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.