Mason Labash
English 48b
March 24, 2011
Journal: Zitkala Sa

“Perhaps my Indian nature is the moaning wind which stirs them now for their present record. But, however tempestuous this is within me, it comes out as the low voice of a curiously colored seashell, which is only for those ears that are bent with a compassion to hear it.” - Zitkala Sa

"From Columbus's arrival to America in 1492 up until today, Native Americans have been oppressed and cast down by white men."

Zitkala Sa is referencing the deep pain that is locked up within her. Her “Indian nature” tells her she must not keep such harsh feelings of anguish buried away. She can't keep her abusive childhood days at school a secret. These are things the world must know so they realize what hardship Native Americans faced when dealt with by unforgiving whites. If no one hears the schools strange methods from the perspective of someone who endured them then they will forever go down in history as being a very positive environment. The way our nation obscures its negative historical events suggests that these schools for Native American children would be remembered as doing their job and nothing more. We need people like Zitkala who have matured into adults and are still extremely able to recount their depressing memories. At the time I'm sure no one would take a Native American child's expressions of discontent with their school seriously. They would probably just think the child was ungrateful. When I read, “the low voice of a curiously colored seashell” I imagine an innocent little girl that has endured such maltreatment trying to portray her experience to an audience that speaks loudly and interrupts her. Someone that is emotionally scarred is going to tell their painful memories in a low, quiet voice. When she says “present record” she is referring to her writing down her past. “Moaning wind” is exactly how I would describe the sound you hear when you put your ear up to a seashell. Moaning is the sound someone makes when crying out in pain; she's using a seashell as a representation of herself.

Zitkala uses the word tempestuous because her experiences warrant memories that are very unsettling. It's like there is a tornado of recollections inside her just dying to break out, but it creates such pain for her to think about them. They must be listened to by someone who cares deeply about her emotions and well-being. I would assume that as Zitkala goes about her daily life troublesome thoughts of her childhood are always in the back of her head. She can't escape them so they will always be very disturbing to her. A “curiously colored seashell” would spark your interest in the same way a person that has a moving story to tell would spark your interest. A Native-American's account of their life being ruined by white people does not get much publicity. Therefore you must stumble upon it in the same way that you'd stumble upon an odd seashell.

"The Native American: A History Of Oppression." Welcome to Cyberlearning World by George Cassutto. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/nhhs/project/totears.htm>.

Mason Labash
English 48b
March 24, 2011
Journal: Emily Dickinson

“But Gordon thinks there were eruptions in Dickinson's brain as well accounting for the poet's reclusiveness and even, perhaps, for her white dress, adopted for “sanitary reasons.”

“Although the poet's nephew did have epilepsy, the fact that his case is known obviates the authors' claim that social shame in 19th-century Amherst kept the poet's illness a secret.”

Lyndall is saying that Emily Dickinson's solitary lifestyle is a result of a brain disorder that also prevents her from having positive relationships with friends and family. The white dress and her portrayal of Emily as an invalid lead us to believe that she could adapt to life in an institution. We see black and white stills of her parents and brother and there are no smiles or signs of emotion. The world she lived in may have been just like those photos, stern and without expression. It appears that Emily's retreat actually provided her with enough time to write her poems and wear her favorite outfits in the privacy of her own home. Lyndall's focus on Emily's mental state is only one way of interpreting the basis for her poetry. She may have suffered from migraine headaches or a disorder unidentified at the time. By wearing a white dress she may wanted to give an appearance of purity and mask the “extravagant passions” that she displayed in her writings.

Emily Dickinson is portrayed as a reclusive, eccentric young woman who spent all of her time writing poetry. Her critically acclaimed family was undoubtedly one of the most popular in Amherst, Massachusetts and Emily escaped their notoriety by withdrawing into a fantasy world. It's possible that she had a seizure disorder and through poetry and her love for science equated it with a volcanic eruption and flowing lava. It could also be a be a fabric of her imagination. Emily might have wanted to join in on the popularity of her family but felt plain and unwanted. The white dress may be equated with a white lab rat or a white laboratory coat and not a reflection of sterility as Gordon describes. If she read about seizures, she would have known that it was a genetic inheritance and she took on that disorder and brought it to life in her poetry. She may not have minded taking the drugs that were prescribed for this disorder, in fact they may have helped her achieve a mind altering experience that inspired her creativity. Another aspect of her family's life that she portrayed in her poetry was her brother's adultery. She invented a "Master" and described him as a married man who she pursued in the same way that Austin pursued Mabel. I believe that Emily used her poetry to describe her perspective on the emotional turmoil plaguing her family. She was a shuttered individual who used personal experiences and the wild excerpts from literature in her poetry. It may be a false assumption to believe that she had a seizure disorder or was an adulterer. Her creative imagination gave her an opportunity to describe events as though they actually existed, making others believe her life was mysterious and unique.

"Comments on Emily Dickinson: Sweeping up the Heart | The Economist." The Economist - World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.economist.com/node/16740445/comments>.

Mason Labash
English 48b
March 24, 2011
Journal: Sui Sin Far

“For twenty moons my wife care for and nurse the old people, and when they die they bless her and my son, and I send for her to return to me. I had no fear of trouble. I was a Chinese merchant and my son was my son.”(p.881)

"With the completion of the railroad and end of the gold strikes, Chinese immigrants became targets of a decade-long wave of violence and discrimination in western cities such as Los Angeles."

Sui Sin Far is deepening the sympathy we feel for these caring Chinese immigrants by showing how Hom's wife is a very thoughtful individual. She never in a million years could ever deserve the horrible treatment that the United States government bestows upon her. She cared for Hom's mother and father when they were desperately ill and had no one else to turn to. Now Hom and Lae Choo need someone to help them keep their child, but the officers show zero compassion. Of course they are just doing their job which goes to show the extreme indifference and downright hatred demonstrated by our government towards immigrants. It doesn't make any sense that a couple would have to prove ownership of their own son. The child expressing their unhappiness with being taken away from their mother should be proof enough. Sui Sin Far's titling the story “In the Land of the Free” is very ironic since these immigrants are being treated like inferior people that have no rights at all.

Hom's description of his life before being hassled by the government shows sharp contrast to his current situation: “I had no fear of trouble. I was a Chinese merchant and my son was my son.” Hom shows the absurdness of the ordeal by pointing out a painfully obvious truth. They are questioning the ownership of a child whose father is a hard working man that didn't even have the option to fill out the papers. Hom doesn't understand why a country would want to take away someone's only child. His ability to be with the most important thing in his world becomes dependent on these officers giving up their orders to use logic instead. The officers don't care that the papers weren't filled out because his son was with his wife in China caring for his dying parents. It's a possibility that these officers took the child so that their lawyer friend, James Clancy, could come along and take everything valuable that they own. That would explain why the officers took the child no matter what. It's a very reasonable explanation considering that there could be no doubt in the officer's minds that this was their kid. Maybe it was a policy to take Chinese children from their parents to go live in missionaries so they could be “Americanized.” 

 "A History of Immigration from China to the US." Golden Venture Immigration Documentary. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.goldenventuremovie.com/Chinese_Immigration.htm>.

 Mason Labash
English 48b
March 24, 2011
Journal: Stephen Crane

“If I am going to be drowned – if I am going to be drowned – if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?”(p.1009)

“Critics regard the central themes of “The Open Boat” to be man's eternal struggle against nature, the fragility of human existence, the struggle for survival, and the power of community.”

The oarsman has been rowing for what seems like an eternity and is totally exhausted. In his mind he couldn't have worked any harder to save himself and his comrades. He feels that he deserves to make it to the shore alive because he has come so far and has expelled so much effort. He believes that there are seven gods that rule the sea and that this little dinghy is somehow the object of their attention at the moment. This little dinghy among the thousands of other boats in the immensely vast ocean has gained a reasonable amount of attention from the gods in the oarsman's eyes. He and his three buddies are at the top of their to-do list and they would be held responsible if this dinghy were to capsize. He assumes the gods are also very compassionate and that they have morals that they cannot go against. If they were to die after coming so far it would be unfair. Since the shore is in view it makes it so much more unreasonable for them to not make it there. He puts his fate in the hands of the gods and thinks that they're helping him survive this ordeal. His use of the word “allowed” suggests that the gods allowed him to be successful so far. Since the gods are responsible for his life and let him get a taste of land it would be cruel of them to snatch it away.

This quote can be looked at from an existentialist perspective. The oarsman's belief in a higher power are used to give his struggle a very substantial reason for existing. He thinks that whatever happens to them is the result of the gods influencing them because they are concerned with their lives. Crane is demonstrating that the occupants of the boat are solely responsible for giving their plight's significance. The men making it as far as they did is because the laws of physics allowed it, not because the universe cares about them. The correspondent is slowly realizing that he is extremely insignificant as far as nature is concerned. The only person who has influence over the outcome of this venture is himself. There is actually nothing ridiculous about the men making it so close to shore and then drowning because the universe is indifferent to whatever effort or bravery is exhibited by the men. The correspondent wants to believe that the cosmos does things for a reason and that it puts thought into its decision making. He has a hard to accepting the fact that things don't happen for a reason, they just happen. Crane is making a point that our own ego and selfish nature are what make us feel important.

"Stephen Crane The Open Boat Criticism." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.enotes.com/short-story-criticism/open-boat-stephen-crane>.

Mason Labash
English 48b
March 24, 2011
Journal: Edith Wharton

“He even began to reckon up the advantages which accrued from it, to ask himself if it were not better to own a third of a wife who knew how to make a man happy than a whole one who had lacked opportunity to acquire the art.”(p.841)

“Because her self is her only resource, Alice functions as a commodity who ultimately goes to the highest bidder.”

It is definitely a sign of the times for Waythorn to view his wife as a third of what she once was. I feel like Waythorn is placing most of the blame on Mrs. Waythorn for the ending of her other marriages because I doubt he would consider his business partners Varick and Haskett as thirds of husbands. Since he fails to acknowledge this I can't help but think that he's sexist. I suppose almost all men were in the 1800's but because of the intellectual capacity Waythorn demonstrates I expect better from him. Even though he is accepting his wife and even seeing the advantages of having a wife that's been divorced twice he is still not grasping the fact that just because someone has invested a lot of time and emotion into someone else doesn't mean that they lose a part of themselves. Mr. Waythorn is suggesting that Mrs. Waythorn has actually lost part of her being in her previous relationships. At least he figures out that she probably learned from them. His sexist views won't accept that she can move on from her past relationships without leaving a part of herself because he thinks of women as overwhelmingly emotional beings. He has yet to encounter a woman that is so intelligent that she can actually learn from previous mistakes enough to suppress her own emotions just the right amount. Mrs. Waythorn will try her best to get along with her husband but she will only put up with so much friction before she knows the marriage isn't working out. I think Mr. Waythorn is so set on the ideals of the social institution of marriage that he can't imagine a woman escaping from it and still be so unadulterated.

Waythorn, at this point, is still unable to see that Alice is simply a good woman. He can't see yet that she's so intent on him being happy because she really does love him. I feel like when he uses the term “advantages” he is portraying Alice as a pet that is trained and acquires new wife-enhancing abilities. He is viewing a wife as a woman whose sole purpose is “to make a man happy.” He sees her ability to adapt well to new situations a representative of her great acting abilities. In reality she is actually incredibly sincere. He should consider that her previous husbands tried to change her but were unsuccessful. Maybe they were just unhappy with her disposition. Maybe she gets along with Mr. Waythorn so well because she is genuinely a good match for him. This would prove that she's not a shifty chameleon but really a woman with strong character that doesn't agree with her husband all the time just to conform with the unspoken rules of marriage at the time.

"Edith Wharton's "The Other Two": Critical Perspectives and Quotations from Criticism." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. <http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/wharton/othertwo.htm>.

 Mason Labash
March 24, 2011
Journal: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
English 48B

  
“It is a big, airy room, the whole floor nearly, with windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore. It was nursery first and then playroom and gymnasium, I should judge; for the windows are barred for little children, and there are rings and things in the walls.”

“The numerous barred windows and immovable bed also suggest a more malignant use for the nursery in the past, perhaps as a room used to house an insane person. The narrator's sense of being watched by the wallpaper accentuates the idea of the room as a surveillance-friendly prison cell.”

In the first sentence we get an optimistic outlook on the room. She is under pressure to be happy with the room. If she expresses discontent with the room or the house it would certainly displease her husband, John. In the late 1800’s a wife was expected to go along with her husband’s wishes and never doubt that he is only doing what’s best for his wife. She has a nice, big upstairs room to get better by herself. I would think she’d prefer to be in the same room as her husband, but she must suppress those urges and see only the positive in whatever living situation is forced upon her. I can’t imagine the sunshine being so enjoyable when it is obstructed by the shadows of bars on the windows. For me this would be extremely depressing. Throughout the entire day light is coming through the windows and even when you’re not looking at the bars you’re still reminded of them because they project a prison like aura all over the walls. Her reaction to the bars can’t be any more idealistic. She suspects that they must have been for the safety of the children when the room was being occupied by the nursery. I can’t imagine a better way to view something that’s meant to keep people trapped.  I would never settle on the notion that the bars were meant for small children. If there was a need for ventilation they could just be cracked open just enough so that a child couldn’t squeeze through. Those old windows were very heavy and solidly built and a child would never be able to push it up above their height, assuming the windows weren’t floor level.

It becomes painfully obvious that she’s shutting out any instinctive thoughts that this is probably a room used to lock someone up in. A gymnasium is so farfetched a conclusion to come to that we must assume that John told her that that was one of the room’s previous uses. I immediately figured out that the “rings and things” were restraints for the wrists and ankles. I don’t know what kind of whacky gymnasium utilizes a ring fastened to the wall as a means of propelling yourself. It’s possible that she wanted to believe those “rings and things” were devices used for the excitement of children, anything to deter her mind from the idea that this could be a holding cell for the mentally insane. I think her husband knew that despite these obvious warning signs, she would suppress any dissatisfaction with her new home. She should just be grateful she gets to stay in this creepy, presumably haunted, urine scented house right? John must have really interpreted her uppity, artistic ways as ludicrous; otherwise he might’ve taken those bars off before she caught sight of them.



"The Yellow Wallpaper Themes | GradeSaver." Study Guides & Essay Editing | GradeSaver. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. <http://www.gradesaver.com/the-yellow-wallpaper/study-guide/major-themes/>.

Mason Labash
March 23, 2011
Journal: Ambrose Bierce
English 48B

“The wood on either side was full of singular noises, among which – once, twice, and again – he distinctly heard whispers in an unknown tongue.”

"The strange "whispers" he had been hearing were, in the clinical perspective of asphyxiation, the gasps emanating from that same tongue. Farquhar is literally choking on his own tale."

Peyton Farquhar has been traveling for quite some time after floating downstream a good ways and continuing his escape on foot through the woods. At this point he is extremely exhausted and only “the thought of his wife and children urged him on.” His journey has taken him to this road that has not been traveled on for a long while. There is something very peculiar about the setting that he is hearing voices in. He's on a road that is “wide and straight as a city street.” My initial thought is that his escape route is a little too good to be true. He is meant to get home as quickly as possible I feel like because if he had dense shrubbery to hack through it would take too long. It would detract from the story because his escape is supposed to be obstacle free. I am not sure what the whispers are but there are three possibilities in my opinion. My first guess is that he is so dazed at this point that he's having auditory hallucinations. This can't be ruled out because exhaustion can have many different effects and I know that when one is sleep deprived, another form of exhaustion, they begin having all sorts of crazy hallucinations.

The voices could be the trees talking to him. I doubt trees would speak any language we understand. The trees are talking about him. They rarely see a human so when they do there is much to talk about. It's like Peyton is on a vision quest and he is to the point where he can actually hear the spirit of nature's voice. A more likely explanation for the whispers would be that they're the spirits of people that have traveled the road and lost their lives on their journey. The road is so easy to travel on that there's probably something evil lurking in the woods that kills whomever walks on it. The road may be a graveyard, which would explain why grass grows so lusciously on it. The evil spirits spare Peyton's life because he has already seemed to have escaped death just moments ago. Since he is dying he can now hear the voices of the dead. He can't understand them yet because he's not quite dead yet. We know that he's dying because he's having hallucinations and dreamy perceptions. The spirits see his badly swollen neck and the bruise from the rope. They know that he's unaware of his death and still in the process of realizing what's going on so they leave him alone. They can't interfere with his mental transition into the afterlife.They can only sit back and watch the confused soul progress towards his house. The unknown tongue they are speaking in may be the language of angels.

Loren P. Q. Baybrook on "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"" The Ambrose Bierce Project. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ambrosebierce.org/journal1baybrook.html>.