While I don’t have children of my own I see more harm than good when it comes to being always honest with kids. False promises is where I draw the line though. I can see why parents don’t talk about problems in their marriage with their kids, or tell them “grandma is just a little under the weather.” I think it’s okay to protect a child’s innocence as they grow up. There may be smarter and more mature children out there who are ready to hear about the harsh realities and that’s when you sit them down and have a discussion. There definitely should be a talk on lying as well and hope that your child does not use it for evil.
Fiction
Happy Endings
I chose to analyze “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood. I was immediately drawn in by the title because I am a sucker for a happy ending. I love rom coms and sappy books and anything that might fall into a “happy ending” category. Then I read the story. I absolutely loved every part of it because it felt like real life. That saying “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get” so, so true.
Margaret Atwood makes the argument that how and why things happen are more important that what actually happens. This frame of thinking reminds me of another saying I grew up with “it is about the journey, not the destination”. People sometimes focus so much on the next goal, the next week, the next year and don’t take the time to really enjoy all the little moments that bring you to that goal or make up that week or year. We get so wrapped up in life that we end up forgetting to live.
Feminism
Higuchi Ichiyo’s The Thirteenth Night features the attractive daughter of a low-ranking family, Oseki, as the starring character. The plot revolves around her struggles. Oseki, the female protagonist of the novel, is confronted with the typical issues that women encounter in old age. Throughout history, women have been viewed as inferior to men because they have not had access to the knowledge they need and society has constantly held them back. Traditionally, women were expected to take on the position of housewife and primary caretaker of the home and children, while the father was expected to take the lead and provide for the family financially. It’s possible that the female lead character is a metaphor for modern-day women as well. As we are all aware, women are making strides and gaining influence in today’s society. There is still a fair amount of discrimination and maltreatment that they are subjected to. Even though women are still viewed as inferior to males, they are capable of doing the same things that men are capable of. They have the potential to be just as successful as the males in society in terms of strength, intellect, and wealth.
The traditional function of women in society was to give birth to children and take care of the family, but this is no longer the case. While males were required to work and seek to make their names as powerful as in the short tale, women were not given the proper education since they were mostly expected to stay at home and raise their families. It’s encouraging to see how far we’ve come as a nation in realizing that everyone is equal, regardless of gender. Now that women have access to the proper training and tools, they are proving themselves to be just as effective and strong as males. Inequality exists, but we may improve our outcomes by reflecting more often on our actions. Previously, according to the short tale, women like Oseki who wanted to divorce their violent relationships at the time were unable to do so, even if they were willing to do so. From the perspective of society, they were utterly weak, and women were viewed as needing a powerful husband in order for their family to be successful. As a general rule, people view women as having to marry prominent men in order for their families to be proud of them and for them to do something. Changes in the perceived patriarchal system were made possible by feminist activism. The ultimate purpose of all feminist work, including feminist theory and literary criticism, is to bring about gender equality in the world. When it comes to strength and self-reliance, men and women are considered equals.
Marxism
One significant similarity between Roku and Isamu is that both have not had a happy marriage and their unions are on the verge of collapsing. Even though Roku had a crush on Oseki, she married Isamu on the advice of her parents, who wanted to see their financial situation better. Therefore, Isamu ended up marrying someone. In addition, Isamu is dissatisfied with their marriage because of the complaints that she is not properly educated (Winston 4). One difference is that Roku was being mistreated by his wife and eventually left while Isamu has been accused of abusing his wife, Oseki. Both Roku and Isamu have miserable lives. Isamu’s life is miserable because he is dismayed by the fact that his wife is uneducated and comes from a poor household. In his mind, he believes that Oseku married him because he was a rich guy and that he was not in love with her at the time (Winston 13). When Oseki stole away from her home, she left her kid in the care of her husband’s maids and went to her parents’ house to ask her father for permission to divorce her husband Tanaka, Meanwhile, as a rickshaw puller, Roku is unable to meet all of his demands. A rickshaw-puller with little money and a dead wife are two examples of Roku’s bleak existence in this film. It’s not just that Roku regrets not marrying his true love (Isamu), but also that he was compelled to do it by a wealthy suitor.
Roku Oseku reveals to her the sad elements of their life throughout their run together. Reality depicts a reality where the perfect existence they envisioned is not the norm. Oseki learns after an argument with Roku that they both have hardships. He thought Oseki had a nice and productive life, but it turned out to be the very same dismal life that Roku was living. She discovers that the ideal life they envisioned does not exist in reality. If they had been married, they may have had the life Roku portrays. Using Marxist theory lend it is to see the antagonism between the upper, middle, and bottom classes as a constant in society. People who have been oppressed will use the ongoing tension between classes to spark unrest and revolution, laying the basis for a new social order (Kellner95)As a result, despite their mutual love for one another and their desire to get married, their social standing prevented them from doing so.
Parents
Parents and elders surrounding a child play a crucial role in shaping the behavior and perspective of the child towards issues as they grow up. The way the elders communicate with and around the children should promote and instill positive behavior in them by shaping and supporting them, particularly psychologically. Since it influences the child’s well-being and how they perceive their parents and other grownups that they encounter in their lives. Therefore, parents need to tell their children the truth irrespective of the message they are communicating since it would lead to the children trusting and respecting the elderly.
Parents have power over their children; they can control the children. However, while handling the children, it is critical to understand that the child is growing and what they are taught would shape them and even determine the kind of relationship they maintain with their families. For example, in the ‘Gorilla, My Love,’ hazel is disturbed by her uncle’s changing of names since she perceives it as an indication that her uncle has not been loyal to their familial relationship (Cornett, 2017). Highlighting that lying to children leads to them being cautious around their parents, and they tend to question whatever they tell them even if it is the truth since they fear that the parents might be lying to them. For example, hazel no longer trusts her uncle’s declaration of intentions to get married. Hence, she is left to question whether he will marry the woman he has shown them in a photo, indicating that telling children lies leads to them having trust issues, especially with the people who had lied to them.
Children implement what they are taught by the elders surrounding them, which is evidenced by hazel’s experience in the theater. She was taught that people should mean and implement what they say they will do; hence, she expects every person she comes across to act according to what they say. It indicates the relevance of parents telling children the truth and not lying to them since it is evident that children believe anything they are told, and they emulate the elders living with them. Consequently, if parents continuously lie to their children, it would lead to them developing a character of lying to others. Thus, the parents would be instilling bad moral values in the children by telling the truth.
Telling the children the truth is always critical since it helps them develop self-esteem. For example, hazel’s self-esteem is damaged by her uncle’s lie that he would marry her only to introduce a new woman he wants to settle in marriage with. Hazel feels betrayed, and her uncle belittles her worth, whom she perceives wants to replace her with a stranger (Waller‐Peterson, 2022, pp. 1-6). Therefore, telling the truth to the children helps them get used to it and build their esteem rather than having their strength and self-belief on lies.
In conclusion, although it is not always possible for the elders to tell the children the truth, especially on critical issues, the parents need to have a culture of telling their children the truth. Since it would help mold the children into being people who can be trusted as telling the truth leads to the children trusting their parents. Telling the truths by parents helps them strengthen thief relationships with their children, foster their self-esteem, and help in installing in them proper moral values.
Chopin
In the spirit of global and equality acceptance, we would want to state unequivocally that a writer’s race is irrelevant. That assertion, however, is incorrect and denigrates any culture other than white. The race is important to creatives. We take what we know from experience and have been through and memorialize that experience because we live in a world where race labels everything, including dialect/language, food, music, gun control, clothing, vehicles, and city limits, race matters. Because culture tells us that our skin is an experience, race counts. Maybe if we lived in a world without race, it would not matter what race a writer was; you would be a writer.
For example, if a writer says, “I want to be a poet—not a black poet,” it is not because he wants to be white or does not want to write for his people. It implies that he does not want to be defined by his skin. However, some people exclusively write for their people, which does not define you (solely) as a writer. Race is a humanized concept that stems from people’s inability to see different ethnicities as anything other than distinct. Is it true that one race of people cannot understand another? We still believe that if we do not comprehend someone, they must be of a different race.
Black people do not have the same history as white people; they were pulled from their routines and thrown into a culture that treated them like farm dogs. As time passed and black people were born and nurtured in America, they were no longer taught their culture’s “traditional traditions” ( David 756). They were also socialized to learn the ways of the White Man. And when we conform to White Man’s ways, we allow ourselves to become blind. Whitewashing is a genuine issue in modern-day America. Schools are whitewashing our children by withholding black history. However, some progress has been made by forming Black History Month.
Not talking about race and rejecting the matter entirely is the same as claiming that cultural perspective is unimportant in creative writing. When, in truth, writers frequently draw on personal experience. Some of the best stories reflect emotional truths, stories that are either directly or indirectly representative of our circumstances (David 755). It would be a disservice to literary honesty if we did not discuss how our cultural experiences influence our writing. Even in the categories of fiction or speculative fiction, some universal human themes can be found. Therefore I believe Kate Chopin’s story left out so much black person’s perspective in the story. If we truly want to unite as artists and as humans, we must begin to discuss race and its impact on our culture.
Works’ cited
Asai, David J. “Race matters.” Cell 181.4 (2020): 754-757.
Chopin, Kate. “Desiree’s Baby.” (2021).
Armand
My alternate ending to Désirée’s Baby will maintain Chopin’s mesmerizing charm. My alternate ending delves into Armand’s feelings and thoughts. Chopin did not investigate Armand’s thoughts in the original story, nor did she communicate orally what Armand was feeling. That was something I wanted to change. After reading his mother’s letter, I was curious to know how Armand felt. The final sentence of Chopin’s original story felt like a finale to a continuing story to me ( Kate 6). Armand will express himself by writing letters to Désirée while observing his thoughts and feelings in my rendition. These letters will provide readers with a deeper personal connection to Armand. For instance, I will connect the two parts using the following sentences; Armand stood in the hallway, stunned, reading and rereading the final sentences of his mother’s letter to his father. Sentiments of bitterness against his mother and father, regret towards his wife, and, most importantly, feelings of self-hatred emerged in him.” Being a Negro is the worst thing that can happen to me,” he told himself. Why did God punish me with this race? My mother wouldn’t want to be this, so why should I?” Armand entered his bedroom and shut the door.
In my version, Armand also commits himself since Chopin mentioned through the characters how horrible it was to be of African origin, and I wanted to play on that. I brought Armand’s mother back to America to make the plot less predictable. Love compels you to do things you would never do otherwise. It forced Armand’s obstinate mother to move to America in this circumstance. I considered detailing her death back in France, but I decided to leave it out since my alternate ending was extensive and explanatory. Désirée’s Baby was already a fantastic tale. Chopin, I believe, left the conclusion the way she did so that readers like me may build our endings of what occurs afterward. My alternate ending not only created a distinct point of view but also included several plot twists. Therefore, I would like to end with the following sentences; Désirée was finally able to return to L’Abri two years after accepting Armand’s death. They spent the remainder of their life there with enslaved people, but the enslaved people were considered family. Désirée’s baby was around thirteen years old when she allowed him to read the letter Armand had written to her before committing suicide. The son grew up just like his father intended him to and was proud to be a Negro.
Marxism in the thirteen night
Isamu and Roku both have problems with their wives. Isamu treats her wife Oseki very poorly and is abusive, whereas Oseki and Roku are more romantic. The reason why Oseki is married to Isamu is that his status is better. In my opinion, Oseki would need to suffer through this pain and do what benefits the future. Society back then was very poor for women, they don’t get treated with respect and men don’t care about women’s feelings. I think Oseki learn from her run with Roku that no matter what men she marries, the result of how men treat women is the same.
Frankenstein
I chose Frankenstein because I have always been interested in this character. I have always wondered why is he so popular. Every time I would turn on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon when I was growing up there were always halloween specials for shows and the characters would dress up as Frankenstein. I would always say to myself, “why do I always see him?” “what’s so great about him?”. So I see this as a perfect opportunity to learn about the character by picking this assignment. I feel that horror movies have been so popular over the years because we get to know what it feels like to be truly afraid. Especially at the end of the movie when it says “Based on a true story”. Horror is pleasurable to people because we also get to play around with our negative emotions. It gives us people a little thrill. We also probably try to imagine ourselves in the movie and in the characters situation and try to think what we would do if we were in their shoes.
Chopin
I feel like the race of the author does matter especially coming from Kate Chopin who was a white woman living in the 1890s when racism was pretty bad. She has probably never dealt with racism and doesn’t know first hand what it feels like to go what African Americans go through with racism. I feel that the story would be more credible coming from an author who has went through racism and knows what it feels like. She might talk to people who go through racism and try to understand but she would never really know how it feels first hand because she is white. I feel that it is important that whenever we do get a narrative dealing with racism and oppression that we get it from someone that knows what its like to go through it because that way it would be more honest and authentic.
