...Analysis Essay on “A Sorrowful Woman” Gail Godwin signifies that not all women want to be a full time wife and mother in her short story, “A Sorrowful Woman.” This idea of feminism helps the audience understand the poignant character and her actions. Gail Godwin incorporates this epigraph, “There once was a wife and mother one too many times.”(1st Sent.) This quote at the beginning of her short story implies that the woman should not have been a wife or mother. Her unhappiness in (Para. 1) is based on how she was so sad and it made her sick to see her husband and son. She did not want to be a wife or mother so she tried new things. “She tried these personalities on like costumes, then discarded them.”(Para. 20) This shows how she could not pin-point her true identity; therefore, she tried new personalities, but none of them worked. (Critical Analysis of “A Sorrowful Woman”) When she picked up the pen and pad and attempted to write a poem (Para. 20). She failed to succeed. Because she wanted to be free, all the freedom she did have seemed overwhelming. The sorrowful woman sought to be independent. She moved into her little room and slowly but surely disconnects from her son and husband by not seeing them anymore. (“Critical Analysis of “A Sorrowful Woman”) Because the sorrowful woman could not identify herself, her husband had to fulfill her roles. “I don’t know what to do, it’s all my fault, I’m such a burden.” (Para. 15) The husband, always understanding her feelings, hires...
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...Sorrowful Woman 1. FIRST RESPONSE. How did you respond to the excerpt from A SECRET SORROW and to “A Sorrowful Woman”? Do you like one more than the other? Is one of the women – Faye or Godwin’s unnamed wife – more likable than the other? Why do you think you respond the way you do to the characters and the stories – is your response intellectual, emotional, a result of authorial intent, a mix of these, or something else entirely? Both writings were very well written and very enjoyable to read. “The Sorrowful Woman” and A Secret Sorrow were similar, although they were very different, due to the inner sorrow they both faced. I enjoyed reading A Secret Sorrow more than “The Sorrowful Woman” due to the fact that I was able to somewhat feel what Godwin’s unnamed wife was feeling. I responded to the characters in an emotional way. I found myself able to sympathize with both Faye and Godwin’s unnamed wife. They both have very deep issues, but being a mother myself, makes me have more empathy for Faye. I could not imagine what it would be to want to push my child or husband, nor could I imagine not being able to have a child of my own. 2. Describe what you found appealing in each story. Can you point to passages in both that strike you as especially well written or interesting? Was there anything in either story that did not appeal to you? Why? In A Secret Sorrow, I found Kai’s love for Faye most appealing. He did not look at Faye’s inability to have children not as a...
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...destroy the family reputation. Therefore, it is most important to understand the roles and responsibilities of the family to make the betterment of the family. “A Sorrowful Woman” narrated by Gail Godwin is a story of a woman who, overthinking with her responsibilities as a mother and a wife, with her responsibilities and roles and she is overpowered her duties, and she decided to withdraw from the family. The narrator states in his story a woman's duty as a wife and a mother in a house starts to become unusual, and she is not satisfied with it. She tries her best to satisfy herself by...
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...Sympathy Towards A Sorrowful Woman In A Sorrowful Woman by Gail Godwin, it is a story of what appears to be a woman shirking off her wife and motherly duties. However, when it comes down to it, the narrative actually shows sympathy for the woman, through the peculiar introduction as well as the description of her actions. The distinct introduction to the piece references a fairy tale, however it also underlies a sympathetic view of the woman. The beginning quote “Once upon a time there was a wife and a mother one too many times”, can be inferred that she was a great wife and a great mother, just far too often. She was burned out. This leads into the rest of the story where the reader feels bad for the woman because she was overworked and just wanted a break. The fairy tale reference helps to increase this sympathy. In the beginning of fairy tales, the princess is always in a miserable situation (Cinderella is a maid, Sleeping Beauty pricks her finger, Rapunzel is locked in a tower) and the audience feels empathy towards them, so, by...
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...“Bartleby the Scrivener” and “A Sorrowful Woman” reflect each other in a lot of ways. They have very similar plots and both thematically show that ‘untreated mental illness can lead to death as is the fate of both characters at the end of their individual stories. “Bartleby the Scrivener” by Herman Melville is a story that depicts the journey of a man withdrawn from society and refusing to adhere to societal norms. He does not crack despite numerous attempts to breach his seemingly tough armor. Although by a different author and of different circumstances, the woman in “A Sorrowful Woman” by Gail Godwin also rejects societal norms. She is fed up with the roles that society that society has imposed on her and is at breaking point, unable to adhere to societal specifications for the ideal mother and wife anymore. Analogous to the woman in the story by Gail Godwin, Bartleby is also unable to meet the criteria for societal acceptance. In the story, “Bartleby the Scrivener”, Bartleby is marginalized by societal norms in that he is first of all defined by his outward appearance. Even before having any contact with Bartleby, his employer describes him as “pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, and incredibly forlorn”. All these traits are inferred simply from his looks, and as the saying goes, ‘First impressions matter the most’, so if his employer had already pegged him as wan, depressed, and melancholy even before having any interaction with him, it is no surprise that their relationship...
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...Luis Ivan Lopez Rodriguez GEEN 2311 G00418163 Interamerican University Final Essay Exam Compromise in A Secret Sorrow and Sorrowful Woman Marriage is a compromise and both “A Sorrowful Woman” and “A Secret Sorrow” express this theme. But they portrait differently on how this compromise can affect the outcome of a marriage. On the short story “A Sorrowful Woman” shows that too much compromise can cause feelings of unfulfillment and the failure of a marriage. While in “A Secret Sorrow” shows that if there is a balance of how much is compromised the outcome can be worth the sacrifice and the marriage can thrive. Marriage is a compromise because both sides come to an agreement that they will be together to the day they die. Faye, the female protagonist of “A Secret Sorrow”, and the unnamed protagonist from “A Sorrowful Woman” both had to compromise something for marriage, yet Faye’s is the less severe of the two. The accident that she had been in made her incapable of having a child and Kai, her love, claimed to be willing to work through it and still desired to marry her. But she believed he was “playing the gentleman”(34). She thought that he was giving up his dreams for the sake of chivalry. Faye only had to give up her doubt and believe he really loved her in order to get what for her represented...
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...Nicole Paredes Spring 2015 Comparison Essay Many different situations can lead to similar outcomes. Sometimes these outcomes have impacts on other people in society. Characters in short stories sometimes experience similar situations, yet the outcomes are different. While no two characters have exactly the same situation, often there are overlapping commonalities. Characters may have similarities in respect to their marriage, post marriage lives or even in their mortality. Characters can be compared based on marriage. In the stories “Story of an hour” and “A Sorrowful Woman” for example the protagonists are being compared and contrasted in this subject. Mrs. Mallard is a married woman, just like the unnamed character from “A Sorrowful Woman”. They both seem to be doing satisfactorily with their lives. The unmanned character is also a mother of one child. On the other hand, Mrs. Mallard is just a woman who seems to suffer from a heart disease. Although both protagonist women have accomplished what according to society is the number one rule; there is something that isn’t quite letting them enjoy their marriages. Mrs. Mallard and the mother are not happy with their accomplishments achieved in life. Certainly, they share similar emotions and issues that have not been solved and that have left them unhappy. Indeed, these two stories have addressed their similarities and differences based on marriage and the life that it has given them. Characters can also be compared regarding...
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...juxtaposition and irony aide in producing a strong description of a sorrowful event. Throughout the passage, Brush uses juxtaposition to show the underlying ,earning of the passage. In the first few sentences, she classifies the woman as "fadingly pretty" insinuating that although once pretty, she no longer exhibits much beauty, making her mediocre in her physical presentation (Brush 123). Although the scene is presented as cute and happy, it becomes obvious that the underlying tone of the scene is pathetic, as the woman is plane and the couples interaction is awkward and unnecessary. As the author continues to describe the event, she writes that the woman presented a...
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...entitled “The Yellow Wallpaper” is about a woman who is believed to be suffering from a mental disease by her spouse and he decided to take her to a place which was quite and therefore, can help her in the recovery process. The husband was a physician and he used his good judgment to make a choice of a room for her wife in the new house. The chosen room was big and airy. The husband thought that his wife will remain comfortable in the room but he never asked her about her choice and softly forced his will upon the lady. The lady however, wanted a room at the ground-floor which was much smaller and cozy. The lady never questioned her husband’s decision and followed his instructions but only to experience a worst possible fate a human can ever imagine (Gilman, 1892). The story tells about how females are guided and literally ruled over by their husbands. The women have remained suppressed in all parts of the world as they were unable to take charge of the life that they had been blessed with by the God himself. Additionally, the choice made by the husband aggravated the issue because the wife fell into the belief that she was trapped into the room and her belief translated into a presence of woman who was trapped into the yellow wallpaper. The wife considered it as her duty to free the trapped woman as she cannot free herself. The will to help others had always remained a great motivational force for humans and the objective of freeing a woman in the wallpaper gave the sense of direction...
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...A SORROWFUL WOMAN The following short story is a study of the gradual disintegration of a human personality. In keeping with the "once upon a time" lead, the style is similar to a fairy tale except that "happily ever after" does not happen. The reader should consider the monotonously repetitive tasks taken over by the husband and later shared with the live in girl and compare these with the usual tasks of men in their jobs at the office or wherever. Then, consider how all of this relates to the final "legacy" of food, laundry, and sonnets. Once upon a time there was a wife and mother one too many times One winter evening she looked at them: the husband durable, receptive, gentle; the child a tender golden three. The sight of them made her so sad and sick she did not want to see them ever again. She told the husband these thoughts. He was attuned to her; he understood such things. He said he understood. What would she like him to do? "If you could put the boy to bed and read him the story about the monkey who ate too many bananas, I would be grateful." "Of course," he said. "Why, that's a pleasure." And he sent her off to bed. The next night it happened again. Putting the warm dishes away in the cupboard, she turned and saw the child's grey eyes approving her movements. In the next room was the man, his chin sunk in the open collar of his favorite wool shirt. He was dozing after her good supper. The shirt was the grey of the child's trusting gaze. She began yelping without...
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...viewed as a traitor. Not only is she breaking state laws but also breaking the barriers of women in this time period. Women in this time period were required to be obedient, loyal, and viewed as feeble. However, Antigone shows acts of courage, which was unheard of for women of this era. When her sister, Ismene, worries for Antigone, she pledges that the king “has no right to keep me from my own” (58-59). Another prime example of the secondary conflict being expressed is when Ismene responds, “Remember we are women” (74). This reiterates their attitude towards how they are seen in the era they live in. She continues with, “we’re not born to contend with men” (75). Ismene, contrary to Antigone, serves as a comparison and represents the common woman of the Theban kind. She is reverent, submissive, and timid. Although Ismene loves her sister, she cannot be persuaded to abandon her male-ruled lifestyle. Ismene shows her civil obedience when she says, “I must obey the ones who stand in power.” Ismenes inactiveness is compensated when the king spares her...
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...you look at the film in the context of the 1920’s, it is possible to see why it has been considered so significant. In the US, the 1920’s were the beginnings of the modernist movement. The younger generation began a new age of art, music, and fashion, as well as a new set of values and cultural behaviors. Young people were attracted to the fast-paced and independent lifestyle of the city, and women especially became more attracted to that idea of independence. As many people joined the modernist movement, others resisted it just as much. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans is a film that deals very much with the struggle between modernist and anti-modernist values, represented by The Man’s (George O’Brien) struggle over his choice between The Woman from The City (Margaret Livingston), and his wife (Janet Gaynor). The way in which this struggle presents itself, however, is pretty problematic; after a bit of thought, it is fairly obvious that the film condemns the modernist lifestyle, including the independence that women were developing. This much becomes evident to some people, but even then, very few people have fully realized the values that Sunrise is promoting, due to the excessive tenderness and emotion of the film, in the themes of forgiveness and rekindled affection. Thus, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans may be one of the most effective conservative films of its time in that its messages about anti-modernism and women are heavily concealed in the kind of romantic sentimentality...
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...A Rose for Emily tells of a woman named Emily Grierson who lived in the South where a rigid class structure determined the expectations regarding a person’s behavior and society’s treatment of them. Miss Emily was the daughter of a rich upper class man who was quite influential in the community of Jefferson so it was expected that the community respect his daughter, Emily. Many allowances were made for Miss Emily’s bizarre behavior because of Mr. Grierson’s standing in the community. Miss Emily did not pay property taxes because of past favors that her father had done for the town. Emily’s marriage to Homer Barron could have been seen as a disgrace because of her husband’s place of birth and occupation, he was a Northerner and a day laborer, but the marriage gave Emily the opportunity to redeem herself by performing the role of a wife, which was expected of a woman with such a high status in society. Miss Emily represented women in society who were unable to find happiness because of a stifling class system that dictated the standards for living and prevented Emily from getting the medical help she needed during her times of deep suffering. Some of the townspeople could not fathom the courtship between Homer and Miss Emily since they felt that “even grief could not cause a real lady to forget noblesse oblige.” (p. 2172) They...
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...dominated by men, and how their lives are molded by different decisions they make. A woman can simply ignore the restraints they face and suffer the consequences, or she can take a stand, challenge her authority, and enjoy the life she deserves. In Adrienne Rich’s poem, "Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger,” one could assume that the poem is about a woman, who is saddened by her husband’s death. So, the woman knits a magnificent panel that has tigers on it to remind her of her husband because she misses him. But actually, Aunt Jennifer is creating this panel because she desires to be brave, just like a tiger surviving in the wild. Tigers have energy. They are fearless creatures that are free to roam and do not fear men. Aunt Jennifer’s is a woman whose soul burns with creative fire and passion; but she has been defined by the rules of others for some time that she is unable to express herself. Her role in society is decided by a patriarchy; which means society is male dominated and women should occupy the margins (Webster). Aunt Jennifer feels like she is unable to rise. She is a caged bird who doesn’t know how to fly anymore. She has taken the role that society has assigned to her, without question. When Rich describes “The massive weight of Uncles wedding band, Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand,” (Rich 7-8) the mood of the poem becomes clear. The tone went from being in high spirits to low-spirited and sorrowful. Rich also wrote when...
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...& Autobiography for the great achievement of recollecting Malala’s brave endeavors. In I Am Malala, she begins with recounting her younger years in which her demand for equal women’s rights had stemmed from, and afterwards, how she grew into an independent, young woman who spoke for millions of females in her country that could not receive education. In the beginning of I Am Malala, Malala describes her home as “the most beautiful place in all the world. My valley, the Swat Valley, is a heavenly kingdom of mountains, gushing waterfalls and crystal-clear lakes” (15). She also spoke about everything that she had loved and was proud about in her home: from her admirable father who, unlike most Pashtuns, rejoiced upon receiving a daughter in a country that honors sons, to her best friend Moniba, with whom she had laughed and confided in, and Malka-e-Noor, her rival for top of the class at Kahshul School. Her name derives from Malalai of Maiwand, “the greatest heroine of Afghanistan”, who “inspired the Afghan army to defeat the British in 1880 in one of the biggest battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War” (14). Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, had foreseen that his daughter would become a strong, young woman from the day she was born. But, he had not expected her to become the voice of millions of women across her country to fight for the right of education and equal opportunity. Malala, who is now currently...
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