13-55-2-1

Modern American Literature: Rise of Realism

Choose one of the stories to apply feminist criticism to the reading. Identify the protagonist and antagonist and describe their relationship as it relates to the theme. How does the relationship to the foil, if there is one, reflect the theme? Identify whether the protagonist is round or flat, dynamic or static. Support your response with examples from the text. Anastaisa Aldini Mrs. Lang Modern American literature __ The Yellow Wall Paper __ The story of the yellow wall paper written by Gillman has feminist criticism in the fact that it’s a woman that is not only writing the journal but narrating the story. She wasn’t the normal example of a woman in this time period. She had an illness that they just sat aside for depression, and thus you see her complete change in mental being. In the story Jane would be the protagonist and a round character, I think this is true because you see more than one side of her, and you get to know her better than any of the other characters. You see her trying to please her husband, but at the same time you see her wanting to escape and have somewhat of a social life. Throughout the story you also see changes in her mental state so she would also be a dynamic character. The antagonist in the story would be the wall paper and what it represents. The yellow wall paper represents the hold that society had on woman with the controlling rules and thoughts on what a woman should or shouldn’t be. In the story there are two characters that represent the views of societies thoughts on what a woman should and shouldn’t be, Jennie (Johns sister) and Jane (foil). You see Jane following the way of society and cleaning the house and taking care of “woman like duties”. She’s perfectly content with being a house made and tending to the children, and waiting hand and foot on men. Jane on the other hand does not want to stay in the house all day cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the children. She wants to go out and socialize and be a part of the world. The fact that she didn’t get to leave the room, with bars on the windows and a nailed down bed, as a result you see her have a mental breakdown. Her husband John was more of the masculine figure in the story, you seen him working all the time and controlling her life. But, that’s the only side you really see of him so he would be more of a flat and a static character, because you don’t see him changing. All of this ties into the theme of __The Yellow Wall Paper__, that we conform to the rules and standards of society and when people speak too much for you, you go insane.
 * Chopin’s “Story of and Hour” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”**

When we apply feminist criticism, it isn't in the story; it is only in the head of the reader, so it can't "have" feminist criticism. Great job explaining terms and using text to support! I'd like a little bit more detail though to make your writing stronger :) Excellent job with foil! brilliant :) Nice job with the theme, too! Be careful not to turn it into a moral though -- DON'T USE SECOND PERSON!

Select an example of imagery that creates the mood of the story? How does the mood of the setting reflect the character’s motivations driven by their id, ego, and superego?
 * Crane’s “Mystery of Heroism”**

How does the author indirectly characterize the protagonist through the use of dialect? What does this tell us about the character? How are they influenced by their id, ego, or superego?
 * Wharton’s “April Showers” and Twain’s “The Invalid’s Story”**

Anastaisa Aldini Mrs. Lange In Wharton’s “April Showers” there are a few ways that they show you about the characters in the story threw dialect. One way was how her dad spoke, “you see I’ve been there myself…” this would show that he cares about the way his daughter felt about the magazine not publishing her story. He also talks very proper which shows that he’s educated. The main character Theodora has and id and superego that she thinks she can balance out. She want to go to Boston out of anger of her story not being published, she doesn’t tell her family where she went and when she was going to be back, this would show her id and her more selfish side. Her superego is shown in the begging of the story when they show her having to take care of her family because her mother is sick. She has to sew the buttons on her brothers shirt and make sure her sister takes her cod liver oil. She didn’t always do what she was supposed to do for her family and she tries to make up with it by saying that she is going to give the money she gets from her book being published to her parents. Another example of how an author uses dialect is in Twain’s “The Invalid’s Story.” “we’er all in right now! I reckon we’ve got the commodore this time. I judge I’ve got the stuff here that’ll take the tuck out of him.” Twain is trying to show that he is from the south and that he is uneducated in this passage. The protagonist in the story had a dilemma, he wanted to take his friends body back to his family, but they thought that it was the body that smelled really bad. So he solved the problem by going in and out of the train car. He ended up getting sick from going in and out of the cold.