Curation

 

In chapter 8 I decided to focus on strength. Amy Denver was only looking for velvet and Sethe was just trying to get away from her past. Amy Denver, the little white girl that ‘she is also called saved the day. The time period of slavery was very rough, so running away, if found came with a very bad consequence up to being starved to being branded with an r on your body. Two strangers met randomly but connected somehow. The young girl could have easily turned Sethe over back to Mr. Garner and probably could have been closer to getting the velvet she always wanted.

Amy Denver completed a selfless act and without her stepping in, chances of Sethe and her baby probably would have never made it on their own. With Denver, getting the last name of savior it shows that each of these women are associated with strength by doing the right things even if you have to put your desires aside for the better. Amy Denver coming into the picture in Beloved was a great scene because it  showed that despite her skin color, she did what she would want anyone to do for her if she was in that situation.

 

Through John’s Eyes

Through John’s Eyes

Star

 

It is now the summer, John and his wife move to a beautiful home. As they begin to settle down the wife believes that the house is haunted while John believes it’s just nonsense. Since John is a physician he took it upon himself to nurse his wife who had taken sick, so it is up to him to use his expertise to help her regain her health as long as she continues to take her phosphates and rests. The use of phosphate will provide her with more energy through the day.  Her brother has maintained the same profession as John. He also agrees with him that his sister is not well.  John insists that he does not want her writing in that silly little journal she has, it’s a big distraction. She begs to differ as “This dead paper and a great relief to my mind) — perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster” (page 1, paragraph 7). Without her writing, there’s a big chance she may take longer to recover.

By being stuck in the house all the day, the wife cannot do anything but just wonder as she responds “I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus – but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad” (page 1, paragraph 14). The wife believes that she was more in touch with the world instead of hidden inside a house. John on the other hand believes being worried will make things worse. John seems like he wants only wants the best for her.

The new house they just move into makes the wife very uneasy as she says “there is something strange about the house — I can feel it [‘I even said so to John one moonlight evening but he said what I felt was a draught, and shut the window’]” (page 1 paragraph 20-21). It seems as though every time the wife attempts to start a conversation with John, she gets shut down. As John remains as the dominate form in the relationship, the wife must obey him “You may not do any  type of work while your ill, I will come check on you after I am finish with work”. John takes on the role as the leader of the relationship. But as the famous saying before during the marriage ceremony “for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish” he has been there for his wife and he has stuck to his word.

John may truly love his wife but he will not tolerate a case of foolishness as it states “I don’t like our room a bit. I wanted one downstairs that opened on the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings! But John would not hear of it” (page 1, paragraph 24). Here to improve the house, the wife makes a suggestion that in order for her to even feel comfortable in the house it requires some decorations.  John on the other believes it should stay the way it is and doesn’t require change. This issue escalates to where the wife argues “I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes I’m sure I never get used to be so sensitive. I think it is due to this nervous condition” (page 1, paragraph 22). The wife has witness that she is being unfairly but forgives him for the way he is, because her condition seems to be so serious.

 

 

 

 

In “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1899 is told in a first person autodiegetic narration with the main character that strangely doesn’t have name. Guided by her husband John who believes she is truly sick doesn’t want her to lift a finger in the house. All he wants her to do is rest and take her medication on a daily basis and soon after she will regain her health back.  Although in the story the wife is portrayed ill throughout the story by the influence of her husband John his concern for her health is overshadowed by his character of over protectiveness and ability of controlling her. It seems like every time the main character tried to talk to her husband he would just ignore any ideas or objections she had. Though the story is told through the main characters eyes, in the retelling you get a better sense of who John really is, as he does love his wife, but the way he’s dealing with the situation of her writing as a bad thing is the wrong way.

Even though John is a physician the wife escape is through writing as she explains that “this is a dead paper and a great relief to my mind – perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster”( page 1 paragraph 7). Writing in the wife’s eyes is a sense of belonging. That even though she may be “sick” she has something she actually wants to do and that she enjoys it. But, in John’s eyes it seems as a way of rebellion and power. During these times, women rarely got an education, so by her knowing to read and write gave her a sense of independence. But being in a marriage there is no room for independence as the wife and husband is one. Therefore, but telling his wife that she could no longer write, increased his controlling streak as he managed to keep her in the house all day and had her on medication daily.

Going further into the story it seems as the main character and her husband disagree tremendously because just on the page alone every disagreement that has taken place the husband has won each argument. As the main character starts to express herself “I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes I’m sure I never used to be so sensitive. I think it is due to this nervous condition” (page 1 paragraph 22). The main character has finally realized that she hasn’t been getting her way whether it has to do with the wallpaper or the house itself or even trying to change rooms, John has shot down every request she’s had. But then again, she believes that John is just worried about her and starts to believe that she’s actually sick. Once again John has managed to even convince his wife that her writing has her life corrupt and in order to stop the corruption she must stop writing.

As John says “You may not do any type of work while your ill, I will come check on you after I am finish with work”. This shows that he has a job that requires a lot of commitment, meaning he is not home very often, so now the wife is alone at home and she has no connection with the outside world. It seems that John doesn’t want his wife to go anywhere he doesn’t know, it seems that he’s a little afraid of what she may become. It’s obvious that she has potential so I believe he might be threatened.

As the wife remains in the house she observes that  “there is something strange  around the house – I can feel it/ I even said so to John one moonlight evening but he said what I felt was a draught, and shut the window”(page 1 paragraph 20-21). The main character has finally wanted to talk to her husband about a serious issue and he just brushes it off. She expresses her feelings about the house that she felt uncomfortable and he just blames it on the wind that is outside. It seems that John doesn’t take her very seriously as if she were a child.

Another suggestion the wife decides to bring up was “I don’t like out room a bit. I wanted one downstairs that opened on the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings! But John would not hear of it” (page 1, paragraph 24). The wife doesn’t like the room because it is very plain so, she believes that it requires some change and she had ideas of how to decorate it to her liking. But, John doesn’t like the idea of change and wants it to stay the same.

Overall, I believe that in the original story most people would see John as a charismatic, hard-working man who is just looking after his wife. But in the retelling some people might change their minds and see the true him which is a controlling and overprotective man who doesn’t let him wife anything that she loves. There is no doubt that John loves his wife in both stories but it seems that he knows exactly how to be a physician but he doesn’t seem that he knows that much on how to be a good husband.

Passage for Essay 2

“Good for you. More it hurt more better it is. Can’t nothing heal without
pain, you know. What you wiggling for?”
Sethe raised up on her elbows. Lying on her back so long had raised a
ruckus between her shoulder blades. The fire in her feet and the fire on her
back made her sweat.
“My back hurt me,” she said.
“Your back? Gal, you a mess. Turn over here and let me see.”
In an effort so great it made her sick to her stomach, Sethe turned onto
her right side. Amy unfastened the back of her dress and said, “Come here,
Jesus,” when she saw. Sethe guessed it must be bad because after that call to
Jesus Amy didn’t speak for a while. In the silence of an Amy struck dumb for a
change, Sethe felt the fingers of those good hands lightly touch her back. She
could hear her breathing but still the whitegirl said nothing. Sethe could not
move. She couldn’t lie on her stomach or her back, and to keep on her side
meant pressure on her screaming feet. Amy spoke at last in her dreamwalker’s
voice.
“It’s a tree, Lu. A chokecherry tree. See, here’s the trunk–it’s red and
split wide open, full of sap, and this here’s the parting for the branches. You
got a mighty lot of branches. Leaves, too, look like, and dern if these ain’t
blossoms. Tiny little cherry blossoms, just as white. Your back got a whole

Visiting BHS

After visiting BHS, over the semester it has been a informal experience. Learning about how Brooklyn used to be and what it is now is amazing. I see all the neighborhoods and how much has stayed the same and also how much has changed. I got to see that Coney Island was still a place where people could enjoy themselves. Viewing the ads for the run away slaves,I had to pay close attention to the details that the slave-owners would write specific things about their slaves but the value for wanting them back was very low. It told me that there was a chance for that if the slave was returned that they would be killed or tortured.

Reading the letter for the slave asking his owner to buy his freedom was very different. One, because slaves weren’t educated and two most couldn’t buy their freedom because they didn’t have much money and three their owners wouldn’t allow it because they still wanted to keep them. Overall, after all my three visits to BHS i have gained alot of information that i would have never knew about without attending the class sessions held their. Presenting to the class was a good experience, it made me feel more comfortable to present in front of classmate because i knew what i would say. Group 6; was the group i was in and i believed that we worked great together and accomplished our goal.

Blogging Assignment

Throughout the story in “Beloved” by Toni Morrison memory seems to be a major theme.       As Baby Suggs (Sethe’s mother-in-law) preaches to the children and their mothers about the hardships slavery has done to her. As she’s talking to everyone in attendance she makes a very powerful statement as she says “in this here place, we flesh; flesh that weeps, laughs; flesh that dances on bare feet in grass. Love it. Love it hard. Yonder they do not love your flesh. They despise it. They don’t love your eyes; they’d just as soon pick em out. No more do they love the skin on your back. Yonder they flay it. And O my people they do not love your hands. Those they only use, tie, bind, chop off and leave empty. Love your hands! Love them. Raise them up and kiss them. Touch others with them, pat them together, stroke them on your face ’cause they don’t love that either. You got to love it, you! And no, they ain’t in love with your mouth. Yonder, out there, they will see it broken and break it again. What you say out of it they will not heed. What you scream from it they do not hear. What you put into it to nourish your body they will snatch away and give you leavins instead. No, they don’t love your mouth. You got to love it”(Morrison, 88).

Baby Suggs gives an insight of what happens in slavery, as you will be working daily, when you do something wrong; you will be beaten but at the end of the day you will have to love yourself in order to survive. Even if you scream, your voice will not be heard. Baby Suggs memories are a reminder of those bad times. As she says earlier that she had lost everything, except for her heart. Without her heart, she would have nothing left of herself.

Perfunctory

Perfunctory: Adjective : Lacking interest of enthusiasm.

From the novel  “Beloved”,”Together they waged a perfunctory battle against the outrageous behavior of that place; against turned-over slop jars, smacks on the behind, gusts of sour air”.(Page 4)

Now i understand that they have given up on taking care of the place.

Brooklyn Historical Society Visit and “Only The Dead Know Brooklyn”.

I was surprised not to see Carroll gardens as a neighborhood on this map that shows in Brooklyn in the 1900’s  but it tells me it came later on. The maps I have seen had to do with Brooklyn neighborhoods that were all around and even some from Queens was included. Also, another map showed what transportations were used back then, which were cars. Another image I observed was a map of the pavement that all around Brooklyn. In “Only the Dead Know Brooklyn” the “big guy” believed that a map was all he needed to really understand Brooklyn. I believe to understand Brooklyn, you have to travel amongst all the neighborhoods, observe the diversity between neighborhoods, spend a day or two there, eat the food, take pictures but even that’s not enough. To understand Brooklyn, it would really took a lifetime. I believe that I have somewhat gotten to know Brooklyn, I have been to almost all the neighborhoods and spent time there. But I still don’t know the history behind it all.

Strenuous

Strenuous: adjective :vigorously active : energetic.

From ” Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, “what a strenuous career it is that I’ve chosen! Travelling day in and day out. Doing business like this takes much more effort than doing your own business at home.”

Now i understand that Gregor Samsas career requires him to be moving around alot. Also, it requires him to be exceptionally active.

Atrocious

Atrocious: Adjective: extremely wicked, brutal, or cruel;: appalling , horrifying.

From “The Yellow Wallpaper”, ” I am sitting by the window now, up in this atrocious nursery, and there is nothing to hinder my writing as much as i please, save lack of strength.”(Page 2, paragraph 8)

Now i understand that the narrator believed that the nursery was a scary place  to be in.

Divulge

Divulge: transitive verb : to make public; to make known( as a confidence or secret ).

From ” A Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner, ” He would never divulge what happened during that interview but he refused to go back again”.(Page 4, paragraph 13).

Now i understand that the talk between the  Baptist minister and Miss Emily Grierson he doesn’t want speak about with anyone else. He’s being respectful and keeping it confidential.

“The Cottagette” as a feminist text.

“The Cottagette” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, can be looked at as a feminist text because of the year it was written and the tone of the story. By the early 1900’s women were fighting for their equality of rights. In either a relationship or marriage women had to be housewives and do all the household duties while their other halves worked. They stayed home all day either taking care of the children, doing  laundry, cooking, cleaning the typical role of the women was rarely questioned until women started to speak out saying they are able to do more than what society wanted them to do.

The reason why I can consider this a feminist text because Gilman says “Lois likes to do housework, but it spoils her hands for practicing… I always work best in the morning; but of course housework has to be done in the morning to; it is astonishing how much work there is in the littlest kitchen”(page 5, paragraph 5).  Here it clearly says that Lois likes what she has to do on a daily basis and you see this first hand on a woman’s perspective that enjoys what she does.  Also another reason why this can be viewed as a feminist text is when Gilman writes “The Cottagette” I loved unreservedly. It was so little and new and clean, smelling only of its fresh planed boards—they hadn’t even stained”(page 1, paragraph 9). It shows that she appreciates the little things in life.

The Cottagette is a symbol throughout the story which I believe represents all housewives, who have a little place in the house to call their own which is the kitchen. Where they are in control of what takes places in there and it’s what most men don’t interfere with, which is to keep the house in order. Gilman molds Lois, as the inspiration to most women who take pride in what they do.

Querulous

Querulous– Adjective, habitually complaining, fretful,whining.

From ” The Yellow Wallpaper”  I don’t feel as if it was worth while to turn my hand over for anything, and I’m getting dreadfully fretful and querulous”. ( Page 4, paragraph 8)

Now i understand that the main character has been sick for a while and she has been whining trying to make herself feel better.

 

Elixir

Elixir: noun :  a sweetened liquid usually containing alcohol that is used in medication either for its medicinal ingredients or as a flavoring.

From the “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin.  “Go away. I am not making myself ill.” No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window. (paragraph 16).

I understand that Louise Mallard had a heart trouble and this substance can possibly help cure her condition, she was drinking it fast as it had alcohol in it and it caused the affect that she could see her whole life through the window.