The Yellow Wallpaper

This short story starts out relativly normal, but there is that hint of the ever so strange. As we travel through the story in the mind of the narrator, the wife of a doctor, things start to head to the crazy way. The narrator's husband treats her more and more like a child as the short story goes on. He see's her as a responsibility instead of a wife. He locks her away in a house that she doesn't know, in a room that she doesn't like and leaves her there with the yellow wallpaper. I understand that his wife was on her way to being unstable, but that doesn't mean that he can treat her as a child and leave her in a room where children before her had played. In fact, in a way, her husband is cruel. Instead of recognizing that she has a problem he pretends as though making her sleep all day and do nothing is making her better. Yet at the same time he hides her away in a secluded house to hide her away from the neighbors. The poor narrator is left the waste away in a lonely house with only a maid for company. As time passes the narrator starts losing her sense of reality. She can't follow the pattern or fathom the color of the wallpaper and at night instead of seeing a pattern, she see's bars and a woman trapped behind them. Sometimes she see's several women behind the bars and at other times she see's just one woman prowling and prowling for freedom. By the end of the short story the narrator becomes that woman. The woman prowling around for freedom from a mind that keeps her enclosed in a world that doesn't exist. She is trying to escape from a husband who keeps her hidden away and from a life where she has no purpose, but to lie around and stare at yellow wallpaper.

contined....

Although all Killoran's thoughts were backed with logic some of it was a bit of a stretch stemming from Stoicism. Most of her points her based around the beliefs of this one Faith. However, what I did enjoy about this articule was that Killaron didn't just use quotes, but also little details of from the book. For example Zeena's name ,Zenobia, starts with the letters Z-E-N-O. Zeno was the founder of Stoiscm. I really enjoyed Killoran's attention to detail such as this. Overall I thought the essay was eye-openning and I quite enjoyed her fresh point of view.

"Under the Granite Outcroppings of Ethan Frome"

This essay was a very interesting point of view on Ethan Frome. During this esay, titled "Under the Granite Outcroppings of Ethan Frome", the author Helen Killoran disputes the critique Lionel Trilling by stating that Ethan is not the moral center of this book, but that Zeena is. During this book Killoran uses the metaphor of the "granite outcroppings" as a reference to Zeena. During this essay everyone sees Ethan as the tragic hero of the novella instead of seeing Zeena as the moral center of the book who is "under" the story. One technique that Killoran uses is attempting to make Zeena human by explaining the way that she is. In attempting to make Zeena human Killoran explains that Zeena is a Stoicist, that she is not cold, but logical. Killoran uses qoutes from the book as well as little hints to back her conclusions about Ethan Frome. She explains that, possibly, Zeena had a miscarriage and thats why she is so distant from Ethan. Another one of her main points was that according to Stoicism Ethan was not a tragic hero, but a coward. This she got based off the Stoic definition of a coward being one who doesn't make decisions. I thought that the arguments were presented logically and understandably. Her thoughts were calm and collected. She backed all her facts with a logical explanation. I agree with the viewpoint of this essay because its a nice twist on the viewpoint. I think that this is how I look at Ethan Frome. Not through the turbulent emotions of Ethan, but through the cool recollections of Zeena.

Sonnet 147

I think that this sonnet is similar to sonnet 129. Both sonnets talk about Shakespeare's longing for the dark lady. However in this sonnet it talks about his longing for her even though he knows that she has been with other people. I think that I like this sonnet because it makes Shakespeare more human instead of this imcredible writer that no one can touch. In this sonnet we get to see him agonize over a woman that he cannot rightfully claim is his. He wants to think poorly of her and her low sense of morals, but he can't. He still thinks the world of her even though he knows the truth about her. I feel bad for the guy because he doesn't know which way is right or wrong, but he does know that he will continue the affair with her because he still longs for her and the way that she makes him feel. Although I can not place all the blame on the dark lady. Shakespeare allowed himself the affair, he indulged in his longing for her. It doesn't matter whos really right or wrong I think, because either way it ends in heart break.

Sonnet 130

I think that this sonnet is deeper than it pretends to be. I think it goes straight to the heart of things. Shakespeare speaks of his mistres and the fact that he knows that shes not the most beautiful, but loves her anyway. He sees past whats on the outside and loves her. In this sonnet love goes past looks. Although if I were the dark lady I would be slightly offended at the way that he words it, especially since he said that her breath smells. At the same time though I think that I would be flattered in a way. He is telling her that he loves her despite her flaws, which is what every woman wants to hear. I would like to point out though that women also like to hear that you think that there the most beautiful in your eyes. Other men should not follow Shakespeare because hes the only one who could get away with something like this just because the way he says it is just so pretty and fluid.

Sonnet 129

This sonnet is intense. There is so much outpouring emotion that its coming from all sides. You don't know whether to feel frustrated, exasperated, sad or even accepting. You feel all the emotions flowing through the sonnet, in and out of the words. You can see as he moves through the wanting to the having to the wanting more. You can feel the conflict thats going on inside the writer. I think that Shakespeare knew that the feelings he was having for the dark lady were wrong, but he was beggining to care less and less. Then when he finally gets what he wants he thinks that he will feel better, but in fact he feels just as crazy as before. The difference in the end, I think, is that he accepts that fact that he wants the dark lady wrong or not. I think I respect him more in this sonnet because of the fact that he comes to terms with himself and what hes feeling.

Sonnet 116

If I were the young man I would definatley start looking at Shakespeare in a different life after this. In this sonnet Shakespeare talks about eteranal love and the fact that it should last through time and past forever. In this sonnet I think that it has less to do with the young man and more to do with Shakespeare's faith in love. I think that he believes that love is forever and that maybe he's feeling love for the young man. This is one of those "aaww" sonnets like how cute. It makes girls feel mushy and think about prince charming. Thats what this poem reminds you of, the classic princess and her white knight. Its sort of different than what you picture for normal Shakespeare, sort of the opposite. I don't really see him as the mushy gushy type just the artist type. I think its sort of a nice change up from the usaul.

Sonnet 99

This sonnet honestly made me laugh. How Shakespeare scolds the flowers for stealing the young man's beauty is quite comical. Although it is indeed quite clever. Who doesn't want to be told that all the flowers of all the world stole there beauty from you? It makes you smile and grin at the thought, makes you feel all warm inside. I think that in this poem Shakespeare was just pouring out all of what he thinks of the young man. I feel like he wants the young man to truley know how beautiful he is. Shakespeare personifies the flowers by saying that they have no shame in the fact that they stole there beauty. They hold it proud like a claim to fame even though there never as truley beautiful as the young man. I also think that Shakespeare is saying that its better to be the original and unique than to be the copy. I think that this is my favorite sonnet out of all of them because its so different. Usually its your as pretty as a flower, but not in this sonnet. In this sonnet its the flowers stole your beauty.

Sonnet 55

This poem is quite interesting. In this sonnet Shakespeare speaks of the ravages of war and the Gods which is quite rare for him. I think its very intriging that all of a sudden Shakespeare is referring to vilonce instead of summer days and flowers. I think that maybe its because Shakespeare is beginning to feel turbulent inside. Instead of telling the young man that he needs to procreate to live forever he tells that man that all he needs to live forever is the poems that he writes. I think that this is my favorite reference so far. I like how he compares eternity to monuments that get ripped down with time and tome stones that rub away. The last sentence is a little puzzling. "You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes." I think that Shakespeare is saying that he will live forever in his poem, but until the day he dies he can live in Shakespeares eyes because he has fallen for W.H.

Sonnet 18

This poem is when Shakespeare brings in a little bit of the creep. As before Shakespeare is telling the young man that he can indeed live forever, that his beauty can live on. However in this poem Shakespeare is saying that he can live on through his poems' and that the young man need not procreate. It sounds as if Shakespeare has taken a liking to the young man, but I feel as if it is not in a fatherly way. I think that Shakespeare, after talking up the young man's beauty, has started to see it himself through the eyes of his own poems. By talking of the young man's beauty Shakespeare has come to be mesmerized by his own words and the words that he writes about the young man. Shakespeare is so impressed by his own writing that he is entranced by it. I think that this is whats happening in this poem and that Shakespeare is beginning to see the young man in new eyes.

Sonnet 12

This sonnet is very morbid. It makes you feel a little hollow inside, the wording at least. "When lofty trees I see barren of leaves". Just this phrase in the sonnet makes me think of a cold day in fall when the last leaf has just fallen off a tree and its empty branches stand alone, shivering. This poem is very vivid in the fact that there is so much imagery, you can just picture what Shakespeare is describing in every line. "When I do count the clock that tells the time,". Just the way that Shakespeare words this line. Sort of backwards and upside down, but it makes the line all the more effective, it packs more of a punch. I enjoy the fact that Shakespeare makes you think to figure out just what he's trying to say. Beauty is the question in this poem, Shakespeare is asking the young man what's more important his beauty or his fun?

Sonnet 2

This sonnet has a lot to do with aging and lost youth. I thought that it was clever that Shakespeare used the young man's age and beauty as a means to get him to procreate. The young man seeems as though he relishes his beauty and that he would like the idea of passing it on to a child. However at the same time this sonnet makes me wonder slightly about what the young man thinks is important. If the only reason to procreate is to preserve his beauty then those aren't the right reasons. He should want to have children with a woman that he cares about and because he wants to see them grow up. Not just beacuse he likes the way that he looks in the mirror. At the same time though I see why the sonnets are classical. Some of the sonnets are hard to understand. This one just flows and well sounds pretty. Now I understand why people read them and why they have lasted the test of time.

Sonnet One

To be honest if I was W.H., the man to which the sonnet was written, I would be a little insulted by this poem,if I could in fact understand it at all. At first he calls the young beautiful, then he gives him a hearty smack in the face by saying that his beauty will fade and he will in fact be ugly. I think it's a little strange how he's trying to encourage the young man to procreate with insults and flattery simultaneously. I understand that Shakespeare is trying to flatter the young man and convince him to pass on his beauty, but don't you think he could go a better road? I think that Skakespeare could have toned down the creep factor, and maybe been a little less forward with it. He could have been a little more subtle. I thought that it was definatley a good, very persuasive point when Shakespeare used imortality as his main point. Very Clever.