Beware: For Desdemona's Eyes Only

Dear Diary,

            It’s weird, I know, but for some reason, I am just so drawn to him. I find myself rushing through my chores, just for the chance to be around him a few moments longer. And when I am not around him, I am busy thinking about him and all of the things he has done. What am I ever to do? I can’t possibly feel like this for him, it is so shameful (right?) … and what of my family? They would never be okay with this… oh, my father, why can’t he look past the exterior of what he knows and trust what is inside of the being? … I feel like he cannot even trust me to know what is right and wrong, after all, he has spent a considerable amount of money having me “properly” educated, if that is what you would call it... But diary, it is almost as if my father just views me as another asset to his estate?

 

Dear Diary,

            The dark, mysterious moor asked me to ELOPE today! AHHHH!!!! Oh my word!!!! what should I do? I love him, but I love my family also… I would never want to embarrass them so… but they would never agree to marriage with dearest Othello, no matter how fond of him they seem to be… How can I go with my gut, when it is my gut that is twisting and turning causing me to worry? How ever shall I know I have made the right decision?

 

Dear Diary,

            Already my marriage has been called to the test of the public? Is this a sign? Did I make a mistake? AND ALREADY, my husband is away? Is this what I am to endure for the rest of my life – public opinion and an empty bed?

            Wait! No! Stop! I must not think like this. I love Othello, and he loves me. Oh dearest diary, if only you could tell me what to do?

 

Dear Diary,

            It is a terrible storm on the waters to Cyprus, I do pray that my husband is safe. Not only is the weather horrible, but I fear trouble is going to be stirred… There is something off about that Iago character that I am just not so sure about… Eh, I am sure it is just anxiety about Othello, I do worry about him so. Othello trusts Iago, so I must as well, I must obey Othello like the doting housewife, right? 

[Note: I feel like if Desdemona is as young as everyone seems to say she is, then she would have kept a diary no? All the questions I raised for the diary to answer, are questions I jotted down in my margins of what I was feeling while reading]

Displaced in Shakespeare

In class, we defined “displacement” as being away from your home, or a place where you feel comfortable. I must admit, that reading Shakespeare has caused me to feel quite displaced. I read a little Shakespeare in high school – mainly Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream. These plays were easier for me to read because I was already familiar with the basic story line. Othello, however, is very new to me.

Reading Act I took me nearly a whole afternoon. I read an online summary of the act just to get the main points of the story. I then proceeded to read the actual text, of which I still had a difficult time following. After what seemed like hours of struggling with “thous,” “thees,” and “shalts,” I broke down and read the Spark Notes for the play. There must be an easier way to understand this! Does anyone out there have any suggestions?!?!

What I did take from Monday’s class was this: My group was assigned one of Brabantio’s speeches. We were asked to discuss how the speaker viewed Othello. Brabantio thinks Othello of a lower standing than Desdemona when he says “of spirit so still and quiet that her motion blushed at herself; and she, in spite of nature, of years, of country, credit, everything, to fall in love with that she fear to look on!” (Lines 98-101). He also states that the only way Othello would ever get such a woman like Desdemona to fall in love with her would be because of the use of “some mixtures powerful o’er the blood” (line 106).

Although I do not (yet) fully understand Shakespeare’s writing style, breaking apart speeches accompanied with specific guide questions has allowed me to begin the process of comprehending and appreciating the text.

A Deeper Look at Othello

Othello is a very interesting and powerful character in Shakespeare's 'Othello'. It almost seems that he is a god. He acts with more power than the governor. When he returns from war, he is celebrated for six hours. When the governor becomes injured during the brawl at the end of Act III, Othello still demands information from him before he offers to help him. Othello appears to be above authority, simply because he is a war hero. At the time, it seems that war heroes were considered nobility.

Othello is described in many different ways by the other characters within the play. For instance, on page 66, Desdemona belittles herself to Othello by stating that her "heart's subdued/Even to the very quality of my lord." She claims that Othello is a better person than her, both morally and spiritually.

However, not all mention of Othello is praiseworthy. Iago, the villian in the play, is jealous of Othello and his success in war and in love. He is upset that Othello has chosen Cassio as his lieutenant, when he is older and more experienced. He then plans revenge on both Cassio and Othello through the use of Desdemona, who both men cannot help but fall in love with. Iago even states, "For, sir,/It is as sure as you are Roderigo,/Were I the Moor I would not be Iago" (48). It is not good to have a jealous subordinate, because he could eventually plot an uprising.

The only question that I can pose regarding Othello is why does everyone keep referring to him as Othello the Moor? It seems that his status and his demeanor are based on his cultural background.

My Take on Shakespeare

True, Shakespeare's works are some of the most cherished works of literature in existence. Before I ever read a work of Shakespeare (I read Romeo and Juliet for the first time in 8th grade), I had this notion that the plays would instantly captivate my interest and completely draw me into them. However, to my surprise, Shakespeare's choice of diction sounded like foreign language to me! I thought "Yea right! People are really into this?!" I was immediately discouraged, feeling that I would never be able to comprehend the complex and unfamiliar language. Because I was only in the 8th grade whenever I was introduced to Shakespeare, my classmates and I heavily relied on our English teacher to interpret the text for us. However, I was fortunate enough to to experience the world of Shakespeare, again, in high school. I say "fortunate" because it was in high school that I began to appreciate Shakespeare's wonderful talent and literature.

Once I reached high school, I felt that I would eventually need to attempt to understand Shakespeare; for this famous playwright's works are referenced worldwide. My first step in tackling the diction was utilizing the little footnotes and definitions provided in the text in school. Finally I was able to gain some sort of idea about what was going on in the plays. By the time I was a senior, I grew to love coming to English class and reading Shakespeare along with my classmates. I loved being able to visualize the play from my own customized perspective as students took turn reading different roles aloud. I knew I was 'transformed' when I was predicting what would happen next in "Macbeth" as I lied in my bed before I went to sleep!

From more and more exposure to Shakespeare and suggestions from my English teachers, I have developed my own method for comprehending the diction: Instead of trying to find the footnote definition for every single word as I'm reading along, I actually read through a character's entire line/soliloquy/lines and try to come up with my own interpretation of the selection. Then, I use the footnote definitions for terms I had trouble with, even with the use of context clues. Also, I write a brief, 2-4 sentence summary after each scene, to make sure I have an understanding of what is going on. This little technique has been quite helpful for me over the past couple of years, and it also helps me with other works of literature besides Shakespeare.

Unhappy Couple

I've always found it interesting the way Shakespeare stories never stay happy. They usually begin with a happy occasion and the main characters all seem so happy together and that nothing could possibly ruin that. However, we all know that their happiness does not last. Eventually someone dies and everything is in uproar. It is funny that we think of these stories as classic love stories when most end in tragedy. I would like to think that all happy occasions in my life will not end in death and sorrow just a short time later, but it seems like for Shakespeare's characters there is no hope. As I have never read Othello before but have read many other of Shakespeare's works; I cannot help notice how happy the couple of Othello and Desdemona seem to be, and how I know from how Shakespeare writes that this happiness cannot last long. I wonder what tragedy he will create to ruin their happiness.

I really think it would be unfortunate to be a character in one of Shakespeare's plays as happiness rarely lasts and even what seems like the happiest of endings, it is usually just the beginning. I really feel sorry for the couple in this story whose happiness surely will be short lived.

A Heart on a Sleeve.

Iago's scheme to tarnish Othello's name and to ruin him as a person begins from the opening of the first scene. Iago plans to ruin the Moor revolve around his suspicions that "the lusty Moor hath leaped into my seat...And nothing can or shall content my soul till I am evened with him, wife for wife..." (Act II Scene I 275-279). Iago's deceit foreshadows the tragedy that befalls Othello and Desdemona. He presents himself as a humble servant to everyone but his own servant Roderigo. Othello is even fooled by the air he puts on "I know, Iago, Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter" (Act II Scene 3 224-225). Iago can be best described as two faced.

Iago manipulates and plants the seeds of jealousy and doubt. He uses those around him like pawns in a game of chess. Iago, however, cannot accept complete blame for what happens. Othello must take some of the responsibility. The one fault of Othello, his inability to prevent his emotions from controlling him, allows Iago the ability to take control of a situation and play off the emotions of others. Iago even admits to his deceiving manner, "But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at. I am not what I am"(Act I Scene I 66-67). From the onset the audience is aware that Iago is the antagonist. He openly admits that his intentions are not honorable. Iago's success also depends on his ability to hide his true emotions. This allows him to portray himself in a false manner. It only takes one person to set the stage for destruction. The key to his success lies in his ability to convince those around him that he is trustful and then his ability to maintain that trust despite inconsistent suspicion that something is wrong.

The tragedy of Othello is comparable to the game Jenga. Removing one block can cause the whole tower to collapse, this is the same in Othello, remove Iago and the entire scheme to ruin Othello falls apart. Without Iago would Othello and Desdemona's love stood the test of time? No one can know for sure, unless we could gain access to Shakespeare's thoughts, but we can learn from this tragedy that you cannot allow emotions to control your life. If you wear your heart on your sleeve like Othello, it will only allow those around you to take advantage.

Patience for Revenge!

   Iago must wait and wait for the right moment to destroy Othello's world. Throughout the whole play he has been plotting and deceiving everyone he meets just to succeed at torturing Othello. What is really ironic about this is that patience is always thought to be a virtue, one that is extremely valuable and could be helpful in life. Even Iago says, "How poor are they that have not patience" (Act II, Scene 3, 328). Obviously Iago has plenty of patience and intelligence that is channeled into hatred. Imagine if Iago had used his gifts of patience and intelligence in a different way, he may have had Cassio's position or an even higher station. 

   I think this can be said for many people in our lives; talents are not used or they are disabused for hatred. This is a sad state of affairs in our world today because all the gifts and talents could be used to help many people. To go turn around Iago's word's, the rich would be those with many talents and virtues. A very different world from ours today where money is so important and for example, the greed of so many that has lead to catastrophe in the financial markets. How will we deal with using our talents for good? How can we be satisfied with only a wealth of talents and virtues? 

Idle and most false imposition

After reading act II of Othello. One point stood out at me. Cassio talks about how he has lost his reputation. Iago gives the definition of reputation as an "idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit and lost without deserving. You have lost no reputation at all, unless you repute yourself such a loser." this makes me think of why people are so obessed with their reputation. For example, I remeber when I was going into ninth grade at Okemos High School. It took me days to think about what outfit I should wear so that I could be in the right crowd. Another memory that pops in my head is when my brothers used to do something wrong, my father would yell, "Didn't you think about your reputation or ours as a family?" Repuations are not important but still kids, adults and parents worry about what people think of them or their family members.
Therefore I think Iago is right when he says an reputation is an idle and most false imposition" which means a thing artificially imposed and of no real value. You as a person should make up your own reputation, something strong that gives you confidence! So when someone does try and "ruin" it you know what you think of yourself and what your true reputation is.

Open Topic- To Love or Not to Love...That is the Question

After reading Act One of Othello, one question really stuck with me more so than anything else. This question revolved around the concept of love. Brabantio, the father of young Desdemona, is quick to proclaim to the counsel, "She is abused, stol'n from me, and corrupted by spells and medicines" (Shakespeare Act One, Scene Three, Lines 62-63). Here, we see that Brabantio views the secretive marriage between his daughter and Othello to be a union constructed through witchcraft. He accuses Othello of using spells and medicines to seduce his daughter and convince her to marry him. But isn't love supposed to feel as though we are under some kind of spell? Does it not make us act in ways that seem contradictory or even unlawful? Although I will not pretend to be an expert on love (but then again, who really is) I still imagine that love is one of the only things that can make us respond in unusual ways.

When Othello has the chance to refute Brabantio's accusations, he describes a much different view of how they came to love each other, "She loved me for the dangers I had passed. And I loved her that she did pity them" (Shakespeare Act One, Scene Three, Lines169-170). For Desdemona, the stories of Othello's life are what captivate her so much and her compassion is what mesmerizes Othello. I feel this illustrates that true love is expected to have a level of overwhelming emotions that take over our actions. What else would account for Desdemona's decision to secretly marry a man, knowing full well that her father, of whom she should have the greatest loyalty to, would be furious and feel betrayed? Also, what else would account for Othello's decision to marry a woman without her father's blessing, knowing that the law could punish him?

Thinking this over, I realize that while Brabantio is likely just an embarrassed and shocked father, he may have led to a greater argument. Maybe love is a spell of some sorts. The difference is that no one is to blame for this spell.

Blackboard & Other Tech News

I've had a chance to talk with IT about some of our Blackboard troubles. As we suspected, Blackboard tends to work best with earlier version of Firefox (2.0.0.16) (not version 3.0) and all versions of Internet Explorer. Safari's compatibility is best on versions 2 and 3, but it sounds like those that used it had no problems. We will give this one more try with our next assignment (the workshop), but we will also begin moving toward using our class wiki as an alternative. Frankly, this is a good excuse for you to become familiar with wiki platforms, especially given our discussion of networks and web 2.0 technologies in class on Friday (mind maps...not hamburger paragraphs). In short, try one more time when you receive details for submitting work for the next assignment AND get ready for a "using wikis" lesson to come.

For those of you who use Firefox and really aren't keen on having to switch to IE, fret not! Firefox offers an IE tab for download. In other words, if you suspect that a website may not be responding well to Firefox, you can right click on the link and select "open with IE tab" from the drop down menu. An IE tab will appear alongside any other Firefox tabs you already have open. If the notion of "tabs" is unknown to you, do a little reading about it online. It will change the way you surf the internet.

Microsoft Word Compatibility

If you use older versions of Microsoft Word (1997-2003) on your personal computer, please download a compatibility pack so that you can open current Word files (2007). All SMC computers have the more recent versions, so if you use college computers you are ok. Also, if you have the newer Word, be aware that when you save files, you can save as a "Word document" (2007) or a Word 97-2003 document.

I'm sure I would go crazy too if I was confined in a nursery with a nailed down bed. The Yellow Wallpaper is such an interesting piece and it is so intriguing to try and put the pieces of the narrator's puzzle together. First of all, I don't believe there is anything wrong with the narrator at first. She has a nervous personality because her husband is controlling and she does not have any control over her own life. The narrator says so herself, "John is a physician, and perhaps...that is one reason I do not get well faster." I think this quote is the basis for the entire short story. The way that the narrator strives to obey and satisfy her husband is shocking to me. The fact that the narrator didn't even feel that it was okay for her to write while trapped in this room disturbs me, the entire time reading I just wanted her to gain more confidence.

I think it is because of the limitations of the nursery and her husband that the narrator begins to see a woman in the wallpaper. The wallpaper begins as a nuisance to the narrator, and she repeatedly describes how it bothers her. But it is no wonder she builds a character out of the wallpaper, the narrator is lonely and in need of company. The task of tearing down the wallpaper is a way for the narrator to become occupied and it begins to build her confidence, so much so that she locks everyone out of the room in an effort to keep the woman of the wallpaper around.

The woman in the wallpaper helps make the narrator better but also consumes the narrator in the end when she begins saying that she herself is coming out of the wallpaper. This part throws me for a loop. How do these pieces go together? The only answer I have is that the narrator finds that she is her own only companion, everyone else just traps her in a room.

Creepy Sensations

After I finished reading Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" I had a horrible eery feeling. I found it the ending so strange and creepy, we knew this girl was mental but I was not expecting her to get so caught up in the wallpaper. Those last lines "...In spite of you and Jane? And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back. Now why should that man have fainted? But he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him every time!" She's gone mad! She calls her sister in-law Jane instead of Jennie, which is what she calls her throughout the story. She has let this wallpaper get so far into her mind that she believes she is the woman trapped inside the wallpaper. Maybe she feels like she is trapped inside this house or inside her own mind. But she goes on in the story about how the woman creeps around in the day, but is trapped in the room at night. Exactly how she is free to roam around in the day time but locked in the room at night. I think its very interesting how she goes on writing while in her condition, the style she writes in is very choppy and sort of all over the place with her thoughts at first. But later she focus' only on the wallpaper and how she needs to free the girl inside.

The last lines she suggests that her husband was trying to keep her locked in this room or away from life. Yet now she has escaped and has set herself free. I found it a little humorous how she asks why her husband fainted, imagine the scene a grown woman crawling around and around on the floor up against the wall, what a sight! When I read this I immediately thought of the movie 'The Grudge', where this crazy ghost lady crawls around looking totally demented. It's a very scary image.

The thing i found most interesting about this story is how they refer to the room as a nursery. Why would a bed be nailed down in a child's play room? It makes me think that she was not in a nursery, but in a room previously used to house mental patients. She describes how some of the paper is torn off and how the bed is bitten, she even mentions the scratch around the wall and how it seemed someone had crawled along it before. The bars on the windows resemble the bars she sees in the wallpaper, holding the woman inside them. Is it possible that this woman is not the first person to go crazy in this room? I found this piece very disturbing, and feel horrible for Gilman if this is how she felt on a day to day basis!

A baby in The Yellow Wallpaper

Recently in class, we discussed the nursery in which the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" was confined to. The fact that she was in a nursery, seemed very odd to me. A nursery in my mind is visualized as a secluded place for young children to be cared for. But for an adult to be cast aside into a nursery, seems it would be a bit degrading for the narrator. Oddly enough, the narrator's husband, John, is portrayed the wiser, caring, adult. Caring for another while they are ill is expected. But wouldn't they be cared for as an adult patient and not placed in a bared nursery like an infant?
The bars on the windows of the nursery are strange but I find John's language towards his wife infantilizing. According to the narrator, he calls her pet names. John refers to call his wife as a "little girl (4)." The adjective "little" makes the narrator seem small and inferior. Furthermore the word "girl," makes narrator appear helpless and almost in need of help. John is treating her as if she were a powerless, irrational being because she is a little girl. It is odd that the narrator is the mother of John's child and is never ferered to by her name.
Why does John have the power over his wife? John chose the room and location for his wife to recover from an illness that he declared she had. He chose how she should interact with others and how she would recover. He also made clear that he knew best when it came to her own health; "Of course if you were in any danger, I could and would [take you away from the house], but you really are better dear, whether you can see it or not" (4).
It's strange that he seems to believe he knows she needs help his help, while she often ask for his help and is disregarded. She asked him to take down the nursery wallpaper, to let her see her family or even to take her away from the house. Each time she reached out for help, John knew better. Yet, he was not denaying her requests out of spit. But simply because he feels she is foolish, nieve, and only a "little girl." He talks down to her perhaps to make himself feel stronger. I begin to think about Virgina Wolf's, Room of One's Own. Wolf describes that degrading women isn't about making the women feel bad about herself but empower the man. John does not want his wife to have anymore power than himself. He then refers to his wife as a "little girl," so he can veiw himself as a "big man" and still have control oveer her.

Trapped

Earlier this week we discussed in class the inescapable image that Perkin's portrays as the nursery. Although most of her focus and indeed most of the readers' attention is on the yellow wallpaper itself, there are several other, equally disturbing references to the room. In fact describes the windows as "barred," the bed as "nailed down," and the bedstead as "fairly gnawed." From her imagery we can gather that the room is quite ugly and uncomfortable and in some sense somewhat of a jail room.

But all of this imagery, I believe, becomes completely embodied in the women the main character finds creeping behind the wallpaper. When she first becomes obsessed with the wallpaper she does nothing but study the patterns and the color. Slowly, however, she notices that the patterns move (perhaps to her own imagination) and that the reason it moves (in her own opinion) are because of the women who skulk behind its veil. Perhaps the most interesting part of the entire realization though, is that she believes that they are not only moving but "shaking" the wallpaper. In her own words, "And she is all the time trying to climb through, But nobody could climb through that patter--it strangles so..." (right, 5).

In many ways the women of the wallpaper are just as trapped as the main character who notices them. For she too, is trapped. Not only in a room in which she is unsure of whether she despises or likes but also in a society that looks down upon her, in a marriage where she is the lesser person, and in her own mind where she is unsure of her own illness. The room (not only the wallpaper) is what traps the main character mentally.

The Haunted or The Mansion?

Real Estate Agent 1: This “colonial mansion, a hereditary estate” situated in the beautiful English countryside “stands well back from the road, three miles from the village” (1). “Delicious garden,… large and shady, full of box-bordered paths, lined with long grape-covered arbors with seats under them” (1). Downstairs bedroom “opens onto the piazza with roses all over the window” (1). Upstairs bedroom “a big, airy room, the whole floor nearly, with windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore” (1).  Extraordinary shady estate perfect amount of escape to a beautiful place, not to far from village life.

 

 

 

Real Estate Agent 2: The haunted house stands alone a far three miles from the village (1). Upstairs bedroom with barred windows has not been used in years (1). Rings and tings in the upstairs bedroom’s walls left over from its use for a boy’s school(1). Repellant color scheme with a smouldering unclean yellow and a dull yet lurid orange (2). All the windows allow for one never to be alone and always watched. The sunlight gushing in has caused fading to the once unique estate.  Now “reaches the height of romantic felicity” (1).

[View this as "John" is the real estate agent 1 and Gilman is real estate agent 2. ]

Note: I feel like John's view of the world is just like that of a real estate agent in the sense that he sees only what he wants to see (I also feel that many guys feel this way present day, but that is another day's topic). Gilman's view of the world is not only distorted at this point in her life, but is constantly watched, which makes it hard to make an accurate judgement upon how she really sees life. People who are constantly being watched, know it and act differently... so when she gets those few fleeting moments to write, I feel as though she doesn't know if she should still be acting on the page (where she draws in parts of how John feels about things) or if she should say how she truly feels. And this constant not knowing how to behave, could drive a person mad.

The Representation of Women

In Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” I was extremely distraught over how helpless and inadequate she portrayed herself. I do recognize that she was suffering from post-partum depression and that she was clinically sick, suffering from what she deemed her “nervous condition,” but it was difficult for me to accept how submissive she was to her husband John (1).

Now I realize I am reading this from the perspective of an independent college student and the only reason I am even able to think this way is because of the forerunners from years past who fought for these rights (the rights I am clearly taking for granted) but I simply could not get over the infinite number of pet names and labels that John insisted upon using. These pet names do nothing but undermine her abilities as a grown woman.

I find it interesting (also maddening) that John enforced such rules upon her and not once attempted to treat her as an adult. Not only does he treat her as a child, but also forces her to sleep in a nursery, a room she despises. It is not a surprise she went crazy! I would have done the same!

I believe her image of a woman beneath the wallpaper was a clear representation of her view of women living in the society of her time. They were oppressed and had very limited rights. Even though Gilman represents herself as one of these repressed individuals she is able to express her opinion through her writing.

John compared to Professor von X.

John, the narrator’s husband in “The Yellow Wall Paper” personifies the stereotypical image of Professor von X, in “A Room of One’s Own.” In essence, Virginia Woolf set out a model of the typical masculine perception of a woman by a man through the creation of Professor von X. John clearly fits this description through his daily interaction and treatment of his inferior wife. The connection lies in the self confidence in one’s being through Virginia Woolf’s looking glass portrait. A man boasts his power, by making his counterpart, the women seem inferior. It appears that she is an enemy, which must be kept under control. For, if she were to immerge, the outsized ego of the man would most surely diminish. This could be simply because men are driven by their uncontrollable instincts to be all powerful. These instincts are caused through culture and life experiences.
Thus, in “The Yellow Wall Paper,” John forces upon his wife disguised torture in form of love and tender actions and words. This torture of her is designed is to “protest against some infringement of his power to believe in himself.” He is maintaining his superior self looking glass by controlling her environment and daily life. For example, John always insists that rest in the cure for her “temporary nervous depression.” He also makes her feel like an inconvenience to him, giving her a distorted image of perception. So it appears that John is driven by the historical instincts of the late 1890’s, by having a looking class portrait of his superior being as a man and a physician.

Christian Culture Lecture

I attended Dr. Maria Rosa Menocal’s lecture and although found it confusing at times I also found myself pleasantly intrigued by her explanation of literature’s place in history. Menocal’s use of pictures was also extremely stimulating and helpful. By using Don Quixote as her subject I found it easier to keep up with her tour throughout Medieval Spain.


On a more personal level I was able to connect with Menocal’s lecture because of her constant reference to Toledo. I have always been fascinated with Spanish culture and traveled to Spain winter of my junior year of high school. In a little over a week we traveled to Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Granada, and Barcelona generally spending two or three days in each place. However we were only able to spend the day in Toledo. I was extremely disappointed because Toledo ended up being my favorite place. I felt as though Toledo embodied my vision of Spain. The city was absolutely picturesque and the ambiance made me feel right at home. It was interesting to learn how Arabic was widely spoken throughout Toledo. Overall Professor Menocal’s lecture brought me back to my own personal tour throughout present day Spain.

The Yellow Wallpaper

In “The Yellow Wallpaper” I found it unusual that she described how much John loved her and it always seemed like he treated her well, but she does not seem to love him. Maybe with her disease she is incapable of loving someone because she is so paranoid. On the right side of page she comments, “I’m sure I never used to be so sensitive. I think it is due to this nervous condition.”

John may be considered controlling, which would fit in with the “man’s role” of that time period but he also shows love for his wife. On the right side of page 3 she says, “He loves me very dearly, and hates to have me sick…” Also on the same page, she describes him, “And Dear John gathered me up in his arms, and just carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed, and sat by me and read to me till it tired my head. He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well.” While there are certain words that she uses that may make this sound less romantic and more like John has power over her, I think it sounds like a loving gesture. When she says he “gathered me,” and “carried me” it makes it sound like he is in control while he seems kind.

Evidence that she does not appreciate this and is paranoid of him is found on the left side of page five. “The fact is I am getting a little afraid of John.” Also, on the right side of page one she says, “I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes.”

Also, this made me think about how the typical “man’s role” and “woman’s role” have changed since then. But how much have they really changed? At the time this story was written the man was supposed to be in control and the women submissive. This has obviously changed greatly, now some women are the one’s who work while the men stay at home. But sometimes the women are still supposed to wait for the man to open the door, buy the meal, or carry the heavy things. There is still some remnants of those past “roles” in our relationships today.

Right to Rooms

Within the three short stories and the one novel we have read, "rooms" are used metaphorically to express reality. In example, look at the the significant comparisons between rooms and rights. Like rooms, rights are generally attainable, although within this specific time period, they were similarly only attainable to men. Rights, as well as rooms, vary in importance and purpose. Specifically, some rights and some rooms give more freedom than others. Particular race and gender, typically the Caucasian male, had the right to rooms but more importantly the room to attain rights. I believe this is why and how a room is used metaphorically to achieve a better view of reality during the late 1800's and early 1900's.
Therefore, is it a coincidence that Scott Russel Sanders, Annie Dillard, Virginia Wolf and Charlotte Perkins Gilman each write about rooms yet the one writer of the four that is not controlled by this room and within this room is the male writer? Annie Dillard is controlled by her very own paper and her thoughts and suffocated by her room. The narrator of Virginia Wolf's "A Room of One's Own" believes that woman are restrained from freedom of thought and speech by never having the ability to possess a room a writer uses only for themselves. The thoughts and reflections of the character Charlotte Perkins Gilman creates are controlled the yellow wallpaper and the patterns she discovers in the walls that confine her. Scott Russell Sanders expresses that he can write anywhere as long as there is no distraction. The three pieces of literature written by the women emphasize the importance of the room while Sanders does the opposite. The pieces written by the women reflect, through metaphors, the reality that women had no room of their own to set them free, or rather no rights to set them free. Scott Russell Sander's answers my question best when he explains that, "Women have had to tug harder and longer to open doors in rooms of their own" (154).

A Room is Really One's Own

The title of Virginia Woolf's work, A Room of One's Own, makes me think of how important a person's room is. I am not just talking about for writing either. Just think back to when you first started to realize who you were and what you were interested in... where did you first begin to express yourself? You're room, usually. My sister and I shared a room growing up, and by the time we reached middle school you could tell just by looking in our room what we were like. My half was clean, everything in its spot with even the bed neatly made. Her side, quite like her, was always a mess with clothes on the floor and piles of papers laying about. It's funny that now I am in school to be an engineer, a job that has been known to attract neat and organized people, while she is in school becoming a writer, still with piles of pages on her floor and post-it notes all over the place. Our room was the place that our personalities first came out. It was the only room in the house where we were allowed to decorate as we wanted (as long as it was appropriate, of course).


I believe it was in that space that we became who we were. We learned what we liked and what we didn't. A room is a special place for a kid. It is that first place that is really theirs. Even as we grow up, a space of our own is important. Think of how much time we spend planning our dorm rooms and collaborating with our roommates hoping to express all of our personalities. That room is important to us. More than I know I realize, because without that room what do I have that is really mine? Sure one day I plan to own a house with many rooms but with pets and families how many of those rooms will really be mine? As we read more about the importance of space for a writer, I think it is important to keep in mind that space is important for everyone not just writers.

Walls as Reflections

Walls surround us, they contain us. We use them to make our homes or to hide things we don't want others to see. Walls show our personalities and our life experiences. From pictures that freeze moments in time, to colors and decorations we use.

In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator describes her time in a room that "was a nursery first...for the windows are barred..."(Gilman 1). Her main focus in the room is the wallpaper "it is stripped off...in great patches all around..."(1). In the piece the wallpaper represents what the woman is going through. She continuously describes a woman inside the wall, who is confined by the wallpaper, "and she is all the time trying to climb through. But nobody could climb through that pattern- it strangles so..."(5). The analysis of the wallpaper reveals that the woman she is describing is her. The wallpaper represents the oppression of woman, more specifically the oppression the woman experienced from her husband. Not only does it describe that situation but it also takes on the characteristics of the post-partum depression the narrator is experiencing, "the paper stained everything it touched" (5). From this line it seems as if the narrators depression taints everyone around her; her condition is considered a nuisance by everyone. The appearance of walls define people. When a stranger walks into a house they are able to categorize the people that live there by what color the walls are, whats on them and how those objects are arranged. Walls are an excellent way to express interests.

Living in a college dorm room is a great example of how walls represent who we are. When someone walks into your room they can tell what your interests are if you like sports or what your favorite color is. How we decorate our walls is a direct correlation to how we define ourselves as people. This is exactly what Gilman does with her narrator. The woman's description of the woman in the wallpaper is an indirect representation of what she was experiencing in life. Our walls say a lot about us, they are a reflection of ourselves.

white space

In Charlotte Gilman's, The Yellow Wallpaper the narrator has an obvious obsession and hatred for the wallpaper in her room. "It is stripped off-the paper- in great patches all around the head of my bed, about as far as i can reach... I never saw a worse paper in my life" (1). 

I actually moved into a new room this weekend. At first sight, my roommate and I were in shock. The room was empty; there were uncovered beds, empty drawers, armoires and desks, and plain, white walls. It was so depressing. I don't know if it's worse to have ugly wallpaper or bare walls like my room had. The room had no character, it was just blah. The walls had an effect of making you feel small. There was so much open space that I felt like I was a single black speck in a whiteout. My roommate and I knew we had a lot of work to do. 

After posters, paintings, mirrors, picture frames, and lots of Notre Dame memorabilia hung around the room, our walls were filled. There's still some white space, but I think a little open space is needed. A person could probably go insane with every inch covered by posters. The room that had nothing now has our character. It's our home and I couldn't be more comfortable in a room other than my own bedroom at home. It is amazing how a room can make you feel. Our dorm rooms here at school are supposed to be our "homes away from home". It has your favorite colors, favorite movies, tasty treats, and even your signature scent. Without all of these elements, the room would simply be a room and nothing more than that. 

Sanity or Insanity?

Despite the narrator's odd character, I actually believe she has sanity within her, still. True, she suffers from postpartum depression as she narrates the story. In reality, many women suffer from this form of depression after experiencing childbirth. I know my mother went through phases of depression after giving birth to both me and my younger sister. Now, would it be reasonable to single the narrator out by labeling her as insane, when numerous mothers suffer from this disease sometime in their life? Perhaps, readers label the narrator's condition as 'insanity' because she is writing during the time of experiencing her postpartum depression. It's not like she's crazy 24/7 for no particular reason!

The narrator frequently discusses how she does her own version of a 'close reading' of the wallpaper. She mentions how the paper, "looks to [her] as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!" (2 right). She also indicates that "the whole thing goes horizontally, too, at least it seems so, and [she exhausts herself] in trying to to distinguish the order order of its going in that direction" (3 right). Sure, she may sound a little loopy, going into detail about wallpaper, but what else is she supposed to do? Think about it: This poor woman is still healing from childbirth; she is suffering from postpartum depression; she has to live in submission to her husband; she is confined to a former nursery room where the "windows are barred" (1 right). The only 'acceptable' thing to do, from a male's perspective (since men were dominant), is to look around. It just so happens that the interesting yellow, wallpaper pattern tends to grasp the narrator's attention, provoking her to wholly consume herself in its unfamiliar pattern. In the pattern she imagines a woman who, too, is trapped, and is trying to escape.

In fact, the narrator attempts to keep record of the wallpaper woman's progress and activities, such as creeping, in an effort to occupy her mind and imagine escaping herself. Think about it: The narrator mentions that the woman is striving to "climb through" because the wallpaper and it's print "strangles so" (5 right). Similarly, the narrator also wishes she could break free and not have to be submissive to her husband all the time. Towards the beginning of "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator says "There comes John, and I must put this away--he hates me to write a word," as if she can't do anything without her husband's approval (2 left). Obviously, no one likes to be controlled. Seemingly, the narrator would like to escape oppression if she had the chance to. With this common desire to escape, both the woman in the wallpaper and the narrator can relate. Since the only way the narrator can escape is in her imagination, she mentally relates to the mysterious woman, to help cope with her current situation of confinement.

Open Topic- If These Walls Could Talk

If these walls could talk, what would they say? Looking around my own room, I imagine the LeMans' women of over 100 years ago. Oh, how these walls would have seemed so different to them, than they do to me now. Sitting at my desk, I feel so serious, almost confined by it. But then I think of what this desk meant for those Belles some 100 years ago.

When I sit, I am reminded of all the work I have to finish. When they sit, they are reminded of all the work they have the opportunity to do. When I sit, I am unaffected when 3 people walk in the room. When they sit, 3 people in the room would surely shake them, as they still try to become comfortable with the idea that they no longer need to hide their thirst for knowledge.

I think of what this room would have represented to those women. When they walk in, they see a chance. When I walk in, I see a place I can decorate. When they wake up, they see a day to embrace filled with hope and opportunity. When I wake up, I see a tired face and a bed to make.

I think of what the roommates must have discussed. I imagine that their obligation to study for philosophy or literature would have sparked interest and excitement, yet I feel obligated to pretend it is a chore. I casually complain about how many hours I have to spend in the library, when those women would have jumped halfway to the moon for such a chance.

Thinking of what these walls would say about me makes me slightly ashamed. What sacrifice had I made to be here? Sure, I worked hard in high school, and dedicated hours of my time to community service, but those women, they faced a society. This is why I study this room. Every corner, every nook, I study it because it tells their story. And if I am smart enough to recognize how lucky I am to be here, these walls will someday tell my story too.

I guess, in a way, these walls do speak to me.

A Second Look

Within the text of 'The Yellow Wallpaper' rooms are mentioned quite often, which I had not thought of the first time that I read this story for my English Lit class. While reading the text for this class, I realized that the woman was being secluded in a very isolated room of her own. She was placed there in order to recover from her "nervous condition" (1). This room had once been a nursery. Its bed was nailed to the floor and its windows were covered by bars. How oppressed and helpless this woman must have felt shut up in this room all day long! The irony is that her husband, John, believed that she would feel much better as a result of staying in this room. He was the one who told her that she needed fresh air and exercise, but how would she get those needs met if she was upstairs all by herself? I feel that maybe the narrator's description is biased.

Because the narrator is placed in this room for the majority of her day, it is no wonder that she starts to obsess over the wallpaper: its texture, pattern, color, and smell. She even says that she gets "quite fond of the big room, all but that horrid paper"(2). Nevertheless, she still manages to obsess over it, and by the end of the story, it appears that she likes the paper because she wants to free the woman from behind it. She says that she "declared to finish it today" (6) meaning that she would peel all of the paper away in order to set the woman free. But why does she find the need to set this woman free? Is it because she sees herself reflected in the woman's oppression by some other force, or is it simply because she is suffering from a nervous condition and feels the urge to peel wallpaper?

Literature connected through cultures

I think it is truly amazing that in some point of human history, such religious cultures - Islam, Judaism, and Christianity could actually co-exist together. It is just amazing to imagine this in modern times, especially due to the conflict erupting in the Middle East.
Dr. Menocal was trying to emphasize this point in her lecture, through the study of Al-Andalus/Sefarad Spain. Through this lecture she tied in the context of the famed Don Quixote and how history and literature, specifically fiction are connected.
A very important discovery I found out through this lecture, I think, is that Don Quixote was written originally in Arabic, which I never even thought to consider. This point right here, again displays the remarkable connection of different cultures. She also showed a picture of a 13th century synagogue that reveals how Arabic culture shapes a Jewish community.
Furthermore, she mentioned that out of exile (I think relating maybe when the Muslims were exiled), came wide ranges of tyrannies, but also the redemptive power of exile causes great poetry. Through all the controversy and the ruins produced by history’s wars came intellectual creativity in the form of poetry.
On another note, I thought the lecture was difficult to understand at some points, and it would probably help if I was more informed on Medieval Spain, etc. Dr. Menocal talked in depth and rather quickly in order to get everything in that she had to say. Also when she answered questions at the end, she went off on a tangent that was never focused. She could have talked for the entire night, if the time allotted.

A Room Defines Who We Are

When I first read the Yellow Wallpaper, I thought the narrator was crazy when she is talking about how much she hated the nursery and the wallpaper, "I never saw a worse paper in my life."(1) She explains how she is glad her baby is happy because she is not in the nursery looking at the ugly wallpaper. Even little boys ripped it off the wall it was so ugly. Her dream room is, "one downstairs that opened on the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such a pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings!"(1) As I was first reading this I was wondering, why does it matter so much, a room is room.
Then I started to look around my dorm room and see how everything matched. I reflected back on the beginning of August and how I looked through hundreds of magazines, and had plenty trips to the store to make the perfect space for here. Also I remembered how I yelled at my mother in six grade because I wanted to paint my room purple with white shining stars and she would not allow it. At the time I thought the purple with the white shining stars defined me. I think the narrator is trying to tell us that a room defines who we are.
At this time, the narrator is in the middle of depression so everything she is writing is a reflection of her unhappiness. But when you read the description of what she wants for her room, "opened on the piazza, and had roses all over the window" you can find out who she really is. You can tell that even though she is sad right now, the narrator truly is a happy person.
I also think the room she is in now is contributing to her depression. She hates everything about it, and complains about the room all the time. If she was in her happy room, with roses everywhere I think she could have a better vibe around her that would make her better.
So why are rooms so important? They define you. When someone walks into the room and looks around it, they will learn a little more about you as a person. The narrator can't give anyone that chance because is in a room that she hates, she is not in her dream room.

Curving Mind

The yellow paper design is constantly turning and as Gilman tries to figure out one pattern she is thwarted with another swirl. It fustrates her greatly not to be able to see the pattern just as it would many people. I think her obsession with figuring out this pattern comes from the fact, that she can not figure out her own mind. Just as the yellow wall paper is an unending pattern that leads her to despair in trying to figure it out, she can not figure out the pattern of her own mind, nor can her husband for that matter. 

After trying to convince her husband to allow her to visit her cousins she says, "It is getting to be a great effort for me to think straight" (p 3). This may be a commonly used phrase (being able to think straight) , but how much more meaning and importance it has here. I can think of her mind as a series of twists and turns, in which the patterns are indiscernible. She may have straight thoughts now and then but soon enough it is complicated with another turn. It is obvious that she does not just have a nervous syndrome but how, if she is not able to figure out the pattern to her mind, will she become better. 

The Right to Write

"...give her a room of her own and five hundred a year, let her speak her mind and leave out half that she now puts in, and she will write a better book one of these days" (98).

In this quote, Virginia Woolf explains how in a hundred years, Mary Carmichael's talent for writing will go from producing an average novel to something poetic. Woolf believes that in some year's time, women will gain more respect and more opportunities. She has hope for a future where women's opinions are just as valued as men's and their skill for writing is encouraged.

On page 112, Woolf says "intellectual freedom depends upon material things. Poetry depends upon intellectual freedom" (112). The women of Woolf's time, however, did not possess this freedom. Although I do not agree that the freedom of the thinking mind depends on the possession of material goods, I do agree with how she states poetry and intellectual freedom are interconnected. In order to be a good poet, one must be free flowing of the mind so that your words are able to free flow on the page. This fluent language can only be achieved by a liberated mind - free from distraction, financial problems, and personal worries. This is why Woolf stresses a need for one's own room. It symbolizes intellectual freedom, where a writer can leave her worries at the door and produce great poetry.

Throughout the remainder of the novel (specifically on page 116), Woolf admits that women's rights have come a long way. She does not, however, think enough progress has been made. Woolf has hope for a future where women's rights (and writings) continue to grow and flourish for years to come.

Poetry as an Act of History

On September 18, María Rosa Menocal gave an enticing lecture in the Little Theatre. Much of her talk was centered around Cervantes’ stories of Don Quijote de la Mancha. Don Quijote had a distorted view of reality because of his great love for the reality of literary texts. He enjoyed reading about knights because he believed in their truth. After he returns home after his many adventures, his household decides to burn all his books for the sake of his mental health. It was sad to me, though, that a dying Quijote admits that all his adventures were merely stories. He believed so strongly in the chivalry of the knights that it was distressing to see him give up on those dreams.

Although I could not understand the name of the church that was famous to Cervantes and his characters, I thought the pictures on the slideshow were beautiful. The incredible architecture of the Arabic and Latin writings around the windows was inspiring. Some of the windows told a story of medieval Christianity. The speaker’s main point was that literature and poetry are vital to historic memories. They shape the culture and the way people think and view the world.

Christian Culture Lecture

To be honest, almost the entire lecture went over my head. I didn't know what Maria Rosa Menocal was going to be speaking about so I was not "mentally prepared" which might have helped. She was very charismatic and I enjoyed her lecture regardless, the pictures she showed were also amazing. It made me want to go to Spain!
She started by tying what she was speaking about with Don Quixote, which I have no knowledge of, and was again, lost. But as I started to try harder to really pay full attention I recognized a few ideas which I thought were really interesting. She talked a lot about the relationships between Muslims, Christians, and Jewish people. She mentioned Peter Cole's The Dream of the Poem.
The part that really grabbed my attention was when she put a picture of a palm tree that looked out of place in it's non-tropical background. And she quoted," far away in exile, long separated from family and friends, out of soil that is unfamiliar."which I think is from a book called Letters from Spain. I'm not entirely sure what this had to do with the original topic but I thought it was interesting, so I tried to look into it more online but I could not find anything.
Also one of her key points that I actually caught was the importance and difference of literature and history. She quoted, "on the land or in the poem..." When the author said "on the land" they meant the history and what is more logical and physically there. In contrast, "in the poem" means the "beauty and truth in poetry". In this sense poetry means all art.
I think this last quote could apply to the palm tree. When one looks at it for just history all they will see is a palm tree in the midst of the other landscape; but the poem written about it gives the seemingly mundane tree a story.

"The Yellow Wallpaper": Some Historical Context

Published in 1892, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" predates Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own by over 35 years, and, unlike Woolf's British text, takes place in America. What historical, national and cultural conditions might help us understand the broader context that Gilman was living and writing in?
To help you explore answers to some of these questions, I've posted a few resources below.

• "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper'": Here you'll find Gilman's own response to the "elephant in the room" question, especially given her own personal experience at the hand of mental health "professionals" like S. Weir Mitchell (mentioned in the story).
  
• What's going on in art? For a sense of how women are being represented in late 19th-century American art, check out The University of Virginia's American Culture pages on this very topic. You'll have to scroll down to the bottom to get to links to other related topics like women & domesticity, women in literature, etc.
• What is a "nervous disorder" anyway? At the turn of the 20th century, a condition called neurasthenia was determined to be the root cause to many cases of anxiety and depression, especially in the U.S. and especially for women. The actual medical validity behind such cases, however, was often suspect, creating instead what some have called a "culture of neurasthenia" in which women were often portrayed in nervous, weakened states. Women said to suffer from such conditions were many times prescribed rest cures or periods of severely restricted activity: no reading, no exercise, no sewing, reduced diet, strict bed rest, etc. The American Journal of Psychiatry has a helpful article, "The Rest Cure Revisited," explaining the history behind the supposed "cure" and the physician responsible for its use, S. Weir Mitchell (the same doctor Gilman references in her story, one she was herself treated by).
• Where was the story originally published and what did it look like? For links to images of the original pages from The New England Magazine, see Cornell's Making of America website. The image you see above was included in the initial publication.
  

Christian Culture Lecture

       Maria Rosa Menocal was chosen for this years Christian Culture Lecture. I thought her topic was really interesting and her pictures to demonstrate her ideas really made the presentation. One of the things that really grabbed me were her comparisons between Don Quixote having his books burned and Cardinal Cisneros burning many Arabic texts in Granada. To think of all the history that was lost because of this is staggering. It would be hard to even imagine if all of my favorite books were burned how I would feel. I think I might be devastated. Or even worse if I had not been able to read all of those books, how would my knowledge of the world diminish? 

        Even though Cardinal Cisneros burned the Arabic texts he could still not extinguish the influence of the Arabic cultures. For example, many of the churches she showed us had Arabic writing as part of the decoration. This did not take away from the beauty but added to it and demonstrates the importance of living together and appreciating other cultures. 

Ultimately, I think her topic was very interesting but I wish she had stayed a bit more focused. I really enjoyed how she related parts of Don Quixote to the history at the time and I would have liked more examples like that. She was sometimes hard to follow, when so many new ideas and quotes were thrown out. Overall I enjoyed the lecture and would like to hear more about the subject. 

Lecture Response

Before I had left for the lecture, I realized that I didn't even know what it was about. So, when I arrived, I was a little hesitant. When Maria Rosa Menocal started speaking, it seemed that she began in medias res, or in the middle of a story. I was a little confused as to what she was talking about. Later I realized that she was explaining the importance of literature and poetry in describing history.

In the beginning of her speech, she often referred to Cervantes and Don Quixote and the many narrators that the novel contained.

She also mentioned how the Christian, Islamic, and Jewish cultures were all interconnected in Spain prior to 1492. She spoke of medieval Spain and how many of the aspects of the culture blended together. A few synagogues even became churches but maintained their Hebrew writings and architecture.

Then, Menocal started reciting poems and explained them in terms of the history of the time in which they were written. Her beautiful slide show added to the experience, but at various times, I did not see how the pictures coincided with her lecture.

The lecture was definitely a worthwhile experience, but for most of it, I was honestly confused.

Why does Literature matter?

Just getting back from the lecture, the amazing images and facts are flowing through my mind. Maria Roas Menocal showed us images of Spain that I could never think of existing. The lecture was very interesting and worth going to.
One major theme Menocal brought up was that literature is key to history. Literature explains history, which made me think of our class because we talk about literature related to its time period. She brought up question Why does literature matter? To back up this question Menocal talks about how Don Quijote writes two parts of a novel which stories in them, his reasoning for writing these stories were because of the civil war in Italy. There is a pattern throughout history that writers tend to write during a tragedy or failed love.
So why does literature matter? It matters because it explains history in a more poetic way. It explains the feelings of citizens that are going through the tragedy. It makes us feel like we are in the moment, instead of just reading the facts it gives us the fiction, the myths and the stories told at that time.
Overall this was a very good lecture! I am very glad I went and learned lots! :-)

In Response...

Sarah, I really liked your last post. I thought it was creative and it kept me reading. Also, I completely agree with you that Woolf jumped around in her writing. Her jumping left me entirely confused for almost the whole time I was reading her piece. By the time I almost understood one part, Woolf had jumped to a completely other idea. So Sarah, you are not alone. And again, great post!

Christian Culture Lecture - 9/18, 7:30 pm, LittleTheater

Here's a reminder to attend this year's Christian Culture Lecture by Maria Rosa Menocal who will be addressing the question "Just what about history does a poem tell us that political history cannot, or will not?”. In particular, she will be exploring the relationship between Islamic, Christian, and Jewish communities in medieval Spain/Portugal (the Iberian peninsula). This talk is a great example of the historical and cultural overlap students explore in the HUST major. In fact, some of our majors were quoted in an article posted on the Saint Mary's home page. If you do attend the lecture, please post your responses, reactions, comments, and questions on the blog as an "extra credit" option. Looking forward to seeing many of you there!

An Interrupted Evening

"For interruptions there will always be" (78).

Welcome to the evening news on channel 13 WZZM. I'm Chastity Fox, and I'll be your host for the evening, James Von W has the night off.

First off this evening Hurricane Ike is firing up down in Texas... we'll come back with that story at 10 with Jane though... 

Today, a little boy outside of town in the suburb of Oxbridge lost his tailless cat, if you've seen this Manx cat, please contact silent observer, the number is at the bottom of....

... Sorry Chastity, but this just in... Hurricane Ike could be presenting flash flooding for our viewing area tonight.... back to you, Chastity. 

Well, hopefully we find our tailless cat before the poor beast loses another appendage in all of the flooding. Our little viewer from Oxbridge said that he last had his cat on a leash that he was walking on a gravel paths through the garden at the college, but he was distracted and let go of the leash when a priest started to frantically wave his hands about at a woman standing on the grass. Again, please call silent observer with any information you may have.

Now onto our main story of the night.: The food at the luncheon for hurricane Ike volunteers had food poisioning. Only three at the luncheon of five hundred did not have the quail pudding, which seems to be accountable for the sudden outbreak of horrendous stomach pains among the volunteers. 

Now, a word from our sponsers... 

"Oh, whatever..." Sarah finally gets fed up with watching the interrupted news. 

She tosses the remote nonchalantly onto the black overstuffed mission style futon before shuffling her feet onto the lineoleum floor the minuscle kitchenette rests its feet on in her tiny single bedroom apartment. 

She grabs microwavable popcorn out its hiding spot in the back of the musty smelling cupboard and smells the pre-popped bag like everytime she's done before making the fluffy, buttery snack. 

She pulls open the microwave's door and slams the door shut just before she punches the button labeled POPCORN. 

Resting her lower back against the countertop, Sarah lets the sounds of popping kernels relax her thoughts enough to the idea that the news's avid interruptions seems to be one of life's annoying aspects-- different trains of thoughts, how is anyone ever suppose to be able to contemplate a thought fully enough to analyze what was just presented to the audience in question...

BEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEP

Sarah grabs the popcorn from the microwave, a curse falls from her lips at how hot the bag seems to be. She shuffles back to the living room, pops in Pride and Prejudice, and settles into the black overstuffed mission style futon for the seven hour stretch. 

[Woolf talks about how writing can only occur if there are long periods of uninterrupted time, but what about uninterrupted thoughts? Woolf jumps around with speakers, ideas, and places... Am I the only one who is annoyed by such jumping?]

The androgynous mind

I've played soccer for years, and the mindset when playing is neither male nor female. I'd have to say its almost animalistic, running for a ball or going in for a tackle is instinct. So I'm used to switching off the girly mindset and tuning in with what comes most natural to me, when I'm out on that field. I found it very interesting when Virginia Woolf started talking about the androgynous mind and how the best writers have this mindset. At first I wasn't sure what she meant, but as I continued to read I realized how basic the concept was. As she says on page 98 "In each of us two powers preside, one male, one female; and i the man's brain, the man predominates over the woman, and in the woman's brain. the woman predominates over the man. The normal and comfortable state of being is that when the two live in harmony together, spiritually co-operating."

"It is when this fusion takes place that the mind is fully fertilised and uses all its faculties. Perhaps a mind that is purely masculine cannot create, any more than a mind that is purely feminine" (98) I agree with Woolf here, it would be impossible for me not to. When we think about eachother not as man or woman but as people we see what is truely important and can deal with others emotions and problems. I work at a homeless shelter here in South Bend, and in order to really connect with them I have to forget about the life i know, and try and put myself into their own life. This can be difficult, but no matter man or woman its possible. Woolf connects the androgynous mind to writers, saying the best ones must have this mindset. They are able to connect with the male and female parts of their brain.

Woolf also brings up an interesting point in how rare this quality is, and was especially in early times. "And if it be true that it is one of the tokens of the fully developed mind that it does not think specially or seperately of sex, how much harder it is to attain that condition now than ever before...No age can ever have been as stridently sex-concious as our own; those innumerable books by men and women in the British Museum are a proof of it" (99) She also says later that the womens sufferage campaign must be to blame. Because by challenging a mans superiority women have, in essence, created a monster. Now men have to prove themselves superior to women. "The suffrage campaign was no doubt to blame. It must have roused in men an extraordinary desire for self-assertion; it must have made them lay an emphasis upon their own sex and its characteristics which they would not have troubled to think about had they not been challenged. When one is challenged, even by a few women in black bonnets, one retaliates."

So Woolf ends with this puzzling question, 'do women have a harder time writing than men because men feel threatened by women.' If the answer is yes than is it due to their lack of ability to seperate male and female mindsets. Do all the great writers write with an androgynous mind? Is that why the greatest novels can be read by men and women everywhere and be enjoyed equally by both sexes? If so than is this the key Woolf and all the other writers we've read so far, is this what they've been searching for. Do they really need a room of their own, or do they simply need to get inside their own minds and open the doors to this way of thinking in order to write easier and be recognized.

Do Value the Woman

Towards the end of "A Room of One's Own," I began to notice that the author praises men and their ability to convey their writing in such a "direct" and "straightforward" fashion (99). Not only does she allude to the male writing figure once. She also goes on to make several other complimentary comments. Had she attributed women with more credit, this wouldn't have really stuck out to me; however the author seems to downplay women. After hours of reading literature written by female authors, she makes the comment,"indeed, it was delightful to read a man's writing again" (99). Seemingly, Virginia Woolf would seem more excited about women branching into new fields and capturing new opportunities, since she argues that women need a place of their own to write successfully.

It would be wrong to say that the author gives women no credit because she does, a few pages prior to making the statement on page 99. The narrator praises Mary Carmichael for writing not only "as a woman," but also "as a woman who has forgotten that she is a woman, so that her pages were full of curious sexuality" achievable "only when sex is unconscious itself" (93). After critiquing Carmichael's unfamiliar syntax and lack of flow, she finally commends the writer for her ability to develop her own voice, in a sense, and write in a completely unconscious frame of mind. However, I am bothered because the narrator makes this discover, but a few pages later, she begins attributing all of these desirable writing qualities to men, as if women's literature was so bleak and unskillfully written all along. I don't understand how you can say something one minute, then suddenly resort back to your previous state of mind.

Somehow, I had this idea that Woolf was pro-women's rights initially, especially with women recently gaining the right to vote less than a decade ago; however, I am disappointed that she (or the narrator) tends to continuously emphasize the great power of males and how anything in their makings will always be valued more highly. I was hoping that the narrative characters would be more willing to step out of their mindset of submissive women in the 20's and desire more equality with men, more so. Perhaps thoughts like these would have been to far-fetched back in 1928...

The Meaning Behind Mary

Woolf narrates her book A Room of One’s Own through a variety of female characters, announcing in the beginning, “Here then was I (call me Mary Beton, Mary Seton, Mary Carmichael, or by any name you please—it is not a matter of any importance) sitting on the banks of a river a week or two ago in fine October weather, lost in thought” (5).

The most interesting part about Woolf's use of multiple narrators, however, is the fact that the three main characters she mentions are all called Mary. I researched the name Mary and it's origins and although it became popularized by biblical references, it is thought that it originally stemmed from a Hebrew word meaning "sea of bitterness," "rebelliousness," or "wished for child."

Several times throughout the book Woolf mentions, deliberately, the bitterness behind many women poets and authors. When telling the story of Lady Winchilsea who wrote poetry about the position of women during her time Woolfe states, "Yet it is clear that could she have freed her mind from hate and fear and not heaped it with bitterness and resentment, the fire was hot within her" (60). Obviously, many women were enraged at their position in society but the fact that many of her female characters were writers shows their willingness to break the rules and become rebels.

However several scholars recognize that Egyptians used a word very similar to Mary as "beloved" before the Hebrews.

I was fascinated that the two connotations of the same name are exactly the opposite. While one is full of hostility the other is filled with love. I drew connections between the different meanings behind the one name into Woolf's theory of Charlotte Bronte's angry text and Jane Austen's calm writing. The two women were completely different writers and yet they both created a path for future writers. Perhaps, despite the differences in name or in writing, the fact that they merely wrote made a deep enough impact to ignore the reasons they wrote the way they did.

Women's Independence

One of the things that I’ve liked best about reading A Room of One’s Own is the personality Virginia Woolf exudes when she writes. She’s feisty, independent and strong, and any women reading this book can learn a lot from her. This book was written in a time when women were oppressed. Virginia makes it her duty throughout the book to prove that women are mistreated and deserve respect.

Perhaps what I have liked best, is how Virginia has inspired me. I don’t know if my attitude has changed since I’ve been attending Saint Mary’s, but I find myself really in sync with Virginia. Not that I’ve ever hated men, but I couldn’t agree with her more when reading her book. “I need not flatter any man; he has nothing to give me” (38). I feel empowered by Woolf’s words. She stresses independence from men, and after reading this, I strive for that independence. According to her research, “wise men never think the same thing about women” so we’re wasting our time if we think we’ll ever please all of them.

Woolf also discusses the superiority of men. “Possibly when the professor insisted a little too emphatically upon the inferiority of women, he was concerned not with their inferiority, but his own superiority” (34). Woolf suggests that possibly it could be the ignorance of men that women are made to look inferior. Men are too focused on themselves so women are seen as unimportant. Woolf comes back to say, “More than anything, perhaps, creatures of illusion as we are, it calls for confidence in oneself. Without self-confidence we are as babies in the cradle” (35). She observes the inequality of women, but says how women can face this oppression.

I can only appreciate the words Virginia shares with her audience. Woolf’s book is not just a list of complaints about men. She goes to the facts at the Oxbridge library and uses them for evidence. This makes her argument even stronger in addition to her strong voice used throughout the book.

Time for One's Own

As we continue our discussions on the importance of having a personal space in which to write in, I cannot help but question why the writers have not put more emphasis on what is really important... time. A space is easy to find, in my opinion. Most dwellings hold some kind of crannies in which to hide from the world. Children grow up knowing the best hiding spots, I remember my younger sister loving the small space between the chair and window. It wasn't huge but just her size. She would sit there for hours doing whatever children do and was quite content. Yes, I am sure a child's hiding spot may not be ideal for a writer, but really what is ideal? All you really need, is space and the removal of distractions both of which can be found there.

The real problem comes however, in the issue of time. For how does one expect to use a room when they never have three minutes in which to use it? Currently I see this predicament as I sit down to write this at quarter to midnight with a thousand other things that still need to be done and the hours until tomorrow slipping away. I have a lovely single with plenty of space and fewer distractions than previous years, and yet I still cannot find enough time to fit everything in the space of a day. The same is true for writers I assume. As how can one write when there is so much else to do? I give the writers, that somehow manage to do it all, credit. I do not know how they do it. There is not enough time in the day.