Marxist, Feminist, and Psychoanalytic Criticism - Essay Example

6. Q5 Do you sympathize with the mother or the daughter Should parents channel their children toward selected activities Or should parents let their children choose their own paths Can parents push their children too much Why would they do this It is difficult to make an objective remark as to whether I side with the mother or with the daughter. Both the mother and the daughter have strong and valid reasons for their own opinions and convictions, but both tend to go beyond the limits and instead of doing each other good both of them hurt each other's feelings. Parents are more mature than their children and they have a broader level of experience. They also have gained the wisdom to discern the strengths and talents of their children as they see their children grow from infanthood to childhood and so on. No better guide could there be than their own parents because parents only want the best for their children. In this case, parents should serve as guides and let their children develop their inclinations and talents and follow their personal ambition. Parents should not hinder their children from pursuing what they really want to do and to be. On the other hand, children should not be left to themselves so that they would be prevented from making choices that would be detrimental to them. However, all things should be done in moderation. Parents should be careful not to push their children too much or else they would fail to inspire their children. Instead of bringing out the best in their children, they would end up widening the gap of misunderstanding between their generations. 7. Q5 When Jig says, "And afterward they were all so happy" (para. 54), is she being sarcastic How about when she says, "I don't care about me" (para. 64) What does Jig mean by "It isn't ours anymore" (para. 79) I think Jig is being sarcastic when she says, "And afterward they were all so happy." She does not really know inwardly if the others who have gone through the operation were truly happy. They may have appeared happy because they have ridded themselves of an unwanted consequence of their carelessness but there are other emotional baggage attached to having an abortion. When she says, "I don't care about me", she must have been feeling really bad about the whole thing. There is the fear of the surgery per se and the doubt whether what she is doing is right or best for her self. This must be the reason that the man continues to convince her that everything will be fine afterwards. Furthermore, when she says, "It isn't ours anymore", implies that after the operation things would not be the same anymore. This act is a life-changing experience and how much they try to bring things back to normal, there will always be that incident to remind them that something has changed. Something is lost in the process - something that goes beyond the physical experience. It could be a lessening of trust in self and others, or some self-worth or value. This feeling must have also been deepened by fear of the physical and psychological consequence of getting away with a responsibility and being accountable for the outcome of the act. Exercise I Works Cited Beer, Thomas. Stephen Crane: A Study in American Letters. 1923. New York: Octagon, 1972. Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Ed. Margaret Culley. New York: Norton, 1976. Clinton, William J. "Message to the Congress Transmitting the Proposed' Cloning Prohibition Act of 1997.'" Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents 16 June 1997. Texshare. 7 Oct. 2004 . Cole, David. "Five Myths about Immigration." Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument, with Readings. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. 4th ed. Boston: St. Martin's, 1996. 98-101. Ember, Carol R., and Melvin Ember. Anthropology. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1973. Fuentes, Carl J. "Whose Life is it Anyway" Christian Science Monitor 5 July 1997. 7 Oct. 2004 . Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin's, 2003. 1148-61. ---. "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003. 1148-61. "Gwendolyn Brooks." Literature Resource Center. 2000. The Gale Group. 22 July 2004. "Inflation: Where Do We Go From Here" U.S. News and World Report 4 Oct. 1982: 30-33. Singer, Jerome L. "Fantasy: The Foundation of Serenity." Psychology Today July 1983: 32-37. Willcox, Cristopher. "Right-to-Die Bill Sparks Hot Debate." Detroit News 28 Feb. 1983: B2. 1) Read: Thinking and Reading Critically, pp. 14-23--Writing exercise, p. 23: Thinking about the Text. Choose one topic to write on. 3. List at least 3 adjectives that describe Orozco's narrator. What influences your evaluation of this narrator What would you say to someone who claims that the story is more about the narrator than about the office Orozco's narrator can be described as loquacious, opinionated and nosy. I presume that the narrator is a female because of the kind of work. Usually receptionists are females. I do not have a prejudice on women but she also sounds like a woman in the manner she describes and details the personal lives of her colleagues. Some men are also loquacious but they tend to hide it. This person seems to be unafraid to tell so much about other people's secrets, though she always warns the listener from time to time not to disclose what she told him/her. Aside from talking so much, she also outwardly expresses her opinions about other people. The way she delivers her thoughts and feelings about other people seems so natural as if she is stating facts. Finally, it is very obvious that she is nosy because she knows almost every colleagues secrets and negative traits without, of course, revealing her own personal skeletons in the closet. I can do no less than agree if someone would claim that the story is more about the narrator than about the office. If it is about the office, the narrator could have stated the rules and descriptions of the office as well as the duties of the new employee objectively and leave out the rest of the "stories" about the personal lives of the other employees. If her intention was to caution the new employee then she could have only hinted but not act like a gossip and bare all the negative things about other people's lives whether they are true or not. This narration reveals more the kind of person the narrator is than what the office is about. 2) Read pp. 23-37Writing Exercise: Thinking about the Text, p. 25. Choose one topic to write on. 1. Is "Girl" really a story What characteristics of a story come to mind as you consider this issue I think "Girl" is really a story because of the presence of characters, one is the girl and the other is the one addressing the girl. I think it is an older woman, a mother or a guardian of the girl, who often reminds her to behave like a how a proper woman should be. The instructions are very clear and they lead to other insinuations regarding their previous dialogues or conversations. By her words, the person giving the instructions is revealing much about her character. She is one who is subject to the other's expectations. The silence of the girl also reveals things about her. In her youth, she is supposed to just listen to the older woman and her silence would mean submission and agreement. The progression of the monologue is a unique way of presenting the plot. There is no implication of much action since the story is more of a theme-centered one. 3) Read pp. 49-51: A Writing Exercise, p. 51. After you read "Night Waitress," do a 10 minute free write in which you identify how the poem relates to one or more of the topics mentioned on pages 49 and 50. You might also find helpful to compare the poem about work to the stories of Orozco and Kincaid as well as to the poems by Stanton and Milton. The poem "Night Waitress" is about an individual's daily routine at work and in her personal life. One of the topics developed in this poem is inner conflict as seen in the persona's emotional struggle as her costumers treat her without respect like some men making a "pass" on her and that to others she does not exist. She wants to enjoy the solace of her own room but it appears to be just like a prison cell. When she looks out of the window of her room, she wants to experience some social life in the bars outside but she just could not even enjoy the beauty of her surroundings whenever she is outside because of sleeplessness due to her nightly work. She even finds herself unattractive and this adds to her low self-esteem. Another topic discussed here is men's attitude towards women. A woman of her stature does not always find true happiness - being alone, unattractive and just a night waitress, a job of low position and low income. Still another topic is the difficulty of life in the lower class. People work hard in order to survive and they could not even afford some luxuries in life. The work place can be compared to Orozco's "Orientation" and the social construct of women can be compared to Kincaid's "Girl." 4) Read pp. 52-55: A Writing Exercise, p. 55. Why does the reaper in the poem "The Solitary Reaper" sing as she works It is not common for people to be singing while working especially if the work is done on open field under scorching heat or icy weather. This woman may have reasons why she sings while she reaps. One reason may be because she is alone and she does not want to be lonely. Another is singing keeps her mind away from thinking and feeling the difficulty of the task at hand. One more reason is that singing keeps her unaware of the length of time she spends at the field. However, the kind of song she is singing should also be taken into consideration for why is it that it has made a deep impact on the persona who just passed by and heard her song. It may be a sad song recalling some incidents in her life that brought her to her position of solitariness and hardship. The persona may have a similar experience of loneliness and difficulty as that of the reaper such that her song lingered in his/her mind after the incident. 5) Read Appendix A, pp. 1544-1565. For Thinking and Writing, p. 1565. Choose one topic to write on. Using a feminist critique of Joyce, one student claimed that "Joyce's text indulges dominance over submission." Do you think there is textual evidence to support this assertion There is enough textual evidence that "Joyce's text indulges dominance over submission." From the beginning to the end of the story, dominance is the big issue. Farrington is forced to submit to the authority of Mr. Alleyne and to the demands of his job. He had to finish the copies despite his desire to get a drink. He was able to get the drink and tried to outwit Mr. Alleyne by failing to submit the two letters, however, he was humiliated in front of his colleagues. His desire to spend the night t the bar was made almost impossible because of his lack of money until he was able to pawn his watch. At the bar, with his drinking buddies, he was once again humiliated because he was twice defeated by a young man in the sight of the other customers. In anger and humiliation, he went home penniless and vented his frustration to his son who kneeled before him as he beat him. The boy had to submit to him out of fear and helplessness. Essay #1 assignment: A Writing Exercise, p. 1565 for "Like a Winding Sheet." (Choose only the following critical approaches: Marxist, Feminist, or Psychoanalytic criticism. Do not write on any other critical approach.) When writing your essay on "Like a Winding Sheet," please pay careful attention to the student example on "Counterparts" on p. 1562. Please see Essay 1 on Essays for further explanation, grading standards, and student example. Essay # 2 assignment: Chose two of the poems or stories we have read and write an essay using Feminist or Marxist criticism to analyze the stories or poems you choose. Read More