Those Fancy Women

In lecture on Tuesday a T-chart was created of the different characters and whether they were on the facts side or the fancy side. What we noticed as a group was that many of the female characters were on the fancy and many of the male characters were on the fact side. After some research online I discovered that Dickens wanted to make a point, he wanted to use women as a symbol as the counterpoint to the mechanical ideologies that men tend to possess.  He shows that the compassion that women carry balance the hardness of men and that without that balance there would be conflict. This can be seen in the marriage of the Grindgrinds. Mr.Gradgrind who is all about facts suppresses the women that are in his life. First by suppressing his wife whom towards the end of the book makes the statement “you must remember, my dear, that whenever I have said anything, on any subject, I have never heard the last of it: and consequently, that I have long left off saying anything” (Dickens 186).  Luisa the daughter of Mr. Gradgrind confesses to him that she feels she has lost a part of her childhood because she was taught only facts and has lost her femininity. She also feels isolated and disconnected from other people because of the rigid upbringing she received from her father. She finds herself married to a man that embodies the ideologies of her father and came to the conclusion that she truly is not in love or happy with this man and it is because of her father. As she progresses throughout the story with the help of the other female characters such as Rachel and Sissy she is able to recognize her emotions. This is a strong changing point in the story with Luisa because as she changes into a woman of fact and fancy she is proving Dickens point that fact and fancy need to be balanced and he has chosen a woman to embody that idea, which is very different for his time and can be seen as the beginning of the feminist movement for that era. This whole system of men is being paired with facts and women being paired with emotions but then having a big garnering at the end of the story shows Dickens views that he believes women are being treated unfairly by society and men. And this story is him recognizing the potential of women. 

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave

In the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave”, a line that stuck out to our group was on page 17, when Douglass, talking about Mr. Covey, says “Such was his cunning that we used to call him, among ourselves, “the snake”.

First off, I love the visual and sensory image of this sentence. I can picture Mr. Covey slithering through the grass, hiding until he is close enough to strike. Comparing him to a snake makes the fear the slaves are feeling very relatable. I know the feeling of seeing one slither by you unexpectedly, and so I can relate to that not only visually.

This line helps show the transition Frederick goes through in terms of standing up for himself and regaining his pride. When Frederick starts resisting Covey’s attempts to whip him, it is apparent in the writing that he is no longer as afraid of him. On page 21, Frederick says “The truth was, that he had not whipped me at all. I considered him as getting entirely the worst end of the bargain; for he had drawn no blood from me, but I had from him. “From these lines, I get the sense that now Frederick is the snake, particularly because he drew blood.  

This is again apparent a few lines down, when Frederick says “No,…you need not; for you will come off worse than you did before” in reply to Covey’s future abusive habits.  This time, Frederick is the attacker, and not Covey.

Mary Shelley

            One of the most interesting parts of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley occurs at the end of chapter three. In this section Victor Frankenstein is offering internal insight into his thoughts and beliefs—a very self-revealing action. Yet, there is a clear internal battle. Specifically in the last paragraph of chapter three, Victor is reflecting on his fathers reaction to his laborious work—which has consumed him. Victor states,

 “But my enthusiasm was checked by my anxiety, and i appeared rather like one doomed by slavery to toil in the mines, or any other unwholesome trade, than an artist occupied by his favorite employment.”

            This reveals so much. Inspired from a child-like fascination with life, Victor Frankenstein becomes—for lack of a better term—addicted to science. He has “doomed” himself by investing all his time and energy (to a point to where he was sacrificing his own health). To make a parallel, this is similar behavior of that of a drug addict. Instead of constantly chasing his next high, however, Frankenstein chases knowledge. He’s on a one-way train to create life—in a way he’s chasing a play-god role.

            Mary Shelley paints a picture with this passage in such a way that many meaning can be drawn from this piece—like other phenomenal creative works. The first meaning I took away came with regards toward Victor Frankenstein. By isolating himself, by endless pushing through hour after hour of work, and by never taking time to appreciate the present he makes his own hell. Furthermore, he is his own gate-keeper; however, he doesn’t even want to be let out (until his work is complete)!

            What this means for Victor can also transcend into the audience’s own life. Are you allowing something to consume you? What, or who, are you bestowing power to within your own life? Through Shelleys work you see this vivid character with these obvious obsessions, yet it when it objectively self-reflects it denies reality (or chooses to ignore it).

            That’s incredibly powerful. Personally, I have seen loved ones that endure this self-inflicted drive. This is a devastating behavior. I believe that right here—here—is when Victor Frankenstein lost his humanity.

Blog Manifesto

The goal of this blog is more than just getting an A. This blog is about experience.Designed to challenge and inspire growth within our educational experience (in regards to 19th century literature). We (Bailey, Brooke, and Jon) will set forth to further our understanding of contexts with English that has been fundamental to the growth of the English language. During the duration of this course the blog team will be sharing with others our thoughts, feelings, and analysis of the assigned literature in class. In hopes of finding other students that connect with our ways of thinking or even disagree and can enlighten us on their understanding of how the messages of each story resonate with them on a more personal level.