The Awakening: Concepts of Morality
The novel The Awakening, of which the author is Kate Chopin, drags its readers down into a poor mentality. The reader is shown how morals are scarcely used in common ordinance by Mrs. Pontellier. The reader is thrown from one incident of insubordination in a quarrel with Mr. Pontellier into her neglect for her children and then is heaved into Mrs. Pontellier’s obsessive nature as an adulteress.
Any insight into Mrs. Pontellier’s too-free-spirited nature would have one’s insides turn opposite of God’s Will. From the beginning of the book, the reader sees that Mrs. Pontellier is irrational, self-obsessed, and perhaps intolerable. This image is brought on by her insistent attitude that she must have everything in the manner that she desires. Her insubordination in this society would have the denizens of the time returning quite spiteful glances at Mrs. Pontellier. A quote to help one picture the ill-willed persistence carried by Mrs. Pontellier was mentioned when the book summarizes her emotions: “She perceived that her will had blazed up, stubborn and resistant. She could not at that moment have done other than denied and resisted (P.31).” Her insistent attitude also made her self-righteous and neglectful of other persons.
In other ways, Mrs. Pontellier’s morality led to a dreadful deceit of her own children. Her self-righteous mindset was damaging to her children’s vitality. The ways that she treated the children were full of neglect. As in a certain night, Mr. Pontellier returned home from work to find that one of his children had a fever. Mrs. Pontellier refused to look at the child because she stated that “He had gone to bed perfectly well . . . and nothing had ailed him all day (P.5).” Mr. Pontellier knew that his child had a fever, but could do nothing about it, and was left to ponder that his wife was a habitual neglecter of their children. He told her this and she did nothing. As a neutral detail, Mr. Pontellier had no idea what his beloved wife had on her mind.
In Mrs. Pontellier’s mind hovered the ever-present thought of another man, other than her husband. During most of the story, the man that Mrs. Pontellier fancied was Robert. Robert was an intriguing man that she met during the summers that were spent at Grand Isle. She had always been fond of the man, but he showed her little interest out of respect for her marriage.
After watching the videos most made me feel same as in our book Bill T. Jones says, “Make something beautiful…Make something that comes honestly from you. Dare to fail.” That is exactly ho I felt after watching most of the videos. They were full of emotions and contact. The movements were very touchy feely and emotional with a story to tell; especially, the one called “What is contact improvisation?” I did reminded me of some of the previous choreographies we watched. I most of the videos there was a lots of ballet movements except the “Rennie Harris Puremovement │ Jacob 's Pillow Dance Festival 2009," which I actually enjoyed the most. I also did see some jazz, and musical, but not tap. If I look at previous video from Bob Fosse and his “Sweet Charity”, I don’t really see any connection between the videos we have see in this chapter.
Many words the book contains are full of vivid disgust towards black slaves. Every single line talks about how white people despise and refuse to accept the black race. Answering Aunt Sally's question about whether or not anyone is hurt Huck answers, "no mum, just killed a nigger."(Twain 213) This is the one and only acceptable way to talk about black people in the "white" society. In addition to this, not only is the black people treated differently from the white, they are also considered to be one's property. "He is the only property I have," (Twain 122) Huck is perforce to say in order to save Jim. This is the only way to get through without the essence of suspicions. Though Huck shows racism in public as society teaches him, deep inside he understands that Jim is a great person. Through the eyes of Huck Finn, Mark Twain shows that there is more to people then looks and race, showing the importance of beliefs and character.
Leonce Pontellier, the husband of Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin's The Awakening, becomes very perturbed when his wife, in the period of a few months, suddenly drops all of her responsibilities. After she admits that she has "let things go," he angrily asks, "on account of what?" Edna is unable to provide a definite answer, and says, "Oh! I don't know. Let me along; you bother me" (108). The uncertainty she expresses springs out of the ambiguous nature of the transformation she has undergone. It is easy to read Edna's transformation in strictly negative terms‹as a move away from the repressive expectations of her husband and society‹or in strictly positive terms‹as a move toward the love and sensuality she finds at the summer beach resort of Grand Isle. While both of these moves exist in Edna's story, to focus on one aspect closes the reader off to the ambiguity that seems at the very center of Edna's awakening. Edna cannot define the nature of her awakening to her husband because it is not a single edged discovery; she comes to understand both what is not in her current situation and what is another situation. Furthermore, the sensuality that she has been awakened to is itself not merely the male or female sexuality she has been accustomed to before, but rather the sensuality that comes in the fusion of male and female. The most prominent symbol of the book‹the ocean that she finally gives herself up to‹embodies not one aspect of her awakening, but rather the multitude of contradictory meanings that she discovers. Only once the ambiguity of this central symbol is understood can we read the ending of the novel as a culmination and extension of the themes in the novel, and the novel regains a...
Why would a man who fought against slavery, injustice, and discrimination write a racist book ? For some time, many students, educators, and scholars debated whether The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain deserves its place in our literary canon. Certain readers find the relationship between Huck and Jim especially problematic due to abundant use of the N word and Twain’s stereotypical depiction of Jim. On one hand, Jim is viewed as an uneducated slave who is always in peril due to Huck’s playfulness and immaturity. Yet, on the other hand, Jim is a complex secondary character crucial for Huck’s development from naiveté into maturity. Despite, the glaring overuse of racial epithets, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn should remain in the literary canon and continue to be taught as it allows readers to address racial misconceptions, such as racial
Sacrifices can define one’s character; it can either be the highest dignity or the lowest degradation of the value of one’s life. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin implicitly conveys the sacrifice Edna Pontellier makes in the life which provides insight of her character and attributions to her “awakening.” She sacrificed her past of a lively and youthful life and compressed it to a domestic and reserved lifestyle of housewife picturesque. However, she meets multiple acquaintances who help her express her dreams and true identity. Mrs. Pontellier’s sacrifice established her awakening to be defiant and drift away from the societal role of an obedient mother, as well as, highlighting the difference between society’s expectations of women and women’s
...cision does not spawn from her relationship with her husband, she cannot yield the independence she has won and return to him. In order to fulfill her quest, she must continue on her search for independence. "The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring and murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in the abysses of solitude." She submerges herself in the ocean and in the solitude she has longed for throughout the novel. Only in her death is Leonce completely powerless. She has taken control of her destiny. Edna Pontellier as a literary character is shocking for her time. She achieves true empowerment, a status not often experienced by women in the Victorian Era. She rebels against her husband and the social norms that he represents. True to the time, such a conflict could not resolve in her favor without sorrow, but ultimately Edna triumphs.
Throughout this novel the relationship between Huck and Jim differs in and out of society because of Huck's feelings towards Jim. These two adventurers had planned to leave the Mississippi and go North, but missed their chance. The river took them farther and farther South. If Jim was caught, he would be in big trouble. If Huck didn't turn Jim in, he would also be in big trouble. Huck found himself battling with his conscience, when he realized how close Jim was to his freedom, "...I begun to get it through my head that he was most free-and who was to blame for it? Why, me. I couldn't get that out of my conscience, no how nor no way." (pg.85) Turning Jim in would be difficult, since he was a benevolent and amiable man. It was not righteous that he should be hurt, but if Huck helped Jim run away, he would have to turn his back on his own people. He would be saying slavery, and everyone who believed in it, was wrong. Huck came to the decision to tell someone about Jim that will force him back into slavery. Soon enough they encountered two white men on a skiff. During this incident Huck perceived that his feelings to protect Jim were stronger than his feelings to turn him in. He lied when the men asked if Jim was white or black.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, events throughout the novel suggest that Huck is a racist to Jim, Miss Watson’s runaway slave, whether he knows it or not. Despite the fact that Huck travels with Jim, he does not care about freeing Jim from slavery. As a result, Twain’s purpose is more focused on the adventures Huck and Jim experience rather than freeing Jim.
This piece is and is 218.4 centimeters in height and 172.7 centimeters in width. I was not able to find the medium of this artwork but I am assuming it is either acrylic or oil on canvas. The style is also abstract and features what looks like random painted figures and shapes positioned all over the canvas with patches of red, yellow-green, mustard yellow, white and beige as the background. There are a couple random objects painted on this piece that are recognizable, such as a red cup with sugar cubes next to it, but there also many unrecognizable shapes that are more open to interpretation. It is my least favorite because I do not find the overall color scheme of the painting very appealing. Personally I feel as if the colors in this piece do not go well together, especially the shade of green and yellow in the background. Compared to Basquiat’s other pieces that are richer in color, this piece falls
Could the actions of Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin's novella The Awakening ever be justified? This question could be argued from two different perspectives. The social view of The Awakening would accuse Edna Pontellier of being selfish and unjustified in her actions. Yet, in terms of the story's romanticism, Edna was in many ways an admirable character. She liberated herself from her restraints and achieved nearly all that she desired. Chopin could have written this novel to glorify a woman in revolt against conventions of the period. Yet, since the social standpoint is more factual and straightforward, it is the basis of this paper. Therefore, no, her affairs, treatment of her family and lovers, and suicide were completely unwarranted. She was not denied love or support by any of those close to her. Ultimately Edna Pontellier was simply selfish.
Edna Pontellier is a delicate character, attempting to find happy ground between the devoted mother-woman, Adele, and the independent, cold woman, Reisz. I believe that through
...e end of the novel, Huck and the reader have come to understand that Jim is not someone’s property or an inferior man, but an equal. To say that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel is absurd, but there are always some hot-heads claiming that the novel is racist. These claims are not simply attempts to damage the image of a great novel, they come from people who are hurt by racism and don’t like seeing it in any context. However, they must realize that this novel and its author are not racist, and the purpose of the story is to prove black equality. It is vital for the reader to recognize these ideas as society’s and to recognize that Twain throughout the novel does encourage racist ideas, he disputes them. For this reason, and its profound moral implication, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be removed from the literary canon. [1056]
This entire novel is about an identity crisis. At the start of the novel, Edna Pontellier is a wife who barely accepts the constraints
In the beginning, the dancers start this arrangement by slowly sitting down, hunched over in their chairs and then hurl their upper bodies into the air, only to gradually sit back down. After a few moments, the dancers suddenly wind their arms off to the right side and hastily throw them to the other side and then repeat the steps they did before. Throughout the piece, they add on to the sequence and eventually go on to reverse it before they finally break free at the end.
Alex Karigan Farrior choreographed, filmed, and edited the material for this piece. He also was responsible for the costume design and execution as well as the lighting. A surprising aspect of this piece is that it was a video. The music was composed by Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra, Ornella Vanoni, Rosemary Clooney, Piero Umiliani, Édith Piaf and Louis Armstrong. The mood of this piece started out almost comical with the expressions of the faces and the use of frames to use three different frames and making one face from three persons smaller section of his or her face. The overall mood seemed energetic and One part that I enjoyed was when it was a frame of one person’s face and the other two people would be touching the face. This piece was unlike anything I had seen before at a dance concert. Eventually the audience is able to see bigger parts or even the full body of each dancer performing steps and the directed choreography. The technique from these the parts when dancing was more visible seemed very good. The technique and execution of the choreography was hard to notice due to the transitions between multiple frames and I thought that the editing of the video was genius and really made the audience pay attention to what was going on all over the screen. Even though it was a video that was spliced and edit until the final product was achieved, it was still a very interesting and powerful