Summer Pt 1

"Hard as she found it to understand why he passed enchanted before certain neglected and paintless houses, while others, refurbished and "improved" by the local builder, did not arrest a glance." (49)

I liked this image a lot because for one I could definitely imagine these torn up houses next to new ones. The imagery was extremely strong and I loved it! But i also liked this section because I felt like in a roundabout way she was referring to herself. She couldn't understand how Harney could have feelings for her when she sees herself as plain and boring next to the other girls.

"Charity... imagined herself married to a man who had such a straight nose and such a beautiful way of speaking, and who lived in a brown-stone rectory covered with Virginia creeper." (60).

I chose this because it reminded me a lot of my narrative collage. We are brought up in a culture that basis happiness of a marriage on the wedding, the money, the way it all "looks" not on a strong relationship between the two who are involved. It also reminded me of the story we read, "Men in your Life." because she already knows what she wants before she finds it. It also seemed to me like Charity wanted to run away from what she came from and this section seems to portray that to me especially well.

Summer 1st half

"Entering her prison house with a listless step she took off her hat, hung it on a plaster bust of Minerva, opened the shutters,..."

When I read this line I felt bad for her, that her job was so horrible to her that she compared it to a prison house. The more you read on you find out she only works 2 hours a day! I thought that was funny and really dramatic, but the more I think about it now I realize she was probably referring to the whole town as a prison house for her. She felt trapped in a small undesirable place.

"The girl walked along, swinging her key on a finger, and looking about her with the heighted attention produced by the presence of a stranger in a familiar place."

This line didn't strike me odd by any means, I just really liked it. I liked it because I know how she feels, I love when my bf goes home with me and I always point out "there's my highschool, theres where I used to work, etc." And as much as i'm sure he loves it (ha!) I really start to miss my old town even though until that time I don't miss it at all. Also with movies and music I do this too. Like I have movies that I have just watched to death and never want to watch anymore, but if someone I know hasn't seen them I always insist we watch it immediatly and when we do I"m that annoying girl who says stuff like "wasn't that funny! and Pay attention you'll miss the good part!" Then i'll remember why I loved that movie so much. I think maybe it could be forshadowing that it will take this guy to remind her of all the things she used to love about this town.

Summer

I think that it's important to look at all of the sexual imagery in the novel along with its symbolism. Like on page 101, "A long "Oh-h-h" burst from the spectators: the stand creaked and shook with their blissful trepidations. "Oh-h-h," Charity gasped: she had forgotten where she was, had at last forgotten even Harney's nearness. She seemed to have been caught up in the stars." This creates a phallic imagery which suggests a sexual bliss that will occur for Charity as a result of deeper physical intimacy with Harney. It's also very romantic in the way she forgets where she is and becomes caught up in the stars. This heightens the passion of their first kiss. As the scene continues, her rapture tightens and she describes him as having mysterious power which she is possessed by. It's an interesting scene that is steady with her character.

Summer #1

From the first half i had a strong reaction to: "Marry you? Me?" she burst out with a scornful laugh. "Was that what you came to ask me the other night? What's come over you, I wonder? How long is it since you've looked at yourself in the glass?" " I suppose you think it would be cheaper to marry me than to keep a hired girl. Everybody knows you're the closet man in Eagle County; but I guess you're not going to get your mending done for you that way twice." My reaction was that I was in disbelief that he would ask her to marry her. The night that he went to her room I thought he was coming to rape her. The passage function as apart of the context as a whole because this came after she told him she wanted to leave. Which was odd because she told him she wanted to stay. It talks about her not being afraid and being superior to him but she does not want to stay as if she is scared.

The second passage that I had a strong reaction to was: "The tone with which Mr. Royall had said "He's not coming" seemed to her full of an ominous satisfaction. She saw that he had suddenly begun to hate Lucius Harney, and guessed herself to be the cause of this change of feeling. My reaction to this is Mr. Royall clearly is jealous that that Charity had feelings for Lucius. This passage function with the context as a whole because Charity turned down Mr. Royall's marriage proposal, and that angered him. From the beginning Charity showed a liking for Mr. Harney.

Summer- First Half

The first passage that struck me as interesting, given our recent discussion topic of cultural narratives is on page 24. It begins "Then she remembered his sudden pause when he had come...as if to have the impression of a kiss". The entire dream sequence is very much a description of a cultural narrative about love and romance affecting someone so much that she is dreaming about the romance without even knowing the man very well. I thought that it was out of character, or at least a dramatic change in the mellow, almost shy character we had seen so far. I think that it is also intersting to notice the amount of attention she pays to her own looks in the fantasy, she also says that it may be a mistake to wish her eyes were blue. This echos another cultural narrative we have talked a lot about, that women always want to change their features to look like models, or whatever is considered beautifu and exotic at the time.
The second passage I chose is on page 39 and fills the enire page save for the beginning of the second paragraph at the bottom. I liked this passage because it shows changes in the character and her reflection of her own life. She talks about how she is shy and had refrained from any 'town lovemaking', yet she watches lucius harney and responds to the fact that he is the brillaince she had been waiting for and that he values her. This plays into the cultural narrative that women have to be valued like an object in the eyes of men to be worthy. It also shows the romance narrative and the hidden desires Charity has for herself and a relationship with Harney.

Summer Part 1

Her bewilderment was complete: the more she wished to appear to understand him the more unintelligible his remarks became. He reminded her of the gentleman who had "explained" the pictures at Nettleton, and hte weight of her ignorance settled down on her again like a pall."

this passage takes place during Charity's and Harney's first encounter at the Library. I thought it was interesting becauase it not only shows the difference in their cultural or social status, but also in the difference between being a woman of a lower social status. He is educated and from the city, while she is uneducated and from a small town below the mountains where she was actually born. She was "brought down from the mountain" by Mr. Royale when she was young. The mountain people are considered to be scum or outlaws and they are all poor and ignorant people who must be evil in the eyes of the towns people. they do not understand them. charity seems to carry this feeling of inadequecy with her through out the story even though she seems to be a strong character she has moments of vulnerability and weakness concerning her heritage. Harney emphasizes this inadequey for her and she is drawn to him hoping to impress him but always doubting that she can because of her educational background as well as where she came from.

Except on the occasion of his one offense he had been to her merely the person who was always there, the unquestioned central fact of life, as inevitable but as uninteresting as North Dormer itself, or any of the other conditions fate had laid on her.

I thought this passage describing Mr. Royale in charity's eyes was interesting because it reveal a great deal about her. She is bored with her life. She is stuck with this man who saved her from the mountains and deep down i think besides not having money or a husband to help her leave his house she feels a sense of duty to him for keeping her from such a terrible fate. Even though she acts defiant to him, i feel that there is something there that makes her stay. This makes it all the more noticable by calling him the person always there. It seems to be a constant in her life that brings comfort from the unknown even though it is disinteresting to her. She is bored but complacent it seems because she hasn't done anything but get the job at the library to help in leaving this man and Dormer.

Summer

"In the course of that incredible day, Charity Royall had, for the first and only time, experienced railway travel, looked into shops with plate-glass fronts, tasted cocoanut pie, sat in a theatre, and listened to gentlemen saying unintelligible things before pictures that she would have enjoyed lokking at if his explanations had not prevented her from understanding them. This initiation had shown her that North Dormer was a small place . . . " pg. 5

Coming from a small town this passage really caught my attention. This is the first time that Charity realizes how small and limiting North Dormer is. She gets a taste of the city and for a moment, realizes that there is much more out there. I really relate with her at this point in the story. My hometown is very small, quaint, and resistant to change. At times, I feel it is limiting, and I was so excited to come to Columbia (which felt huge to me when I first moved here!)

["You go right back from here," she said, in a shrill voice that startled her, "you ain't going to have that key tonight"] pg.17

I picked this second passage because it shows Charity's assertiveness. She is being the adult in the situation. It shows her ability to stand up for herself. This surprised me at this point in the story, because up until this point I thought of her to be more timid, more of a pushover. My opinion of Charity really begins to change at this point.

Sula - 2(I don't know why it never showed up . . .)

Okay here is my Sula Pt 2 :

"I heard you were sick. Anything I can do for you?" (pg. 138)

I was really moved by Nel's kindness in this part of the story. Although Sula has committed the ultimate betrayal against her friend, Nel comes to check on Sula when she hears of her illness. I really think this part of the story shows Nel's character. She knows that everyone else in the town is rejoicing at Sula's illness. Nel is the bigger person, facing her former friend and going to check on the outcast that she has become. I was blown away by this act of kindness. I tried to put myself in Nel's shoes, and know that I couldn't do such a thing. It really made me respect her.

["All that time, all that time, I thought I was missing Jude." And the loss pressed down on her chest and came up into her throat. "We was girls together," she said as though explaining something. "O Lord, Sula,"she cried, "girl, girl, girlgirlgirl."] pg. 174

I thought this passage had a powerful message. Sula and Nel had grown up together, and gone through much together as friends. Although Sula betrayed her, Nel stil longed through her friendship during her adult years. I think this shows how powerful women's relationships can be. Both women were a stronghold for each other, and even though their relationship didn't end on good terms, Nel still longed for it.

SUMMER: PART ONE

The first passage I chose to write about actually takes place in Chapter One. “Entering her prison house with a listless step she took off her hat, hung it on a plaster bust of Minerva, opened the shutters, leaned out to see if there were any eggs in the swallow’s nest above one of the windows, and finally, seating herself behind the desk, drew out a roll of cotton lace and a steel crochet hook. She was not an expert work woman, and it had taken her many weeks to make the half-yard of narrow lace which she kept wound about the buckram back of a disintegrated copy of “The Lamplighter.” But there was no other way of getting any lace to trim her summer blouse, and since Ally Hawes, the poorest girl in the village, had shown herself in church with enviable transparencies about the shoulders, Charity’s hook traveled faster. She unrolled the lace, dug the hook into a loop, and bent to the task with furrowed brows.”

I chose this very simple passage because it tells you a little bit about the main character of the book, Charity. Although we don’t know why she feels her house is a “prison house”, I find it very interesting that the book has just starting and there are already negative feelings. On the other hand, looking to see if there were eggs in the bird’s nest made me thing that she might like nature. One thing I thought that was very interesting was how she felt she had to knit/lace her blouse faster because Ally Hawes wore hers to church. The fact that there is already competing feelings taking place makes me wonder where this book will go. Even though the author doesn’t really elaborate, I was thinking (as I was reading) about any possible outcomes that may take place. It the competition attitude somewhat reminded me of Nel and Sula in the book Sula. I’m very excited to see where this book goes because if it is anything like that, it will be a very good read.

Second passage: “She had liked the young man’s looks, and his short-sighted eyes, and his odd way of speaking, that was abrupt yet soft, just as his hands were sunburnt and sinewy, yet with smooth nails like a woman’s. His hair was sunburnt looking too, or rather the colour of bracken after frost; his smile shy yet confident, as if he knew lots of things she had never dreamed of, and yet wouldn’t for the world have had her feel his superiority. But she did feel it, and she liked the feeling; for it was new to her.”

I like this passage because it is such a strong description and it puts such a vivid picture in my head- just reading it made me smile. It’s every woman’s dream to find a man like this. It really doesn’t resemble anything we’ve read in this class so far. This passage is so happy and colorful! It does, however, remind me of some of the “chick flick” movies that we watched in class. I’m having a difficult time explaining in words what struck me so hard about this passage but I absolutely love it. It just gives me this warm feeling. I feel that the author did a wonderful job of wording this passage; of giving Charity this beautiful, romantic side and it just made me want to keep reading and never stop!

Summer part I

"It did not, of course, always end so sensationally; nor, perhaps, on the whole, so untragically. Charity had always suspected that the shunned Julia's fate might have its compensations. There were others, worse endings that the village knew of, mean, miserable, unconfessed; other lives that went on drearily, without visible change, in the same cramped setting of hypocrisy. But these were not the same reasons that held her back. Since the day before, she had known exactly what she would feel if Harney should take her in his arms: the melting of palm into palm and mouth on mouth, and the long flame burning her from head to foot. But mixed with this feeling was another: the wondering pride in his liking for her, the startled softness that his sympathy had put into her heart. Sometimes, when her youth flushed up in her, she had imagined yielding like other girls to furtive caresses in the twilight; but she could not so cheapen herself to Harney. She did not know why he was going; but since he was going she felt she must do nothing to deface the image of her that he carried away. If he wanted her he must seek her: he must not be surprised into taking her as girls like Julia Hawes were taken..."

I chose this passage because it summed up Charity's dilemma, which is pretty much the age old dilemma women have struggled with. Should she resist her lust for Harney in order to preserve her integrity? She admits that Julia Hawes, even though she's been shunned by North Dormer, has enjoyed a more exciting life than most North Dormer residents. At the same time, she has a desire to been seen as the quintessential lady, and the epitome of classy behavior. Charity also seems to possess competing views of what romance really is - is it more desirable to have a passionate but illicit romance, or a more traditional and decidedly less passionate romance?

I also picked this passage because it's a good example of Wharton's foreshadowing. She's one of my favorite authors, because even though you know pretty much all of her characters meet a tragic end, she sucks you into rooting for her protagonists, and though you hold out a hope that things will eventually be alright, even though they never turn out to be.

"She walked on, wondering whether Mr. Royall was still on the porch. In her exalted mood she did not greatly care whether he was waiting for her or not; she seemed to be floating high over life, on a great cloud of misery beneath whih everyday realities had dwindled to mere specks in space."

I chose this passage because it's a confirmation of what the reader has already begun to suspect. Charity is not only in love with the person Harney, but also the vision of him taking her away from her own dull life in North Dormer. She may be in love with the person, but the ideal of the person has also blinded her to the realities of their relationship. She consistenly misinterprets his actions, and ignores how the name "Annabel Balch" seems to keep popping up in relation to Harney.

I guess it makes it easier to go to class if the alarm is set...

I love these sort of readings; they prompt one to think about their own perceptions and how they feel about this subject matter. There were both simularities as well as differences in the two readings. Obviously, both main characters faced struggles for their cultural background. It was so hard for me to read about their hardships they faced only because of their heritage, something obviously out of their control. It made it even more difficult because I know that still happens today. However, there were differences; things that were people were more in control of. They were treated much differently as a result of their outbursts by their mother. Also, the way others treated them was a bit different and I think that also determined how they delt with the situation. These sort of readings are a perfect opportunity for us to take a personal look at how we view others and concider any prejudices we might have.

Assimilation Narratives

The most basic similarity I found between the two narratives was that each girl was ostracized for not fitting the mold of a typical American - that is, being of European descent. It's especially ironic in the case of Zitkala-Sa, considering Native Americans were here before the European settlers. The most fundamental difference I found in the narratives, was that Sui Sin Far had at least one parent that passed as American, whereas Zitkala-Sa did not. However, Sui Sin Far was in the catch-22 of not being American enough to satisfy her American peers, but not Chinese enough to be fully accepted by that group either. Another difference was the extent of acceptance they received from their mothers. Zitkala-Sa's mother seemed to pretty much disown her, but Sui Sin Far's mother was more tolerant of her daughter's rebellion. Although I think both suffered dramatically because of the inability or unwillingness of their parents to realize how awful their situations were. You can account for some of the differences simply by looking at the American attitude toward a particular ethnicity at the time. You could argue that if they had been raised at a different time, neither would have received the amount of unacceptance that they did.

July 26

I found both of these stories extremely moving. As a white, middle class American I have not had to deal with many of the things that these girls had to deal with. There struggles were very similar to each other because they were often seen as outcasts. However, I felt like the one tried to fit in more because she wanted to be liked and not different, where as the other embraced her culture and her differences. I think they are both very interesting accounts of what it is like to assimilate to the culture of the United States and it really made me realize some of my own prejudices toward people of other nationalities that come to this country and how I want to change my thoughts about them.

assimilation narratives

I thougth both of these stories seemed to truly help depict what it is like for someone who is not from the standard white background in the United States. Although both were from the past, many prejudices still exist. I found both of these stories to protray each young girls struggle with being part of mainstream america. However the first story about the indian girl in the school seems much different. She is being forced to take on the culture of the mainstream white world around her. She seems very passive at fighting this and eventually goes on the collegel where she continues to deal with prejudice and lonliness. the second story about the girl who is part Chinese, but grows up in England is different because when she is insulted she seems to fight back and demand recognition for the heritage as a chinese girl. She is angry at the predudices around her. She in turn begins to learn about her chinese heritage and traditions almost as a form of protest against the mainstream who want her to be conformed. The reality is, looking different makes it hard for anyone to be accepted in a white dominated society.

In "The Schooldays of an Indian Girl," and in "Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian" these stories of race or similar because both characters had to deal with being different. Both girls encounter racism and discrimination because of their differences. The girls had to deal with being nonwhite. The girls had to deal with trying to assimilate into mainstream culture and forget about their own. Both girls wanted to know more and recognize their different heritages. The differences that I see is that in "the Schooldays of an Indian Girl" she was taken away from her family to learn different ways. In "Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian" she is more eager to learn about her Chinese culture because she does not know much about it. The difference is that one is Indian and one is Chinese. The difference is that one is growing to learn more about her culture and I presumed to not look like she is Chinese. I think the differences are there because one grew up in her culture and the other one did not.

the schooldays and mental portfolio of an eurasian

These two excerpts from longer memoirs are similar in the way that the little girls, at first, don't realize why everyone looks at them differently. The Indian girl has "pale faces" look oddly at her shoes at blanket, and the little chinese girl doesn't even know when her mother is called chinese what that means. However they are both very smart girls and catch on quickly to the things that make them different from other girls and boys and they really embrace it.

The main difference that struck me was how one was aware of their culture and what it meant at a young age and the other didn't even know what a china man looked like and got slapped for story telling. In Schooldays she always longed for home and for her mother where as i felt like the other story was more her just trying to figure this whole other race thing out!.

July 26

Both of these readings really made me think. The characters are struggling to come into their own, feeling categorized by their cultural background. Although I have never been characterized for my race, I really felt for the girls and tried to imagine what it would be like to be in their shoes. Every girl idolizes and wishes to be like another at some point while growing up and the struggle to fit in is never an easy one.

"Resistance is Futile"

Sui Sin's "Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian" and Zitkala-Sa's "The School Days of an Indian Girl" discuss assimilation into a culture close, yet emotionally distant, to one's own. In "Leaves", it should be noted that the protagonist is not solely of Chinese descent. Similarly, the heroine of "School Days" is Native American. Such simple distinctions estrange them from those who share a culture not far removed from their own. The differences lie in the approach, but probably correspond with maturity. The woman of "Leaves" seems to be recollecting from adulthood while the girl of "School Days" relives the horror of her transition. Between woman and girl, experience and inexperience, it is no surprise that one adapts and dismisses more easily than the other. Conclusively, what is horror, what is extreme and unspeakable as committed by imperialism, seems to be defined by age, experience, and relation.

July 26, 2007

These two stories are very similar in the way they are written. I really enjoyed the child’s perspective of prejudice because it was not completely understood by either one of the girls but both were intuitive about how they were different, even though they had no idea about the social acceptance (or not) of their culture in white society. The stories were also obviously similar since both small children experienced the same feelings of being different even though they were in different places and from different backgrounds. I thought it was interesting that the main character in the first story, The Schooldays of an Indian Girl, knew her ancestry because her mother and relatives were still immersed in their culture. However, in Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian, the girl was never able to know real Chinese people and visit china, she too had impressions that Chinese were dirty and vile creatures. I think that this is a very important distinction to make, for although the girl ultimately stands up for herself and decides to embrace who she is, I think that she is still very different from a Chinese American and cannot really understand any struggle other than her own. The first story is also unique because the school girl ultimately becomes to look and go through the schedule of white people and ends up diaobeying her mother to go to college. I think in the same way as the woman in the second story, she gains her own independance from any race or culture and she must be appreciated for that and not for her background.

Blog due 7/26

THE SCHOOLDAYS OF AN INDIAN GIRL

This writing was very difficult for me to analyze. I think it might have a lot to do with the fact that I don’t know the history or the culture what so ever. I feel the author is focusing a lot on the cultural criticism of her time. For example, in part four she describes her dream with the “white man’s devil” and how he came into their house while her mother and her mother’s friend were in the kitchen and chased after her. I imagine this somehow had something to do with her insecurities of being an Indian.

LEAVES FROM THE MENTAL PORTFOLIO OF AN EURASIAN

The main difference between this story and Schooldays is that the writing is a lot more straight forward- a lot more literal. This story is telling actual stories whereas Schooldays talked a lot more about dreams and how she interpreted things. The main similarity is obviously that neither of these girls is Caucasian. I got the feeling that they both felt a little left out and maybe a little awkward. I can completely understand why they would feel that way, especially in the time that they grew up, where different races were looked down upon- the whiter your skin the better.
I feel bad for people who had to go through that. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have to go through that- thinking I was bad or different or wrong. I couldn’t imagine having to think of myself as different. We are all human beings and in that sense, we are all the same and all equal.