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draft, Homework, Project #1, Week 7

Retelling “A Rose for Emily” & Comparative Essay “Poor Emily” & “A Rose for Emily”

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Retelling of “A Rose for Emily”

When Miss Emily’s father died Tobe was worried about her.   “God knows how this poor woman will survive without her father,” he muttered to himself.”  He had worked as the Grierson family servant since Miss Emily was a little girl.   He never knew her mother.  When she became a young lady he could not understand why her father never allowed any of the men who were interested in her to court her.  It seemed in the eyes of Mr. Grierson, no man was good enough for her.

“Tobe,” Mr. Grierson would say.  “Show this young man to door.” This happened several times.

The young men would fidget nervously with their hat and would manage to say, “thank you for your time Mr. Grierson,” as if showing Mr. Grierson respect would change his mind.

He and his daughter had a close bond.  Now that he was gone Miss Emily was alone, husbandless and with no family or friends in town, this meant she was bound to be lonely.

He watched her sitting next to the bed on which her father took his last breath.  His body still lay there. He could hear her whispering, “father!”  “Father!”  “Can you hear me?”  “Please wake up.”    Several hours after Mr. Grierson’s death he cautiously approached her.  “Miss Emily,” he said, “should I fetch the coroner to take the body now.”  She turned her head and tears ran down her cheek.  Then she spoke with anger.  “No one is to touch my father!” she screamed.  “No one,”  “Do you hear me Tobe!?”  It was as if the grief she felt was making her mad.   He had never seen her so upset before.  “Alright Miss Emily,” was all he said.

The women folk from town came calling on the second day.   With great effort she manage to pull herself together.   When she met them at the door she was well dressed and very composed.  They had no idea the grief and pain she was feeling.  No one was admitted inside the house.    After Tobe opened the door she would look her visitors in the eye and in a curt voice she would say, “my father is not dead.”

One day after she abruptly closed the door she sat down in the parlor and wept.  Through her sobbing she said, “Tobe, I am alone.”   “Why did he have to leave me?”  He was unsure how to respond.  He was not use to her expressing her personal feelings to him.   Finally he said, “I am here Miss Emily, you are not alone.”

On the second day the ministers and doctors were admitted in the house by Tobe.  They did their best to persuade Miss Emily to let them bury her father.  She would not relent.   Just as they decided to use the law to force her to release the body Tobe appeared at the coroner’s office.   “Miss Emily is ready to bury her father.” Was all he said.

It was not an easy task for Tobe to get Miss Emily to relent.   “This is wrong Miss Emily,” he said to her earlier that morning. “Your father need to be put to rest.”  She turned from her position at her father’s bedside.  He saw the grief in her eyes, but he also saw that she was more subdued.  “You are right Tobe,” she had said.  “Fetch the coroner.”

 

It took him days to get the smell of death out of that house.   Miss Emily never acknowledge the smell.  It was as if it did not bother her one bit.

After she buried her father she became a recluse, barely leaving the house.   Tobe heard some of the gossip when he went to town on errands for her.   “That’s her negro,” they would say.   “Did you hear?”  a woman said in the grocery store,  “she is broke.”   The other woman chimed in, “I heard all he left her was that old house.”   As the conversation continued he heard yet another woman saying.  “The Griersons always act like they’re better than us, now she will see what it’s like to live like the rest of us.” “Poor Miss Emily,” they all said in unison.

In his mind he visualized himself going up to these women and defending Miss Emily.   He would tell them what a wonderful person she was.  Of course he could not.  He was her servant and there were different rules for people of his race.

One day while they were inside, a noise from outside interrupted the silence of that big old house.  “What’s going on Tobe?” she asked.  “Oh Miss Emily it’s that man Homer Barron cussing those Niggers.” “Who?”  She said.    “Homer Barron,” he repeated.  “He is out there with some niggers paving the sidewalks.”

“Tobe!” she yelled as the noise became even more bothersome.  “Fetch me my hat.”  He was surprised she wanted to go out and quickly fetched her hat.  He opened the door for her and watched as she ventured to the gate.

He was unsure about the conversation that transpired but when she came back inside, he thought he saw a faint smile on her face, something he had not seen in years.

He was shock when the doorbell rang that Sunday and Homer Barron stood there.

He had seen him in town on many occasion since work started on the pavements.  From what he knew he was the foreman of the contracted construction company.  He was a Yankee, a big, dark ready man.  He had a big booming voice and eyes lighter than his face.  He was charming.  The ladies liked him, the little boys followed him around and the men respected him.    Everyone knew Homer Barron.

Tobe! He said with hat in his hand.  “I am here to call on Miss Emily.”   Tobe was unsure what to say, but he quickly recovered and said, “wait here.”  He closed the door.  He was surprised all over again when he saw Miss Emily well dressed and wearing her favorite hat coming down the stairs.  Her face looked bright, she was beaming.   “She looks happy.” He thought to himself.   Despite the fact that she seemed to be expecting Homer Barron Tobe still informed her.  “Miss Emily, a Mr. Homer Barron is at the door.”  “Thank you Tobe,” she said as she waltz through the door he held open for her.    He watched as he held her hand to help her into the yellow horse drawn buggy.

This became a routine.  Every Sunday Homer Barron came by with the horse buggy to pick up Miss Emily.  The women in town now had new events to fuel their gossip machine.   Many were happy for Miss Emily.  Even Tobe was happy.   He noticed Miss Emily was in a pleasant mood since she started to spend time with Homer Baron.

It seemed the town folks especially the women could not make up their minds,  this minute they were happy for Miss Emily and the next minute they gossip about her relationship.   They felt it was not a good example for the young girls in Town for Miss Emily to spend so much time with Mr. Barron without a chaperone.   They forced the minister to speak with her.   Tobe admitted him.  At the end of his speech about moral standards Miss Emily merely said to him.  “What goes on in my life is nobody’s business.”  Then she summoned Tobe and said, “kindly show this gentleman out.”

A few weeks later when her cousins showed up at her house she was upset and told them in no uncertain terms that they too should stay out of her affairs.

By that time all the sidewalks had been paved and Homer Barron left town.   No one knew what to make of it.  After all the whole town thought they would be married.

Even Tobe thought they were to be married.  He had seen them together and saw how happy they were in each other’s company.   When Tobe picked up a man’s toilet set and men’s clothing and a night shirt that Miss Emily had ordered, he felt sure they were to be married.

The cousins left town and sure enough Homer Barron returned.  That Sunday he took Miss Emily on a buggy ride just like old times.

Tobe saw her when she returned to the house.  She did not look happy.  “Are you alright Miss Emily?” he asked.   She did not reply.   Next day she insisted that she have to go to town.  She returned with a package from the drug store.   She placed the package in the kitchen.  Tobe could not resist opening the package.   He read the label out loud, “for rats.”  He was puzzled because he had not seen rat in the house for a long time.

One day at dusk Homer Barron came for supper.  Tobe admitted him through the kitchen door.   He could not understand why he did not use the front door.  “Hi Tobe.”  “Miss Emily asked me to use the kitchen door.”

When Tobe walked by the parlor he overheard Homer Baron talking to Miss Emily.  “It’s the same as we discussed before,” Homer said.  “I am not ready to get married.”   Miss Emily was quiet for a moment then with grace and dignity she rose and looked at Homer.  “Would you like something to eat,” she asked.”  She excused herself and went to the kitchen.  She returned later with a tray.

As they ate she did her best to seem light hearted, but deep down she was hurting.  After the meal Homer Barron just sat there as if he could not move.

“Tobe!” Miss Emily said, “Take Mr. Barron upstairs to his room.”  He knew exactly which room she spoke of,  for earlier that day she had asked him to lay out all the items she brought for him in that room.

The next day he thought Homer had left town.  He brought Miss Emily her breakfast.  Her faced looked sad and withdrawn.  It reminded him of when she lost her father.

He noticed the room he had put Homer Barron in was locked with a key.

Then the smell started. At first it was faint like when Mr. Grierson died.  Then it got strong and overpowering.  It was the smell of death he thought.   He was not sure what to make of it.   Sometimes she would open the door to the room she had set up for Homer and stay there for a long time.

The smell went away in a couple of months.   Tobe was glad.  He was too old to track down where that smell was coming from.

 

After that Miss Emily never went out again.  She got older and frail from lack of fresh air and sunlight.

When she took sick and died Tobe felt sorry for her.  She had not experience the joy of marriage and family.  He left soon after her death.  He had family in another town he would be staying with.  He did not go to the funeral and he was not there when they broke open the door to Homer Barron’s room and found the man lying there.   Strands of hair and the impression of Miss Emily’s body was on the bed.   She did not have him in life but she certainly had him all to herself in death.

Comparative Essay, “A Rose for Emily” & “Poor Emily”

The original story, “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner is told using first person narration.  The narrator is a member of the town where Miss Emily lived, who is a minor character not centrally involved in the plot.  This type of narration limited the access of the reader to the thoughts, emotions, setting of events and interaction of the point of view character Miss Emily, with other characters.  In the retelling of the story entitled, “Poor Emily,” the narration used is third person limited.  Tobe, Miss Emily’s servant becomes a central character in the story.   With this type of narration the narrator is able to provide readers with in-depth access to the thoughts and feelings of Miss Emily.  Readers also gain access to the settings and events they were not privileged with in the style of the original story narration.  Also Tobe, a key person in Miss Emily’s life becomes less mysterious.  The reader is able to get a glimpse of his interaction with Miss Emily inside the home.

The original story started with the death of Miss Emily, the narrator opened the plot by stating, “when Miss Emily died, our whole town went to her funeral.”   This is in contrast to the retelling where the plot commenced with the death of Emily’s father, Mr. Grierson.  The narrator stated, “when Miss Emily’s father died Tobe was worried about her.”  The original story is told using the flashback technique.  This technique resulted in plots from earlier events interrupting current events as the story progressed.  For example, although the story began with the death of Miss Emily the author then told the events that led up to the death of Miss Emily before culminating the events surrounding her death.

The retelling, “Poor Emily,” told the story in chronological order.  The plot unfolded to the reader frame by frame as events occurred.  There is however, one aspect of the story where flashback was used briefly.  This occurred when Mr. Grierson’s died and Miss Emily was in denial and refused to bury him.  “Just as the law was ready to force her to release the body Tobe appeared at the coroner’s office.”  “Miss Emily is ready to bury her father was all he said.” The flashback occurred when the narrator stated, “It was not an easy task for Tobe to get Miss Emily to relent.”  “This is wrong Miss Emily.” “He said to her earlier that morning.”  Clearly Tobe went to speak to the coroner before the reader was given access to the event or conversation that occurred before he was allowed by Miss Emily to go there.

The original story had more plots for the reader to follow.  Faulkner started with Miss Emily’s death then he gave us an insight into her life and the various events that occurred.  He gave us an insigt into her life when she was alone and was excluded from paying taxes by Colonel Sartoris.  After the Colonel’s death the new town officials saw through the made up story of a so call loan that Emily’s father had given to the town.  They became adamant that Miss Emily pay her taxes.  Of course she refused stating, “I have no taxes in Jefferson, Colonel Sartoris explained it to me.” From there the story progressed to the death of her father.  Then her life seemed to be renewed when she met Homer Barron her love interest.  The narrator stated on page 5, “presently we began to see him and Miss Emily on Sunday afternoons driving in the yellow-wheeled buggy and the matched team of bays from the livery stable.”   Unlike the original story the retelling has less plot and the chronological order helps the reader to follow the plot much easier.

In the original story the only insight we had into the emotions of Miss Emily is when she became a recluse after her father’s death and again after she killed Homer Baron.  On page 3  the narrator sated, “after her father’s death she went out very little, after her sweetheart went away, people hardly see her at all.”  It is clear that when she was experiencing situations that made her sad she would avoid being seen in public.  In the retelling we get the sense of how devastated she was after her father died.  On page 1 while she was grieving and in denial of her father’s death she angrily spoke to Tobe, “no one is to touch my father!” “as she turned her head tears ran down her cheek.”  This is a moment where the reader gets to understand the level of distress Miss Emily was experiencing.  In the original story the reader could only imply that she was sad because she lost her father and was alone, husbandless and had no family in town.

Another contrasting moment in the retelling and the original story is how Miss Emily met Homer Baron.  In the original story Faulkner gave the reader no insight as to how Miss Emily met Homer Barron.  The reader had an understanding of who Homer Barron was and suddenly Miss Emily started to be seen with him on Sunday afternoons.  In the retelling the reader has a better idea of how they both met.  On page 2 Tobe explained who Homer Barron was, “he is out there with some niggers paving the sidewalks.”   “Tobe she yelled as the noise became more bothersome, fetch me my hat.”  “When she came back inside Tobe thought he saw a faint smile on her face.”  This indicated to the reader that Miss Emily’s first meeting with Homer Barron was a pleasant base on her demeanor.

The mood of the original story is somber and tragic.  Because of the nature of the plot the retelling had to remain in the same tone.  Miss Emily in both stories was sad and lonely.  For a while it seemed as if her prospects was changing after she met Homer Barron, everyone including her thought she was to be married.  However, this was not to be.  Both the original and the retelling ended in tragedy for Miss Emily.  While the original kept the reader in suspense about the whereabouts of Homer Barron after the night Tobe admitted him through the kitchen door.   The retelling gave the reader obvious hints about what happened to Homer Barron.  The narrator stated, “after the meal Homer just sat there as if he could not move.”  “Tobe, take Mr. Barron upstairs to his room said Miss Emily.”  “The next day he thought Homer had left town.”  “He noticed the room he had put Homer in was kept locked.”  Then the overpowering smell that reminded Tobe of when the father had died came back.

 

 

 

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Project #1, Uncategorized, Week 7

Project #1- My Retelling

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– “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

– Retelling in first person narrative as Homer Barron

“The Late Truth”

I go by the name of Homer Barron. I am a Foreman from the North with a rather large body size with a dark skin complexion, a booming voice, and light-colored eyes. I am a gruff and demanding boss of my company. I consider myself accepted by the town because I was able to win many admirers in Jefferson because of my gregarious nature and good sense of humor. 

It was a scorching hot summer day on the job. Me and my men were hard at work on a sidewalk-paving project in town working towards completing by the end of the week and move on the the next job, because you know what they say “time is money,” well at least thats what I always put my belief in, and it makes sense doesn’t it?

The first day on this project, as me and my men begin digging and shoveling into the ground breaking the concrete bit my bit, the jackhammers prying the hard cement open like a nutcracker breaking open a wall nut so effortlessly making a loud cracking noise like an intense thunder storm rolling into town.

It was part of the job as foreman to inform the locals of our work so I went door to door on the block to let them know that we will be working on the concrete floors not to be alarmed by the noise and apologize for the inconvenience that we may cause. This is how I came across the most beautiful creature that I have ever set my eyes on.  She had beautiful young lady with long brown hair, a beautiful pair of brown eyes that glistened in the light and velvety smooth skin. 

I formally introduced myself and informed her that there will be a lot of noise for the next few hours. A few days later I was taking her around town in my chariot and we were spending a lot of time with each other. I was sure that the towns people were talking about us because lets face it, a wealthy and beautiful young lady like Emily was not usually seen with a man of my stature.

Emily and I would go on dates every day spending countless amount of hours with each other even though it was frowned upon by the neighborhood. I know for a fact that when we pass the towns people you could hear chatter and I know it was talk about the fact that I am but a simple foreman lucky enough to have the pleasure of taking the wealthy and beautiful Ms. Emily out.

Regardless of what anyone has to say about our relationship I enjoy the time spent with Emily and I believe that Miss Emily feels the same towards me as well.

From what I’ve been told Emily does not like the company of others very much. She seemed to be a very mysterious person before I was introduced into her life. People say that no one has been inside her home since her father passed. She didn’t seem to take good care of her home, there was dust and garbage everywhere. She seemed to be in somewhat of a rut but she seemed to be much more cheerful once I introduced my self to her.

Emily was always skeptical of me coming into her home but one afternoon she invited me over for dinner so I blissfully made my way over to her home. After dinner emily asked me if I wanted a further tour of the upstairs rooms and I agreed. She brought me to the attack room, looked like any normal old room, bed night counter with a bunch of little trinkets. i then took the last gulp of the wine that was on my glass from dinner and little that I know that this would be the last liquid that I would ever consume. Complete feeling in my body had vanished and the room faded to black.

Comparison

“A Rose for Emily” is told in third person limited perspective. Third person limited could be perceived as being told from the viewpoint character. It can be used very objectively, showing what is actually happening without the filter of the protagonist’s personality, which can allow the author to reveal information that the protagonist doesn’t know or realize.

The narrator has more information about Miss Emily, her father and the town that the main character would ever reveal to the reader.

When a main character is the narrator, the story is told from a particular perspective, in this case, we would probably be even more sympathetic towards Emily than we are through the narrator’s version.

We certainly would get to know Miss Emily’s heart better.  The story does not give us insight into her thinking, only that we assume she murdered Homer Barron so that he would never leave her.  We don’t get to hear Emily’s thoughts through the narrator, that would be a nice touch. 

But the essence of horror would be minimized if Miss Emily told the story, we would see the whole experience through her eyes, she would probably rationalize her behavior.  

However I chose to take a completely different approach in telling this story. In my version of this story, “The Late Truth,” I chose to go with first person narration. First person narrative is a point of view where the story is narrated by one character at a time. This character may be speaking about him/herself or sharing events that he/she is experiencing.

While this character may share details about others in the story, we are only told what the speaker knows. An author may switch from character to character, but still use first person narrative. This way, we may learn about what other characters think and feel, but we are still limited in our knowledge because we must rely on what the character shares.

As a reader, we are not only limited by what the character shares, but what the character knows. He/she may not have all the information or knowledge about events. We would also not know what other characters are thinking. 

In “The Late Truth,” because we only see Homer Barron’s Point of view and know only his thoughts we only get one side of the story and it is very limited in information but it is interesting to get into Homer Barron’s head as the story unfolds because he was unknowing of the events that was about to take place and had no knowledge of the townspeople reaction to him and Emily’s relationship. It is certainly an interesting twist to the original story.

Thesis Statement

In the original version of “A Rose for Emily,” the story is told in third person limited perspective narration which means that the narrator is basically just telling the story from a wide open perspective. The readers are allowed to see everything that is happening within this small town. This includes inside Emily’s home, the entire town and Homer Barron’s actions. This type of Narration is not very limited at all but in my retelling i decided to go with a completely different approach. I chose to retell “A Rose for Emily” in first person narration from Homer Barron’s point of view in the story. Although this type of narration is very limited but it is also an interesting way to get a different side of the story that your not able to see with the original story. It is very interesting because with this new point of view we are able to get into Homer Barron’s head and understand his emotions towards Emily in a deeper sense where as with the original version of the story, because it is told in third person narration we are only able to just vaguely understand how Homer feels about Emily only by sight and facial expressions but with my version, because it is told in first person narration we are given more details about Homers feelings towards Emily because we are able to see his thoughts.

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Project #1, Week 7

“The Husband’s Side of Life”

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“The Husband’s Side of Life”

Beep beep beep! “What’s this? She’s in labor. My wife’s in laboreveryone, I must leave at once.” Where’s my keys, John breathe think, oh here they are. This is going to be the longest 5 minute drive of my life.

“Where’s room 309?” “Right down the hall sir.” Said the Nurse

I better slow down I’m running out of breathe.

“John you’re here” says Jane, “of course, now it’s time to have our son.”

After 10 hours of labor we are exhausted. It was a stressful delivery, emergency cesarean. Thankfully mom and baby are in good health. I will have to take over lots of duties in the next week or so while she heals.

“Darling would you like to hold him, I can assist you?” “Not right now I’m too tired” she said.

Days like this turn into weeks, weeks turn into months. I had to hire a stay home nanny and have my sister Jennie move in to look after my family as I had to go back to work.

Work has become my life. At home I didn’t want to be in Jane’s way, all she would ever speak about was the ugly wallpaper in our bedroom. She hasn’t progressed she analyses the wallpaper in a way that she drives herself insane. Not calling my wife crazy, she’s just putting too much attention on unnecessary things instead of her health. I love my wife I want her back, back the way she once was. Writing about beautiful things and places full of life.

Our son is growing, my poor child needs love and affection from his mother. I try as much as I can and Jennie is great trying to play the mother role. But she’s not his mother, it’s a lot for Jennie she cannot have children of her own. Meanwhile Jane bared a child and doesn’t want anything to do with him.

Home is dreadful, but it’s home. I have horrid thoughts while I’m away at work, as soon as I open the estates door I run up to Jane’s room to check on her and hope she hasn’t harmed herself in away. I discussed anti-depressants for her with her brother, he agreed that taking something might actually help her relax. She slept better that night, but she’s still not my Jane. Will I ever get her back?

“Jane dear please go for a walk, some fresh air might do you well” “yes darling” said Jane

Finally she listened, getting out might be good for her. I wanted her gone so I can take a good look at the hideous wallpaper.

First thing I notice it yellow, ugly yellow not a happy bright yellow, with uneven patterns. Ahh that must be what bothers her. It’s not aligned correctly. This paper must’ve shifted with the heat and melted, no one has lived her in years. That can be irritating, there’s no beauty in the room. I thought possibly with this room previously being a nursery she might want to connect with our child.

“Jennie! Please come in here”

“Yes John, please hurry this room isn’t well” she said

“That’s exactly what I wanted to speak with you about. What do you see when you look into this wallpaper.” I asked curiously.

“John, I see Jane. Jane’s somehow lost in there. I notice the yellow and how it stains one’s clothing. Jane’s clothes always have patches of yellow as if she was sleeping on a yellow stained bed. I do wish you would take it down for her.” Said Jennie.

We only have a day left in this house, maybe I should’ve redecorated or listened to Jane and went into another room. Unfortunately I now have to leave for work over night tonight. This can be well for Jane, some closure or at very least happiness that she will never see the wallpaper again.

“Jennie, would you please stay with Jane tonight?”

“I will John, safe travels brother. Don’t worry about us here?” Jennie replied

My dear sister if only it was that easy to not worry. As I worked all I could think of was that wallpaper and what it has done to Jane. She looked at it as if someone was looking back her.

Now to get ready to go home. It’s been a strange 3 months. Let’s see how Jane will be in the comfort her own home. “Let’s get going everyone, the sooner we have everything together the sooner we are out of here”. I yelled.

“Jane dear, it’s John, I’m ready to take you home.”

“John” she said

“Open this door”

“I can’t, but you can from the outside with the key” she replied

I can’t get this door open, she doesn’t sound well. I hope she’s safe and my worst fear hasn’t come true. She cannot be harmed. I need her I love her. Finally it’s open.

“What the matter with you Jane, I nearly had a heart attack for god’s sake your yellow”

“I’m free!” she whispered

Maybe I was wrong for bringing her here and I shouldn’t have left her last night.

“What do you mean by free.”

“I’ve ripped off the wallpaper, so you can’t put me back” she said

Now I understand she was so lost and confined she saw herself in the yellow wallpaper. Oh no what’s that I think I’m having that heart attack now.

 

 

Comparison Essay

“The Yellow Wall-Paper” and “The Husband’s Side of Life”

First person narration is usually the most detailed and informativeform of writing. With this narration you get inside a characters mind and feel their emotions. “The Yellow Wall-Paper” was written in first person point of view narration everything Jane saw and felt, we saw and felt as if we were right next to her seeing the woman inside the yellow wall paper. The retelling “The Husbands View on Life” was written in the first person narration of John, Jane’s husband. We saw how John viewed the wallpaper. We became aware of John’s feelings towards his wife. He loved her and wanted to save her. Only in first person narration we can get most of our questions answered.

In “The Yellow Wall-Paper” Jane comes across a woman trapped inside, “by daylight she is subdued”. Jane sees a world within the wallpaper, she knows it’s ugly but to her it’s full of life. During the day when the sun is exposed and everyone is awake the women in the wallpaper hides in between the patterns and at nightfall she creeps around learning the patterns. Jane is avoiding her family she sleeps during the day and uses all her energy analyzing the wallpaper at night. Jane becomes the wallpaper. On the last night it’s just Jane and the wall paper. She is aware that she is the only person that can set herself free, she destroyed the wallpaper and freed herself.

Then in “The Husband’s View of Life” John sees an ugly old tarnished wallpaper that has uneven patterns, “there’s no beauty in the room”. John thought he figured out why Jane has become so obsessed with the wallpaper. He wished he had listened to her and redecorated or relocated to another room. Maybe she would’ve been the Jane he once knew and not the Jane who sleeps during the day and alive at night. John was finally relieved, it was their last night in the estate, maybe Jane will get better at home, he needed her to get well for their son’s sake, but when he went to get her he saw something else  she was yellow. She was the yellow wallpaper. He saw her as the wallpaper he was afraid and had a heart attack, she was free and he became controlled.

The wallpaper for Jane symbolizes a life that only she can see and relate to. With first person point of view we secretly know that she wanted to keep what she found in the wallpaper to herself, “and I am determined that nobody shall find it out but myself”. Jane felt as if she is the only person that can rescue the woman and set her free. For John the wallpaper is just that a hideous wall décor, that he wished he had changed. John wasn’t home often because he wanted to give Jane her space, “at home I don’t want to be in Jane’s way”. He let us know that he loved his wife and wasn’t avoiding her, he only wanted her to progress at her own pace without any pressure with his presence. John couldn’t wait to get his wife as far away from that room as possible, when he went to get her it was too late. He saw she was the wallpaper.

In conclusion with first person narration we are given access to details that are given only to the readers. Jane saw herself in the wallpaper and knew only she can free herself. John saw a yellow wallpaper that controlled his wife and he couldn’t find a way to help her. Jane finally escaped the wallpaper and john became lost in it. John loved Jane and he tried to save her, but the only person that could’ve saved Jane was Jane.

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Classwork, Midterm Exam, Week 7

Wrapping up Project #1, Working toward the midterm exam

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I ask you to write me a letter addressing the following questions about your work for Project #1 in any order you like. I will then write a letter to you to provide feedback on your work.

  • What are you most proud of in Project #1?
  • What challenged you the most in Project #1?
  • If you had more time, what would you change?
  • If you could have changed the assignment, how would you have changed it?
  • Is there anything else I should know about your work or about you as a writer or as a student?

 

Describing the Midterm Exam:

Part 1:

There will be 8-10 passages from which you will choose 4-5 (I haven’t decided yet). For each, you’ll have to:

  • Identify title and author
  • Identify which concept the passage exemplifies (there will be a list from our discussion of the elements of fiction)
  • Explain why the passage exemplifies that concept
  • Although each passage and each concept can me paired in different ways, you must use each concept only once.

Part 2:

There will be 3 possible essay questions from which you will choose one to offer a comparison. This should be a well-organized essay that begins with an introductory paragraph ending in a thesis statement, followed by paragraphs that focus on evidence (in the form of quotations and paraphrasings) that support the argument you make in your thesis statement, and ending with a conclusion that not only addresses what you have written but aims to show why it matters.

In the most general terms, your essay should answer three questions: what’s up? how come? so what?

We will generate a long list of possible themes and topics for comparison that we will narrow down to 5 possibilities. You will vote on your preferences after considering these questions:

  • What does answering the question allow you to understand about each story?
  • How does the question allow you to further explore the stories?
  • What does the comparison bring out?
  • What examples and quotations would you use in your response?
  • What thesis statement would you include?

I will incorporate these questions into the discussion and homework for Week 8 so that we can continue collaborating on them.

For the exam, you will need to:

  • Study the elements of fiction
  • Review the stories we have read
  • Practice identifying significant passages in each story

 

  • Prepare for at least three of the five possible essay questions
  • Bring a quotation sheet that you can use to incorporate quotations into your essay. I will collect this with your exam. This is an important part of preparing for the exam, and of writing a successful essay.
  • Write your essay about two stories other than the one you wrote about for Project #1.

Margaret Atwood, “There Was Once” 1992

Gary Parks, “Elements of Fiction”

Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” 1894

William Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily” 1930

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Cottagette” 1910

— “The Yellow Wall-Paper” 1899

Susan Glaspell, “A Jury of Her Peers” 1917

Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown” 1835

Franz Kafka, “The Metamorphosis” 1915

Thomas Wolfe, “Only the Dead Know Brooklyn” 1935 (optional)

Illness in “The Yellow Wall-Paper” and “The Metamorphosis”: how people deal with unexpected situations, what that brings out in a person; we could also think about mental illness in “A Rose for Emily” as a result of the way others have treated her, shaped her; “The Story of an Hour” and heart trouble (thinking about how Josephine talks to her, peers through the keyhole–through actions and interactions, delicate treatment)

Compassion: “Only the Dead Know Brooklyn” and “The Story of an Hour”: He had to understand the stranger who didn’t know Brooklyn; Mrs. Mallard wanted to be compassionate about her husband, but also to live for herself. What about “The Cottagette”: Ford had compassion for Malda in her needs and what she wants to do artistically

Think instead about women attaining freedom/ exertion of power: “The Cottagette” (good relationship) and “The Story of an Hour”; “A Jury of Her Peers” (bad marriage) Mrs. Wright ; “The Yellow Wall-Paper”; “A Rose for Emily”

how setting functions: time period: how women spoke, perceived they had to act. “The Yellow Wall-Paper” and “The Cottagette” how women spoke and felt they had to.

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Week 5

The cottagette and yellow wallpaper

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I am seeing a major difference in just the way the stories start. As the beauty of the cottage is emphasized from the tranquil setting that it lies in, the beauty of trees and flowers described as a paradise–” and with all this fairyland of un and shadow, the free immensity of our view, and the dainty comfort of the cottagette.”. In the yellow wallpaper–“It is quite alone, standing well back from the road.” followed by–” I am afraid, but I don’t care–there is something strange about the house–I can feel it.”. As the transformation of the two places takes place, there is an uneasiness expressed by both characters. The cottagette, is described (from the implementation of the kitchen).  “When I was ready to sit down the freshness of the morning was gone somehow. Before, when I woke up, there was only the clean wood smell of the house and then the blessed out-of-doors: now I always felt the call of the kitchen as soon as I woke. An oil stove will smell a little,”—–well you know if you cook in a bedroom how it makes the room smell differently. In the yellow wallpaper she describes the paper in the room as–“On a pattern like this, by daylight, there is a lack of sequence, a defiance of law, that is a constant irritant to a normal mind. The color is hideous enough, and unreliable enough, and infuriating enough, but the pattern is torturing.” then “It slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you. It is like a bad dream.  Lastly I would like to point out what I feel is the liberating moments in each ending. The cottagette, Malda is proposed to by a man who will do the cooking so that she would be able continue her musical and writing profession. In the yellow wallpaper The woman in the wall is finally freed to never be put back again.

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Classwork, Glossary, Week 5

bulbous

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p 60 line 16 ” the yellow wall-paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

– two BULBOUS eyes stare at you up and down

Bulbous – growing, largely

The two largely enhancing eyes staring growing with each second

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bulbous

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Homework, Week 5

Comparing setting in “The Yellow Wall-Paper” and “The Cottagette”

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Setting shapes stories in many ways. People with less usually seem to have more and others with more seem to have less. This becomes truthful with the stories “The Yellow Wall-Paper and “The Cottagette”. In “The Yellow Wall-Paper” the characters are wealthy yet lonely and miserable within their own being meanwhile in “The Cottagette” they’re less wealthy yet full of life and love. Both stories are set in the homes of the narrator.

In “The Yellow Wall-Paper” Jane is staying in a lavish home lots of floors space garden and servants and her husband whom is a physician. But she’s suffering, she refuses to tend to her child, she becomes controlled by the wallpaperin her bedroom. Her life is the wallpaper P67 (“I see her on that road under the trees, creeping along, and when a carriage comes she hides under the blackberry vines”) she’s hiding like the women hidden inside the wallpaper. She has to escape P69 (“Then I peeled off all the paper i could reach standing on the floor”).  All the flaws rips and tears in the wallpaper relate to her. The Yellow Wall-Paper is a dark story the character wants to breakout but shes mentatlly and physically trapped in the room and she’s the only one who can release herself. P70 (” I’ve got out at last”). She becomes free after she destroys the wallpaper.

In “The Cottagette” Malda is young full of life she lives in a small home with her friend. She has all the necessities to live rooms kitchen bathroom more than some other villagers had and shes content P47 (” The Cottagette” I loved unreservedly.”) She loved to paint but loved to do for others more. She fell in love and put her ambitions on hold to please him. He noticed and proposed to her as he proposed he made her promise that she no longer has to do what she thinks others need and just focus on herself P53 (” But there’s a condition!” said he all at once,  “You mustn’t cook”). People with less always appreciate more and find the best in most situations.

The two stories “The Yellow Wall-Paper” and “The Cottagette”  have similar setting with different themes. Each narrator has a different approach on life. Jane in “The Yellow Wall-Paper” needed more for survival meanwhile Malda  “The Cottagette” was happy either with.

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Glossary, Week 5

Arabesque

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Arabesque is a noun

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary arabesque means:  An ornamental design consisting of intertwined flowing lines.

The word arabesque is used by the author Charlotte Perkins Gilman in the class handout entitled, “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

On page 64 Gilman wrote, “The outside pattern is a florid arabesque, reminding one of fungus.”

I understand that the narrator means that the outside pattern of the yellow wallpaper had an intricate  design of many overlapping lines.

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Homework, Week 5

“The Yellow Wallpaper”

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I found the story to be really captivating. I first came upon this title because I’m doing a research paper on the history of childbirth, mainly focusing on the 18th and 19th century. I’m doing a chapter on postpartum depression, and came upon this story while doing some research.

Post partum depression wasn’t really diagnosed in that time ,as it is now. While reading this story I felt frustrated, and a bit sad to know that a perfectly common occurrence after birth was looked upon as a woman being tired or with slight hysteria. The remedy ranged from tepid baths to rest.

I think that in that time, society had such strict roles for all. Women especially, were to be the embodiment of poise and femininity. She was expected to marry and have children and to carry out her role in perfection.

The notion that she was not able to be fragile or come undone is claustrophobic and horrible within itself. It seems that her husband didn’t give her the chance to truly talk about what she was feeling and instead decided to take matter into his own hands by treating her like a chid and suggesting that she rest and think of pleasant things. She felt overwhelmed and frustrated.

“I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes. I’m sure I never used to be so sensitive.”

“But John says if I feel so, I shall neglect proper self control; so I take pains to control myself – before him, at least, and that makes me very tired.

The fact that she states that it  took great pain to control herself, but that she did and most likely in front of him goes to show how little men or society could deal with any type of hysteria from a woman. I could see how she must have felt so exhausted from battling this depression, and most especially exhausted from hiding it from her husband.

I couldn’t imagine being in a time in which I wouldn’t be able to speak my mind or discomforts to those around me. How suffocating and sad that would be. It would be enough to drive anyone crazy.

 

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Week 5

In-class discussion of “The Yellow Wall-Paper” and “The Cottagette”

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In Women and Economics (1898), Charlotte Perkins Gilman argued against kitchens in homes–and with them, the housework involved–as a way to free women from the domestic sphere:

Take the kitchens out of the houses, and you leave rooms which are open to any form of arrangement and extension; and the occupancy of them does not mean “housekeeping.” In such living, personal character and taste would flower as never before; the home of each individual would be at last a true personal expression; and the union of individuals in marriage would not compel the jumbling together of all the external machinery of their lives,–a process in which much of the delicacy and freshness of love, to say nothing of the power of mutual rest and refreshment, is constantly lost. The sense of lifelong freedom and self-respect and of the peace and permanence of one’s own home will do much to purify and uplift the personal relations of life, and more to strengthen and extend the social relations. The individual will learn to feel himself an integral part of the social structure, in close, direct, permanent connection with the needs and uses of society.

This is especially needed for women, who are generally considered, and who consider themselves, mere fractions of families, and incapable of any wholesome life of their own. The knowledge that peace and comfort may be theirs for life, even if they do not marry,–and may be still theirs for life, even if they do,–will develope a serenity and strength in women most beneficial to them and to the world. It is a glaring proof of the insufficient and irritating character of our existing form of marriage that women must be forced to it by the need of food and clothes, and men by the need of cooks and housekeepers. We are absurdly afraid that, if men or women can meet these needs of life by other means, they will cheerfully renounce the marriage relation. And yet we sing adoringly of the power of love!

In reality, we may hope that the most valuable effect of this change in the basis of living will be the cleansing of love and marriage from this base admixture of pecuniary interest and creature comfort, and that men and women , eternally drawn together by the deepest force in nature, will be able at last to meet on a plane of pure and perfect love. We shame our own ideals, our deepest instincts, our highest knowledge, by this gross assumption that the noblest race on earth will not mate, or, at least, not mate monogamously, unless bought and bribed through the common animal necessities of food and shelter, and chained by law and custom.

What do we think of this?

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