Blog Option #4

Blog Option #4

“I don’t want to grow up” and “I’m not a little baby”

Have you ever just wanted to be able to act like a little kid at moments and have no responsibilities? However, just moments later you may use the excuse that you aren’t a baby anymore and don’t want to be treated like one. Well I have. Different occasions can bring forth different attitudes and personalities.

Similarly, Rachel from “Eleven” identifies as different ages depending on the situation. I feel like I can relate to Rachel, as there are days when I just “need to cry like if [I’m] three, and that’s okay”(Cisneros par 2). There are those moments when everything just seems to upset me or frustrate me for no reason at all and I just need to be able to throw a fit like a toddler. Yet, in some situations where I might not have the courage or wisdom I need “I wish I was one hundred and two”(Cisneros par 5). I understand why Rachel wishes she were older, because in certain conditions it seems like it would be easier to stick up for yourself or to know how to handle the circumstance.

Every year on my birthday, without fail I get asked if I feel any older. Yet, every time my answer remains the same. I never feel older; rather just feel a combination of all the previous ages before. Rachel makes an interesting argument when she says “the way you grow old is kind of like an onion or like the rings inside a tree trunk or like my little wooden dolls that fit one inside the other, each year inside the next one”(Cisneros par 3).  This statement seems very accurate to me. Constantly, I feel like different ages surface and control the way I act. For example, when I don’t know anybody I may act shy like a three year old, but if you throw me in a room with my close friends I may act hyper and immature like an eight year old.

Overall, I felt like I could connect to Rachel in “Eleven” by understanding exactly how she felt when she talked about acting different ages. You just never know what age you might get. One day I may be an energy filled nine year old and the next I may be a restless fifteen year old.

Blog Option 5

            Upon reading the seemingly controversial and out of the norm Herland, a novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, I have not only began to consider what life would be like without men, I also gained a different perspective on the female role within society. Gilman presents an overlying message of male and female equality throughout the novel. Gilman elaborates on this message by describing that women could not only do all that men can do, but are ultimately their equals in all aspects of life. In Herland, women not only are able to operate in a highly civilized society without the guidance of men, they are even able to produce children without men. Gilman illustrates the equality between men and women within the text by elaborating on the relationships of Van and Ellador, Terry and Alima, and Jeff and Celis. Gilman puts the greatest emphasis on the success of Van and Ellador’s relationship because they portray a couple that functions and thrive not only on friendship but also on respect for one another.

         The themes presented in the novel include the significance of motherhood as well as the potential women have to succeed as an active piece of society. The first theme of motherhood proves ever-present throughout Herland. Instead of conceiving children as an action of having sexual relations with a male or lust, women conceive children because they deem it a vital responsibility and an honor. All women within Herland rear and nurture the children and society consists of only eager, loving and caring mother figures. This love stems from the mothers only being able to have one child each, and Somel explains that “the reason our children are so—so fully loved, by all of us, is that we never—any of us—have enough of our own” which demonstrates that the women only have one child of their own to love and therefore love all the children. The theme of the importance of motherhood impacted my interpretation of the text in the sense that Herland did not serve as a “complaint-novel” about males, but rather emphasized the significance of females in raising children. The second major theme of women being a productive part of society reveals that women should be granted equal opportunities to males. Terry reveals his thoughts and other males thoughts at the time when he states, “We do not allow our women to work. Women are loved—idolized—honored—kept in the home to care for the children” (Gilman 52).  This scene demonstrated that the women in Herland do not even know life without work. In Herland, women were not only mothers but they were also teachers, specialists, studied the forest, and operated within society in the same way a male would. The presence of this major theme allowed the reader to gain a greater understanding that women can do so much more than being confined to the home to raising children. Within the time period this novel was written, this theme was of the utmost importance to express women’s knowledge and potential to be a part of the working class.  

         If I were to rate Herland, I would give it a 4.5. Not only did the novel make me activate my brain and actually think about what I was reading, I feel the message and major themes it present will continue to be relevant in today’s society and society in the future. I would recommend it to a friend because I know it would challenge their traditional thought and pass forward the message that women can and should be working in the same areas in society as men. 

Option 5

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s novel, Herland, depicts the exploration of three scientists to an unknown land that is populated with only females. The men are excited to embark to such place but little do they know what is in store for them on Herland: an island where females are dominant, there are no men, and everyone is seen as an equal. The men find this land strange- a place with no men? BLASHPHAMEY!  When they first arrive, the explorers are convinced that men helped create this place. They do not believe that woman could survive in a forest like this but low and behold, from their female mentors, the explorers learn about the history of the island and how it came to be. They also learn about the women on Herland who “had earnest temper and good nature” (Gilman, 47). Everything on this land is perfect. No war, no sadness, no problems, a place where woman are superior. I believe Gilman is trying to prove that woman can do just as much as a man can do and that woman can survive without men (and have happiness).  A reoccurring theme that Gilman stresses is that society is unjust to women and does not allow woman to achieve their full potential because they are distracted by “women’s work” such as childbearing and domestic labor. Because women are limited to the domestic work, they never reach their “full-human” potential. So, Gilman has the women reach their full potential in Herland because they all get to what they want, not what they are forced to do. All the male characters start with the assumption that women are inferior but by the end Gilman has them alter their world views on women by watching the woman in their natural habitat.

After reading this novel, I felt empowered to prove that women are equal to men. I would recommend this to my female friends to show that girl power is necessary and that we deserve the same respect that men receive. This novel would be perfect for a woman who sees the importance of being a woman and who enjoys a good story of women dominance. 

I would rate this novel a 4. While I enjoyed the novel, I found myself not agreeing with some of Gilman’s points. While I do believe that woman should be equal with men, I do not believe men should be gone in general. While yes, we deserve to be equal with them, God made men different from woman so we could benefit from their differences and vice versa. Overall, the novel was well written and kept me intrigued the whole time. There were just a few things I didn’t completely agree with making it a 4 in my book. 

Blog 3: Option #5

The Tables Have Turned 

Charlotte Gilman was a journalist involved in the first wave of the feminism movement. Gilman wrote Herland to emphasize the inequality of women during the 1900s. When Terry, Jeff and Van hear about this “strange women land” they didn’t believe it. They couldn’t imagine that there was a “country where no men lived—only women and girl children” (Gilman 10). These men, especially Terry didn’t understand how a country could function without men present. While the men are bickering about what a civilization like this could possibly look like, Terry thought that the men “mustn't look for inventions and progress; it'll be awfully primitive” (Gilman 21).  When the three men arrived in the hinterland they were amazed at the perfect cultivation and the beauty this country embodied. Van sees the civilized country and can only can come to one conclusion, “there must be men."    

As they spend more and more time in Herland they do not see one man, and after they learn the history behind this all, they began to accept that these women had developed this land on their own.

During this time in our history women were obligated to do two things, “take care of the home—and the children"(Gilman 110). The women were surprised to hear this because in their country there was no sex tradition, “There was no accepted standard of what was "manly" and what was "womanly" (Gilman 115). When Jeff insisted on taking Celis fruit basket because he didn’t think a woman should carry anything Celis was offended. She was not weaker than Jeff in any sense and was willing to do the dirty work. Van starts to think women can do things that are assigned to only men. Then the men start to see a message conveyed through the women’s actions. They are capable of all that man can do and Van thinks about this and relates them to animals. Just because one is labeled a certain sex doesn’t mean they are not able to complete the task of the opposite sex. Van thinks of it in resemblance to race horse, “one does not call a race horse weak because it is visibly not a cart horse” (Gilman 116).

Overcoming this wall of sexism is seen as a major step of importance to Gilman throughout the book. Motherhood also is an overarching theme throughout Herland. The women of Herland think of motherhood as almost a religion. To them God would be the mother who spreads love to the whole universe. Motherhood is also a way they keep social organization within in their country. Children are not always raised by their mother, based on the children’s capabilities they are raised by specialist to better their function in society. Motherhood was the highest calling to these women and men could were in capable of this. This capability gave women power, which the men almost envied. Knowing that they could not be considered powerful in this country of all women made clear to them their status of being a men in this land wasn’t enough, they had to earn it.  

Gilman’s presentation of these themes throughout the book really opened my eyes to a whole new perspective on the struggles women like Gilman faced during this time. I almost was able to put myself in the shoes of the women like Celis who questioned why women were so deprived and I too began criticize our society for its discrimination against women during this time. I would recommend this book to everyone! It gave a less factual and more mystical/interesting approach to the factors that led women to fight for their equality. The Herland women symbolized what women fought for, for years and years.

Blog 3: Option 5-Sucker

"Sucker" by Carson McCullers is a short piece jam packed with emotions, story lines and teenage angst. I found the narrator of the piece incredibly interesting. He is a young male who acts as a brother figure to young Richard and than suddenly flips on him. I think that a major theme in this piece is the idea of power and what becomes of the person who holds it. In the beginning of the story, the narrator holds all the power. The narrator calls the room that he shares "my room" and explains that Sucker got his nickname because he gave it to him (McCullers, 1). He also explains how Sucker would wear his clothes and strive to be like him. The narrator begins to really embrace his brotherly role,  "I wanted to show Sucker how much I really thought of him and make up for the way J had always treated him" (McCullers, 2). This demonstrates the power that he has over Sucker, he wants to be his role model and make him feel loved, he even begins telling people that Sucker is his kid brother. However, the power dramatically shifts from the narrator to Sucker.

One night, the narrator completely destroys Sucker verbally saying, "you don't know when you're not
wanted. You're too dumb. Just like your name-a dumb Sucker" (McCullers, 3). This statement has a profound effect on Sucker. The figure that he has looked up to is now severely tarnished. Sucker now takes his life and thoughts into his own hands buying his own clothes and making his own friends. This causes stress for the narrator who wishes, "More than anything I want to be easy in my mind again" (McCullers, 3). This shows how the power between the two cousins has now been placed in Sucker's hands.

I think that McCuller is using this piece to show the feelings that one person can bring upon another. Humans innately have power over one another and McCuller demonstrates that the power can be used for good or evil. I think this theme makes the piece slightly spooky considering that the individuals in the text are so young. Both boys are in their teens/early teens and they are able to evoke so much power over one another. Its was also surprising to me that the narrator was able to speak so harshly to Sucker. Both characters had such dark sides for being so young.

I would rate these piece as a 4. I thought that giving a child a power role was incredibly interesting and different. I had never seen a young character act so harsh toward another young character in a piece of literature before. I think that the length made it hard to get into however. It would be nice if this piece was longer, I felt myself wanting more when I was finished reading. I was curious as to how these boys relationship would evolve as they turned into young men.

Landan Rivers: Blog Option 4

            In Amy Tan’s “The Rules of the Game,” young Waverly Place finds herself passionate about chess – typically considered a masculine game that requires too much logic and reasoning for a girl to understand. Even though she proves herself an apt competitor, she is at a disadvantage from the get-go because society had a negative perception of girls playing chess. When she first walked up and asked the men if they would like to play, one of them responded “Little sister, been a long time since I play with dolls.” This exemplifies the idea that people have idea of what little girls should be doing, and playing a boys game is not one of them.

            While I must admit to having never played chess in my entire life, I have been judged and have been placed at disadvantages solely because of my position in life. I lived a pretty traditional life in high school – I was a white female, had lived in the same town my entire life, was involved in a couple of clubs, and liked to do typical teenager activities. The difference, however, was that I was homeschooled. For me, homeschool provided me with the opportunity to travel while still getting an education. It seemed like a no-brainer that it was the best option and I never viewed it negatively. However, when it came to college, the fact that I was homeschooled made my life different, particularly when getting into college.

            I look at chess competitions like getting into college – it’s easy to prove yourself once you’re there, but getting there can be difficult. While Waverly was met with opposition when she first started playing, as she won games she was able to move up into higher tournaments. You don’t win games to get into colleges, you win GPAs, SATs, rankings, and recommendations. Homeschooled kids don’t have a lot of those things – and it’s just made worse by the fact that those we do have aren’t regarded as highly because “homeschool is easier than public school.”

            Like Waverly, however, I was able to prove my skills and ended up getting into the schools I applied to. It became necessary for me to ignore what I didn’t have, and play up the attributes I did – like the fact that I had to be organized and was used to being my only motivator and not having others remind me of due dates.  I believe that when people are at a disadvantage, they work that much harder to show how successful they can be. For Waverly, and for me, proving to others that you can do anything you set you mind to means not giving up, even when you are at a disadvantage from the get-go.