Dispensation – “an exemption from a law or from an impediment, vow, or oath may be granted a dispensation from the rule”

While re-reading “A Rose for Emily” I came across the same passage we looked at in class and wanted to look up what “Dispensation” actually meant. After discovering the meaning, it became even more clear to me how Colonel Sartoris wanted to make sure that Emily would not have to worry about paying the taxes. As we discussed it was due to the fact that Emily really had no real income, the only thing that was worth something was her family title.

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dispensation

Repression (noun) – a mental process by which distressing thoughts, memories, or impulses that may give rise to anxiety are excluded from consciousness and left to operate in the unconscious

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repression

From “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin (1894)

I came across this word while reading “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin (1894). It appears around the middle of the reading when the author describes the way the girl expresses herself, it caught my interest because I had an idea of what it meant but didn’t know it’s exact definition so it made me curious to find out what the writer was trying to get at.

“She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength.”

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, it’s used to describe how the girl is expressing herself and give insight of what’s going on inside her head, as if she’s trying to suppress something and not think about it even though it’s there. It’s similar to bottling up emotions as a way to cope with issues.