BLOG ON MS.BROWNS BLOGGING

Ok I have decided to blog about Ms. Brown's blogging. Where are the blogs?!?!?! I don't know about anyone else, but I have the attention span of a 4 year old, and the memory capcacity of a 70 year old, with very selective hearing. So it's needless to say that I need those blog postings.
=( If anyone else feels this way blog about her blogging, and we'll see if that changes everything. Ms. Brown we love you dearly and everything, but to put it nicely...you're slipping up...I NEED THOSE BLOGS!!!

Kate Chopin Biography Response

Kate Chopin is the author of The Story of an Hour, written in the 1890s. She was born the third of five children in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850. Out of the five she was the only child to live past the age of twenty-five, which is still very young. To go through that many deaths of people that have a special place in your heart, is bound to take a drastic effect on a person. Kate also lost her father at the age of five and a half, as a result of his train crossing a collapsed bridge. She dispersed from the Sacred Heart Academy and left to live with her widowed mother, grandmother, and great grandmother for two years. Growing up in the Civil War, this was a time when women still did not play a much significant role in contributing to not only economic, but the academic advances of society. Chopin grew up around independent, intelligent woman, and went on to be the top of her class at the Sacred Heart Academy. Being a woman of intelligence in that time, it was fairly easy to argue the logic behind the theory of religion. Chopin’s grandmother died three days before Christmas, the same year her dear friend Kitty was banished from the colony. In addition her father had passed on All Saints Day. This left a major doubt of religion in the mind of Chopin.

Kate married Oscar, a man similar to herself; in the aspect his background included the French Catholic religion. He truly loved his wife, and was inspired by her intelligence, unlike most husbands of this time period he chose not to silence his wife, but to embrace her unheard freedom. Most men silenced their wives, and confined them to rooms like a china doll confined to a shelf neglectfully becoming darker from the dust of the passing days. Kate proved herself to be a strong woman, after bearing seven children, and moving back to Oscar’s old home, where he died of swamp fever. Kate was left to take over the general store, and plantation. She was truly a fearless independent woman, who soon sold her business, and entered the world of writing, where she supported her family through her talent, through the release of her first successful novel, At Fault.

Kate Chopin was among the strong independent intellectual women of her time. One of her most popular works, is titled “The Story of an Hour”, although it is not lengthy, it is a powerfully impacting story. Kate Chopin’s biography heavily reflects her style of writing. She basically described the life of a woman growing up in her time period. Including the emotions of insanity up until the point of which freedom will soon be drawn. The main character is a woman who is oppressed by her husband, as wives of that time period were confined. Every woman who dwelt under their husbands, felt the want to break free to get their freedom, or probably even hoped that they would just one day drop dead. In this story Chopin gives her character that opportunity. Her character realizes that her husband has passed, and immediately this sensation takes over her body and she begins to cry uncontrollably. At first note, it can be inferred that she is crying, because she dearly loved her husband, however how can you love the one that oppressed you. Did slaves love their masters, simply because they sheltered them? To say that this woman’s “joy” over her husband’s death is selfish is a false inference and the pain of such an event must be felt first hand before being concluded. Through her literature Kate was able to give females the voice they didn’t rightfully own. Their thoughts were condemned to their minds, this is most likely why the main character goes through a lot of her emotions internally, and also shows them in a pathotical sense, rather than an ethological one. Kate gave women the voice that was forever shadowed, and we appreciate her for the voice we have today.

The Story of an Hour [Questions]

1) “Veiled hints that revealed in half concealing.” I chose this phrase, because I really like the elaborate wording, to describe something so minute. Instead of describing them as secrets, they are termed as veiled hints, which in turn is very poetic, and helps add to the suspenseful tone.

2) “As a child who cried itself to sleep to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.” This quote appealed to her inner feeling of vulnerability. Like an infant, they are helpless and very often cry themselves to sleep. When they “cry in their dreams” in a sense of speaking they are taking their innocence into sleep with them. I feel the author is saying that she cannot escape her problems through her dreams, because your dreams are the essence of your life.

3) “Free, free, free”. This phrase is very impacting, but yet comes off as a lighthearted joyous emotion. The feeling of oppression has left her and she is now free to be her own person. Although simple this simplistic phrase carries much meaning, and importance.

4) “She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat t back with her will.” This phrase foreshadows the ending to the story. Here she is recognizing that something is going to come upon her, but her want for freedom is what keeps her striving to stay alive.

5) “They said she died of heart disease-- of the joy that kills.” This phrase is the closing of the story. It was very impact to relate a medical problem as the joy that kills; I felt that it was ironic, because joy is not something that is supposed to lead your downfall. In the end she was killed by
the overwhelming excitement of her joy.

Questions:
1) Why did she die when she saw her husband?
2) Why was her death, the joy that kills?
3) When the character was saying “free, free, free” was she saying that she is being freed from her body?
4)Why was the story mainly focused on the character’s actions, more than the emotions.

Disturbia *L0v3 thiis M0vi3*

In Disturbia directed by D.J. Caruso, a young boy named Kale played by Shia LaBeouf is placed on house arrest, after starting an altercation with his teacher when a smart remark about his deceased father has erupted. The beginning of the movie is basically an introduction, or the foundation for the rest of the picture. The events predominately revolve around Kale and the antics he performs while on house arrest. In the beginning Kale’s neighbor Robert Turner, although a minor character at the start of the movie, greatly caught my attention. Kale watched Robert Turner out of his window, and forms the accusation that Robert is a Texan murderer; and sets out to solve this case. In the beginning we find Robert cutting his grass, and remaining to himself, this gives the impression, that he is a hard worker that chooses to be left alone. This added an authentic appeal, because most middle aged men reach a point in their life when they are ready to keep to themselves, and work alone. Mainly Turner lingered within his garden, or his garage, where it became apparent he was a violent man, when he snapped a rabbit’s neck in his garden, and when animal skulls were found in his garage. This added to the sense that Turner was violent, and willing and ready to kill which added to the thought of the audience, that he could truly be the killer. The evidence displayed set Robert up to be the main antagonist.

Ain't I a Woman Comparison

In 50 Essays, Sojourner Truth’s Ain’t I a Woman, the speech was greatly edited. Even the title was changed to be grammatically correct. The 50 Essays book focuses more so on grammatical accuracy, than historical accuracy. When they took away the historical accurateness, they took away her personality. Ms. Truth did not speak as a proper woman who wanted to speak out against women’s rights; she spoke as an uneducated African American woman who came to “tell it like it is”, while at the same time maintaining her grace, and dignity. The original speech is more believable, and relatable. The way you speak resembles the embodiment of who you are as a person. In her original dialect, it is as if she knows that she is uneducated, but she is not ashamed of it. She is here to deliver a message, and despite what you feel about her she’s going to accomplish her mission. By masking her speech in the 50 Essays book, they basically masked her roots, and took away the sense of pride that was felt as she spoke. To get up an speak out against a controversial topic as an African American woman, with inadequate speech techniques, but yet you bring the audience to their feet, gives a sense of pride not just for African Americans, but people who are shy or have their own obstacle(s) to overcome. It also masked her roots in the sense that you were not able to tell where she came from. It decreased knowledge of her background. The only clue that we could use from where she originated would be either the description, or the description of how she looked, which the main clue would be her skin color.

Devices in Slavery Douglas/Jacobs..(did u hate this as much as i did UGH)

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl moved me being a young African American female. The stories from Harriet Jacobs were very moving and affective the way they were written. The events took place in the 1820s, as she grew up on a plantation yearning for her freedom. The preface and autobiography gave a greater meaning to the story. They allowed the reader to establish a relationship with the narrator through an appeal to ethos. It’s hard to strike compassion for a person that is unknown to a you, versus someone in which you have in a sense watched “grow up”, as you read the passages. The better you understand their struggle the more you become connected to the story; meaning the author has captured your attention. By capturing your attention through the character, the author is appealing to pathos. Establishing an emotional bond with the characters allowing for growth in both the characters and the audience. While reading the childhood, and the lover, I couldn’t help but to reflect on how I would feel in those situations. Thus causing me to grow in a sense of speaking with the characters.

Jacob’s told her story to the audience in one of the most moving ways, by telling her own story. By being honest and by telling of your actual events creates a sense of trust and credibility within the author. However during the preface to Harriet Jacobs, in the introduction by the editor it was stated, “At her request, I have revised her manuscript; but such changes as I have made have been mainly for purpose of condensation and orderly arrangement.” This contributes to the honesty of the author by admitting yes the manuscript was revised, but kept true to its original nature. The audience is anyone who chooses to relate to the story of a young slave girl growing up without parents, one day being denied of her true love. The book was aimed at African Americans of the modern age, under the inference that African Americans in that time period were not privileged in reading or writing.“ While I was with her, she taught me to read and spell; and for this privilege, which so rarely falls to the lot of a slave.”(Childhood) Similar to the writing of Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglas, attempts to make a connection with his audience. However his approach is in the form of a narrative, meaning he is directly telling is own story. While in Jacobs account, she tells her story, but then pauses to indirectly acknowledge the audience “"Reader, did you ever hate?" (Jacobs) In both stories, Douglas and Jacobs lose their mothers at a young age, striking a similar emotion within their audiences. Likewise references to the skin were made. “My mother was a darker complexion than either my grandmother or grandfather. My father was a white man.”(Douglas) “In complexion my parents were a light shade of brownish yellow, and were termed mulattos” (Jacobs). This leaves the belief that your skin color determined your social status in life. The storied may be different, but the plot is all the same. Jacobs and Douglas are two distinguished authors, with similar styles contrasting them.

In both prefaces, under slight research, it is proven that both authors are white. In a way it’s sort of ironic that white people are writing the prefaces to stories about slavery, and oppression. It is also ironic that they had such close relationships with Douglas and Jacobs when it was shameful to befriend a person of color. The fact that there are white authors contributing ideas to a sensitive African American topic is a loss of appeal in ethos. African Americans were giving the opportunity to bond over the shaping of their culture, but then slapped in the face when the white authors put in their two cents; even if it was just in the preface. It would be awkward for a white author to try to relate and establish a relationship with an audience whose ancestors they once inflicted pain upon. It’s plausible, that white authors were used to attract an audience to the book. People of color had to money to purchase the publication, let alone have the money to publish it, or the skill to read the manuscript. Therefore it had to be sent with the advertisement of someone not of color.

Poets Corner

I chose the Negro spiritual titled Old Man River, best sung by Paul Robeson; a famous negro spiritual singer of the 1930s. I think my version of the spiritual brings upon a different tone. The song Old Man River is about a man named river who throughout troubles continues to roll along. It appears to be that nothing can stop him. The Mississippi River is symbolically Old Man River, symbolizing the freedom of the water floating to safety. Being translucent so that any obstacles or blockages are quite easily “rolled” over by this strong river. In my version however, the Old Man River faces hardships and doesn’t go through them easily. This creates a variation of the tone.

Been out here long, the whole long day
Wipe your brow
Keep your spirits up an don’t them sway
Your Massa’s cumin
That rivers slowing
Getting weary
A lynchins nearin
Will my river keep rollin along?