September 28, 2005
Yellow Wallpaper
This was a very interesting story to read. When i started out reading this story i just thought that she was having some very slight issues but as I began to read my mind slowly changed. It was interesting how in the story all that she usually talks about are things besides herself, john, jennie, her relatives, and the wall paper. I think that the reason she thinks she is not well is because of john and her surrounding relatives. They seem to put so much pressure on her and instead of just some slight help they are overwhelming with the help.
Posted by MeredithBenson at 05:37 PM | Comments (1)
Blogging Portfolio
1. Coverage, here is one of my Scarlet Letter entries.
2. Depth. Scarlet Letter 1-7.
3. Interaction - This story is not about Hester Prynne and her struggle with dealing with adultery and the ostracism that it brought her, but rather the story carries the underlying theme of FEMINISM. I do not agree with Lauren on this one because I believe that Hester is protrayed as the strongest one in the book. Dimmesdale dies in the end, Chillingsworth withers away in the end. If it were a man who had been in Hester's situation then he would have immediately have been executed because he cannot bare a child. Strength is fould in ever aspect of Hester.
4. Discussions.For a while I was getting a bit discouraged because I hadnt been getting many comments from people, but on this blog everyone seemed to have an interest in it. Scarlet Letter
5. Timeliness. Posting this blog early and before the September 21st class paid off because there was lots of commenting and discussion even before class begun.
6. Xenoblogging. Feminism?
Gotcha.
Scarlet Letter 22-24.
7. Wildcard: Not Only did i get comments on this blog but I also contributed to the discussion on this blog of Scarlet Letter.
Posted by MeredithBenson at 02:59 PM | Comments (0)
September 26, 2005
Bartleby
So, I'm definitely not going to lie, i've read the story through once and am starting to read it again and i just don't get the point or idea of it. Bartleby was such an interesting character and has totally perplexed me. He was totally passive, I'm pretty sure that he was never in anyway aggressive or very stern in his words. It's like he is empty, nothing excites him nor upsets him. He has no soul, no desires. Not even the other, also very strange characters, really measure up to his eccentric qualities. But, its like all of the characters were set up to show something different, like the old grumpy man, the middle aged man, the boy, then there was this void man. From one extreme to the other emotionally.
Posted by MeredithBenson at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)
September 20, 2005
Scarlet Letter 22-24
I thought that it was interesting how Hawthorne does not clearly show how Dimmesdale died. Hawthorne has him dying of emotional anguish, which seemed to be the inevitable end for someone how had arried a sin for so long. After his meeting in the woods, it was like his spirit had totally been lifted from his body. His death relates back to chapter 10 when it is said, " But, as he proceeded, a terrible fascination, a kind of fierce, though still calm, necessity seized the old man within its gripe, and never set him free again, until he had done all its bidding." Hawthorne is basically saying that the nature of man does not tolerate a prolounged perpetuation of sin, and therefore it brings misfortune/death.
Posted by MeredithBenson at 10:38 PM | Comments (2)
September 19, 2005
Scarlet Letter 14-21
"But whether influenced by the jealousy that seems instinctive with every petted child towards a dangerous rival, or from whatever caprice of her freakish nature, Pearl would should no favor to the clergyman."
Out of the chapter I read for this section I found this to be one of the most interesting quotes ( found in "The Child at the Brook-side"). I thought that this was interesting because this shows a huge shift in the life of Hester and Pearl. To me it seems that Dimmesdale is contending for Hester and Pearl is no longer the object of her mother's attention, which in my opinion is very odd because Pearl has been there for those 7 plus years and now Dimmesdale is Hester's focus. Pearl is such an interesting child, she is so smart and so aware of everything around her and she knows that her mother isn't focused on her anymore.
Posted by MeredithBenson at 10:48 AM | Comments (5)
September 14, 2005
Imperfection among leaders non-religious and religious
In class we discuss whether a religious leader could preach or continue on in his duties if he himself has sinned, is it so? Our ministers and religious leaders supposed to be perfect? I am totally clueless on any religious things, but to me perfection seems to be something that no one obtains and they are not supposed to, not even ministers and what not.
Posted by MeredithBenson at 08:27 PM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2005
Scarlet Letter 8-13
"God gave me the child." cried she. "He gave her, in requital of all things else, which ye had taken from me. SHe is my happiness! - she is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin? Ye shall not take her! I will die first!"
I thought that this was an interesting part in this story because it desribes how Hester feels about Pearl. At one moment she what keeps her alive and going the world also Pearl tears her up inside. I thought that this paragraph was talking about how Pearl is closer to heaven.It seemed to me that she was saying that Pearl is her connection to God and Heaven and that she is her ticket to Heaven.
Posted by MeredithBenson at 08:02 PM | Comments (2)
September 11, 2005
The Scarlet Letter Chapter 1-7
"She had in her nature a rich, voluptuous, Oriental characteristic, - a tate for the gorgeously beautiful, which, save in the exquisite productions of her need , found nothing else, in all the possibilities of her lief, to exercise itself upson. Women derive a pleasure, incomprehensible to the other sex, from the delicate toil of the needle. To Hester Prynne it might have been a mode of expressing, and therefore soothing, the passion of her life. Like all other joys, she rejected it as sin. This morbid meddling of conscience with an immaterial matter betokened, it is to be feard no genuine and steadfast penitence, but something doubtful, something that might be deeply wrong, beneath. "
This is a very interesting part because it expresses so much. In the beginning it is expressing the need that human beings have for somethign beautiful in their life, and for Hester it seems to be her needlework. At the end it reveals that Hester feels guilty about her doing the needlework for work because it is pleasurable for her. It seems that there is a thin line between evil and pleasure. Is there even a difference between pleasure and evil for Hester? Hester seems to punish herself emotionally as much as the townsmen.
Posted by MeredithBenson at 07:38 PM | Comments (3)
The Masque of the Red Death
"Who dares" - he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him - "who dares insult us with the blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him - that we may know whom we have to hang, at sunrise, from the battlements!"
I thought that this was an interesting part in this short story because the prince is portrayed as this kind of dark man who likes grotesque things and this just does not seem to fit his personality. At this point he is several rooms away from this character shouting as if it really makes an impact. How could this offend the prince when he is a fan of such bizarre things? I also that that it was interesting when he began to go after the masked man and approached him from the back, that definitely says he is a coward.
Posted by MeredithBenson at 07:23 PM | Comments (0)
Young Goodman Brown
"You are late, Goodman Brown," said he. "The clock of teh Old South was striking, as I came through Boston; and that is full fifteen minutes gone."
"Faith kept me back awhile," replied the young man, with a tremor in his voice caused by the sudden appearance of his companion, though not wholly unexpected.
After reading this story through again, I noticed a lot of small things. The fact that Faith is the name of Goodman Brown's wife is very interesting because there always seems to be a play on words. I found this to be one of the most interesting play on words. "Faith kept me back awhile." We know that he is referring to Faith his wife because Faith is capitalized, but it also means so much more. His Faith/faith most not have been strong enough from the beginning because he still went on the adventure. Was it his on lack of faith that made him not have faith in everyone else?
Posted by MeredithBenson at 07:08 PM | Comments (0)