Blog post 4 Michelle Smart

The first piece that I looked at with a feminism view point was The Storm by Kate Chopin. The story follows Calixta through a storm in the South. She seems to be the damsel in distress yet when a male shows up that she knows from before she invites him in and allows him into her bed. This shows a powerful side of Calixta. Even though she shows that she might be afraid of him,she still allows him to touch her and kiss her. She becomes the "passionate creature" she once was with this man long ago,which then gives her a certain power. After the storm is over the Alcèe, the male she was with leaves just in time for her family to show up. Calixta seems unemotional about what happened while her family was away. She carries on as if nothing happened.

There is another female that is briefly involved in the story at the end. It is Alcèe's wife, Clarissa. Alcèe writes her a letter to explain that he is not coming home right away. Now after seeing his actions with Calixta, the reader would assume that Clarissa is our house wife or damsel in distress since her husband is away and with another woman, yet at the end of the story she is relived to have her husband away for longer than expected. Clarissa might be doing things that would not be becoming of a lady. There for she maintains a power herself.

The second story I looked at with a feminism critique was Girl by Jamaica Kincaid. This short story has a very feminist base. It describes the way to become a proper woman to a young girl. There is a lot of suppression with in the story. From washing the clothes on specific days to what to cook and how. "...always eat your food in such a way that it won't turn someone else's stomach." this line sticks out to me since it seems very demeaning to a young girl. I know my mother always told me to close my mouth while I eat out of respect for others, but this is a harsh way to get this across. The word slut is even used in this story so the girl it is directed to should not look like a slut and hem her dress properly. The mother or whoever is directing this girl has not faith in her to become proper. She feels as if she will become this slut she is talking about.