ways. Jefferson spoke of government freedom, Lincoln spoke of people freedom.
4. Out of all the speeches I have heard, this one is extremely short. It is though very effective despite it's lack in length. It gave a simple message that people needed to hear. It also spoke for the future, not just that time period. Lincoln speaks of people not being forgotten for what they have done. He also tells us about what we need to be reminded of: all men deserve to be free.
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