During a period of time (most likely shift from 19th to 20th century) the social structures of women began to change. The things that women were allowed to do began to significantly differ from the old times to the coming century which sparked a whole new idea and personality of the “common woman”. The old “cult of domesticity” women were considered obsolete and the new age of women (called that due to lack of a better name) was ready to take their place. This is where conflict came in and these weren’t always pretty, as Fitzgerald described with the story “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”. The two main characters, Bernice and Marjorie, are symbols of the strong impact and influence on one towards the other.
Their conflict can be compared to a conflict between animals. When these two animals (referring to differing ideas) meet, one tries to get its influence over the other. Whoever is weaker, more passive, or not up to the challenge, must submit to the victor. This is much like the battle between the cult of domesticity and the new age. Marjorie continuously mocked the older women with her sarcasm and strict tone towards her argument with Bernice saying things like, “Yes they were—not!” and “The womanly woman!” (Fitzgerald 8). Marjorie had her ways of attracting people and Bernice had her own ways, but Marjorie was able to attract more people and just seeing the older ways of attracting made her sick. When Marjorie challenged Bernice she only had the choice of doing what she was thinking about doing in the first place, leaving, or submitting into the ideas and power of the new woman. Marjorie had a louder bark than Bernice so it influenced her. In this instance it was strong enough to turn Bernice into something she wasn’t, both literally and figuratively. Her desperate attempt for popularity caused her to cut her beautiful hair, and doing that was like cutting away at her soul or her confidence (much like the biblical tale Samson and Delilah). Bernice also became something she was not using her new methods given by her cousin to attract attention. It gave her the crazy idea of bobbing her hair. The best thing which Fitzgerald implied was that each woman should just live their own lives.
To conclude, “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” is a great symbol and story of the conflicts between the cult of true womanhood and the new age. These conflicting ages were sometimes very dangerous, but were necessary because there was no way the two could have compromised, being complete opposites. The cult of true womanhood was the general idea because men did everything else while the women sat around the house and pretty much served everyone else. The new age of women was much different because they were actually working women that could be independent and had more power to do things. This new privilege kept from them for so many years made them change their submissive attitude because men were no longer the focus of their attention. It was now getting/keeping a job, and with them doing this, they did not need to depend entirely on men. These two clashing forces were formidable opponents, but Fitzgerald made it seem that the new woman can overtake the old woman. There was one last message that was given out at the very end of the story though and it was shown through Bernice’s drastic action: Don’t ever count the old style of women out.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
MLK Answers
1. Alliteration- Repetition of consonant sounds in a series of words; Allusion- An indirect reference; Metaphor- Comparison that doesn’t use like or as; Simile- Comparison using like or as.
2. The beginning of his speech is an indirect reference to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. This was really good because Lincoln was the president who freed the slaves, and his speech was about freedom from segregation. He referred back to Lincoln to refresh their memories. Lincoln was the reason they were there, not as literal slaves, but as slaves of oppression. MLK planned to finish what Lincoln started.
3. Bible: “Justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream,” (MLK 4). Declaration of Independence: “Now is the time to make real promises of democracy,” (MLK 3).
4. “…Color of their skin but by the content of their character,” (MLK 4)
5. “…Chains of discrimination,” (MLK 2)
6. “Justice rolls down like waters,” ((MLK 4)
7. This is a metaphor and it is a powerful tool because it reminds them of their suffering ancestors. He is also reminding them of their freedom, yet they are still enslaved. The same chains that kept them from their freedom in the cotton fields are holding them from freedom in society. He was making the inference that blacks are still enslaved, just not with literal chains. This should not be true after one hundred years of freedom and in a country that is supposed to be free for all. This must be fixed and that is what he planned to do.
8. a. “Now is the time” (MLK3) b. “We cannot be satisfied” (MLK 4)
9. One of the effects of his repetition is to stress his point. This method combined with his powerful voice was able to drill this idea into the minds and hearts of everyone listening to him. This is the “faith” he had and he wanted to make sure everyone both knew it and took it home with them (MLK 5). He also wanted to let everyone know how powerful their faith and to be in order to endure the suffering that is going on. They needed encouragement to get through the tribulations they had. Dr. King knew this would be tough and if he was going to lead these people, then he needed to get through to them and lift them up. Judging by the resounding applause that he received (a lot louder after the speech) he did just that.’
10. His most powerful method, I believe, was when he spoke of not solving this issue with violence. It takes a lot of strength for a man, a culture, to walk around their home, the one place you deserve to have peace in “exile” (MLK 1). Yet this man still resorts to nonviolence; he says he will not have their “creative protest degenerate into physical violence” (MLK 3). He uses the word degenerate inferring that it will lower the status of their already powerful battle and claims to keep their victories on high by using “Dignity and discipline,” fighting “physical force with soul force” (MLK 3). He is also teaching them (and us) not to give in to the typical idea of a violent black man. If we resort to nonviolence we can always defeat the “evil with the good” (Rom 12:21).
11. 100 years ago we were set free from slavery by the great man Abraham Lincoln. Well I am here to tell you that we are far from free. Our physical chains may be gone, but we still are figuratively shackled by the segregation of our own country. Our nation told us in the documents that all laws are based off of that all men are created equal. This, in fact, is an abandoned idea which the country believes does not apply to the black race. We will make sure that this phrase written by our forefathers will be followed to the fullest and if the nation believes we will quiet this then they are wrong. We will fight to the bitter end, not with violence, but with strength, determination and dignity. So have hope for one day every city, every county, and every state will become as one just as the people of the nation will become as one and then we all can sing our country’s national anthem with pride and the satisfaction of truth. One day we will all stand together as a people and be thankful to be fully free.
12. The world’s biggest crime was the ignorance of thinking that black people were not a human race, like whites are. Discrimination and segregation were the effects of this stupid belief. The world separated blacks as lower beings and this is not right, nor can be true. Skin color does not make a person any more or less than another person. If either one gets shot they can die the same, if either one gets an education they can teach the same, if either one had the skill they could do the same. We are all a people and splitting us up can only cause one thing as it did: revolution.
13. I believe the American Dream is the idea that anyone can have the opportunity and chance to succeed and do well for themselves. They can also live in a peaceful world that is not like any other on earth and is better than any other. In a nutshell, it’s the only place you can have your cake and eat it too.
14. Dr. King names the states that have the heaviest segregation and are the most dangerous for blacks. Knowing this it almost seems impossible to see such a time when these states walk with blacks instead of hanging them. This adds to the effect of what he is saying and adds a lot more hope to his speech. If the most segregated areas in the whole country become unified peacefully and equally, then there is not a single place that segregation can hide.
15. I would have been extremely moved. Just watching it on TV made your spine tingle. Also knowing the time that they were in and all the suffering that they had gone through, this would have been a big encouragement if I were there. The speech touched the hearts of every American there and woke up many people to the problems and solutions to these problems in that time. This would make a lot of people ready to go out there and suffer and work hard so that they could look forward to equal rights and no more discrimination.
16. Racism is the prejudice of one race towards another. It also creates the effect of looking down towards these people and hatred between them. This can create great wars, violent or nonviolent.
17. These people resorted to violence because they did not believe blacks were not supposed to be free. This was mostly hatred and rage toward black people that fueled their violence. They wanted to prove that blacks were lower beings as well as everything else that they thought black were: violent, ignorant, etc. Blacks did not resort to violence, I believe, because MLK was powerful enough to convince black people to resort to nonviolence. He was a great leader because he influenced the black race to follow his plan. They also were not going to give up when they came so far or give in to the oppression. They were determined to continue.
18. I don’t believe that they are as dangerous as the Nazis. They are still dangerous because of their beliefs and oppression, but they are old-fashioned. We are in a new age where there are too many people ready to move on to a better life for them to make such a drastic change. If more people are going to keep the new idea instead of giving up to oppression, then they are going to be shut down before they even start.
19. There is no more segregation at this time. The whole idea about separated water fountains, separate schools and bathrooms no longer exist. Blacks and whites can now walk down the same street, into the same buildings, and use the same bathrooms without it being illegal. A black man has even become president of the United States! We have come very far and Dr. King would be very proud to see this. His dream with these things is truly fulfilled.
There is still some work to be done though. This is the most difficult part of his dream. This is the part in convincing people that blacks are humans and are just as good as whites at doing anything. We are all equal and some people are just prejudiced in this idea. Black are not equal in their eyes. We still have to prove to them that we are just as good, if not better than they are. This may not be possible, since these people are too stubborn to realize what we have already done. Hopefully convincing them can be accomplished.
2. The beginning of his speech is an indirect reference to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. This was really good because Lincoln was the president who freed the slaves, and his speech was about freedom from segregation. He referred back to Lincoln to refresh their memories. Lincoln was the reason they were there, not as literal slaves, but as slaves of oppression. MLK planned to finish what Lincoln started.
3. Bible: “Justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream,” (MLK 4). Declaration of Independence: “Now is the time to make real promises of democracy,” (MLK 3).
4. “…Color of their skin but by the content of their character,” (MLK 4)
5. “…Chains of discrimination,” (MLK 2)
6. “Justice rolls down like waters,” ((MLK 4)
7. This is a metaphor and it is a powerful tool because it reminds them of their suffering ancestors. He is also reminding them of their freedom, yet they are still enslaved. The same chains that kept them from their freedom in the cotton fields are holding them from freedom in society. He was making the inference that blacks are still enslaved, just not with literal chains. This should not be true after one hundred years of freedom and in a country that is supposed to be free for all. This must be fixed and that is what he planned to do.
8. a. “Now is the time” (MLK3) b. “We cannot be satisfied” (MLK 4)
9. One of the effects of his repetition is to stress his point. This method combined with his powerful voice was able to drill this idea into the minds and hearts of everyone listening to him. This is the “faith” he had and he wanted to make sure everyone both knew it and took it home with them (MLK 5). He also wanted to let everyone know how powerful their faith and to be in order to endure the suffering that is going on. They needed encouragement to get through the tribulations they had. Dr. King knew this would be tough and if he was going to lead these people, then he needed to get through to them and lift them up. Judging by the resounding applause that he received (a lot louder after the speech) he did just that.’
10. His most powerful method, I believe, was when he spoke of not solving this issue with violence. It takes a lot of strength for a man, a culture, to walk around their home, the one place you deserve to have peace in “exile” (MLK 1). Yet this man still resorts to nonviolence; he says he will not have their “creative protest degenerate into physical violence” (MLK 3). He uses the word degenerate inferring that it will lower the status of their already powerful battle and claims to keep their victories on high by using “Dignity and discipline,” fighting “physical force with soul force” (MLK 3). He is also teaching them (and us) not to give in to the typical idea of a violent black man. If we resort to nonviolence we can always defeat the “evil with the good” (Rom 12:21).
11. 100 years ago we were set free from slavery by the great man Abraham Lincoln. Well I am here to tell you that we are far from free. Our physical chains may be gone, but we still are figuratively shackled by the segregation of our own country. Our nation told us in the documents that all laws are based off of that all men are created equal. This, in fact, is an abandoned idea which the country believes does not apply to the black race. We will make sure that this phrase written by our forefathers will be followed to the fullest and if the nation believes we will quiet this then they are wrong. We will fight to the bitter end, not with violence, but with strength, determination and dignity. So have hope for one day every city, every county, and every state will become as one just as the people of the nation will become as one and then we all can sing our country’s national anthem with pride and the satisfaction of truth. One day we will all stand together as a people and be thankful to be fully free.
12. The world’s biggest crime was the ignorance of thinking that black people were not a human race, like whites are. Discrimination and segregation were the effects of this stupid belief. The world separated blacks as lower beings and this is not right, nor can be true. Skin color does not make a person any more or less than another person. If either one gets shot they can die the same, if either one gets an education they can teach the same, if either one had the skill they could do the same. We are all a people and splitting us up can only cause one thing as it did: revolution.
13. I believe the American Dream is the idea that anyone can have the opportunity and chance to succeed and do well for themselves. They can also live in a peaceful world that is not like any other on earth and is better than any other. In a nutshell, it’s the only place you can have your cake and eat it too.
14. Dr. King names the states that have the heaviest segregation and are the most dangerous for blacks. Knowing this it almost seems impossible to see such a time when these states walk with blacks instead of hanging them. This adds to the effect of what he is saying and adds a lot more hope to his speech. If the most segregated areas in the whole country become unified peacefully and equally, then there is not a single place that segregation can hide.
15. I would have been extremely moved. Just watching it on TV made your spine tingle. Also knowing the time that they were in and all the suffering that they had gone through, this would have been a big encouragement if I were there. The speech touched the hearts of every American there and woke up many people to the problems and solutions to these problems in that time. This would make a lot of people ready to go out there and suffer and work hard so that they could look forward to equal rights and no more discrimination.
16. Racism is the prejudice of one race towards another. It also creates the effect of looking down towards these people and hatred between them. This can create great wars, violent or nonviolent.
17. These people resorted to violence because they did not believe blacks were not supposed to be free. This was mostly hatred and rage toward black people that fueled their violence. They wanted to prove that blacks were lower beings as well as everything else that they thought black were: violent, ignorant, etc. Blacks did not resort to violence, I believe, because MLK was powerful enough to convince black people to resort to nonviolence. He was a great leader because he influenced the black race to follow his plan. They also were not going to give up when they came so far or give in to the oppression. They were determined to continue.
18. I don’t believe that they are as dangerous as the Nazis. They are still dangerous because of their beliefs and oppression, but they are old-fashioned. We are in a new age where there are too many people ready to move on to a better life for them to make such a drastic change. If more people are going to keep the new idea instead of giving up to oppression, then they are going to be shut down before they even start.
19. There is no more segregation at this time. The whole idea about separated water fountains, separate schools and bathrooms no longer exist. Blacks and whites can now walk down the same street, into the same buildings, and use the same bathrooms without it being illegal. A black man has even become president of the United States! We have come very far and Dr. King would be very proud to see this. His dream with these things is truly fulfilled.
There is still some work to be done though. This is the most difficult part of his dream. This is the part in convincing people that blacks are humans and are just as good as whites at doing anything. We are all equal and some people are just prejudiced in this idea. Black are not equal in their eyes. We still have to prove to them that we are just as good, if not better than they are. This may not be possible, since these people are too stubborn to realize what we have already done. Hopefully convincing them can be accomplished.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Hughes Questions
1. Hughes main point was that church can be deceptive. Although it was at the end, it was one of his strongest statements. He lay in a bed crying because of that and the fact that he lied to his aunt to be saved. All those who told him about the great feelings of being saved and his aunt's misunderstanding with his feelings were the complete opposite of how he felt.
2. Hughes saw his friend who lied and became saved which was a sin, but he was not punished for it. Also he felt guilty for making everyone wait, and since he did not see Jesus or feel anything, he just gave up and went along with them to be saved.
3. The first two sentences contradict the idea of being saved. If people are saved, why do they still sin? What is the point of being saved from sin if all humans do is sin? His contradiction plays throughout the passage when he was saved from sin by sinning. If this can happen, what is the sense in being saved?
4. I believe Langston wrote Salvation twenty years later to expose his miscomprehension of the bible’s ideas. The bible is a very hard book to understand because there is so much to pull from it. Everything in there is not literal; there are many symbols. In fact the very Bible itself is a symbol of God’s voice. Everything the adults said were shown figuratively, not literally. The very fact that he was crying after he did what he did and his hesitation of doing it gave a sign of good in him. He was also thinking about everyone else and how tired they might be. He was caring for others, concerned for his friend, and upset that he lied. He also shows significance of his crying since he said he only did it once more in his lifetime showing he doesn’t cry a lot. With this you can say he wasn’t touched by a Holy Ghost, but he knew right from wrong and for that you can see a lot of good in him.
5. He assumes that the audience knows about the gist of the ceremony because he jumps right into it. He does add detail though to describe the way his church does it, if it is done differently than another local church.
6. All of the ideas about him being alone, everyone waiting on him in paragraphs 3-10, as well as the fact it was getting late, made Hughes very anxious. He “began to be ashamed,” so the pressure got to him (Hughes). The most powerful was probably the song that was used about the lonely sheep that almost literally referred to him. This really got to him and hits the audience emotionally because you know when a song is about you it makes its way to the heart quickly.
7. With narration it had a better effect on the audience. An argumentative essay would have turned some readers away who had different beliefs. In the form of a story, it can attract anyone, even those who are not in this specific religion. The title would probably be “What Is Salvation?”
8. He shortens the time taken to get to the sermon as well as shortening the service of the church that day besides the altar incident. He skips all the people that went except him and Wesley. He drew out his part to add more expression to his experience. At the end he jumps to his home in bed, because it was the only thing that mattered at the time. When you are that upset as a child the only thing left for you to do is go in the bed and cry. This gives the ending of his reason for writing this chapter.
9. During the sermon, he uses shorter transitions that consider a shorter time period than days or weeks like then, finally, and suddenly, (Hughes). Then he once again uses “That night” as a jumper transition (Hughes).
10. This is the focal point of the narrative. This is the place and time he learns this big lesson so we must know how it works to get the full understanding of his experience.
11. I think he feels understanding. He now realizes what happened at this time and even though he was ashamed as a child, he may not have redone it any kind of way even if he could. In the beginning when he spoke of those who told him he would see Jesus and whatnot, he did not call them liars. He just merely said that he did not feel anything.
12. He is setting up the time period. His sentences are child-like because he is a child at the time in the story. It would be a little strange to have sophisticated, advanced writing as a 13 year old boy.
13. Hughes expected to see Jesus in the literal sense while his aunt expected him, not to literally see him, but feel his spirit come over him. It would be more accurate to say see as Jesus in the sense that he would be able to see what Jesus would do or “What is the right choice?” This is a very significant difference because it gives the contradiction of a literal and figurative sense of the Bible. It is also where they say the “Holy Ghost” comes in because eit is supposedly the spirit that guides you to the path of justice.
2. Hughes saw his friend who lied and became saved which was a sin, but he was not punished for it. Also he felt guilty for making everyone wait, and since he did not see Jesus or feel anything, he just gave up and went along with them to be saved.
3. The first two sentences contradict the idea of being saved. If people are saved, why do they still sin? What is the point of being saved from sin if all humans do is sin? His contradiction plays throughout the passage when he was saved from sin by sinning. If this can happen, what is the sense in being saved?
4. I believe Langston wrote Salvation twenty years later to expose his miscomprehension of the bible’s ideas. The bible is a very hard book to understand because there is so much to pull from it. Everything in there is not literal; there are many symbols. In fact the very Bible itself is a symbol of God’s voice. Everything the adults said were shown figuratively, not literally. The very fact that he was crying after he did what he did and his hesitation of doing it gave a sign of good in him. He was also thinking about everyone else and how tired they might be. He was caring for others, concerned for his friend, and upset that he lied. He also shows significance of his crying since he said he only did it once more in his lifetime showing he doesn’t cry a lot. With this you can say he wasn’t touched by a Holy Ghost, but he knew right from wrong and for that you can see a lot of good in him.
5. He assumes that the audience knows about the gist of the ceremony because he jumps right into it. He does add detail though to describe the way his church does it, if it is done differently than another local church.
6. All of the ideas about him being alone, everyone waiting on him in paragraphs 3-10, as well as the fact it was getting late, made Hughes very anxious. He “began to be ashamed,” so the pressure got to him (Hughes). The most powerful was probably the song that was used about the lonely sheep that almost literally referred to him. This really got to him and hits the audience emotionally because you know when a song is about you it makes its way to the heart quickly.
7. With narration it had a better effect on the audience. An argumentative essay would have turned some readers away who had different beliefs. In the form of a story, it can attract anyone, even those who are not in this specific religion. The title would probably be “What Is Salvation?”
8. He shortens the time taken to get to the sermon as well as shortening the service of the church that day besides the altar incident. He skips all the people that went except him and Wesley. He drew out his part to add more expression to his experience. At the end he jumps to his home in bed, because it was the only thing that mattered at the time. When you are that upset as a child the only thing left for you to do is go in the bed and cry. This gives the ending of his reason for writing this chapter.
9. During the sermon, he uses shorter transitions that consider a shorter time period than days or weeks like then, finally, and suddenly, (Hughes). Then he once again uses “That night” as a jumper transition (Hughes).
10. This is the focal point of the narrative. This is the place and time he learns this big lesson so we must know how it works to get the full understanding of his experience.
11. I think he feels understanding. He now realizes what happened at this time and even though he was ashamed as a child, he may not have redone it any kind of way even if he could. In the beginning when he spoke of those who told him he would see Jesus and whatnot, he did not call them liars. He just merely said that he did not feel anything.
12. He is setting up the time period. His sentences are child-like because he is a child at the time in the story. It would be a little strange to have sophisticated, advanced writing as a 13 year old boy.
13. Hughes expected to see Jesus in the literal sense while his aunt expected him, not to literally see him, but feel his spirit come over him. It would be more accurate to say see as Jesus in the sense that he would be able to see what Jesus would do or “What is the right choice?” This is a very significant difference because it gives the contradiction of a literal and figurative sense of the Bible. It is also where they say the “Holy Ghost” comes in because eit is supposedly the spirit that guides you to the path of justice.
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