Holidays

I have not always been a fan of the holidays. There is often a hysterical notion that envelops people around this time of the year and to counteract it I have often played the grinch. However, this year I am going to change that. Instead of being grumpy for the season I am going to do my best to show some holiday cheer. This is a time to see family and eat good food. It's a time for celebration and reflection. With that in mind there is no real reason for me to play the antagonist.


Reflecting on this last year I believe there are many moments I can be proud of. For one, going to college is an extremely proud moment in my life. Neither of my parents ever attended and my older sister dropped out after her junior year. Looking to the future, this is also something that will be a milestone in my life. I can also be thankful for all the support I've had in my life this last year. From getting discharged from the military, a bad ending with my ex-fiancée, and trying to figure out what to do from there I have had friends and family helping guide me. Yes, I have much to be grateful for.


With all of this, I am happy to end this semester on a high note and look forward to embarking on the journey of next semesters classes. I have been a little nervous concerning school this semester but I've decided that I will do well. All it takes is a choice to change the current situation of things. I truly believe I've made that choice.
-Casey

Reflection of Class

I believe I speak for the whole class when I say thank you to our teacher Lindsey. The notecards, while rather tedious, helped greatly in the research process and the detailed outline she made is greatly appreciated. One of my biggest set backs in composing an essay is getting the organization down; I know what I want to say it's just difficult to put it on paper. Today in class I used the outline provided to collect my thoughts and with Lindsey's feedback I feel more prepared to write this paper than any other one before this. Hopefully this does not come off as a suck up post because I don't do that. In fact, I almost didn't come to class today but I'm sure glad I did. In the future I plan to use these two prewriting techniques and I know they will help greatly. I wish I would have taken the notecard technique more seriously with my RBAA paper. 

TH3SIS

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's story "The Yellow Wallpaper" shows how a woman's mental condition deteriorates along with the yellow wallpaper. 


or


As the wallpaper is deteriorating in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's story "The Yellow Wallpaper" so also is the narrators mental state. 

What does it mean?

The ability to read critically is parallel to understanding what you read. In every piece of literature there is a theme that goes beyond the surface of the authors text. This does not mean that every reader will catch it though. Personally, I read critically half of the time. Now that I'm in college I'm forced to read and when I have to read something by a deadline I tend to do it with haste. While I quickly skim the sentences of a story I inevitably miss the deeper meaning and ideas the author is trying to convey.  However, when I read for leisure I always take my time and absorb the words. It is in this art of 'slow reading' that I ponder the significance of a philosopher's  question, or a novelists metaphor. 


I would like to mention our class discussions over the short stories we are reading. Lindsey asks us to read critically and decipher the symbols, theme, and such of these stories. Personally, I am enjoying these group think sessions.  It amazes me how the class finds so many different things from the same story. These varied thoughts and insights into the short stories can only be found through critical writing. 

The White Heron/The Yellow Wallpaper

Between these two stories there are many symbols and in some instances those symbols are parallel. The way in which men and women interact are very similar in these two stories. These interactions are symbolic of man's superiority of that time. In the "Yellow Wallpaper" the husband (who may be only a doctor?) has the final say-so in all of the ladies decisions. Also in support of this is the man expecting the old lady to take him in for the night. Women during this portrayed time had very little power. A few more symbols are obviously the wallpaper, the secluded house in both stories, the white heron, and the cow. To explain the wallpaper, it is apparent that this wallpaper can symbolize the women's deteriorating mind. Throughout the story the wallpaper is torn and by the end of the story it is in pieces across the floor. Much like that wallpaper is the ladies mind. While at the start she is 'sick' and at the end she is crawling around the perimeter of the room, lost in her insanity. The secluded houses show that these stories portray events outside of society. One house lost in the wilderness, another is away from the road and hidden. The characters in these stories are not 'normal' and the events that unravel are not everyday occurrences. The White Heron is symbolic of innocence. The cow is symbolic of the two ladies survival.  Both the grandma and the child have to chase it, or find it, but they need the milk to live. As I have stated, these short stories are full of symbols and I'm excited to see what others will find within these tales. 

Women in the 1900's?

Today I'm being told that I need to write about 'the condition of women in the 1900's'. Yay!


Well my first point is this, I don't care. Although, this point will not be sufficient enough for this blog so I will continue. My thoughts are this, women in the 1900's are much like women today . . . some of them are at home nagging to their husbands about everything under the sun, another percentage of women are pursuing women's rights and leading 'successful' lives, and of course there is those few women (haha, a few) who are going around like scorpion-women stealing the souls of helpless men and all of their property as well. We men have names for these women, 'gypsy' 'smarmy-sea-pirate' 'gold-digger' and 'B****' I truly do not mean for this blog to offend anyone, however, since I am an American male and I have the right to voice my opinion I choose to do so. 


On a more serious note, in the 1900's women were fighting for rights in a mans world. To this day they are still fighting the very same struggle, however, there have been many improvements as to the condition of women. Just recently I read in my history book about the rise of factories throughout the NorthEast of the U.S. Women would leave their homes and live in these compounds working long hours for lower wages and have grueling work conditions. With that, they were considered inferior to men, had lost their brief right to vote in some states (late 1800's) and they were fighting to gain those rights back. Women were not sociably allowed to travel alone and 'depended' upon men for most things in life. If a women was a widow or single mother then they had to rely on the church. In fact, many of these types of women were sent to South Dakota were the Lutheran Church had provided for them. 


Well, this is all I have to say about this topic.