Reading Notes A - Week 15 : Yellow Woman

Leslie Marmon Silko: Yellow Woman (1029-136)

Themes:
The ideas of -
- Past and tradition: The yellow woman was a story that her gandfather told to keep (presumably) the girls out of trouble.
- Pleasure, love, longing: She allows Silva to be intimate with her and submits rather than fighting. She talks about his strength and that he had the power to hur her if he wanted to. But he did not. She  also addresses wanting to touch his body. There is a conflict between passion and love. Assuming she loves her child, her passion seems to rule her thoughts and she justifies leaving her child to be raised by her mother and for her husband to move on without her.
- Conflict of values and duty: She has a responsibility as a daughter, mother, and wife, but negates this under the seemingly false pretense of abduction. I do not see Silva's actions as an abduction but rather as a "bad boy" persona where Yellow Woman falls pray to. She was able to leave her duties and project herself in the role of a morbid fairy tale

Characters
- Silva: Rebel, criminal, possible rapist. His race is unknown, he is a roaming nobody. He lives in poverty by the account of his house. He was possibly violent as the gun shots that rang out would suggest. However He may be made out to be much worse than he is. Maybe his encounter with Yellow Woman was completely consensual.   
- Fat white man - rancher who finds Silva and "Yellow Woman" as they make their way to sell the meat from the stole cow he had killed.
- Yellow Woman - "Yellow Woman"'s grandfather told stories about how the yellow woman would be kidnapped and how terrible misfortunes would fall on her. The term Yellow Woman is used as a cautionary tale to women in the village to be fearful of strangers and should not be left alone or wonder at night.
- "Yellow Woman" - Seemed to enjoy playing the victim. She has many opportunities to leave but chooses to stay with Silva, who has presumably raped and abducted her. She goes through what her family may be thinking or feeling as she did not return. But still she stays with Silva. It was only at the point where things became dangerous with another person that she finally leaves. This could have been due to her possibly being implicated in a murder or in theft. Over all she seems very selfish. She doesn't really seem to care about Silva, her family, or her own child and husband. She even invents the story of what happened rather than saying how things were.

Project Planing Week 14 : Memoirs of a Declining Ryukyuan Woman

I will be focusing on the prompt of how the literature reflects the historical aspect of the time. I will be looking at the cultural and social aspect of Kushi Fusako's Memoirs of a Declining Ryukyuan Woman (400-408). Fusako draws attention to the way that the Ryukyuan people of Okinawa were discriminated against and forced into hiding if they wished to succeed in the Japanese world.

The Characterization of the Uncle and the way he chose to hid his heritage speaks volumes to the social pressures of the time to be "Pure" Japanese.
The flow plot helps to emphasize the harsh reality of the people Ryukyuan people during that era. She starts the tail in the big city and shows how the main characters uncle is fearful of her presents and the discovery of his secret. The flow of the story shows the result of the uncles choices and then goes back to the root of his shame.

I have much information on this subject but as I need to cite my sources and not just my personal knowledge I have needed to look up some data to support what I already understand and have learned from my own studies and experience of the culture.

The repression of Okinawan (another word for Ryukyuan) culture is another reason this work should be recognized historically. As the tattoos and the martial arts of the island were shamed and even punishable offences should anyone attempt to practice this aspect of their culture. The repression of Karate was one of the reasons we now have Eisa dancing. Which was introduced by monks as a sneaky way for the nation to continue their practice of martial arts under the cover of cultural dance and entertainment.

Over all the feeling behind the story Fusako has written is a beautiful representation of the Okinawan struggle of the time and how they struggled unjustly and faced harsh prejudice. The violence and unjust actions of the Japanese people against them was nothing short of racist and despicable. The Japanese government would rather that the history books forget this chapter. However, I find that this cannot be accepted and that writings of truth like this must be respected and preserved. I wish that Fusako would have written more before her death.

http://www.okinawanderer.com/2017/09/eisa-is-most-popular-and-most-traditional-icon-of-okinawa/
http://minorityrights.org/minorities/ryukyuans-okinawans/
https://blog.janm.org/index.php/2015/08/27/the-secret-history-of-okinawan-tattoos/

Analysis week 14

Clarice Lispector 1920-1977 The Daydreams of a Drunk Woman (808-814)

We see the frustration of a woman caught between two times in history. She is expected to be a wife and mother and complete the wifely duties associated with the expectations of that time. Yet we see the Drunk Woman wrestle with the feeling of being lazy and the feeling of being free and inebriated. She takes the weekend for her enjoyment while her children are away with their family members (810). She and her husband go to dinner with a businessman and she plays the part of the upper class wife who spent time in the capital (811). She seems to tie knowing how to hold her tongue in relation to having self respect (812). She plays the part of the upper class woman while getting loose on alcohol, almost as if she needs it in order to swallow the life she is in. 

She despises her husband and wishes for a new love, “She was in love… She was anticipating her love for the man whom she would love one day.
Who knows, this sometimes happened, and without any guilt or injury for either partner. “ she wanted
to find love again and not feel the sting of being alone (811). A woman who left their husband in those
days were left destitute and outcast. In addition to her indifference towards her husband she seemed to
care very little for her children. She thinks of them the morning after her night out on the town with her
husband, “… Her chubby little children sleeping in the other room, the little villains. “ (814). These are
not pet names given by an affectionate mother, but a woman who sees her children as the things that
stole from her. They stole her youth, time, and freedom.

She represses her sexual desires and calls herself a slut when she remembers not refusing the attention
and mild advances of her husbands guest at dinner (814). But she also does not seem to regret it or
think much of the word. The Businessman who the couple met for dinner was brushing his foot
against hers under the table. She wondered if it was intentional or not in her more sober state.
She seemed indifferent by shrugging her shoulders at the thought. (814). She shrugs the mans
notice off and seems to care less about the sexuality of men, and more of her own enjoyment of the
little things. Until she remembers the laws of society that she must obey. A which point she scolds
herself. This scolding of herself is mild in comparison to her thoughts of other pretty women at the bar.

Sexism and women hating women was also a theme of the times. Slut shaming and mocking the
polished and thin appearance of an attractive woman showed that it was not just men during the time
who put women down, women did it to each other. “And the pious nanny so pleased with herself in
that hat and so modest about her slim waist line, and all that she couldn’t even bear her man a child.”
(812,813). She even threatens to smack the woman around for her audacity to be beautiful in public
without a man. This was a sign of classic social conditioning. Women were taught to shame other
women who stepped outside their traditional roles that had been made for them by men.

Reading Notes B Week 14 : Capricious Clarice

Clarice Lispector 1920-1977 The daydreams of a drunk woman (808-814)

A Brazilian modernist. Modernism was the result of Dramatic world changes for the first and
Second World War. A darker more cynical form of writing.

Lispector use a simple vocabulary in her writings. (808)

The drunk woman calls herself lazy and a slut many times.

She is a refined woman based on her account of herself and Her painted nails (809).
And who had spent time in the capital. (811)

She also keeps coming back to the idea of having self respect (812) and this is referenced several
times over multiple pages.

Sexism and women hating women was also a theme. Slut shaming and mocking the polished and
thin appearance of an attractive woman showed that it was not just men during the time who put
women down, women did it to each other. “And the pious nanny so pleased with herself in that hat
and so modest about her slim waist line, and all that she couldn’t even bear her man a child.”
(812,813).

Shaming for the wife’s sexual desire for other men was another theme. The Businessman who the
couple met for dinner was brushing his foot against hers under the table. She wondered if it was
intentional or not in her more sober state. She seemed indifferent by shrugging her shoulders at the
thought. (814).

The wife in the story did not seem to care for her husband or children very much “… Her chubby
little children sleeping in the other room, the little villains. “ (814)

“Go to hell! … prowling around me like some old tomcat. “He seem to think more clearly and said,
firmly, “You’re ill, my girl. “ she accepted his remark, surprised, and vaguely flattered.” (810).

“She was in love… She was anticipating her love for The man whom she would love one day.
Who knows, this sometimes happened, and without any guilt or injury for either partner. “
she wanted to find love again (811).

She was tired of being an object, yet was Jealous later as another woman was admired as an
object. “ but when he bent over to kiss her her capriciousness crackled like a dry leaf. “ (810)

“Capricious is an adjective to describe a person or thing that's impulsive and unpredictable, like
a bride who suddenly leaves her groom standing at the wedding altar. You can criticize a fickle-
minded person as capricious, but it could just as well describe quickly changing weather, as in
"capricious spring storms."”

Project 3 Topic Brainstorm- Week 13

A room of one's own (336-371)
Kushi Fusako (400 - 408)

- Choose a reading. 

In your project, consider the following: 

What does this work reflect about its historical, social, political and/or economic context? You may focus on race, class, power, cultural values and beliefs, historical events, the author’s biography, gender, psychology, etc. 

I am interested in this project because I think it would be interesting to look at the cultural aspect of the time when the work was written. I think it would be interesting to write about a woman's perspective that counters the culture of the time. Such as A room of one's own (336-371). Where the author talks about not being permitted into the college library unless permitted by a man above her station. She also writes about class and wealth ruling the minds of everyone, 

-You’ve been appointed the student member of a college committee to revise the core curriculum. The committee has decided to require that all students enrolled at LMC must take this course, and you have been asked to nominate 4 to 5 fiction selections (from the selections we have read this semester) that will be required reading for the course. You are, in other words, creating the anthology. 

Think carefully about what constitutes the kind of literature that college students should be reading. Then, nominate the 4 to 5 selections from among those we have read this semester. Your essay should have a clear central idea which suggests how you have made your choices. Your paragraphs should open with topic sentences giving the title and author and genre of each of your selections, and these paragraphs should be developed with your specific justification of each of your choices (why you have chosen these selections). You may take into account the following issues (use whichever ones help you): 

• To what extent will your choices be made on aesthetic grounds? What are your criteria for excellence in fiction? Have you considered how your own cultural background and past reading affect what you consider aesthetic grounds?  

• Will your choices span centuries? Or will you choose only contemporary fiction from the last 40 or 50 years? What will you expect the stories to demonstrate about the times in which they are written? 

• Will your choices represent a range of writers (male and female, black, white, Hispanic, Native American, straight, gay, American, British, Russian, French, Irish, Greek, Norwegian, and so forth)? Why or why not? 

• Are themes or thematic connections important to you? Should all selections center around a single thematic construct, such as “the move from innocence to experience”? 

• Are social issues important to you? Should the fiction selections reflect a variety of social issues: racism, homosexuality, poverty, sexism, alcoholism, and so forth? 

• Is the list you’ve been given sufficient? Are there choices you’d like to make that aren’t included on our syllabus?

I like this prompt because I am interested in being a teacher. I think I would like to use this practice for building a reading list. I find it interesting and I have some ideas about a wide range of views that could be represented. I think that having works that are relatable to the events of today have greater affect on discussions because you cannot change the past. But you can recognize the mistakes that were made and discuss how to not make those mistakes again. thus promoting forward thinking positive action.
- Choose one short story or novel excerpt. Write a piece in which you explore the following:

1. In what ways could this story be considered an artifact of history? 

1. What does this story teach us about history? 

1. How does a story teach us about a time or place differently than a history book? 

I like this one because I think that we can learn a lot about history from literature written during that time. Such as Easter 1916 and even Kushi Fusako (400 - 408). Even though they weren't physically where the event took place they lived the consequences of the history and were told of the actions of those from a generation before. I think that interesting literature also promotes exploration into the time the piece is about. 

Week 14 Reading Notes A : Postwar Lit

Postwar Lit. 1945-1968 (671-675)

• United States vs. Soviet Union - conflicting ideals, a republic vs communism. Americans historically hate communists. Counters the culture and existence of our country and we like to be right about everything. Our way is the best way. (Ideology not reality)
• “To avoid planetary disaster, the two sides fought wars by proxy, notably in Korea ( 1950 - 53) in Vietnam ( 1955 - 75). “ (671). - playing war with other players, against those who are like them yet not them. No sides win these conflicts. There are only losers. There is only death.
• Stalin’s techniques were adapted by communist China after his death (Mao’s China) (672).
• China’s “Great Leap Forward (1958-59)= famine that resulted in approximately twenty million deaths. This is an astronomical number in just ONE year time. That is way OVER 5,000 people dead per day!
• China’s Cultural Revolution (1966- Mao’s death in 1976) “attacked intellectuals and the middle classes, resulting in the distraction of most of the countries functioning institutions. “ (672) - I do not know much about this or what the text mean by functioning institutions? Schools? Factories? Family stores?
• Smallpox 1970’s eliminated in developed nations. - Good medical advancements for the western countries.
• Post war thinkers and writers still struggled to understand and interpret the Holocaust.  
• “... the theme of choice became critical to a generation of authors…” (672)
• Existentialism
• Neorealism, intense irony, individual consciousness, modernist technique. (675)

So much pain and violence all across the world during this time. It is so terrible to think about how people must have felt. We live in a relatively peaceful time now compared to then. Growing up in those days must have felt like the world was about to end.

There was also a time of growth. Rebuilding and new jobs for people who survived. New opportunities for marginalized people. Such as the end of segregation in America (674). Civil rights laws and movements gained more momentum as the times progressed.

Analysis Week 13 : Yeats' and the Beauty

The Section that I will be looking at in this weeks Analysis is W.B Yeats' poem Easter 1916. 
Upon looking into the history behind the attempted revolution in Ireland on Easter Sunday (switched to Easter Monday when their plans were almost ruined), we see that the movement for an Ireland free from British rule was not initially very popular. The Irish people were fine with having a British rule as it created security and stability.  Not until after the leaders of the rebellion were made examples of by the British did the people start to believe in the cause. Sixteen leaders of the uprising were executed and very quickly after the event (519). This gave the public a feeling of injustice as there could not have been proper trials for all men so soon after the upset. Even women joined the rebellion. The British soldiers would not arrest them but they insisted on being brought to jail along with the men who they fought beside. However, no women were executed but some civilian women were killed in the crossfire. The people saw the captured men killed as martyrs and thus the cause gained sympathy. The willingness to die for what they believed in created the terrible beauty that Yeats describes. 

The terror on the city that was under heavy artillery and gun fire lead to not only rebel deaths, but hundreds of civilian deaths as well. Thus, a terrible beauty was born. 
The women who stood beside the men are mentioned in his writing as well. He writes “That woman’s days were spent in ignorant goodwill, her nights in argument until her voice grew shrill. What voice when, young and beautiful, she rode to harriers?” (523) -  Irish women were different and Yeats points this out without reservation. They argued and fought for their beliefs. Harriers is defined on dictionary.com as "a person who engages in persistent attacks on others or incursions into their land.". They rode out as they heard the call of their countrymen and they faced the trials even when they could have been set free.   

Yeats cared very much for his people and also for political action of the ruled population. He was deeply disturbed by the events of Easter 1916 and wrote about it with passion for what resulted. 
The Beauty that resulted was that of the new Irish constitution/declaration that was enacted some years after the events unfolded. The document was closely modeled after the one presented at the start of the rebellion. The other thing of beauty was the Irish people coming together in common cause to denounce the improper execution of their patriotic brothers. 

Interesting video on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT8uFIbNrHw

More research: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/03/24/easter-rising-centenary-how-the-1916-insurrection-shaped-modern/

Week 13 Reading Notes B: Anna Akhmatova

Anna Akhmatova 1888-1966 (565-574)

Rusian poet

Female writer

Used universal themes of emotion

Expresses herself in a very personal and intimate way. (565)

Her mother was “an independent woman of revolutionary sympathies. (565)

She took her pen name from her maternal great-grandmother

She was highly educated and completed her degree. (566)

She studied law briefly before switching to literature.

Married Nikolai Gumilyov in 1910 (566). He too was a poet.

“Akhmatova rejected the romantic, quasi-religious aims of Russian symbolism and valued clarity, concreteness, and closeness to the things of this earth. “ (566)

“Although Akhmatova and Gumilyov divorced, his arrest and execution for counterrevolutionary activities in 1921 put her status into question.” (566)

The death of her friends and the arrest of her son and her partner lead her to he inspiration that resulted in Requiem. Stalin’s “Great Purge” of 1935-1938 was a terrible time for the people and millions were sent to prison camps. (556)

After the death of Stalin-1953, Requiem was published “without her consent” (566)

“Her death, in1 966, signaled the end of an era in modern Russian poetry, for she was the last of the famous “quartet”...” (567)

“We rose as if for an early service, Trudged through the savage capital And met there, more lifeless than dead: The sun is lower and Neva mistier, But hope keeps singing from afar.” (569)- I enjoyed this passage as it shows the bleakness they face. There may not have been many dead bodies, though some there had to have been some since their quantities are compared. She brings in the sun and brightens the tone as she writes of hope. She may have said she rejected the romantic but I thing this passage is just that. She does use themes close to the earth but she embellished with a flair the dark and makes it beautiful. And to me that is romantic.

“The stars of death stood above us and innocent Russia writhed under bloody boots…” (569) - So moving and profound. She is painting a vivid picture of the injustice done and of the torment of the innocent people. They were lower than animals. Yet slightly higher than the jewish in concentration camps. They did not belong and their home land told them so. Their crime was existing. And the price they paid was their blood.

Week 13 Reading Notes A : W.B. Yeats

W.B Yeats 1865-1939

Yeats was a political poet. - many themes had messages of politics and a message of change that is needed.

He is regarded as one of the greatest English language poets of his time. Was not only a leader but also was nominated for a Nobel prize.

An Irish native who later became a senator for the Irish Free State from 1922- 1928 (519)

Wrote Poem Easter 1916 (A Terrible Beauty is Born) after the “Easter 1916 uprising against British rule, when 16 L were shot for treason, Yates wrote that, through their sacrifice, “a terrible beauty is born.“ The revolutionary figures who meets had known in life took their place in a mythic framework within which he interpreted human history.” (519).

“ Yates also established literary Society’s, promoted and reviewed Irish books, and lectured and wrote about I need for Irish community. Gradually became embittered by the barriers he believed nationalism was erecting around the free expression Irish culture.”(519)

Folklore and legends were an influential part of his childhood development (518).

“That woman’s days were spent an ignorant goodwill, her nights in argument until her voice grew shrill. What voice when, young and beautiful, she rode to harriers?” (523) -  Irish women were different. They argued and fought for their beliefs.

“Hearts with One purpose alone in the summer and winter scene enchanted to a stone to trouble the living stream.” (523)- through the seasons the people endure. They trouble the waters by splashing. These powerful waters are the people. The flowing life of the country. They are lovely and sparkling. However, the waters are plain. And the stones are enchanting with their strength. But stones cannot harm water. The water will not cease its flow if a rock blocks its way. The people will rise.

Week 12 Reading Notes B : Memoirs of a Declining Ryukyuan Woman

Memoirs of a Declining Ryukyuan Woman (400-408)

Kushi Fusako what is a native of the island of Okinawa Japan. I was very excited when I was reading her short biography, as I lived in Okinawa for three years. Some of the happiest times of my life and I am so happy that an author from the little island I love so dear is recognized in such a widespread anthology. I actually studied Okinawa history quite in depth ( I would like to be a historian at some point in my life) and spoke with elders on the island (they had one of the oldest population in the world of people living that are over 100 years old, google it.). So I am well educated on the subject. I dare say I know more about Okinawa history and culture than I do about California, and I’ve lived here for a total of 22 years compared to my 3 abroad.

It was quite heartbreaking to read that due to the criticism she received on her work that she was so proud of, she “... renounced writing. She avoided the public eye from then on, and a little is known of her later life. “ (400).

The anthology politely states that the kingdom of Okinawa “came under partial domination of Japan; in the 1870s The Japanese state formally annexed the islands as a prefecture.” However this history omits the near genocide of the Okinawan people and the harsh living conditions imposed on them by their new rulers which continued well into WWII (400). The assimilation programs mentioned included public execution for anyone caught speaking the Okinawa dialect. Children of Okinawan descent were made to wear wood planks indicating their blood impurity as to be easily identified by Japanese officials and teachers to ensure beatings should they speak their Home language. To further put Okinawa into perspective, imagine California taking over Hawaii and forcing them to abandon their language and rituals. That is essentially what happened (How America as a whole took Hawaii is actually a very good comparison itself but with more abuse of power on the Japanese end).

Kushi Fusako Used elements of nature to Petray very slow the motion. She used the sunshine, but not always in such a way that showed happiness as one would think, “… A loneliness that echoes in our hearts like the sound of the sunshine. “ (402)

“ The last fading rays of sun et that hovered over the layers of buildings seem to reflect the gloom in my heart. “ (403).

She compares the need of dialect of the narrator to American jazz “Such music was probably born of the smoldering emotions in a people oppressed for hundreds of years. Yet I loved this scenery at sunset in urine for something in myself to compare with its declining beauty.” (407)

Kushi Fusako , In her defense of her tale, writes about two men from “the Okinawa Student Association” demanded an apology for her embarrassing their culture. She uses wonderful insight and impeccable logical reasoning to defend her work as stood and not falter in her avid defense. She used a feminist stand against these two men by pointing out their hurt pride and their feeling of lacking superiority when their masculinity was challenged by a short story written by an uneducated woman. She writes

“I do apologize for their hurt feelings. I can well imagine how angry they are at me, an Okinawan woman with no higher education. It is the rule in Okinawa that only men with power are supposed to express their opinions, while people without power and formal education have no alternative but to follow behind without power and formal education have no alternative but to follow behind without them. As long as those with power control us, we who are powerless have no hope of salvation. “ (408).

Week 12 Analysis: Closed Reading - Kushi Fusako: Okinawan Author

Kushi Fusako , In the defense of her tale, writes about two men from “... the Okinawa Student Association” demanded an apology for her embarrassing their culture (which is also her own) (407). She uses wonderful insight and impeccable logical reasoning to defend her work as stood and not falter in her avid defense. She used a feminist stand against these two men by pointing out their hurt pride and their feeling of lacking superiority when their masculinity was challenged by a short story written by an uneducated woman.

I found this section interesting for a number of reasons. 1. The time this was written and her open expression of her opinions even as a marginalized citizen 2. she was doubly discriminated against as a woman. 3. The culture of Asia typically teaches women to be submissive and she challenges this in her refusal of apology.

She writes

“I do apologize for their hurt feelings. I can well imagine how angry they are at me, and Okinawan woman with no higher education. It is the rule in Okinawa that only men with power are supposed to express their opinions, while people without power and formal education have no alternative but to follow behind without power and formal education have no alternative but to follow behind without them. As long as those with power control us, we who are powerless have no hope of salvation. “ (408).

She is obviously not apologizing for her writing, but rather that the men were too delicate to handle her honesty. She stands by her work and points out how they simply further the point she is trying to make about the attitudes of men and their need to be seen as powerful and superior, much like the uncle who hides his true linage. Her unwillingness to step back and sell out her work shows how strong of a woman she was. Even though she did not write again after this. She was able to still use these two short works to not only state the facts of the life she knew, but also to confirm and validate her work by showing the modern embodiment of what her story had depicted.

Week 12 Reading Notes A : A Woolf in Sheep's Clothing

A room of one’s own (336-371)

Is an essay comprised about women in Fiction. Yes they argued that women being barred from

places of intellect, we’re not given the opportunity in the nineteenth century or prior, to achieve their

intellectual capabilities. Women were more homemakers and given mindless and tedious tasks or

works. Why men were taught in schools of science and various literature. They were able to explore

works and ideas and expand their own mind in they’re riding intellectually was widely excepted.

However if a woman where to take on this endeavor should be met with harsh criticism and mockery.

Woolf describes the anger of women in the anger of men. Men feel anger for their position being

threatened. And women feel anger for their position not being respected (355). She discovers the writing

of a professor who’s claims stirred an anger in our writer “...To the one phrase, which had rows the

demon; it was the professor statement about the mental, moral and physical inferiority of women.

My heart had let my cheeks had burned. I had flushed with anger. There is nothing specifically

remarkable, however foolish, in that. When does not like to be told that one is naturally the inferior

of a little man –…” (356). This thinking is honest and true. Why should anyone be naturally better or

worse than anyone else? Though it is easy to disapprove now, at this time it must have driven women

mad to know that they were

thought of in such a way.

She discovered a thought and question in her research “Why are women judging from this catalog, so

much more interesting to men and men or two women? Curious fact it seemed, in my mind wandered

to picture lives of men who spend their time in writing books about women; whether they were old or

young, married or unmarried, rednosed or humpbacked – so I ponder it until all such frivolous thoughts

were ended by an avalanche of books sliding down on to the desk in front of me. “ (353).

She also explores the idea of what effect has poverty on fiction? What conditions are necessary for

the creation of works of art? “(351)

Week 11 Project Revision 1 : Higher order

https://sites.google.com/view/journey-with-me/project-2-revision-1

I chose to work on 
Arguable Thesis

I had previously written as my thesis : "Authors use their works to challenge the ideas that death is something to be whispered about. They show that one can empathize with those suffering loss, and even see death as transformative, horrific, yet beautiful. There are so many forms that death can take, the literary capabilities are endless. Here we will explore how authors throughout the generations viewed death and how they used their works to overcome it. "

But this was apparently not clear enough. So I adjusted it to: "Here we will explore how authors throughout the generations viewed death and how they used their works to overcome it. Authors who write so beautifully of death in turn, ironically receive a form of immortality."

Next I went over the Organizational Blueprint: 
I wanted to make sure that I was talking about the authors different styles and how they chose to write about death. I wanted to show how their ideas were so diverse and that is why they are remembered. 

Lastly I went over Comparison is a means to an end, not the end itself:
I compare Emily Dickinson and Charles Baudelaire and how they are similar but mostly different in their writing and life styles. 

Week 10 / Week 11 / Week 12 - comment wall

First Round

https://sites.google.com/view/journey-with-me/project-2

Revised 1-  4/8/18

https://sites.google.com/view/journey-with-me/project-2-revision-1

Revised 2 - 4/15/18

https://sites.google.com/view/journey-with-me/the-end-we-face-project-2/project-2-revision-2

Week 11 Analysis - But did it help? : Hedda's Form of Feminism

Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibson holds strong themes of feminine identity and the challenging of stereotypes, while falling into them at the same time (781-800). In 1891 (the time this play was written), there was a massive push in women's rights in Norway. Wives were tired of being mistreated, having little to no rights, and overall held the same complaints that women in America and all over the world were having. Ibson appears to used his play to address the difficult social issues of the time and show how the relationships and struggles of men and women can play out.

One way he did this was by introducing an obvious nemesis. Eilert Lovborg (786), was meant to be a sort of foil to George Tesman in the way that they are so different yet still common. One has a set way in life while the other, runs about after women and has vices and demons that he wrestles with. However, we not only see this competitive dynamic with the man in the story, but the women too.
There is notable difference between how the men and women act in this play. This may be due to the fact that Ibson was writing from the male prospective and was not a woman, so he was writing about how he saw woman in society interact. In this we find Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted (Thea). Both woman are very set in their ways and stand up for themselves to their husbands. However progressive this sense of feminism, individual wants and needs, is drowned out by the catty dynamic of false friendship that Hedda extends to Thea to get gossip on her misfortune.

Hedda was a bully to Thea in school and even forget Thea's name calling her "... me dear Thora" (793). Yet Thea goes along and admits her sorry situation to Hedda. Hedda is written as enjoying this as the actions direct that she was "Concealing an involuntary, derisive smile." (795). Hedda is an employment of toxic femininity. The theme of femininity is challenged in this play as Hedda acts a bit like a man. She overpowers and plays her husband to get what she wants and to stifle his little joys in life. Like his Slippers (787). She wishes to be strong and in command but in doing so she cuts down everyone around her and forms no meaningful attachments. This is not a message of feminist empowerment, but in a way shows females in a harsh light. The story was indeed progressive for its time, but I do not see how having the lead female role as a brutish gun wielding manipulator without a conscience, would help the women movement.

Week 11 Reading Notes B: In a Man's World, Women Play

Hedda Gabler (781-800)

Written in 1891

Tale centers around Women and their roles in men’s lives

*Hedda - George Tesman’s wife and the town beauty, the one all the men sought after as a prize. She was the catch by her beauty and breeding. She seems to be very superficial and false in her treatment of everyone. She treats Aunt Julie indifferently and seems to have no cares for her husbands treasured mementos from his childhood (the slippers) (787). Even though she has a sentimental item herself (the piano) she cannot empathize with her husband, or chooses not to (789). Hedda seems to not want to bear children with her refusing the notion that she has gotten any fuller on her honeymoon(788). Hedda also only wants the finer things and to be in society and to entertain(799). She wants to play hostess to an elite circle and have all of the things promised to her before her husband fell into an odd financial situation.

Hedda also may have had a tryst with her husbands old friend turned foe, Eilert Lovborg in her youth.

*Mrs Elvsted (Thea) said that he was still in love with a woman from his past, who had told him she would “shoot him with a pistol.” if he would leave her (796). Hedda did everything she could to point the finger at another woman. But at the end of  act 1 she tells George that she will have her pistols to amuser her. (800). Thea is in a loveless marriage to a man twenty years her senior. She wants to be with Eilert Lovborg and leaves her husband and her duties to him and his children. She confides her sadness in Hedda (Who pushes for information and doesn’t even remember Thea’s name). Thea was bullied by Hedda, yet she still falls for the trap and tells her all about her woe.

*Miss Juliane Tesman (Auntie or Aunt Julie) - doats on George and wishes for Hedda to have his child.She loves George and has looked after him after the death of his parents as a child.

There are three female types here.

The Care taker (aunt)

The Taker (Hedda)

And the giver (Thea)