2004 Question 3 Prompt: Due Wednesday
The following is a Question 3 sample from 2004. Directions:
- Read the prompt and begin brainstorming what you would use.
- DO NOT read other classmates' entries before writing your response.
- Draft an outline on your own paper.
- Write a couple paragraphs about what characters you would contrast and how they effect the overall work. Be sure to include how you would organize your essay (progression of ideas and what specific details you would use). You may use your novel and notes to help you! You DO NOT need to write an entire essay. The purpose of the exercise is to review the novels that we have read.
Critic Roland Barthes has said, "Literature is the question minus the answer." Choose a novel or play and, considering Barthes' observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers any answers. Explain how the author's treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole.
I would write about The Awakening and the central question of the woman's role in society.
ReplyDeleteIntro:
Kate Chopin's The Awakening details the awakening of wife and mother Edna Pontellier's identity. Throughout the novel, Edna is suffocated under the societal expectations her husband and children put on her and wishes to be as free as a bird to satisfy her own desires. The Awakening raises the central question: Should women be confined to these oppressive roles?
P1: Introduce societal expectations that are oppressive and introduce Madame Ratignolle, the ultimate "mother-woman."
Madame Ratignolle, Edna's foil, embodies all of Creole society's expectations. She is wholeheartedly devoted to her husband and children, so much to the point where she almost never thinks of herself. She lives for them, and therefore loses her own identity...
P2: Introduce Edna and her strive to be like Madame Reisz
Edna Pontellier is ambivalent on who she is in the world. She knows she is not the typical "mother-woman" because she feels indifferent towards her children and recognizes that she is viewed as property by her husband. However, she is not Madame Reisz, the true free woman...
P3: Tie up and end with the ambiguous suicide
Edna completely awakens when she defies society one last time by never going to sleep. Her suicide in the ocean is ambiguous: was it brave? Cowardly? No matter the answer, The Awakening calls to attention the role of women in society...
Shakespeare's King Lear is my choice for the essay prompt. Its theme of "nothingness" and the King's repeated line "Nothing will come of nothing" correlates with Roland Barthes definition of literature because of its circular nature. Since we haven't finished the book yet I know I'm missing other points that I would otherwise be able to argue when we finish play.
ReplyDeleteThe central question the play raises is the meaning of life in terms of "who" or "what" dictates it. I would explore the contrasting examples of cosmic justice, divine justice, and nihilism. Obviously the play doesn't dictate any exact answers as to which force is the one most at work, but it offers several instances that combine the three together.
P1- instances in which divine justice is evident: King Lear calling on gods to curse Gonerill (vengeance) is an example of how this form of justice is often used just to manipulate circumstances to our benefit but when Kent attempts to bring Lear to his senses, he replies with "This is nothing."
P2- cosmic justice/irony- Lear also exemplifies the belief in this when he urges the storm to "rage" and even shows defiance here to any higher force. Gloucester views the gods as evil manipulators that kill men for "sport" The constant battle between trusting the gods as fair judges and believing in divine justice and viewing them as corrupt superiors relates back to the unanswered question on the meaning of life.
P3-Nihilism-in the play its similar to a middle ground between the other two forces in the way that it seems to be the "choice" when the other two don't work out. Lear's famous "nothing will come of nothing" is the best example of how this is explored in the play...it portrays life and all the action in the play as part of and unending cycle of "nothingness" in which confusion or lies (Edgar framing Edmund and Cordelia's lack of words in the first scene) lead to no definite resolve. The superficiality of the characters (such as in Gonerill and Regan) also proves how "nothing" happens in life because of lack of sustenance to produce anything
King Lear – is life meaningful? Divine Justice v. Cosmic Irony v. Nihilism
ReplyDeleteIntro: Literature often speculates over the answer to what is the meaning of life. There are many theories on this matter; such as divine justice, cosmic irony, and nihilism. King Lear by Shakespeare analysis several characters contemplation of this matter and supplies evidence for each; allowing the reader to decipher their own opinion.
P1: Divine Justice
Divine Justice is the belief that the gods are just. Examples of this include Christianity (the “good” go to heaven and the “bad” to hell) and Hinduism (karma).
In Act 1, Scene 2 Edmund says (aside) “This is the excellent foppery of the world that when we are sick in fortune – often the surfeit of our own behavior – we make guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon, and the stars…” Edmund believes that any events that happen are the consequence of one’s own options. This may not support the beliefs of Christianity, but it follows with karma.
Albany warns Goneril in Act 4, Scene 2 that “If that the heavens do not their visible spirits send quickly down to tame these vile offenses, it will come: Humanity must perforce prey on itself like monsters of the deep.” He is warning her of the retribution that will follow her after her evil actions (torturing Gloucester and attempting to overthrow her father). His warning is proved to be true when moments after, they learn of the Duke of Cornwall’s death. Albany says that “This shows you are above, you justicers, that these our nether crimes so speedily can venge.”
P2: Cosmic Irony is the belief that people are at the mercy of the whims of the gods, whether those whims be malicious or for entertainment. The Greeks held this belief and it is clearly seen in tales such as that of Oedipus (whom through no fault of his own was fated to marry his mother and murder his father).
- Gloucester proclaims to Edmund that “These late eclipses in the sun and moon portend no good to us after learning of his other son Edgar’s supposed betrayal. He is blaming the odd events that are occurring on a higher power as opposed to the consequences of ones actions. Gloucester restates this belief of malicious gods when he says “As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport.” In Act 4, scene 1.
P3: The belief of Nihilism is rather depressing; believing that there is no absolute truth, life is meaningless, senseless, and that all traditional beliefs are unfounded.
Evidence for nihilism is dispersed throughout the play; first appearing when King Lear warns Cordelia that “nothing will come of nothing” when she does not shower him in flattery as her sisters did in hopes of gaining the greater part of the kingdom. The theme of nothingness is scene continuously as different characters question whether there is an actual purpose to life or any gods to judge ones actions.
Conclusion: The actual King Lear lived before Christianity, but Shakespeare wrote the play for a Christian audience. Shakespeare’s King Lear never gives the audience a concrete answer to this question; simply giving them enough evidence to wonder about it on their own.
The question raised in The Awakening is whether to conform with society or to refuse it. The contrast between Adele Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier helps raise this question as Adele is the typical mother-woman in society while Edna The New Woman.
ReplyDeleteAdele shows many ways of her conformity as when she tells Edna that "...a woman who would give her life for her children could do no more than that." This goes along with the way women are supposed to cherish their children in the Victorian society.
Edna shows her refusal to conform when she tells Adele that she wouldn't give herself for them. She does the opposite of cherish them as the "...children appeared before her like antagonists.."
This constant question of refusal to society or conformity brings her to her ultimate refusal: suicide. After seeing that she will he unhappy with either choice, she decides that killing herself is the best way to escape both.
For this prompt I would write about The Awakening and the question of what is better, being illusioned by society and happy or being disillusioned and unhappy.
ReplyDeleteIn The Awakening by Kate Chopin the reader is left to ponder whether it is better to be bound by societies rules and "happy" or to be free from society but miserable from the isolation it causes. In the novel Chopin offers two characters, Adele and Edna, who seem to represent both sides of this argument but leaves the reader to draw their own conclusion on who is really better off.
In the first paragraph I would focus on explaining Edna's problems with society and the strains it puts her through. Edna feels strangled by society and the life it lead her to have. Had Edna not be controlled by the expectations of society she would likely never gotten married or had children. She resents the possessiveness society allows her husband to feel over her and only seems to see her children as play things. Although she does love her family Edna says that she would never sacrifice her inner freedom and personality for her children. Edna does finally find her freedom from society but it ultimately leaves her alone and depressed. Despite being now disillusioned to society ,societies overwhelming power and isolation finally drive Edna to end her life.
In paragraph two I would examine how Adele is the model of a perfect women of society. In contrast to Edna, Adele fits perfectly into her role in society and seems content to be nothing but a mother and housewife for the rest of her life. Adeles appearance is specifically shaped to be kind and motherly with her soft arms and white skin. Adele doesn't seem to understand how Edna feels when she talks about her dissatisfaction with life. The complete opposite of Edna, Adele loves children and makes them the main focus if her life. Adele seems content to follow societies guidelines and might appear to be the better off of the two but her compliance causes her to lead a seemingly pointless life with no individuality.
In this last paragraph I would talk about what idea Chopin seems to favor most. As Edna is the main character Chopin seems more sympathetic to her struggle with society and shows it as valiant in a way. Edna's fight for individuality is shown as justifiable by Chopin. Edna's suicide at the end can be seen as either a selfish act or a heroic sacrifice depending on how the reader views it. Adele's life can also be seen in two different ways depending on the readers interpretations. In one way her life can be seen as happy and peaceful but in another she can be seen as pointless and hollow. The reader never knows if Adele is actually happy or if its just an act; Adele constantly has children which can be seen as an attempt to distract herself from the emptiness of her life. Although Chopin does not explicitly say that it is better to fight the illusion of society even if it means forgoing happiness the reader can infer that this her opinion and is drawn to the same conclusion in the process of reading. This helps show Chopin's overall purpose in the book of showing he unfairness of society towards women.
In King Lear, the question of divine intervention in life would make an excellent essay.
ReplyDeleteThe intro would relate the quote to the story and establish the question within the book.
The first paragraph would discuss divine justice and the examples contained within the book. The paragraph would detail the belief that some characters in the play hold that the gods are just and that the villain will get what's coming to them. Possible examples of this include Edmund being slain for his actions, and the deaths of Goneril and Regan. They died once their plots were found out and so can be seen as just.
The second paragraph would discuss cosmic irony, the belief that the gods are cruel and toy with men for their own amusement. Examples of this could be Gloucester's treatment over the course of the book, where he loses both title and eyes despite never having really done anything wrong and loving both his sons equally, and Kent's banishment despite only fulfilling his duty and offering honest counsel to Lear.
The third paragraph would discuss nihilism and its belief that life is meaningless and their is no great order in the universe. An example to support this would include a discussion of the repeated topic of nothingness, shown best by the quote "nothing will come of nothingness. Another could be Gloucester's desire to end his own life because he thought that the rest of his life would be meaningless without his sons. The closing statements of the essay would discuss how each of these three topics were possible answers to the question of the nature of gods in respect to their influence on the life of man.
For this this prompt I think that I would choose King Lear. Shakespeare questions the meaning of life. He goes through several different concepts such as Divine Justice, Cosmic Irony, and Nihilism. Both King Lear, Glouster, and several other characters question their sanity and the limit to which the gods will push mankind.
ReplyDeleteParagraph one: in this paragraph I would discuss Divine Justice. The definition of divine justice is when someone believe that the power being is forgiving and merciful. Glouster goes in and out with this idea. In the beginning of course, before the gouging of his eyes, he appeals the gods for help and curses his son Edgar for his wrong doings. Later of course, Glouster views the gods as now merciless and enjoy killing humans for sport. I would consider Lear a believer of divine justice for he never fully shows his appreciation for the gods and never asks for their forgiveness.
Paragraph two: in this paragraph I would discuss the idea of Cosmic Irony which is basically the belief that what comes around, goes around. People will receive punishment for bad actions and rewards for their good actions. I think that Cordelia may have been a believer of this. When she stated how she felt about her sister’s falseness to her father and also when she said she couldn’t express her love for him in words, she was being honest. In the end, Cordelia rises above both of the sisters, receiving even more power than the two of them. They also pay for their terrible actions with death.
Paragraph three: In this paragraph I would discuss the idea of Nihilism, which is the belief that there is no reason for us being on this earth. We were put here to live, suffer, etc., and then to die. Lear I believe is a strong believer in this idea, especially after his downfall. By being at his worst he was able to see that having all that power was not what it added up to be and it only made you into a selfish person. He comes to the conclusion that we will never add up to much, and this power deceives us of this. Power corrupts the mind and blindness leads to sight.
ReplyDeleteI would analyze King Lear and the question of whether or not there is divine justice, or if we are, to the gods, just "as files are to wanton boys."
I would begin by discussing Gloucester and his nihilistic view of the world, and I would connect to the theme of "nothingness" that is present throughout the book. Gloucester's drive to end his life reflects this theme, as he believes he has nothing to live for, and thus his life is pointless. Then I would discuss cosmic irony. An example would be how Cordelia, the daughter who truly loves her father Lear, is exiled while her wicked sisters get the kingdom. Another example is Gloucester becoming literally blind after being "blind" to the truth of Edmund's evil.
Finally, I would discuss divine justice. Examples of divine justice are found in Cornwall's death, as expressed by Albany, and the gruesome deaths of Goneril and Regan. This can reflect the gods punishing those who do wrong. Another example would be Edgar and Gloucester reuniting (despite Gloucester's subsequent death, which would fall under cosmic irony I suppose.) These three phenomena serve as possible answers to the central question of man's relationship to the gods.
If I were to write about this prompt, I would write my essay about The Awakening by Kate Chopin and the debate that is raised over and over on is it better to be seen as perfect through societies eyes or to actually be true to yourself but be frowned upon by society. I would introduce the title, author, and this question that is raised numerous times in the first introductory paragraph.
ReplyDeleteMy first body paragraph would consist of details of society's views on what a perfect wife and mother woman look like and how Edna Pontellier dreaded living this lifestyle. I would include a comparison between Edna Ponellier and Adele Ratignole and explain how different each of their lifestyles were.
My next body paragraph would be about the material possessions that people in society hold and how destructive they can be. I would include details about how much happier Edna felt when she got to escape the huge house of Leonce and became one with herself in her small pigeon house. I would also include the example of Leonce's obsession over his appearance to show how destructive society's views can be.
Lastly I would write about the damaging effects that the views and pressures of society has on people and support this statement with the example of Edna drowning herself at the end of the novel to become free from society's constraints. I would also include how all she was trying to do in life was search for freedom and the only way she could find that freedom was through death and eternal sleep.
I would choose the Heart of Darkness for my essay because it raises the question "What effect does the lack of order and laws in the wilderness have on humans? And how does one avoid these effects?"
ReplyDeleteP1: Marlow, just as any normal member of the Western society lives a content and happy life in Brussels until he travels to the Congo. Marlow saw the horrors that the Europeans were inflicting upon the Africans, and he returned a changed man. Marlow faced playful paw strokes of the jungle and saw things that could drive him insane, but he was able to refrain from going crazy. How? He devoted himself to efficieny by working on his steamer. By staying busy, he could focus on other things besides the cruelty occuring around him.
P2: Others, such as Kurtz were victims of the jungles lack of order. Kurtz, a wealthy businessman who collected tons of ivory, was once a poor man who came to the jungle to make more money to marry his fiance, but that all changed. Kurtz became money hungry, and once he became powerful, he did awful things to recieve ivory. Cruel and heartless things, that the old Kurtz would probably never have imagined.
P3: Without laws, man becomes either insane, alientated from their native society, or savage-like. It all depends on how a person takes the wilderness and all that comes with it. If the re was no order in the world or laws to protect people, everything would become pure chaos. Marlow couldn't relate to the people of Brussels once he experienced the Congo. Kurtz became a money-hungry ivory collector, and the rest of the Europeans became savage murderers. A lack of laws and order would result in a difficult world to live in, potentially causing people to reveal their inner savage and go insane.
For this prompt, I would analyze the role and wants of Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin's The Awakening. As the novel progresses, Edna seems to sway back and forth between wanting societal attention and longing to be her own person without any needed approval from society in a contradictory manner, posing varied questions without answers.
ReplyDeleteP1: I would begin this essay by describing Edna's initial value placed on keeping up appearances even when she is searching for independence from the societal confines she is placed under as portrayed in her continuation of Tuesday receptions at first and allowing her friends to admire the gifts Leonce has sent to her while out of town. However, she does contradict this instance in her actions at Grand Isle and wanting to sleep outside in a hammock alone.
P2: Here I would discuss Edna's move into the pigeon house and spending time on her own, away from her children and husband. In this description, i would create a contrast between her views and Leonce's and his fear of what others will think of her moving out that she now doesn't agree with, but foreshadow the drastic action she is about to take in hosting her dinner party that does support the idea that she values society's perception of her.
P3: I would want to imply an emphasis on Edna hosting a lavish, exquisite birthday party for herself after she has moved out to be on her own. In this instance, we can see a direct contradiction of her actions and motives for doing so. While in one case she wants to be on her own, hosting this party represents that she wishes to surround herself with fellow members of society and win their affection as displayed in the decorations and repeated lush colors.
I would discuss Heart of Darkness and the concept of restraint against constraint, which is shown through the effects of the lack of society and control.
ReplyDeleteI would analyze the characters of Marlow and the cannibals of the ship. They show constraint through their work to prevent them from falling into madness as they travel father up the river. This constraint shows that human nature can be good without the society's rules. But then there is the character of Mr. Kurtz, who goes mad from the lack of restraint and has no constraint of his own. Kurtz goes insane in his isolation, which is best represented by the severed heads on stakes all facing in as a fence surrounding the Inner Station. It isn't until Kurtz dies that Marlow begins to go insane and give up his constraints. When all of the restraints of society are removed, as well as ones own constraints is when the true madness of human nature is revealed.
Is it easier for you to conform to societies beliefs or live by your own rules? Edna Pontellier struggles with answering this question throught Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. Her tragic suicide serves as an open statement that leaves you to interpret the answer to this question.
ReplyDeleteBringing up Adele would be crucial in this essay because she is the ultimate “mother-woman”. I would bring up each role of the mother-woman, and explain them with diction that gives you a sense of the oppression they each provide (the expectation to tend to the husband and kids, let the husband do the work, remain a nice social status, give birth to more kids, etc.)
Having societies cookie cutter shape you into the woman you should be was something that Edna always struggles with. Explaining and analyzing her family relationships (or lack of) with Leonce and the kids would show how she to so opposite from everyones expectations. This contrast would mark out the possibility of it being easier to conform to societies beliefs. Edna was so far away from these beliefs that she would never be able to embody them.
Discussing her suicide would me the most important part of the essay. The way you interpret it will determine your answer to this question raised through the book. Was this death a cowardly act or a brave one? I thought of it as an act of bravery. By committing the most difficult task, Edna makes it easier to live by her own rules. It’s a bold act that removes her out of societies expectations and finally into a world of her own. This is a world where she can live without the stress of gender roles and get to breathe freedom of the first time.
For this prompt I would write about King Lear's question of what is fair in life. I would bring in the thoughts of divine justice, cosmic irony, and nihilism.
ReplyDeleteMy first paragraph would be about divine justice. I would explain how it is seen as the unconventional all deserved good no matter what given by the gods of ones believing. I would mention how in many times, this seems to be what King Lear is about, like near the end when Lear and Gloucester both changed their ways, and even though they brought upon their own endings, they ended pleased. I would mention how Edgar and Cordelia remain so good and pure throughout the play, that it seems like nothing extremely bad can happen to them, mostly in the long run.
My second paragraph would focus on cosmic irony. I would bring in Gloucester's quote about the gods treating people like flies in some big game, and how later on even dressed up Edgar says that the god's will sometimes spare lives just so they have someone else to admire them. I would also mention how every time that a character seems to be talking to or about the gods, something happens. When Gloucester begs for the gods to help him, he gets saved by a worker. When Lear starts mentioning how everything is so strange and corrupted, a storm comes. All of these and more examples could show how the god's do seem to be toying with the characters just to do so.
My third paragraph would be about nihilism. Here I would talk about the several instances that Lear struggled with who he was. At one point he asked if this was all to being human. Later on in his madness, he mentions that people are brought in into this world crying, and leave the same way. Here in his own despair, Lear says that everything in between those two cries may as well be pointless.
My final paragraph would be about how these beliefs all have a good bit of weight on them, but no one seems to conquer the other. The whole point of the work is to make one question destiny and more moral and spiritual intentions. This is a timeless and universal controversial topic, that is brought into attention by Shakespeare giving the readers as much thought and even internal conflict as that that is reflected in many of the characters with their turmoils.
For this prompt, I would write an essay about King Lear and question of whether divine justice exists, if the god are malevolent beings who torture humans for their own enjoyment, or if the belief of nihilism is true.
ReplyDeleteIn the introduction, I would include the quote about men being "as flies to wanton boys are [humans] to gods. I could give a brief explanation of this quote and then state in my thesis that both divine justice and cosmic irony are supported by the plot, so the question remains unanswered.
P1: I would discuss instances where divine justice seems to be present, such as Edmund dying or Regan and Goneril never being able to rule the kingdom the way they wished to. In both of these cases, the characters did wrong and paid for their actions, all three in the in the case of death. Edmund was wounded by a sword, Regan was poisoned by Goneril, and Goneril kills herself..
P2: Here I would discuss cosmic irony. Examples of this philosophy in King Lear are seen through Gloucester being blinded and Kent being banished when he was only doing his job. These events seem unreasonable and unnecessary, which is why they are cosmic irony.
P3: In this final paragraph I would discuss nihilism. Gloucester and possibly King Lear have this belief because so many bad things happen to them. They both believe that humans are here on Earth to suffer and then to die and there is no point for anything in between, Gloucester believes this so much that he is unwilling to continue living.
I would write about King Lear and how divine justice, cosmic irony, and nihilism interact throughout the play, but never do we arrive at an answer for how the world works.
ReplyDeleteIntro: I would talk about tragedies ask for someone to blame, and, especially in this time period, the gods were first on the list for people as high on the chain of beings as kings. As good events and bad ones happen to our two kings, Lear and Gloucester, the pendulum swings back and forth and all around covering justice, cosmic irony, and nothingness.
1: Lear's downfall is that he gives away his entire kingdom to his daughters, but not to the one that loves him. So, he ends up banished from his own daughter's homes. During his time in the great outdoors, he discovers through his present sense of nothingness that perhaps even when he was king he had nothing. Nothing really matters in the world. "Nothing will come from nothing," he says to Cordelia, his daughter, and now he can see his own words living.
2: Gloucester sees his tragedy in a different way. He puts his faith in his evil son, who betrays him. Because he remained loyal to King Lear like a good friend, Lear's family plucked his eyes out. A man who had already been banished from his home just had his eyes plucked out for loyalty. Instead of nothingness like Lear, Gloucester turns to cosmic irony comparing humans to flies and gods to "wanton boys" who rip off our wings for fun. Life is just a creation of the gods for their humor and they do not care who ends up losing. Gloucester often calls on the gods for being cruel.
3: Edgar is the greatest advocate for divine justice. He is Gloucester's son. He leads his own dad to his fake "suicide" when he his blind just to save his father's life. Gloucester, having thought the gods saved him from his magnificent fall, found a new spirit in his life. Edgar goes on to slay Edmund, the evil brother that betrayed him. It doesn't get anymore "right" than that. Continuing, both Goneril and Regan die.
4: Near the end of the play, though, all of these possibilities are revisited. There is no clear progression towards an answer. Each character has their own thoughts about how life works and lots of those characters end up changing their philosophy. I think the point of including all of these indecisive royal figures is to show that perhaps it is more important to question what you believe rather than finding the right answer. Between all of the characters and all of the divine justice, cosmic irony, and nihilism or nothingness that happened in the play, there was no shared answer because all of their situations favored a different belief. Which idea should we follow? No one can know? But you should never do it blindly.
For this prompt, I would write an essay about Heart of Darkness and its question of whether or not lack of societal constraints leads to madness.
ReplyDeleteIn this introduction, I would raise the question as the hook as my first sentence. This question would illuminate the complexity of the argument as a whole and introduce two sides. Following this, I would explain or define the question and then make a statement about madness and connect it back to the novel as a whole.
p1: I would highlight the first instances where society was mentioned throughout the novel, and then discuss the connotation that it brought on the reader. Additionally, I would discuss and exemplify situations within the novel, where characters prevailed out of madness through there own restraints, regardless of society.
p2: This paragraph would center on the discussion of Marlow, and his ability to fight against madness as a result of his own restraints. Marlow would be evidence for the fact that society is not the only reason for a lack of madness. In fact, I could even introduce the fact that often times, society leads to madness.
p3: After underlining one side to the argument, I would, in this paragraph, focus on the altering side. This side would be advocating the fact that society's constraints are necessary, especially considering over time, on their own, many lose restraints and control. For evidence, I could use the majority of the men on the expedition. Most of the men, who were once highly regarded individuals, went mad as a result of the brutal nature of the Congo.
Conclusion: Within the conclusion I would attempt to tie everything back to the central question and follow it with a more concise answer. I would qualify the different sides and acknowledge how both are reasonable.
For this prompt I would write about The Awakening and the question of should one conform to society’s conventions or follow their own path?
ReplyDeleteI would begin by talking about Adele rather than Edna and how she personifies the idea of the “mother-woman” role. Therefore, making her society's ideal woman, as well as, displaying the oppression put upon women by also their husbands.
Then I would discuss the fact that once Edna has discovered her new desire for freedom she has an even harder time trying to conform. This bleeds into her relationship with Robert who refuses to be with her because she has not been "set free" from her husband. Ultimately leading to Edna's suicide because she realizes she can never follow her own path.
I would write about The Awakening and how it raises the question of whether one is better off being happy and blind to the injustices of society or awakened and aware of what's going on and what kind of person you are.
ReplyDeleteI would do my first paragraph on Adele Ratignolle and go into detail about how she lives a very happy life not breaking away from her societal role as a woman. She embraces and epitomizes it and is blind to how she's basically trapped in her own life. However unfulfilling her life may seem to an outsider, she herself finds it very fulfilling and is much happier than Edna so that raises the question of how it might be better to be unaware of what's really going on because it will make you much more satisfied with your life.
I would do my next paragraph on Edna and how she chooses to be awake to the problems in society and recognize that she will not live as a caged housewife any longer. She says she would give her life for her children but not herself which shows how she values staying true to herself above all things and staying true to herself requires her to be awake to what's going on around her. She feels trapped in her life and is willing to do anything to escape it. The novel really makes you question who is better off: Adele or Edna? Adele is obviously much happier, but Edna seems to have an actual purpose and is self motivated whereas Adele simply does whatever society would say is the right thing.
I would wrap it up by going into Edna's suicide and how she chose to be awake and end her life so that she could be herself in the afterlife rather than live locked up in her physical life. I think Edna's suicide and decision to remain awake in the figurative sense show that Chopin wants the lesson to be that it is better to be aware of what's going on in society than blind to it even if it does end up hurting us in the end.
I would write about The Awakening and the questions it raises about whether it's better to be awake to society's constrictions on women or blind to them.
ReplyDeleteI would begin by writing about how Edna lived a lot of her life blind to the faults of society. She married and had kids and generally obeyed her husband. As a woman, she was not given much freedom. Mrs. Ratignolle is an example of the oppression of women. It is unclear whether she was happy or not in her role of the mother woman, but she went along with society's traditions and norms without question.
When Edna met Robert, her awakening began. She was given the freedom of swimming, a love interest to pursue, and she began to find her identity. I would discuss the freedoms Edna made for herself when she returned to the city, such as stopping her reception Tuesdays, moving to the apartment, and leaving her kids with her parents. I would also discuss the party she threw and how that portrays her awakening. Finally, I would discuss her fallout with Robert and the scene where she stays up all night, which is the finalization of her awakening.
Having experienced her awakening, Edna commits suicide. This leaves the question of blindness versus sight unanswered. Of course, she was not happy being the oppressed mother woman she did not want to be, but she was also unhappy in her pursuit to find herself because, despite how free she wanted to be, society still oppressed her. Unable to handle neither blindness nor sight, Edna drowns herself. Through this, she is finally taking control over her own life. Her suicide doesn't answer the question of blindness and sight because it speaks to a bigger issue: women should not have to face an oppression that makes them feel so dead inside they would rather be dead than live in their unjust society.