outside reading 3/8/10

Golden, Arthur. Memoirs of a Geisha. Vintage: New York, 1997. 428 pages.

Memoirs of a Geisha tell the true life story of a young Japanese girl, Chiyo Sakamoto, taken from her home and forced into the profession of a geisha. She is taken to the Nitta okiya (geisha house) and begins training to be a geisha in order to pay off the huge amount of debt she owes the Nitta house, Chiyo faces many hardships, such as her elder geisha Hatsumomo’s attempts to ruin her career before it even starts, and a desperate search for the family she was torn from. The meets the chairman of a Japanese company and falls in love, more like a crush, though. But this crush gives her something to strive for, and all of her efforts in her training pay off when she becomes one of the most famous geisha in Japan and eventually inherits the Nitta house. As corny as this sounds, all of her dreams come true. This story details culture of Japan not too long ago, around the time of World War II. It shows many of the female objectifying things the Japanese world do to make a woman an object of beauty. The Japanese standard of beauty is much different from out western ideas of beauty, so the process of becoming a geisha may seem weird to most people reading this book. The idea of being a geisha also seems similar to prostitution, but people must realize the definite distinction. Prostitutes have sex for money, Geisha entertain men for money, whether it involve sex or not. This book gives much insight and knowledge about a side of Japanese culture that most people over look and gives it in a way that one can relate. It covers a coming of age theme, an overcoming hardships theme, and does so as if you were listening to Chiyo/Sayuri telling you her story herself.

What if…

What if this story was westernized, told from the perspective of an American or English girl sold to a brothel, so the story would make more sense to a western audience. How would the story be different and in what ways would the story be the same.

Haiku

(Ironically appropriate.)

Young girl bought and sold

She had to learn to be bold

Story to be told

A white guy and a black chick walk into a Spanish bar...

Hills Like White Elephants

A couple comes to a crossroads at a train station in Spain. They are both facing a tough decision in their futures. The man is known only as an American, and the young girl is known as Jig. Jig may refer to a derogatory term for black women. The man and the girl walk into a bar and have a conversation/ argument about something they never explicitly state. The girl states: “It tastes like liquorice,” and this statement may really how young she really is by Describing a beer as a candy.

Then the man tells her about the operation is really simple, and that he will stay with her the whole time. This suggests that this is something she is reluctant to do. He is insistent that the go thought with it but he doesn’t want to force her to do it. The girl might be pregnant and the operation their talking about might be an abortion. The man obviously doesn’t want the child, but doesn’t want to hurt his girlfriend’s feelings.

They wander from place to place in search of answers to their dilemma, wandering with no purpose but other than to try and escape from the issue that face.

Bernice Bobs Her Hair

The short story “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the story of how a socially awkward girl is tricked into cutting off her hair. The story is about Bernice, who is visiting her cousin Marjorie, who is more outgoing but is a stereotypical “mean girl”, and Marjorie finds that having such an anti social person around with her during parties and other social activities during this summer is a burden on her fun. Bernice over hears Marjorie complaining to her mother and decides it’s time to leave, but Marjorie calls her bluff and offers to teach Bernice how to be more social, though not with the best intentions.

In the beginning Bernice’s hair is long and beautiful like any other girl’s during the “roaring twenties”. Long Hair is the symbol of femininity, and if girl expects to be popular, she must have long hair. When Marjorie teaches Bernice how to be more social and suggests that she tell all of the boys that she might bob her hair. The rich boys become more interested with her because the idea of cutting her hair seems almost scandalous, despite the fact that she has no true intention of cutting her hair. Bernice becomes much more popular, and actually begins to enjoy herself.

The crisis point of the story occurs when Marjorie reveals to Bernice’s male friends that Bernice was only teasing them when she talked about bobbing her hair. Bernice, willing to prove herself, goes into a barber shop and bobs her hair. When she arrives home that night her Aunt Josephine is in shock and awe. Bernice was not aware of the fact that the nest day she was supposed to be at a party hosted by a Mrs. Deyo, a woman who is against females with bobbed hair.

During the “roaring twenties” women were assuming greater roles in society. The line:”But a girl has to be dainty in person. If she looks like a million dollars she can talk about Russia, ping pong, or the League of Nations and get away with it”, Suggests two things. One; that women are expected to be “dainty, and behave a certain way, such as to have long hair. Two this line mentions the League of Nations, an organization created after World War One to prevent another war form ever happening. This is important because, the First World War was crucial for women to gain rights such a voting, and it was around this time that women, in a show of their independence began to bob their hair.

When Bernice bobbed her own hair, according to society she became less of a woman. Her so called friends abandoned her and her aunt explained how cutting her hair is now a burden because she will only cause chaos at Mrs. Deyo’s party. Contrarily, Bernice cutting her hair could symbolize being a stronger woman. The whole point of women cutting their hair at that time was to show they are stronger than once thought. This can be shown when Bernice gets her own revenge against Marjorie and is brave enough to go back to her own home. The night after she cuts her hair she cuts Marjorie’s hair as well.

Simone Sutton

December 7, 2009

Ms. Brown

AP English III

Daisy Miller: A Study

The Story of Daisy Miller is one of social acceptance. Even though she is rich, the “old Rich European families do not approve of her because of that reason. They find her uncivilized and rude. They also dislike that she had to work for her money, like she might have come from a poor dirty family, unlike them who have always been polite civilized and know the unwritten rules of rich people conduct.

Simone Sutton

Ms. Brown

AP English III

Tuesday December 1, 2009

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

The Jumping Frog is the story of a gambler named Smiley and many of his exploits in gambling. The old man Wheeler describes Smiley as “uncommon lucky”. A lot of his lucky outcomes seemed to be results of cheating or a set up but one cannot be sure. He was also a braggart and boasted to anyone who would listen about the abilities of his horse, his dog and his frog. In the end it was this that leads to his downfall. Bragging boasting and gambling are bad habits, and not all other players are willing to play fair. Smiley ultimate downfall was his hubris.

The unnamed protagonist is sure is tricked by Mr. Ward into asking Wheeler about another man named Smiley who probably doesn’t exist. “I have the lurking suspicion that your Leonidas W. Smiley is a myth…and that you only conjectured that if I asked old Wheeler about him it would remind him of the infamous Jim Smiley, and he would… bore me nearly to death with some reminiscence of him.” Even though the narrator doesn’t want to hear the story he stays anyway either because he is trapped by Wheeler or out of respect. “I let him go on his way, and never interrupted him once.”

The story about the Gambler Jim Smiley was actually true, and tells of his seeming addiction to gambling and “uncommon” luck. He would always look for a bet and would try any bet under any conditions, even unfavorable conditions. “… anyway just so’s he got a bet, he was satisfied… he most always come out winner.” Smiley has a habit of relying on one trump card for his victories, “main dependences”, such as his horse for horse races and his dog, Andrew Jackson, for dog fights. “Smiley had a mare... and he used to win money on that horse”, “And he had a little small pup... as soon as money was up on him, he was a different dog.” But when Smiley lost it is like his “trump cards” lose themselves too. “He gave Smiley a look that said it was his fault…and then he limped off... and died”

“One day a feller—a stranger in the camp, he was—come across with his box.” So, Smiley meets someone who has not had any contact with him before and doesn’t know his reputation as a gambler. Even though Smiley is a relatively honest guy the stranger is not. Smiley offers the stranger a bet, in frog jumping and even offers to get him a frog. Smiley knows the abilities of his from and bets a lot of money, forty dollars, on his frog. Smiley plays fair but the stranger does not. Smiley loses but gives the stranger the money anyway. But when he realizes that the other guy cheated he ran to catch him and the story ends there without a conclusion.

If Smiley had not been so bragadocious and overconfident, he might not have lost his forty dollars to the stranger. But his personality got the better of him and the stranger left with his money. The story of Jim Smiley doesn’t have a conclusion but, the narrator hears from wheeler that Smiley is still around as has not changed his ways.

To be sentence homework

One final though concerning this story is, what was the sin the minister committed in the first place? On the first day Mr. Hooper wears the veil, he presides over the funeral of a young woman. “… to take a last farewell of his deceased parishioner. As he stooped, the veil hung straight down from his forehead, so that if her eyelids had not been closed forever, the dead maiden might have seen her face…. At the instant the clergyman’s features were disclosed, the corpse has slightly shuddered”. The dead girl reacted to the minister’s face. Of all of the people who would see the minister’s face after he veiled it. It was this dead girl. After the funeral one of the town’s persons remarked; “I had a fancy that the minister and the maiden’s spirit were walking hand in hand”. Somehow the minister and the girl had a connection that overcame even death. The last point is that Mr. Hooper refused to tell his wife the reason for the veil even when she threatened to leave him. He could have stopped her but instead he let her leave. All of the facts could suggest that Mr. Hooper had an affair with the Girl who just died. Considering that the author is Nathaniel Hawthorn, it is a plausible assumption.

The Minister's Black Veil

Simone Sutton

10/20/09

AP English III

The Minister’s Black Veil

The minister wears a veil that obscures his face from everyone in town. In a way both the minister and the town’s people suffered from the veil in a way. The minister himself was burdened with a cloud of gloom and a constant reminder of a sin he has committed. The people who looked upon him from the congregation and around town were burdened with the creepiness and gloom that seemed to follow the minister around. They were also burdened with not knowing what caused him to wear the veil.

One day Reverend Hooper came out of his house wearing a black veil around his face, exciting the people of his congregation. The black veil was dark and creepy and made everyone very uncomfortable. “He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face”, this line reflects a unanimous view that all of the towns people share. It is the veil that is making the aura around Mr. Hooper so dark and uncomfortable. It is strange that just one little change of the man’s appearance drastically altered everyone’s opinion of him. Through the town there were whispers and rumors about the meaning of the minister’s veil, but not one of them thought it would be a good idea to ask the minister about it. Only Elizabeth, his wife, would ask him directly of the meaning of his veil. Mr. Hooper tells her “… this veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever…”” I have sorrows dark enough to be typified by a black veil”. His answer is complete yet, vague. He tells her why he wears the veil without giving her a reason. He is keeping a secret from her. Elizabeth comes up with the idea that he has sinned, and he does not say she is wrong. The fact of the matter is, is that Mr. Hooper will not remove his veil in his life time and asks that she jus deal with it. “Have patience with me, Elizabeth!...It is but a mortal veil—it is not for eternity”. He pleads to her that she realize the veil won’t be with him in the next life. Elizabeth, though, wants him to make an exception just for her. When he refuses, she leaves him. After that nobody in the town made an effort to make him remove his veil or ask him about. But the questions the people has still remained and followed him to his grave. While he lay on his deathbed no one was able to wrestle the answer out of him or remove the veil from his face.

Reverend Hooper’s experience from behind the veil, however, was a different one. Instead of having questions he had all of the answers. Only he knows why he wears the veil, and he only asks that the town’s people respect that. Whatever his sin was it burdened him so much he couldn’t even look at his own reflection. “Mr. Hooper raised a glass of wine to his lips…At that instant catching a glimpse of his figure in the looking-glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others….he … rushed forth onto the darkness”. Whatever the town’s people felt when that laid eyes on Mr. Hooper, he himself was not immune to it. This makes the peoples reaction somewhat more acceptable. Whatever the minister did it was powerful enough that he could not escape the thought of it unless he covered his face. And even then he could not avoid it forever. The minister’s veil is a punishment for his sin because wearing it had caused him pain while trying to prevent pain. “… did not intercept his sight, further that to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things.” The veil didn’t make his life impossible to live but it did make it hard. Every where he looked there would be a dark cloud over head following him around like the rumors circling the town. A punishment for his sin that he probably did not for see was being separated from his wife. He probably hoped that she would be the one person who would accept him even with the veil.

One final though concerning this story is, what was the sin the minister committed in the first place? On the first day Mr. Hooper wears the veil, he presides over the funeral of a young woman. “… to take a last farewell of his deceased parishioner. As he stooped, the veil hung straight down from his forehead, so that if her eyelids had not been closed forever, the dead maiden might have seen her face…. At the instant the clergyman’s features were disclosed, the corpse has slightly shuddered”. The dead girl reacted to the minister’s face. Of all of the people who would see the minister’s face after he veiled it. It was this dead girl. After the funeral one of the town’s persons remarked; “I had a fancy that the minister and the maiden’s spirit were walking hand in hand”. Somehow the minister and the girl had a connection that over came even death. The last point is that Mr. Hooper refused to tell his wife the reason for the veil even when she threatened to leave him. He could have stopped her but instead he let her leave. All of the facts could suggest that Mr. Hooper had an affair with the Girl who just died. Considering that the author in Nathaniel Hawthorn, it is a plausible assumption.

The Black Veil caused pain for many people; the minister, his wife, and the towns people. It was not the reason for the veil but, what the veil represents. The secrets that it held were dark and mysterious. The veil is a symbol of evil secrets, and when it is put on the minister, a symbol of righteous good; it obscured the line between good and evil.