Wednesday, 4 June 2003 - 10:37 AM CDT
Name:
Edelweiss
1. Discuss the portrayal of the narrator of the story from three perspectives: how her husband sees her, how she sees herself, and how you, as the reader, see her.
? The narrator?s husband sees her as a poor defenseless creature that needs someone to care and direct her life in place of her.
? The narrator, herself detects herself to be sick and unwell in her environment. She convinces herself of whatever her husband tells her, although there still linger some doubtful thoughts. She also seems to see herself as a caged animal in a zoo with no spectators.
? I, the reader see the narrator as a character who knows she is not defenseless but decides to go along with that perception that others may have of her. Her writing is what convinces me that she is strong and unwilling to be completely taken by her husband and society as a whole. Writing is her breath.
2. Make connections between the story and "Women's Brains." Discuss several connections that are going on.
? The assumptions society makes on women?s abilities and capacities. In ?The Yellow Wall Paper? the narrator?s husband goes beyond doubting his wife?s ability to care for herself and simply takes over control without any hesitation. ?Women?s Brains? presents Broca, the scientist who even through his experiments (which were misguided) follows and abides by preconceptions of women- that being her inferiority to men.
? The provided reasons for absurd occurrences. In ?Women?s Brains? the reason for why women are inferior to men is because of the size of their brain. Throughout the essay there are different reasons given for the state of women and men in society. In ?The Yellow Wall Paper? the reason for why the narrator says its fine that her husband laughs at her concerns is because it is expected in marriage.
3. Are "Women's Brains" and "The Yellow Wall-Paper" statements for or against feminist ideals?
? They are both statements for feminist ideals because they are both presenting you with situations in which a woman?s intelligence is analyzed and measured. What makes them pro-feminist is the absurdity of the matter the setting deals with.
