Brandon Arnold -Blog Post 4 - “Pagan Night”, ”The Storm”, and “Little Red Cap”

I analyzed “Pagan Night” with feminist criticism for the story that we already read. I felt that author used the ditzy mad women in the attic, and Cinderella archetype to portray Sonny. She is a the ditzy mad women in the attic because she is portrayed as stupid and weak, for she allows herself and her baby to be abused. Sonny is completely reliant on her husband and because of that he can treat her anyway he wants and she and incapable of freeing herself from the situation. She is completely submissive throughout the whole story. He just takes her stuff and sells it. Him not having to ask her and just taking it from her portrays her as not an equal. He orders her around and treats her like badly, and she just takes it. Because of this domination of a woman by a man, it appears as though women are not equal to men. Instead, the story portrays women as though they are servants to men.

The woman in “The Storm” is portrayed as the angel in the house archetype. She is portrayed as a weak and helpless woman throwing herself into the arms of a strong man for comfort. The author describes her with words like “she cried” and “she would not compose herself” which portrays her as a weak and emotional women which conversely socially conditions us to think that all women are weak and emotional. While the woman is painted as frantic and stupid, the man is described as being logical, calm, cool, and collective under pressure; this conversely socially conditions us to think that men are the voices of reason in society. The words describing what she is doing are words like “cushion”, and the words used to describe what the man is doing are things like “hammer”; this is symbolic of the authors belief that men are strong and women are weak. The men control the story, and even the ending is ultimately pans out as a product of the men’s decision. This is symbolic of how men control women and how women’s decisions are limited; this suggests women’s lives are largely at the mercy of the men that are around them that control them.

“Little Red Cap” portrays women as stupid, conniving, weak, and in need of men to save them. When little red cap is on her way to her grandmothers she encounters a wolf who is a male that easily tricks her into giving him information and to sidetrack her. This portrays men as being superior to women in intellect. She is this stupid helpless girl at the mercy of any male figure that she comes by that means to do her harm that can easily trick her. The wolf goes to the grandmothers house where he goes in and eats her with no resistance. This further portrays women as being stupid, helpless and weak The grandmother was stupid not to lock her door and the wolf just walking in and eating her no problem suggests that the grandmother, partly because she is old, but mainly because she is a woman, is so weak she did not stand a chance against a male wolf. Little red cap also gets eaten when she gets there, but a male hunter passing by found the wolf, shot him, and then cut the two women out of the wolf. This portray the man as the strong hero who rescues the helpless women from the wolf. This is an archetype of the two damsel in distresses. By portraying the man as the strong hero and the women as the weak helpless figure in needing to be saved by a man, woman are portrayed as inferior to men. The next time a wolf comes the women succeed in killing the wolf but not through superior strength, instead, they achieve that by tricking the wolf. This portrays women as conniving creatures that only can only triumph over men through trickery.  

Blog Post 4 | 'The Storm' and 'To His Importunate Mistress'

     Reading the story 'The Storm', by Kate Chopin reminded me of a bad romance novel, I have never read one myself, but this story fits the archetype I have in my head perfectly. Everything is described in rich, vomit-inducing phrases such as "Her lips were as red and moist as pomegranate seed," and "...when he possessed her, they seemed to swoon together at the very borderland of life's mystery." The plot line doesn't fail to disappoint either, with the innocent housewife being swept off her feet in the middle of a big storm by a passionate, muscular former lover. They cherish the moment, then the storm passes and he rides off into a glistening sunset described as a "palace of gems," while she stands on the porch watching him ride away. The most interesting part of the story is that even though both the woman and the man are married, neither of them seem to experience any kind of regret or guilt after their fleeting affair, in fact, both seem to be happier and more content with their lives after it is over.
     Looking deeper into the text however reveals some deep and introcate points for a feminist critique. The general characters seem to be very demeaning to women, with Calixta being portrayed as this sweet, innocent, perfect housewife. She seems to be completely content sitting at home sewing, cooking and worrying while the men of the story take action. The men are the ones out in the storm, the former lover was the one that put his arms around her to protect her, he had to quiet her and soothe her because she was frightened of the storm. The text refers to Calixta using a lot of adjectives, likening her to a flower and a dove, while at the same time refering to Alcee using action words, he is the one that kissed her, he "touched" her, he "possessed:" her. Calixta is made out to be this completely innocent, defenseless creature that just wants to be taken by this passionate muscular man. I feel that  if taken for face value, this story seems to be very off-base with reality.
     The ending of the story is what gives it new meaning though. Something about this infidelity with a complete lack or remorse or bad feelings really made me start thinking about any alternate meanings that the text could hold. One that came to me after reading through the story a couple times is that maybe this is a story about a woman who has something lacking in this perfect housewife life of hers, and uses the storm and the former lover to take back control of herself and realize that she is her own person and not just some stereotype set by society.
   The second story that I read was, 'To His Importunate Mistress', by Peter De Vries. This short poem has some very masculine overtones to it, with the general plot being that the subject of the poem is frustrated with this gold digging love of his, and how he doesn't have enough money for it, but he really wants to sleep with her. The poem is actually quite humorous as it pulls back and forth between his infatuation with this woman, and his apparent lack of funding. From a feminist perspective, this poem really alienates the woman and draws all the attention to the man, as a lot of people could probably relate to this sort of archetype. The woman in this poem is not named, and the only way she is described throughout the entire text is in terms of how expensive she is. But inversely, this might be a story about how much of a cheapskate this guy is, and how he is just looking for an excuse to get out of it. While the text doesn't set you up to feel that way in the first place, this man is clearly not a picture of chivalry, talking about how anyone that ends up with this woman, "Must rue the undishevelled bed" and hoping to spend time in "rented bowers." It is hard to glean any kind of universal truth from this text, but I feel that it does serve to highlight how easily negative stereotypes can be put onto women.

Wesley Marin

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.

Blog Post #4

The Storm is a story that in the time it was written (c. 1898) was pushing the boundaries of what would and could be talked about in regards to women. Womanhood in the late 1800's meant being married with children, being a homemaker, with great emphasis placed on cordial behavior and decorum. When Kate Chopin penned a story that spoke of woman as sexual beings instead of wives and mothers it was to say, in the context of the time period written, provocative. Calexia, the main character of the story and Alcee, an old boy friend, who arrives at the house to retreat from inclement weather, have a sexual encounter outside of their marriages. Through the lens of Feminist Criticism, this encounter can be viewed as an act of liberation or defiance by the author, especially in a time in history when women where not allowed to vote or was it socially acceptable for women to work. While this piece pushes the boundaries of womens sexuality it also touches on how the beauty of a woman is perceived. In the following passage we see an example of this, "She was a little fuller in figure than five years before when she married; but she had lost nothing of her vivacity. Her blue eyes still retained their melting quality; and her yellow hair, disheveled by the wind and rain, kinked more stubbornly than ever about her ears and temples." In almost every culture a woman is measured or compared to other women by her outward appearance. This perception may change between different cultures, but in western culture it usually involves a woman being slender in appearance, with large eyes and a fair complexion. Within the quoted passage the author speaks to this stereotype of beauty and debunks it.

In the story I Stand Here Ironing, a young mother in the depression era tells the story of her daughters life while at the ironing board in the morning. The story told is tragic in the sense that the mother doesn't have much to say about her daughter that could be considered positive. The story speaks of Emily past the time of her birth as a homely girl that had been psychologically marred by the abuses of a teacher at daycare/school and the absence of her father. The story which is told by Emily's mother, speaks of Emily through grade school and into young adulthood. Emily being a young woman in the late '20's is already at a disadvantage in the sense that women, especially young girls in this time period. Women in this time period were in some cases viewed as 2nd class citizens. There is also the stigma attached to Emily (and which was also seen in The Storm) of what makes a woman beautiful and uses this stigma to solidify the plight of Emily's tragic life. Through the entire story great emphasis is placed on Emily's lack of physical beauty, from her frail frame and homely appearance to her pock-marked face. Opposite to that in The Storm, the author in this story uses western cultures idea of what makes a woman beautiful to paint a story of a tragic existence of a young woman.

Discussion Post 4

During class I read "My Last Duchess" and tried to apply feminist criticism to it. The way that the duke describes her shows that she was indeed very beautiful and how paint couldn't reproduce how she really looked . The main image that I conjured up of her was the silly trophy wife. The duke picked out this young and beautiful girl mainly for her looks and attractions, and she was easily impressed which gives me the idea of her being ditzy. She flirted with other guys, which the duke didn't take very well and ultimately has her killed. He objectifies her and pretty much throws her away because he was displeased with the way she acted. Honestly that isn't a solid reason to have someone killed, let alone your wife, but this is how women were often treated and though of. He then goes on to meet another girl downstairs.

"The Storm" has a very sexual theme encompassing the story. Calixta is a typical stay at home wife where she attends to the household deeds like cooking,sewing, raising the children, ect. When the storm rolls in, Calixta is greeted by an old acquaintance Alcee who tries to console her during this emotional event. With tensions running high, one thing leads to another and ultimately they end up having sex. After they storm passes they continue on with their lives and remain as though nothing had happened. Women can definitely be highly emotional and sometimes driven by them, and during the time of the storm and the presence of an old lover they just did what came naturally I guess. (Although I cant really agree with it.) The way the author presents this story is kind of odd, it seems like what she did was ok and everyone lives happily ever after.

For my last piece of feminst criticism I chose to read "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid. I found this piece very interesting because it was presented almost as a manual on how to grow up being a "proper" girl. The mother is instructing the daughter on various tasks that women should know, and certainly how not to become a slut. The mother often contradicts herself numerous times telling her what not to do but implicates that she probably has done them herself, given she has solutions for them.The background of the author plays an important role in this piece of literature, she grew up on a very small island that was under British rule before she emigrated to the States. She could be comparing the life she had as a child to what our current society accepts as "proper".

Blog #4

The "Wallpaper" is a story about a women diagnosed with having some kind of nervous depression, and therefore moves to a summer house in which she is told to get better. Right away from a feminist perspective one can tell that this women is clearly struggling with her situation and remains very passive through out the story. She is the typical housewife of the early twentieth century in that she is compliant and does what ever she is told by her husband. Through out the story she never undermines her husband even when  it looks like what can help her condition is something that goes against the husbands proposal. The story clearly shows that this woman feels greatly opposed to the methods she has been giving, but the time period and role of woman from the apparent times doesn't let her express her true emotions or feelings about the situation. The husband and brother which are both doctors tell her she needs to rest and get her mind of work. She on the other hand feels that working on her writing will help her more than what she is being told to do. Therefore, being shut down by men makes her sneak around to do her writing and then lie to her husband since she knows he will get upset. Almost every argument or discussion with her husband through out the story ends with her being subdued into her husbands reasoning and with out much opposition from her. Later on she becomes fascinated by the wallpaper in her room which she wants to get rid of. By the end of the story she rips the wallpaper of her self after being told she wasn't able to by her husband and in doing so she figured out that the person trapped behind that wallpaper was her. The symbolism of the wallpaper was that of her trying to escape the restraints put on her by man mainly, as the story ends she yells out "I've gout out at last".

The second story I read was a poem "The Lady in the Pink Mustang" by Louise Erdrich. From the beginning one can tell that the lady being described could easily be an archetype of what someone would consider a whore or prostitute.  Reading the line "her price shrinks into the dark" implicates that she is a commodity at night and also the " or How Much." can give away what kind of living she does. The fact that it says she travels light and doesn't really have many belongings creates the image of a woman who is on the road for very long periods of times as the poem describes. This poem has a woman who could be seen as someone who has given herself up or possibly the other way around.
-Leo N.

The Storm; The Lady in the Pink Mustang

This story is set in Louisiana, with mostly catholic neighborhoods which mean there is judgment of people who stray from god’s commandments. It all begins with describing how worrisome calixta is being around Alcee. She wants him to look at her in a seducing way. The Storm is a story of sexuality. During the era that this story was set, many didn’t publicly discuss sex or immodesty. The relationship between Calixta and Alcee is very passionate, separate from their marriages. The storm frightens Calixta but this gives Alcee a chance to build their relationship.  Being very close during the story, it reminds them of the love they once had in their spouses. However, the story is very aggressive which gives a dark tone or theme of uneasiness near till the end.  White images show up from the unbuttoning of Calixta’s blouse and her white monumental bed.  The story had a dramatic finish which resulted in the reader thinking they were going to be together from here on out.

For my second story I chose the lady in the pink mustang as well. The poem has many controversy words and ideas that may be seen by some as too taboo. I got the impression that this lady may have been in the pornography industry as a stripper, model, or a show girl. She writes “Painting her nipples for show” indicates to me that she wants to show off her body. The pink mustang is a staple in the story in the idea that a flashy pink car could suggest a vagina. She works more at night to conceal the real her. "It is what she must face every time she is touched, the body disposable as cups." The disposable meant to me as short time use or piece garbage.  This is the life she has chosen and the life that has chosen her.