Jacqueline Procter
Journal # 23
March 14, 2008
Zitkala Sa
Quote:
“For the white man’s papers I had given up my faith in the Great Spirit. For these same papers I had forgotten the healing in trees and brooks. On account of my mother’s simple view of life, and my lack of any, I gave her up, also… I had been uprooted from my mother, nature, and God.”
Summary:
Zitkala Sa lost her identity when she chose to leave her mother to attend boarding school.
Response:
Zitkala Sa sacrificed a considerable amount in her pursuit of an education. She grew up without the nurturing presence of a mother, nature, or God/spirituality, which all provide comfort to an individual. Native Americans are a spiritual people whose relationship with the earth is an integral part of their identity, as for thousands of years; their survival has been dependent on nature’s bounty.
Her soul was deprived of the healing qualities that nature provides, as well as the divine essence, or spirit of God that is present in nature. How devastatingly lonely she must have been to find herself in the sterile environment of the boarding school, bereft all that she knew – an alien in her own country.
Zitkala Sa can be admired for her strong independent nature as well as her perseverance in pursuing an education isolated from everything familiar to her. Her sacrifices, in addition to her advocacy of Native American rights have benefited humanity.
Friday, March 14, 2008
In The Land of The Free
Jacqueline Procter
Journal # 22
March 14, 2008
Sui Sin Far
Quote:
“Little One, ah, my Little One!” cried Lae Choo.
She fell on her knees and stretched her hungry arms toward her son.
But the Little One shrunk from her and tried to hide himself in the folds of the white woman’s skirt.
“go’way, go’way!” he bade his mother.
Summary:
Lae Choo is finally reunited with her son after almost a year with no contact but her son does not know her.
Response:
This story is devastating in that Lae Choo has not had the opportunity to bond with her son; he has no recollection of her and identifies with the people who cared for him, white women. His mother is alien to him.
In a broader sense he has been stripped of his cultural identity. It was important to Hom Hing that his son be born in his native land of China which is significant in it’s implication that they are proud of their cultural heritage. Children adapt very well to change -- he will probably adjust, once again, to his biological parents. Regrettably, the most precious year is lost.
I just don’t understand how a baby could be taken away from its mother like he was a threat to national security -- seriously how could that have happened? What about the option of the mother accompanying her child to baby jail? What about visitation? I know that today if a child is born in the US and the parents are illegal, the parents could be deported, but at least action isn’t taken swiftly and the parents have the option of bringing their child with them.
A lot of blood, sweat, and tears were shed as the United States was being built into a supper power! -- That saying probably originated during this period.
Journal # 22
March 14, 2008
Sui Sin Far
Quote:
“Little One, ah, my Little One!” cried Lae Choo.
She fell on her knees and stretched her hungry arms toward her son.
But the Little One shrunk from her and tried to hide himself in the folds of the white woman’s skirt.
“go’way, go’way!” he bade his mother.
Summary:
Lae Choo is finally reunited with her son after almost a year with no contact but her son does not know her.
Response:
This story is devastating in that Lae Choo has not had the opportunity to bond with her son; he has no recollection of her and identifies with the people who cared for him, white women. His mother is alien to him.
In a broader sense he has been stripped of his cultural identity. It was important to Hom Hing that his son be born in his native land of China which is significant in it’s implication that they are proud of their cultural heritage. Children adapt very well to change -- he will probably adjust, once again, to his biological parents. Regrettably, the most precious year is lost.
I just don’t understand how a baby could be taken away from its mother like he was a threat to national security -- seriously how could that have happened? What about the option of the mother accompanying her child to baby jail? What about visitation? I know that today if a child is born in the US and the parents are illegal, the parents could be deported, but at least action isn’t taken swiftly and the parents have the option of bringing their child with them.
A lot of blood, sweat, and tears were shed as the United States was being built into a supper power! -- That saying probably originated during this period.
In The Land of The Free
Jacqueline Procter
Journal # 21
March 14, 2008
Sui Sin Far
Qoute:
“Well, we must get your boy for you,” he responded. “Of course”—turning to Hom Hing—“it will cost a little money. You can’t get fellows to hurry the Government for you without gold in your pocket.”
Summary:
Hom Hing and his wife are being solicited to come up with even more money in order to get their son back who is being detained by immigration because he was not born in the US.
Response:
The Hing’s are taken advantage of as their savings are depleted and then finally, the profiteer collects their jewelry. In this act, I see similarities between the pirates of the past and lawyers of today. The only difference is the manner in which it is executed – very politely the lawyer collects his booty. There is no violence, but a crime has been committed as the end result is the same – a robbery has taken place.
Any selfless parent would give their very life for their child, and this fact makes Hom Hing and his wife easy prey. Immigrants in general are easy prey when faced with this situation, especially when they do not speak English or have limited use of the English language, and don’t know the laws of the land. I wonder how effective immigration attorneys are in getting the Government to speed things along. It doesn’t seem possible that that would be a reality, unless, immigration agents are benefiting monetarily. In the story, the attorney had previously written ”letters” which had no effect on expediting the “process” and clues the reader in to questioning the integrity of the lawyer.
Is it even remotely possible that a letter written by an attorney would expedite the process? If so, how diligent are these attorneys in advocating for their clients? Do immigration attorneys really wield influence in these situations? Or, are they parasites, which feed on the emotions and bank accounts of immigrants, like which is portrayed in this story.
Journal # 21
March 14, 2008
Sui Sin Far
Qoute:
“Well, we must get your boy for you,” he responded. “Of course”—turning to Hom Hing—“it will cost a little money. You can’t get fellows to hurry the Government for you without gold in your pocket.”
Summary:
Hom Hing and his wife are being solicited to come up with even more money in order to get their son back who is being detained by immigration because he was not born in the US.
Response:
The Hing’s are taken advantage of as their savings are depleted and then finally, the profiteer collects their jewelry. In this act, I see similarities between the pirates of the past and lawyers of today. The only difference is the manner in which it is executed – very politely the lawyer collects his booty. There is no violence, but a crime has been committed as the end result is the same – a robbery has taken place.
Any selfless parent would give their very life for their child, and this fact makes Hom Hing and his wife easy prey. Immigrants in general are easy prey when faced with this situation, especially when they do not speak English or have limited use of the English language, and don’t know the laws of the land. I wonder how effective immigration attorneys are in getting the Government to speed things along. It doesn’t seem possible that that would be a reality, unless, immigration agents are benefiting monetarily. In the story, the attorney had previously written ”letters” which had no effect on expediting the “process” and clues the reader in to questioning the integrity of the lawyer.
Is it even remotely possible that a letter written by an attorney would expedite the process? If so, how diligent are these attorneys in advocating for their clients? Do immigration attorneys really wield influence in these situations? Or, are they parasites, which feed on the emotions and bank accounts of immigrants, like which is portrayed in this story.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Turned
Jacqueline Procter
Journal 20
March 7, 2008
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“Gerta, holding the child as a bulwark, with a new intelligence in her face, and her blue, adoring eyes fixed on her friend—not upon him.
He looked from one to the other dumbly.
And the woman who had been his wife asked quietly.
“What have you to say to us?”
Summary:
Mr. Marroner finally finds his wife, along with Gerta, the servant whom he impregnated. Mrs. Marroner left her husband without a forwarding address and has been taking care of Gerta and her child. Mr. Marroner is shocked to see the three of them.
Response:
My first thought upon reading the ending is that Mrs. Marroner and Gerta are a couple, but whether or not they are, the ending of the story is very empowering, especially for Mrs. Marroner. Although She is extremely hurt, because she loved her husband tremendously, she realizes that Gerta, inexperienced and willing to please everyone, did not possess the skills to fend her husband off. She blames her husband exclusively for taking advantage of such a naïve young girl.
Gerta represents the modern day surrogate mother. Mrs. Marroner couldn’t have a child with her husband so the next best thing is for her to rear his illegitimate progeny. Mrs. Marroner assumes the masculine role of provider, supporting Gerta and “their” child, by resuming her former teaching career as a college professor.
Mrs. Marroner is a role model for Gerta, as the “new Intelligence in Gerta’s face” is probably due to Mrs. Marroner influencing Gerta in getting an education for herself, which is why Gerta looks so adoringly at Mrs. Marroner.
Her husband, angry at Gerta for getting pregnant, does not accept responsibility for his actions and is dumbstruck with the revelation that his wife and his mistress are not only surviving without him, but they’re cohabitating. It's also a blow to his ego that Gerta, who once looked at him with adoration, now idolizes Mrs. Marroner.
Mrs. Marroner, a woman true to her word, has followed her husbands’ instructions of “taking care” of Gerta.
Journal 20
March 7, 2008
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“Gerta, holding the child as a bulwark, with a new intelligence in her face, and her blue, adoring eyes fixed on her friend—not upon him.
He looked from one to the other dumbly.
And the woman who had been his wife asked quietly.
“What have you to say to us?”
Summary:
Mr. Marroner finally finds his wife, along with Gerta, the servant whom he impregnated. Mrs. Marroner left her husband without a forwarding address and has been taking care of Gerta and her child. Mr. Marroner is shocked to see the three of them.
Response:
My first thought upon reading the ending is that Mrs. Marroner and Gerta are a couple, but whether or not they are, the ending of the story is very empowering, especially for Mrs. Marroner. Although She is extremely hurt, because she loved her husband tremendously, she realizes that Gerta, inexperienced and willing to please everyone, did not possess the skills to fend her husband off. She blames her husband exclusively for taking advantage of such a naïve young girl.
Gerta represents the modern day surrogate mother. Mrs. Marroner couldn’t have a child with her husband so the next best thing is for her to rear his illegitimate progeny. Mrs. Marroner assumes the masculine role of provider, supporting Gerta and “their” child, by resuming her former teaching career as a college professor.
Mrs. Marroner is a role model for Gerta, as the “new Intelligence in Gerta’s face” is probably due to Mrs. Marroner influencing Gerta in getting an education for herself, which is why Gerta looks so adoringly at Mrs. Marroner.
Her husband, angry at Gerta for getting pregnant, does not accept responsibility for his actions and is dumbstruck with the revelation that his wife and his mistress are not only surviving without him, but they’re cohabitating. It's also a blow to his ego that Gerta, who once looked at him with adoration, now idolizes Mrs. Marroner.
Mrs. Marroner, a woman true to her word, has followed her husbands’ instructions of “taking care” of Gerta.
Daisy Miller: A Study
Jacqueline Procter
Journal 19
March 7, 2008
Henry James
Quote:
“Why the devil…did you take her to that fatal place?”
“The subtle Roman again dropped his eyes. ‘If she had lived, I should have got nothing. She would never have married me, I am sure.”
Summary:
Winterbourne doesn’t understand why Giovanelli, a native of Rome, who understands the danger of skulking about at night, would take Daisy out with the threat of contracting a fatal disease – malaria. Giovanelli implies that Daisy would not have married him if she had lived anyway.
Response:
I’m not too clear about Giovanelli’s motives for taking Daisy to the coliseum. He almost seems selfish – if he couldn’t have her then nobody would. He claims he wasn’t concerned for himself but he wasn’t too concerned for Daisy or else he would not have indulged her in her request to gallivant all over the city in the evening. Maybe he couldn’t say no to such a beautiful girl and to pacify her he was willing to put himself as risk. This last excuse certainly highlights Daisy's tendencies as the spoiled American girl who lived her life on her own terms.
I do believe that Winterbourne cared for Daisy and had it not been for his aunt he would have pursued her more vigorously. He may have loved her as he was definitely enchanted by her and clearly mourns at her graveside.
Throughout the story the reader is lead to believe that Daisy is not a girl of scrupulous morals and her mother appears ignorant, as she lets her roam around the city with strange men – Giovanelli and others. I think that Daisy and her brother have a lot of freedom because the mother is often ill and in bed. Her brother’s teeth are falling out due to his addiction to candy, which is also the reason he can’t get to sleep before midnight – he’s jacked up on sugar. I guess Daisy is the eye candy for the men in the story, because in the end the reader discovers, along with Winterbourne, that Daisy was innocent, and her naivete was her down fall, which led to her death.
Journal 19
March 7, 2008
Henry James
Quote:
“Why the devil…did you take her to that fatal place?”
“The subtle Roman again dropped his eyes. ‘If she had lived, I should have got nothing. She would never have married me, I am sure.”
Summary:
Winterbourne doesn’t understand why Giovanelli, a native of Rome, who understands the danger of skulking about at night, would take Daisy out with the threat of contracting a fatal disease – malaria. Giovanelli implies that Daisy would not have married him if she had lived anyway.
Response:
I’m not too clear about Giovanelli’s motives for taking Daisy to the coliseum. He almost seems selfish – if he couldn’t have her then nobody would. He claims he wasn’t concerned for himself but he wasn’t too concerned for Daisy or else he would not have indulged her in her request to gallivant all over the city in the evening. Maybe he couldn’t say no to such a beautiful girl and to pacify her he was willing to put himself as risk. This last excuse certainly highlights Daisy's tendencies as the spoiled American girl who lived her life on her own terms.
I do believe that Winterbourne cared for Daisy and had it not been for his aunt he would have pursued her more vigorously. He may have loved her as he was definitely enchanted by her and clearly mourns at her graveside.
Throughout the story the reader is lead to believe that Daisy is not a girl of scrupulous morals and her mother appears ignorant, as she lets her roam around the city with strange men – Giovanelli and others. I think that Daisy and her brother have a lot of freedom because the mother is often ill and in bed. Her brother’s teeth are falling out due to his addiction to candy, which is also the reason he can’t get to sleep before midnight – he’s jacked up on sugar. I guess Daisy is the eye candy for the men in the story, because in the end the reader discovers, along with Winterbourne, that Daisy was innocent, and her naivete was her down fall, which led to her death.
Daisy Miller: A Study
Jacqueline Procter
Journal 18
March 7, 2008
Henry James
Quote:
“The shore of the lake presents an unbroken array of establishments…from the ‘grand hotel’…to the little Swiss pension…and an awkward summer-house in the angle of the garden.”
“Daisy’s grave was in the little Protestant cemetery, in an angle of the wall of imperial Rome, beneath the cypresses and the thick spring-flowers.”
Summary:
The first quote is a description of Vevey, Switzerland. The current grand hotels and quaint little boarding houses of the past are contrasted against the awkward summerhouse. The second quote describes the resting place of Daisy Miller.
Response:
When I read the first quote at the beginning of the story I had to re-read it several times as “in the angle of the garden” struck me as significant but I didn’t know why. The second quote mentions her grave placed “in an angle of the wall” so I don’t think it is a coincidence. I think he is comparing her and her final resting place to the awkward summerhouse.
Most Americans visit Europe in the summer, and like the “awkward summer house,” which appears out of place in Vevey, Americans, specifically Daisy, appear awkward in Europe. They are perceived as obnoxious and common by European standards, even when obviously wealthy, because they don’t conform to high society’s rules, and lack social grace, which easily identifies them as American.
I also find the “grand hotel’ which is described as “the newest fashion” similar to the American of “the newest fashion” – those made wealthy by Industrialization after the civil war. Europeans don’t like Americans but they have nothing against their money. The “grand hotels” were built in no small part to the deluge of new Americans vacationing in Europe.
Finally, the Protestant graveyard in Rome is also awkward, because Rome is the seat of the Catholic church, and would not have existed prior to the protestant reformation over 300 years before; therefore, not too many protestants were buried in Rome, unless there was more than one protestant grave yard, as the current graveyard is small.
Journal 18
March 7, 2008
Henry James
Quote:
“The shore of the lake presents an unbroken array of establishments…from the ‘grand hotel’…to the little Swiss pension…and an awkward summer-house in the angle of the garden.”
“Daisy’s grave was in the little Protestant cemetery, in an angle of the wall of imperial Rome, beneath the cypresses and the thick spring-flowers.”
Summary:
The first quote is a description of Vevey, Switzerland. The current grand hotels and quaint little boarding houses of the past are contrasted against the awkward summerhouse. The second quote describes the resting place of Daisy Miller.
Response:
When I read the first quote at the beginning of the story I had to re-read it several times as “in the angle of the garden” struck me as significant but I didn’t know why. The second quote mentions her grave placed “in an angle of the wall” so I don’t think it is a coincidence. I think he is comparing her and her final resting place to the awkward summerhouse.
Most Americans visit Europe in the summer, and like the “awkward summer house,” which appears out of place in Vevey, Americans, specifically Daisy, appear awkward in Europe. They are perceived as obnoxious and common by European standards, even when obviously wealthy, because they don’t conform to high society’s rules, and lack social grace, which easily identifies them as American.
I also find the “grand hotel’ which is described as “the newest fashion” similar to the American of “the newest fashion” – those made wealthy by Industrialization after the civil war. Europeans don’t like Americans but they have nothing against their money. The “grand hotels” were built in no small part to the deluge of new Americans vacationing in Europe.
Finally, the Protestant graveyard in Rome is also awkward, because Rome is the seat of the Catholic church, and would not have existed prior to the protestant reformation over 300 years before; therefore, not too many protestants were buried in Rome, unless there was more than one protestant grave yard, as the current graveyard is small.
The Yellow Wallpaper
Jacqueline Procter
Journal 17
March 7, 2008
charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“But there is something else about that paper – the smell! I noticed it the moment we came into the room, but with so much air and sun it was not bad. Now we have had a week of fog and rain, and whether the windows are open or not, the smell is here.”
Summary:
The room she is forced to sleep in smells bad.
Response:
My first thought when reading this was that the room was moldy. Could it have been black mold? Black mold, in addition to causing respiratory disease, can affect the nervous system, which would have a negative impact on her already fragile nervous system. If it wasn’t black mold and just a common mold then perhaps she suffered from an allergy to mold. Allergy sufferers do experience lethargy, which can manifest into depression. The fact that the smell dissipates to a great extent when the room is filled with sunshine and fresh air does suggest that it could be mold, especially when the smell is more prevalent when it has been raining or is foggy.
The other unpleasant alternative is that the smell is stale urine.
The “long, straight, even smooch” encircling the room suggests that it could be, although when I looked up smooch, the definition was the standard “kissing” smooch with no other definition offered. If it was urine it answers the question “how was it done?” In regards to “who did it?” -- Obviously someone imprisoned in the room – “What they did it for?” -- who knows, but the visual on that is disturbing and hilarious at the same time. A small child could have done it, but is ruled out, as a small child could not have stripped off paper above the bed “as far as [she could] reach,” and would therefore have been done by an adult or at least an older child, an adolescent perhaps.
Journal 17
March 7, 2008
charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“But there is something else about that paper – the smell! I noticed it the moment we came into the room, but with so much air and sun it was not bad. Now we have had a week of fog and rain, and whether the windows are open or not, the smell is here.”
Summary:
The room she is forced to sleep in smells bad.
Response:
My first thought when reading this was that the room was moldy. Could it have been black mold? Black mold, in addition to causing respiratory disease, can affect the nervous system, which would have a negative impact on her already fragile nervous system. If it wasn’t black mold and just a common mold then perhaps she suffered from an allergy to mold. Allergy sufferers do experience lethargy, which can manifest into depression. The fact that the smell dissipates to a great extent when the room is filled with sunshine and fresh air does suggest that it could be mold, especially when the smell is more prevalent when it has been raining or is foggy.
The other unpleasant alternative is that the smell is stale urine.
The “long, straight, even smooch” encircling the room suggests that it could be, although when I looked up smooch, the definition was the standard “kissing” smooch with no other definition offered. If it was urine it answers the question “how was it done?” In regards to “who did it?” -- Obviously someone imprisoned in the room – “What they did it for?” -- who knows, but the visual on that is disturbing and hilarious at the same time. A small child could have done it, but is ruled out, as a small child could not have stripped off paper above the bed “as far as [she could] reach,” and would therefore have been done by an adult or at least an older child, an adolescent perhaps.
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