[Prof. Masiello]

ATTENTION: If you email me, I can snd you a clearer, highlighted version of the document below. It is also in Docs, but the version I would send is easier to read!

Discussion of Class Readings Theme: Men and Women
Please post brief answers to as many of these questions as possible.
All students will be writing about all six readings for the next essay – which has not yet been assigned, so you should read the selections and respond to the discussions (which are what we would have done in a real classroom setting). Right now, we are discussing three of the six. More questions on the other stories will follow in a couple of days.
Press Ctrl + click or cut and paste into your browser to open hyperlinks for 1 through 6
1) An essay by Judy Syfers called “Why I Want a Wife”
http://www.columbia.edu/~sss31/rainbow/wife.html
a) What is the writer saying essentially: why does she want a wife? Is it because wants a same-sex relationship or is it something else?
b) This is an example of satire. Please look up “satire.” Do you think her essay is a successful expose of what husbands expect? Is it funny or dated (it was written 50 years ago during the height of the Women’s Rights movement). Is what is says about husbands offensive or is it a criticism of what women actually put up with?
c) Notice what she says about what is expected when a family goes on a vacation: whose children are being taken care of? (Notice the power of one word: is it “our” or “my”?
2) A very short story called “The Story of an Hour”:
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/
The story is told in real time, which means it takes an hour, hence its title. It also has irony at the end and foreshadowing at the beginning: “[…]Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble.”
a) Notice that the wife’s first name is not said right away. Why do you think that is?
b) How old would you say this married couple is? Do they have children?
c) Were you disturbed by her reaction to the news of the husband’s death?
d) When she speaks of being “free,” what does freedom mean? Do you want to get married one day? Do you feel you will lose your freedom when you get married?
If marriage is being criticized, why do people still get married and why do gay and lesbian couples want to get married? Is marriage for emotional security or financial security?
e) When Mrs. Mallard dies, why does she die? What do the other characters think is the reason for her death? (We know the real reason, but they do not.)
f) Do you think the narrator, who shows the woman’s thoughts, is criticizing men?
But notice: she says, “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” Perhaps she is being fair to or critical of both men and women.
3) A short story by Bobbie Ann Mason called “Shiloh”:
http://english204-dcc.blogspot.com/2011/05/shiloh.html
a) Who are the main characters? Why is there a conflict? What has caused a severe rift between them?
b) What does the husband, Leroy, do to pass the time? Are these things we expect of a man to do?
c) What does the wife, Norma Jean, do to keep busy? Why do you think she involves herself in so many activities? Which one of them seems unusual for a woman to do?
d) Why do they go to Shiloh? What is Shilo? Do you think it is symbolic?
e) Unlike with much older stories, this one was written fairly recently, the 1980s and it has references to actual song and movie titles. Do you like to see and read about actual things when you watch films and read stories? What is the appeal of including such things?
f) Notice the reference to a dust cover’s color (a bed skirt). What meaning does it have if any? Note: good writing should include sensory appeal, words that appeal to our five senses. It is easy to appeal to our senses of sight and hearing, not so much to our senses of taste, tough, and smell. (In movies, we can see and hear beautiful and ugly things, but we cannot experience the other sensations.)
Use this as a suggestion to include specific details: real places and real brands, visual details when you do your own writing. Think of creating pictures in the minds of your readers.
g) Google who was Norma Jean and who was the man that was called “The King” (Leroy means king). Why do you think the author named her couple after two famous American cultural icons. It is highly doubtful she just pulled names out of a hat.

[Jaida Clouden]

1) An essay by Judy Syfers called “Why I Want a Wife”

A. The writer is basically listing why she wants a wife. This writing isn’t about wanting a same sex marriage, but her wanting someone to give the same amount of need that she gives. The writer explains every single thing a wife is good for, and how they basically do everything in the household. The writer wants a wife to do the same and give her/do things that she has to do for herself. What the author is saying, is that she resembles a man, and she has needs that a husband wants from a wife.

B. This essay is exactly the exposure of what a husband wants and expects from a wife. Reading through the list of practically demands, I agree that this is the expectation of what a husband wants from a wife. I wouldn’t say that it’s funny, but it could be dated. Yes, the times have changed, but there are still people out there in the world who rely on wives to do certain things in their lives. I find that this essay is a criticism of what women actually put up with because of the in depth demands that she wants a “wife” to do. The writer also states that she wants her children being taken care of, and she uses “my” and not “our.” The wife has to do everything in the family and that means taking care of the husband and kids solely.

[Jaida Clouden]

2) A very short story called “The Story of an Hour”:

A. If I’m being honest, I do not know why the wife’s first name wasn’t mentioned right away. Is it because she had died and the writer wanted the reader to know who had “heart trouble?”
B. This married couple was probably in their middle 20’s. It doesn’t seem like they had any children.
C. I wasn’t disturbed by her reaction to the news of her husbands death because many people grieve in different ways. One of the main ways is to cry, and the reading portrayed Louise to weep and cry.
D. I think that free means that she is now able to be free from the husband. This was what the wife wanted, and she thought of herself being free from him. Yes, I want to be married one day and no, I don’t think that my freedom will be taken from me. I believe that marriage is for emotional security.
E. Mrs. Mallard dies from seeing her husband walk through the door. She wanted to escape from him, but when she sees that he was alive, that’s what killed her.
F. I think that the narrator is being fair to both men and women.

[Jaida Clouden]

3) A short story by Bobbie Ann Mason called “Shiloh”:

A. The main characters are Leroy Moffit and Norma Jean. There is conflict because Leroy is now home from disability leave, and they both feel awkward around each other. This has caused a rift between them because with Leroy always being home, Norma feels like the beginning of her marriage with him. Another thing that caused a rift between them is the death of their son.
B. Leroy often lays on the couch and smokes joints. Leroy also goes shopping and does needlepoint. We don’t expect men to be doing this because he is doing what “woman” do.
C. Norma Jean likes to do body building, and work out. She cooks, cleans, smokes, and she goes to night school. I think that she involves herself with all these activities because she doesn’t want to be around her husband anymore. She is trying to spend less time with him. For a women, the whole body building activity is unusual for a woman to do.
D. They go to Shiloh because Mabel offered the idea to Leroy. Shiloh is a place that has a log cabin. It was a war zone, and battleground area.
E. I do like to read about actual things. It makes the stories more appealing and interesting.
F. I’m not sure if I understand what the meaning of the words bed skirt means.
G. The author named the couple after two famous American culture icons because the author wanted people to know that two people in a relationship can never be perfect.

[Ashley Adhar]

1) An essay by Judy Syfers called “Why I Want a Wife”
a) what is the writer saying essentially: why does she want a wife? Is it because wants a same-sex relationship or is it something else?
Essentially the writer is saying she wants a wife because of the duties and characteristics associated with a wife. There are expectations set for a wife while the expectations of a husband are not exactly set. The writer ends the reading with “My God, who wouldn’t want a wife.” She ends it like that because after hearing all the duties, sacrifices and jobs that a wife does, it is said in a sarcastic way. It has nothing to do with her wanting a same-sex relationship. It has to do with what the idea of “classification” and what a wife should be like.
b) This is an example of satire. Please look up “satire.” Do you think her essay is a successful expose of what husbands expect? Is it funny or dated (it was written 50 years ago during the height of the Women’s Rights movement). Is what it says about husband’s offensive or is it a criticism of what women actually put up with?
Satire is the “use of humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule to expose and criticizes people’s stupidity or vices.” I think her essay is a successful expose of what husbands expects. Although, her essay was written 50 years ago, those expectations are still set in place for some people. Women actually put up with the things mentioned in her article. Even thought times have changed; some relationships have those set expectations. For example, some husbands still feel that the wives place is in the kitchen or to always tend to the child.
c) Notice what she says about what is expected when a family goes on a vacation: whose children are being taken care of? (Notice the power of one word: is it “our” or “my”?
In the essay, it states “so that someone can continue to care for me and my children when I need a rest and change of scene.” I feel the word “my” was meant to show ownership. The wife can take of the child 24/7 but in the eyes of the other partner, it is not “our “child”, it is simply just “my children”.

[Brianna]

1) An essay by Judy Syfers called “Why I Want a Wife”

A) The writer wants a wife not because she wants a same sex relationship, but because she wants to have the benefits of someone taking care of her too, and not being the one caring for her husband and children all the time. She emphasizes the point that the roles of a wife is unfair to to the role of a husband.

B) I think her essay is a successful expose of what husband expect. She writes about the demands that are required from a wife by listing the numerous tasks expected from a wife. I think this essay is a criticism of what women actually put up with, since she is a women who wrote this essay to throw shade.

C) The word ”I” shows the self-entitlement behind the men. He believes that since he is taking his family on vacation that a wife should remain doing her responsibilities without putting in any help. When Judy writes ”my children” she says ”my” to emphasize the point men don’t help in any way especially when it comes to the vacation example.

[Brianna]

2) A very short story called “The Story of an Hour”

A) The wife’s first name is not said right away only after she hears about her husband’s death and when she feels most free. I think that is because when she got married to Mr. Mallard she loses her identity and became the property of him.

B) I would say this married couple is in their early 20’s. No children were mentioned so I’m assuming they didn’t have any.

C) I was disturbed by Mrs. Mallard reaction to her husband’s death because it’s not the typical crying and grieving of a wife who has lost her husband. She reacts with sadness at first, but then she realizes that she is free.

D) Mrs. Mallard speaks of being ”’free” in this case she means free from the marriage, free to make her own choices and do what she wants to do. I do want to get married one day but first I want to make sure I don’t get married to someone who will make me feel like I’m imprisoned.

E)Mrs. Mallard has a weak heard and upon hearing that her husband is not dead, and that she is not free of her marriage as she had thought, that is when her heart gives out and she dies of shock. The other characters think that she died of heart disease.

F) I’m not sure what the quote means.

[Brianna]

3) A short story by Bobbie Ann Mason called “Shiloh”

A) Norma Jean, Leroy, and Mabel are the main characters. There is conflict because Leroy is home from work more now because of his leg injury. Norma and Leroy feel awkward around each other. This has caused a severe rift between them because Norma feels like this is the beginning of their marriage all over again when they were 18. She doesn’t like this feeling because 18 was when she married Leroy and their infant died.

B) Leroy makes things from cart kits to pass time. He started by building a miniature log cabin from notched popsicle sticks. At first the craft kits were something to kill time, but now he is thinking about building a full-scale log house from a kit.

C) Norma Jean takes a body building class, cooks, clean, and attends night school to keep busy. She involves herself in all these activities because she doesn’t want to be around her husband anymore. For a women, the body building class is unusual for a women to do.

D) Norma Jean and Leroy go to Shiloh to try to give their marriage a fresh start. Shiloh is a battlefield and a cemetery. Shiloh symbolizes the death of their relationship. When Norma Jean tells Leroy her intentions to leave him they are sitting in Shiloh among thousands of dead soldiers.

E) I do like to see and read about actual things when I watch films and read stories.

F) I’m not sure what the meaning of ”bed skirts” mean.

[Asif Khan]

1.)
a) What is the writer saying essentially: why does she want a wife? Is it because wants a same-sex relationship or is it something else?

The writer is saying that a wife is expected to take care of everything else in a relationship as a man works a job. Many men expect their wives to take care of the kids, make food, and keep track of their husband and kids as well as themselves. The writer wants a wife because she thinks it could ease her work load.

b) This is an example of satire. Please look up “satire.” Do you think her essay is a successful expose of what husbands expect? Is it funny or dated (it was written 50 years ago during the height of the Women’s Rights movement). Is what is says about husbands offensive or is it a criticism of what women actually put up with?

This is a successful satire. The writer makes it fairly obvious. The writer exaggerates the responsibilities of the woman in a marriage. This is definitely funny because the writer reads through how many man are in reality, and exposes their mindset. This is criticism towards men for the right reason, some men, not all, love the idea of a wife as someone to merely take care of their kid and do housework. Some men don’t see women working a job and making money for the household.

c) Notice what she says about what is expected when a family goes on a vacation: whose children are being taken care of? (Notice the power of one word: is it “our” or “my”?

The word “my” is used, because if the writer wanted a wife, their perception of a wife is a woman to take care of the kids while they relax. The word “my” emphasizes the dominance of the other person in the relationship, which isn’t the “wife”.

2.)
a) Notice that the wife’s first name is not said right away. Why do you think that is?

I think this is to show the reader that this is a married woman.

b) How old would you say this married couple is? Do they have children?

This couple was definitely younger, maybe in their mid-20s. I don’t think they have children, as it isn’t mentioned and there isn’t enough information to infer so.

c) Were you disturbed by her reaction to the news of the husband’s death?

Yes, she seemed like she was relieved, after showing some sadness, she went into a ecstatic mood, happy to lose her husband and gain “freedom”.

d) When she speaks of being “free,” what does freedom mean? Do you want to get married one day? Do you feel you will lose your freedom when you get married?
If marriage is being criticized, why do people still get married and why do gay and lesbian couples want to get married? Is marriage for emotional security or financial security?

When she said “free”, she was emotionally free, her husband was probably not able to satisfy her needs, so she was happy. I do want to get married, I don’t think I’d lose my freedom much, maybe not having friends which are girls, but overall not much loss of freedom. People want to get married to tie a knot, be together forever, it is emotional security, once you are married, there is really no one else unless somebody cheats.

e) When Mrs. Mallard dies, why does she die? What do the other characters think is the reason for her death? (We know the real reason, but they do not.)

The characters think it’s the emotion that killed her, however it was the heart disease.

f) Do you think the narrator, who shows the woman’s thoughts, is criticizing men?
But notice: she says, “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” Perhaps she is being fair to or critical of both men and women.

No, I think the narrator was right, some women are oppressed by men, particularly their husband, even though we don’t know this relationship, we can assume she wasn’t satisfied.

3.)
a) Who are the main characters? Why is there a conflict? What has caused a severe rift between them?

The main characters are Leroy and Norma Jean, Leroy never had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Norma Jean, so he doesn’t know how she feels about him.

b) What does the husband, Leroy, do to pass the time? Are these things we expect of a man to do?

Leroy builds contraptions and learns to appreciate how they are built. These can be things we expect men to do.

c) What does the wife, Norma Jean, do to keep busy? Why do you think she involves herself in so many activities? Which one of them seems unusual for a woman to do?

Norma Jean does activities like working out, and playing instruments, she likes to keep herself occupied. Women working out would seem unusual to some men.

d) Why do they go to Shiloh? What is Shilo? Do you think it is symbolic?

Shiloh is in Tennessee, it is where there is a Civil War battleground. I don’t think it is symbolic, no.

e) Unlike with much older stories, this one was written fairly recently, the 1980s and it has references to actual song and movie titles. Do you like to see and read about actual things when you watch films and read stories? What is the appeal of including such things?

If the movie or book is interesting, I surely go back to a reference made. I like to see connections in art.

f) Notice the reference to a dust cover’s color (a bed skirt). What meaning does it have if any? Note: good writing should include sensory appeal, words that appeal to our five senses. It is easy to appeal to our senses of sight and hearing, not so much to our senses of taste, tough, and smell. (In movies, we can see and hear beautiful and ugly things, but we cannot experience the other sensations.)
Use this as a suggestion to include specific details: real places and real brands, visual details when you do your own writing. Think of creating pictures in the minds of your readers.

I think the meaning would be that the sky is so pale or blue. The dust cover helps us view the sky as well as the cover.

g) Google who was Norma Jean and who was the man that was called “The King” (Leroy means king). Why do you think the author named her couple after two famous American cultural icons. It is highly doubtful she just pulled names out of a hat.

This is a real couple. They also faded and distanced and lost their child as an infant. They obviously wanted to remake the real story with more details.

[Ashley Adhar]

2) A very short story called “The Story of an Hour”:

a) Notice that the wife’s first name is not said right away. Why do you think that is?
The wife’s first name is not said right away. I feel like the author did that to emphasize the fact that she was married.
b) How old would you say this married couple is? Do they have children?
I would say this married couple is pretty young. They are probably in their late twenties or early thirties. As stated, “She was young, with a fair, calm face.” It seemed like they have been married for quite a while. Children are not mentioned.
c) Were you disturbed by her reaction to the news of the husband’s death?
Her reaction was different compared to the usual person after hearing the news of the death of their husband. She showed a slight sadness. However, after she seemed fine and was happy to gain freedom.
d) When she speaks of being “free,” what does freedom mean? Do you want to get married one day? Do you feel you will lose your freedom when you get married?
If marriage is being criticized, why do people still get married and why do gay and lesbian couples want to get married? Is marriage for emotional security or financial security?
When she speaks of being “free”, freedom to her meant being free of possession, being able to make her own decisions and live for herself. I do want to get married on day. I do not feel that I will lose my freedom when I get married. Marriage is always criticized; however, not every relationship is picture perfect. People still get married because it serves their needs, it fulfills their desires, values or dreams and the idea of true love to them may be significant. Marriage is for emotional security. In my opinion, the person you get married to should make you feel secured and loved. It should create a sense of welcoming and allow you to be able to always express yourself. Marriage comes with compromise at times; however, one should always feel emotionally secure.
e) When Mrs. Mallard dies, why does she die? What do the other characters think is the reason for her death? (We know the real reason, but they do not.)
The other characters think the reason for her death is heart disease tied to the emotions she has felt.
f) Do you think the narrator, who shows the woman’s thoughts, is criticizing men?
But notice: she says, “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” Perhaps she is being fair to or critical of both men and women.
The narrator tries to portray the idea that some women are in that type of relationship in which they feel tied down and not as emotionally secure. I do not necessarily think she was criticizing men though.

[Dawood]

1) An essay by Judy Syfers called “Why I Want a Wife”
http://www.columbia.edu/~sss31/rainbow/wife.html
a) The wife is required to take care of everything in the relationship while the man works the job. Many people believe that men are the people who support their families to have food. The writer wants a wife who is different from others and wants to be taken care of too.
b) The text is a successful satire; the writer does make it fairly obvious. The book exposes how people see other people’s roles and how they don’t want it the same as usual, where men do all the work and support the family and women take care of the house. This is judgment towards men because there needs to be a change in how the social roles are.
c) The word with power mostly is “my” because it shows dominance over the person in a relationship; for example, a woman takes care of the kids while the men work.
2) A very short story called “The Story of an Hour”:
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/
The story is told in real-time, which means it takes an hour, hence its title. It also has irony at the end and foreshadowing at the beginning: “[…]Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble.”
a) The last name is sometimes said because the lady takes the man’s previous name showing that she is a married woman.
b) The married couple is at a young age around 20 to 28, and not much information is given about them having their child
c) She did feel a bit worried but then felt glad that she can do what she wants now and no one really has control over her.
d) When she said “free” she felt that all the controlling problems that her husband had are no longer on her. Yes I would like to get married on day and I won’t have any feeling of losing freedom because that person who would be with me would also feel the same way of nothing being taken from them. People who love each other no matter what sex or race and do what they please as long as they do not cause problems for other people. Most marriages are emotional security because two people loving each other but somewhat have different thinking.
e) She died due to heart condition while the other characters think it was the emotion that killed her.
f) Kinda because it shows that men think they are people who can control the person they are with and explaining how women are going through problems, but it all depends on who you will spend the rest of your life with because that person is not like everyone else.
3) A short story by Bobbie Ann Mason called “Shiloh”:
http://english204-dcc.blogspot.com/2011/05/shiloh.html
a) The main characters are Leroy and Norma and they don’t know much about each other and don’t know if they like each other.
b) Leroy builds for a living as a man that’s why he has to do as a man
c) Norma Jean would play instruments or do exercise, she wont be able to do what men do by going out to exercise.
d) Shilo is a place in Tennessee where a battle had taken place and I think this is symbolic
e) If the movie or book has a lot of action and movement then for sure I would keep watching/reading it and compare it to some other text or movies that were like this.
f) Comparing what we see and hear can be in writing and movies and talking about the color seen can be related to the sky being talked about or water.
g) A couple that started to have problems and slowly moved away from each other making it a sad love story.

[Jakia W]

Why I want a wife
The writer wants a wife to take care of all the responsibilities that she doesn’t want to have on her plate. I do think her essay is a successful expose of what husbands expect. I think it’s funny. what it says is a criticism of what women put up with. my children are being taken care of is what’s said.

the story of an hour
I think the wife’s name isn’t said the right way because married women are addressed by their last name with their title (Mrs). I would say this married couple is in their middle 20s to early30s. they don’t have children. No, I wasn’t disturbed by her reaction to the news. freedom means living for yourself, not having to do anything for anybody but yourself. I do want to get married one day. I don’t feel I will lose my freedom when I get married. Mrs.Mallard dies because her husband didn’t die. the other characters think the reason for her death is because she thought her husband died (broken heart). I don’t think the narrator is criticizing men.

Shiloh
The main characters are Leroy and norma jean. there is a conflict because Leroy has been home since his accident. Mabel catching norma jean smoking caused a severe rift between them. Leroy plans on building this log cabin he wants for him and norma jean. we do expect a man to do this because they aren’t the ones to face their relationship problems head-on. Norma jean takes bodybuilding classes than college courses to keep busy. I think she involves herself in so many activities to prepare herself to be alone. bodybuilding classes are unusual for a woman to do. They go to the Shiloh to get Norma Jean away from the books. Shilo is peace. it’s symbolic. I do like to see and read about the actual things when I watch films and read stories. The appeal of including such things is to catch the interest of the reader but to also give the reader some history they may not know. the reference to the dust cover color is the kind of day it is. I think the author names her couple after 2 famous American cultural icons because they affected American people the same as Shiloh

[alhasen]

Discussion Questions on 3 of the 6 readings

1) An essay by Judy Syfers called “Why I Want a Wife”

a) What is the writer saying essentially: why does she want a wife? Is it because she wants a same-sex relationship or is it something else?

She wants to feel like the husband in her household. She starts by talking about a male friend of hers and how he is looking for another wife, then she goes on saying what sort of wife she wants.

b) This is an example of satire. Please look up “satire.” Do you think her essay is a successful expose of what husbands expect? Is it funny or dated (it was written 50 years ago during the height of the Women’s Rights movement). Is what is said about husbands offensive or is it a criticism of what women actually put up with?

I was brought up in a Arabian family so some of the things she said are sort of what most Arab husbands want from their wife. I was taught that the woman when married is a “housewife” and the husband is the one who works in the family. Some people might say this is “dated” but others from different countries would say this is common of what is expected from a “housewife”.

c) Notice what she says about what is expected when a family goes on a vacation: whose children are being taken care of? (Notice the power of one word: is it “our” or “my”?

Her children are being taken care of, because she says “my children”.

2) A very short story called “The Story of an Hour”

a) Notice that the wife’s first name is not said right away. Why do you think that is?

I believe it has to do with the date(1894). Whenever you watch a movie or play a game about old times they usually address the women of the household as Mrs. with the surname not her first name.

b) How old would you say this married couple is? Do they have children?

I would say they are a young couple in their mid 20s only because in the passage it says she was young. I believe they have no children because in the passage it talks about a “private will upon fellow-creature” and she also says she would live for herself.

c) Were you disturbed by her reaction to the news of the husband’s death?

Yes, because she keeps whispering that she is free almost like her husband was tying her down with chains.

d) When she speaks of being “free,” what does freedom mean? Do you want to get married one day? Do you feel you will lose your freedom when you get married? If marriage is being criticized, why do people still get married and why do gay and lesbian couples want to get married? Is marriage for emotional security or financial security?

When she speaks about being “free” it’s as if her husband was keeping her lock up. Yes I want to get married someday. As a Muslim it kind of the opposite when I get married instead of losing my freedom I will kind of gain my freedom. In my religion you can’t do certain stuff unless you get married. I don’t know what to say about why marriage is being criticized and why people still get married. I believe marriage is for emotional security.

e) When Mrs. Mallard dies, why does she die? What do the other characters think is the reason for her death? (We know the real reason, but they do not.)

I think the other character believes that she wants to follow her husband and so she killed herself.

f) Do you think the narrator, who shows the woman’s thoughts, is criticizing men? But notice: she says, “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” Perhaps she is being fair to or critical of both men and women.

I don’t think I see a criticism of both men and women.

3) A short story by Bobbie Ann Mason called “Shiloh”

a) Who are the main characters? Why is there a conflict? What has caused a severe rift between them?

The husband(Leroy Moffitt) and the wife(Norma Jean Moffitt) are the main characters. The conflict is the lack of knowing each other and whether they like each other.

b) What does the husband, Leroy, do to pass the time? Are these things we expect of a man to do?

Leroy builds and also dreams of building a log house. These are things men are expected to do.

c) What does the wife, Norma Jean, do to keep busy? Why do you think she involves herself in so many activities? Which one of them seems unusual for a woman to do?

Norma plays instruments and works out. Working out seems unusual. The man on the other hand is usually the one working out.

d) Why do they go to Shiloh? What is Shiloh? Do you think it is symbolic?

Shiloh is a place in Tennessee where a battle had taken place and I don’t think this place is symbolic.

e) Unlike with much older stories, this one was written fairly recently, the 1980s and it has references to actual song and movie titles. Do you like to see and read about actual things when you watch films and read stories? What is the appeal of including such things?

I like when real things are referenced in films or stories. It almost seems like an Easter egg in games.

f) Notice the reference to a dust cover’s color (a bed skirt). What meaning does it have if any? Note: good writing should include sensory appeal, words that appeal to our five senses. It is easy to appeal to our senses of sight and hearing, not so much to our senses of taste, tough, and smell. (In movies, we can see and hear beautiful and ugly things, but we cannot experience the other sensations.) Use this as a suggestion to include specific details: real places and real brands, visual details when you do your own writing. Think of creating pictures in the minds of your readers.

I don’t see any meaning to the reference.

g) Google who was Norma Jean and who was the man that was called “The King” (Leroy means king). Why do you think the author named her couple after two famous American cultural icons. It is highly doubtful she just pulled names out of a hat.

I don’t know why the author chose those names.

[Eduard Khanukayev]

1) An essay by Judy Syfers called “Why I Want a Wife”

A.She wants a wife so that the wife could take her to school, look after her children, to take those children outside to do many activities, and so much more. Basically, her idea of a wife is someone who takes care of all nonessential responsibilities in a household, and she wants to have one for herself.
B.Many males want most of the things written in this essay. After looking up the definition for the word “satire” it relevantly ties into the expectations of men when it comes to wives for the time period. In the past, married women had fewer opportunities than they do now, and as time moves on surroundings change, and with its roles of genders within society.
C.The main thing that I picked up on was that when they would go on this hypothetical vacation, the wife was still responsible to do things. Looking after “our” family is what is expected on this trip and then the fact that she still wants her wife to look over her and her kids. This would not happen as much now, as it maybe did 50 years ago.

[Eduard Khanukayev]

2) A very short story called “The Story of an Hour

A. The reason her name was not mentioned in the beginning, what I believe, is that the author wanted to build upon the tragedy that befell the now widow.
B. The couple, or at least the wife, is young because in the 8th paragraph it states that she was young. They most likely don’t have children if she was young.
C. Honestly I was not disturbed because that is how any normal person would react to a partner’s death. If a person that I wished to be with in sickness and health suddenly died, I would break down like her.
D. When she says free it’s her basically saying how her life is no longer connected to her husband. For the time period maybe she just wanted to be independent, and live for herself instead living for someone else. Whenever anyone gets married they, no matter what, lose some privileges that they would have had when not married.
E. She dies upon her husband returning, from what she thought was death. Now that she has all of this hope in her body to be free, when the thing that has locked her life returns, her heart gives out, and she dies.
F. I honestly believe that, even though the narrator shows the woman’s thoughts, he is being fair to both male and female.