The Yellow Wall Paper

This was the second time I have read The Yellow Wallpaper. Before I read this time, I could only remember that some crazy lady was stuck in a room. After reading it again, I have some o the same feelings. However, I put most the blame on her husband and the other doctor for her declining cognitive abilities. If I were locked in a yellow stripped room for months I might go crazy too. 

I'm guessing the women had postpartum depression. It sounded like she recently had a baby. It is unfortunate that treatment such as this was the norm. Thankfully, medicine has improved greatly over the years. Doctors thought they were helping patients by isolating them, taking away their family, and implementing all kinds of restrictions. Today treatment is the opposite. Isolation is not recommended and having family around is a huge benefit. We also have drugs now that will enhance depressed moods. 

This short story seems like a good depression awareness article. Thankfully now Doctors can treat depression effectively. 

Harper's New Monthly Magazine Volume 0071 Issue 421 (June 1885)

I really enjoyed this read. I choose an issue from Harpers New Monthly Magazine from 1885, exactly 100 years before I was born. Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to live 100 years ago? I like to imagine what it would be like. Would life be more or less stressful? The article I read was called "Ladies Day at the Ranch". It was in no way what I expected to be in a magazine. Magazines have really changed over the past 100 years. Today, magazines are shorter and mostly deal with gossip, sports, politics and advertisements. Some things never change. This article related the experience of a millionaire's life on a ranch. I guess people always wanted to know what the rich and famous are doing.

            The article first described a millionaire who loved to travel. The narrator questions why the millionaire would want to spend any amount of time in the middle of nowhere on a ranch in Kansas. I like the narrator assumed ranch life was harsh and unpleasant. It would be miserably hot. There would be lots of bugs and you would be lonely in the middle of nowhere. As the article continued, a new picture of ranch life began to appear in my mind.

            The land was beautiful, filled with rolling hills painted with bright colors from wild flowers growing in every direction. Acres and acres of sunflowers, wheat, barley and corn filled the ranch with splendor. An amusing part of the article told a story about the millionaire getting lost. He came across a hut and asked a man whose land is this that I am I on. The man replied that it was the millionaires land. The millionaire turned and walked away quickly so he could hide the smile he had on his face. He had to be told he was on his own land. I can't imagine having that much wide open space. People came from miles around to join the millionaire for frequent parties. The ranch staffs joined the recreational activities and were treated with kindness.

            The men and women on the ranch joined in exploration and discovery of new places and things. They found Indian hieroglyphics, shark teeth and discovered new flowers. They were all constantly amazed by their surroundings. They were not malnourished or starved in any manner. Supposedly, they ate better than the people in New York. They often successfully hunted for ducks and other pheasants. The threat of dangerous weather kept the ranchers watching the sky. Fortunately, the tornados they observed never turned their direction. Occasionally fires would threaten their crops. All the neighboring ranchers would work together to put out fires.       

            The article really made ranch life sound fun. The millionaire really enjoyed his time there. If a millionaire enjoyed it, why would anyone else not enjoy it? The last paragraph included what I consider a disclaimer. In short, it said all ranches are not like this. I am not responsible for anyone who goes to a ranch and does not have the same experience. Maybe I should reconsider how this article described ranch life. Can you really trust the view of a millionaire about the quality of life on a ranch?     

          http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=harp;cc=harp;rgn=full%20text;idno=harp0071-1;didno=harp0071-1;view=image;seq=13;node=harp0071-1%3A1;page=root;size=100

“The Luck of Roaring Camp”

                I enjoyed reading “The Luck of Roaring Camp”. Harte’s words really brought the story to life. I find the day to day life of people from the 1800s fascinating. It was easy for me to imagine a small mining camp of men. It is easy to see how a group of only men could resort to living in such cruel and unhealthy conditions. What did they have to live for? What could have compelled them to live differently? Harte described the men’s clothes as snake’s skin. It was shed and replaced instead of cleaned. I think Harte portrayed the importance of women, children, and love.

                I believe this short story specifically points to the importance of love and family. The miners had no family. It seems the only thing that motivated them was gold, gambling, and smoking. They had no desire for hygiene, a nice home, or anything more than they needed to survive. I do not think men are the only sex at fault. Men just happen to be the subject of this story. Kentuck is the best example in the story. He is characterized as being rough and tough.  He is the stereotypical man. While all of the men filed through the room he reached toward the baby. The “dammed little cuss” grabbed his finger. The Crude language seemed to be a cover-up for his true feelings and change of heart. Over a short amount of time the camp was greatly improved. The men cleaned their clothes, fixed up the home of the baby and even imported nice things. Instead of gambling and fighting, the men sang lullabies under shade trees. The whole atmosphere changed. The men named the baby and cared much for him.

                The miners loved the baby. Why did they love the baby so much? Did Kentuck and others feel responsible because it was possible they could be the father? I don’t know why they felt the way they did. I do believe this story is a great example of how love makes the world go around. Love doesn’t always mean we give up our lives like kentuck did for Luck. Love should better our lives.  Love is what makes the human race progress. 

Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson found ways to make words come to life. Many lines from her poetry are simple, but convey a deeper message. I enjoyed some of her poetry. The majority, I found fairly easy to follow. Some lines in her poetry I find difficult to understand. What did she mean the words to say? Her writings are easier to follow than Whitman's. Dickinson found a way to make me contemplate deep feelings and thoughts.

                Success is counted sweetest is my favorite poem from the assigned readings. She explains success, triumph, and victory are not savored to their fullest by those who obtain them. She explains a dying soldier appreciates victory more than the men shouting for victory. I think she has a valid point. I understand her thinking. However, I believe the soldiers are probably ecstatic and appreciative that they are alive. Does Dickinson believe success is not satisfying? Does success mean more to the loser? I believe success is satisfying. Some situations could cause success to be less satisfying. What is success? Who decides what success is? Only an individual can gauge their own success. I believe success should be measured by happiness, not gauged by accomplishments or victories.             

Walt Whitman

I do not claim to have a clear understanding of all or any of the selected readings by Walt Whitman. I think of poetry as an outward expression of personal feelings. Does anyone ever really know what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes? The reader does not know exactly what Whitman felt on different subjects or what his deepest feeling were. Yes, we know the main subject of his poems. Do we know what he thought about the writings? I am sure if I researched Whitman's life his writings would be clearer to me.

                How much can you really know about what a man who died over one hundred years ago? Some may argue you can know lots, but do you know his deepest most personal thoughts? Whitman uses nature in his writings almost constantly. What did the waves on the sea mean to Whitman? What do they mean to the reader. Someone from Indonesia may think of the waves of the sea as terrifying. Those waves wiped away Cities, property and family. To me, the waves of the sea are calming and I look forward to relaxing while listening to them crashing  on the sandy beach. This is a extreme example. I do believe it applies  on a lesser scale. Whitman's many writings  can help readers understand how he felt. I do not believe anyone knows exactly what all the words on the paper were meant to say.

                I have little knowledge about Whitman as a person or a poet. I do believe he had a strong relationship with nature. He constantly refers to birds, wind, plants and the sea. He uses  the images of nature to describe every situation. I imagine him writing while sitting in the middle of the wilderness. I believe Whitman loved nature and thought it was pure. If I were to attempt to interpret his writings further, I feel it necessary to try to understand who he is first.  

Edgar Allen Poe

                Edgar Allen Poe had a brilliantly warped mind.  The two selected readings were creative, but very dark. Poe's ability to portray the characters thoughts was amazing. While I read his words, I felt like I was truly reading the mind of a murderer. How did Poe come up with this stuff? Did he sit around all day thinking about murders? What made him want to write about such dark subjects? His stories feel like they are alive. His descriptions make the reader feel like they witnessed the gruesome horrifying acts.

“The Cask of Amontillado”

                I enjoyed this read. Montresor clearly stated he wanted revenge in the first few lines of the short story. Montresor was a man with a purpose and a plan. The reader is left to wonder what caused him to desire vengeance. He manipulates Fortunato from the moment they first talked. He easily enticed him to become intoxicated. Montresors clever plan worked very well. Fortunato wasn't very fortunate. He had no clue what was happening until it was too late.

“The Tell-Tale Heart”

                This short story is a glimpse into the mind of a crazed killer. I could not help but think of the recent theater shooting. Did the shooter have similar thoughts? The killer in Poe's story was infatuated with the old man's eye. It seemed to torture him in some way. The eye spoke to him. Further into the story he became obsessed and tortured by the sound of the man's beating heart. Why did this man kill? Did the old man do something to him? Maybe he did or maybe he just couldn't stand his eye. In the end admitted to his dead. Apparently the old man was not the fix to his own problems.

                Both these stories are vibrant with thought provoking details. I see two men who think the solution to their problems lies in taking another person's life. Is there good and evil? The old man seemed pretty innocent, but Fortunato seemed like the kind of person who may have wronged some people. Does Poe mean for there to be underlying messages?  I don't know.  I see two murderers and two victims. Poe made these stories come to life. Now we are left to decide or speculate why he wrote such dark stories. 

Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave

             Speechless........ What more is there to say! It is awful that any human being went through so much torment. Animals were treated with more respect. I admire Fredrick Douglas for surviving and persevering when the world was against him. He was raised by various masters, none of which truly cared for him. I cannot imagine growing up without my mother. Fredrick grew up without a mother, father, or anyone who loved him. I am amazed at his will to survive.

                Fredrick described having no clothing as a child. He only had a shirt that went to his knees. I am shocked he survived the cold winters. I just imagine him curled up in a burlap sack with his feet hanging out bleeding from cuts and frostbite. I have never tried to keep warm with a burlap sack. I'm pretty sure it would not keep me warm or even break the wind on a mild winter night.   How could someone see a child in that condition and not feel pain in their heart for the child. Fredrick described good masters as feeding their slaves enough and bad ones as not feeding them enough. We complain when we have to wait five minutes in a fast food drive through. while we sit in our warm car listening to our favorite music. Slaves did not starve for one  or two days or even a month. They were starved for their entire lives.

                Fredrick suffered from beatings and exhaustion. He learned at an early age the consequences of disobeying or dissatisfying his master. I cannot understand how someone could survive such savage beatings. I am sure his wounds from lashings and heavy labor were often infected. It is a miracle he did not die from a, infection. Mr. Covey was described as a good slave holder because he actually fed his slaves. I'm fairly certain his opinion of Covey changed. Just when it seemed like Fredrick had no will left to fight, he found some inner strength to battle with Covey for two hours. Where did this  will to fight come from? He defeated Mr. Covey physically and somehow gained the privilege of being treated in a slightly more respectable way.   

                I believe his knowledge and thirst for knowledge is what set him free. Fredrick was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. He learned the alphabet, writing and reading with little help from others. Knowledge is power. Knowledge started a fire in Fredrick's heart. He realized that there was a whole world out there waiting for him. Without that small flame of knowledge Fredrick would have never found the strength to resist oppression. I will never suffer as Fredrick did while being enslaved. I can learn a lesson from his experience. Knowledge is power. Knowledge will set you free.