Post one: Young Good man Brown Article (
http://www.online-literature.com/hawthorne/158/
)
Have you or has anyone close to you had issues of doubt, faith, or trust? Explain how your own understanding of these issues gives you insight into what Young Goodman Brown experiences. The bulk of your post should focus on the story you have read not your own personal story. You will think about and mention your own experience merely as a jumping off point to analyze “Young Goodman Brown.” Post your response and then comment on two other classmates’ responses.
MAKE SURE TO USE THE ARTICLE AND SITE THE ARTICLE AS YOU ARE ANSWERING THE QUESTION AS WELL AS A REFERENCE OF THE ARTICLE AT THE BOTTOM.
POST TWO: The Yellow Wallpaper
http://web.archive.org/web/20110214094847/http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=GilYell.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1
Choose one of the following prompts to respond to for your discussion:
What is the narrator’s “problem”? Think about this in terms of what others have diagnosed her own evaluation of her situation, and in a broader historical/contextual sense by considering how societal expectations and/or cultural conventions contribute to her mental and physical state.
Evaluate the character and motive of the protagonist’s husband. Is he only looking out for her best interest or is he domineering and controlling? Is he a representation of the patriarchy of 19th-century culture? Is he a model of a “good husband” according to 19th- century gender expectations and conventions? You do not have to address each of the questions posed; instead, use these questions as a springboard for your own analysis of the husband. Remember to situate your response in 19th century historical context and support your argument with examples (either direct quotes or paraphrase) from the short story.
How does the physical setting of the story contribute to the mood of the story? What is significant about the room where the protagonist is confined?
Discuss how the wallpaper functions in the text. How does the narrator “read” the yellow wallpaper and how does it influence her own mental condition. How does the wallpaper serve as a symbol?
At the end of the story Gilman writes, “I’ve got out at last,” said I, “in spite of you and Jane. And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back.” Write your interpretation of what the protagonist means by this statement.
Post your comment and then respond to the analysis of two other classmates.