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Pre civil war in the south
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Recommended: Pre civil war in the south
Randerrius Holmes
LSK 0103-02
Short Summary
27 September 2017 “Desiree’s Baby”
The story Desiree’s Baby takes place in the pre-civil war era in New Orleans on the plantation of L’Abri. The story takes on multiple themes such as racism, sexism, and classism. One of the most significant themes is racism. Desiree’s husband, Armand Aubigny, rejects hid beloved wife and son causing her to kill herself and her son. Only because his son is biracial and anyone with a drop of black in their blood are black according to the antebellum south rules. Armand is having an illicit affair with his biracial slave. His position as a wealthy white man allows him to have control of his possession, a poor black woman. The inequality between race, gender, and
This novel, A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, is based on Ballard’s diary starting in 1785 and ending with her death in 1812. Ulrich takes us step by step through Martha Ballard’s life as a Colonial Midwife. She reveals to us all the marvelous acts that midwives performed for their families and communities. “Midwives and nurses mediated the mysteries of birth, procreation, illness and death. They touched the untouchable, handled excrement and vomit as well as milk, swaddled the dead as well as the newborn” (Ulrich, 1990, pg.47). The novel also reveals that based on the views of societal power, gender roles in the medical environment and personal values, revealed in the diary, women were subordinate to men during this historical time period. Martha Ballard lived and thrived in this inferior atmosphere.
Armand feels like he is the victim of betrayal by his wife Désirée. As the baby gets older it is clear that the baby is not white. Armand’s attitude quickly makes him assume that Désirée is not white giving Armand a feeling of deception. He denounces his love for Désirée and the child and casts them out of the house and his life. Désirée is stricken with grief about her treatment by Armand. She cannot believe how a man who loves her so much could treat her with such hostility and cruelty. Désirée develops a negative attitude towards herself and her baby. She is upset that she cannot change how Armand thinks of her because of her baby. This attitude causes Désirée to walk out of Armand’s life forever to her demise. Core beliefs also give to human behavior in “Samuel” and “Desiree’s
The Color Purple written by Alice Walker and Kate Chopin’s Desiree’s Baby, were written during different times periods yet there are many similarities on how the women struggled. Both stories depict women who experienced hardship, and through out it all they continued to show unconditional love. In the two stories they have instances dealing with children that are quite similar. It goes to show that novels can span totally different time periods and still could discuss the same things.
the story begins after the birth of the child so we do not see he pregnancy. By not allowing us to see Desiree’s pregnancy we cannot make a decision as to whether or not Desiree and Armand were happy together and glad to be having a child or if the pregnancy was an accident and they weren’t sure what to do. This leaves us with many questions that we never do get the answers too but we can assume the relationship wasn’t always a happy and good one from the beginning due to the sudden mistrust and questioning that occurs later in the story such as is Armand has been cheating on her an is the slave child is actually Armand’s as well. This is the complete opposite in “Hills like White Elephant’s”. From the begin of the story Hemmingway gives us a look at the pregnancy and shows all of the questions that are raised during this time period. Although unlike the first story we never will get to see if they decide to have the child and see life for the two of them after the birth it still shows us all of the questions and answers that were raised that we never got answers to in “Desiree’s
Although racism is prevalent throughout the entire novel, Tish’s narrative distracts the reader from racial stereotypes. As a result, the reader is able to see Fonny and his loved ones as whole people without pity, and disregard their race and the stereotypes that accompany. When Tish comes to visit Fonny in jail to tell him she’s pregnant, “I’m glad. I’m glad. Don’t you worry. I’m glad,” (p.5). Fonny is happy about the baby, and he assures her that everything is going to be okay. This baby is actually what gives Fonny hope while he’s in jail, and gives him something to look forward to when he gets out. The stereotypical black male would tell the girl that he wants nothing to do with her or the baby but he doesn’t. In fact the baby and Tish is what gives Fonny, along with their families, the strength to keep going and not give into the system and let the white institutions win. Tish knows that her baby was made out of an act of passionate love, and during this act of love Tish could see that, “[...] a kingdom [...] [laid] just behind [Fonny’s] eyes. He worked on wood that way. He worked on stone that way. If I had never seen him work, I might not have never known he loved me,” (p.42). The way he looks at her during this sexual act reveals that his love for Tish is real and passionate. He looks at her with the same passion in his eyes that he has when he’s working on a sculpture. When Fonny and Tish have sex it’s an intimate and gorgeous portrayal of two human beings at a young age actually making love, which is uncommon for young people. Underage sex is very common in America, and is usually just casual sex. One of the biggest stereotypes about African American men is that they get a woman pregnant, then they leave them with the baby, often times having multiple babies with multiple women. This stereotype is paired with the ideology that they aren’t capable of being monogamous. Tish and Fonny’s
These two works deal with the social oppression that women, especially lower class women face. Cee, as a child experienced the hardship a typical lower class American faces, combined with her race, her hard life is can only better imagined. As a young girl, she is physically abused by her grandmother, who is described in the novel as a woman who owns a car and a home, and by extension does the Moneys favor by housing them (Home 44). Cee had been born on the road when her parents lost their home in Texas, and moved to Lotus, Georgia. Her seemingly middle class grandmother holds that over her head. Being born in the streets – or the gutter, as she usually put it – was prelude to a sinful, worthless life” (44). Lower class or poor women are not only oppressed by the upper class, they suffer more from the hands of middle class people
The Infant Child plays a huge role in Blanche’s early life. As a result of her mother’s death, Blanche has a fearful temperament, and
“Desiree Baby” by Kate Chopin is a very thought provoking short story that deals with racism, prejudice, and love. The story takes place in southern Louisiana, where Armand, a prominent landowner, marries a girl of unknown origin named Desiree. The story has a twist when their baby is born and is discovered to be of mixed race. Armand knew all along that he was OF mixed race, and I will prove it by analyzing characterization, diction, and imagery.
In “Desiree’s Baby,” Kate Chopin writes about the life of a young lady and her new family. In this short story, the fond couple lived in Louisiana before the American Civil War. Chopin illustrates the romantic atmosphere between Armand and Desiree. Chopin also describes the emotion of the parents for their new born. When the baby was born, Armand’s heart had softened on behalf of others. One afternoon, Desiree and the baby were relaxing in a room with a young boy fanning them with peacock feathers. As they were relaxing, Desiree had sniffed a threatening scent. Desiree desired Armand’s assistance as she felt faint from the odor that she could not comprehend. Armand had denied the request his wife sent. Therefore, he cried out that she nor the baby were white. Thus, Desiree took the baby and herself and walked into the bayou and they were never seen again. In this short story, Chopin illustrates the psychological abuse Desiree faces from her husband.
In her story, Desiree’s Baby, Kate Chopin underlined the contrast between lust and love, exploring the problem of a man’s pride that exceeded the love he has for his wife. Armand, the main character of the story, is a slave owner who lived in Louisiana during the era of slavery. He married an adopted young woman, Desiree, and together they have a son who eventually became an obstacle in the way of his father’s happiness, thus removing out the true character of Armand. Desiree’s Baby, by Kate Chopin is a love story, love that ultimately proved to be a superficial love, a story that shed light on the ugly relationships between people. “Lust is temporary, romance can be nice,
The nonfiction book I read was titled Beautiful Child and was written by Torey Hayden. Beautiful Child follows the life of a special education teacher who is new to a school is met with a challenging class consisting of five children, all with very different needs. The class consists of a child who has tourette’s syndrome (Jesse), a child who we later find out has dyslexia (Billy), two twins who have fetal alcohol syndrome (Shane and Zane), and a young girl who is selectively mute (Venus.) Although through the story we see each child grow and progress, Venus is the main character and we see her open up to Torey through books and most important She-Ra comics. As Venus’ story unfolds, so do the horrendous details of her family that include a past of drug abuse and prostitution. The quietness of Venus that left many confused, begins to make
“Desiree’s Baby”, written by Kate Chopin, takes place in the late 1800s, during a time of class and racial conflict. The story highlights just where blacks stood in society by sharing the treatment that blacks got as slaves, as well as the pride that the white citizens have over themselves. Blacks were typically seen in a much lower tier then their white counter parts, and to have them both on the same level is unfathomable. “Desiree’s Baby” uses pride to show that people tend to care more about themselves and aren’t who they say they are.
For example, “...the way he absorbs the murderous beams of the nation's heart.” (25). The word “murderous” is extreme and refers to the negative actions inflicted by Americans even as far back as when slavery was legal. The woman also seems to realize that without any intentions, it is natural for people to act this way towards black people. “And he is black, and I am white, and without meaning or trying to I must profit from his darkness,” (21-23). The woman examines this mindset and comes to the conclusion that is actually how society is set up. It appears that profiting off of minorities is considered normal. “The rod of his soul that at birth was dark fluid and rich as the heart of a seedling ready to thrust up into any available light.” (33 - 35). This suggests that the boy was born into this predicament and despite having the ability to progress and “grow” like a seedling, he's suppressed as there is no light to allow freedom.
Victor Hugo’s Les Misèrables is a classic novel that demonstrates how a child is unable to mature in darkness. In the book, Fantine, gets pregnant and is left alone with her child, Cosette. Fantine searches for a place where Cosette can stay while she goes out to work. When she finds the right house she leaves her child, little did Fantine know that Cosette was going to be mistreated and miserable. On Fantine’s death bed, she begs Jean Valjean to find and take care of her child. In Victor Hugo’s novel, Les Misèrables, Cosette is a symbol of the child atrophy by darkness through her time spent with the Thènardiers, her transformation with Jean Valjean, and her flourishing into a young woman. Victor Hugo uses Cosette to represent the children of the time period and how they cannot grow without love and light.
Imagination is a companion that will always be there to ease up moments of despair in life. It gives hope that one day the possessions that the heart desires will be there not too far from reach, or to believe the cruel circumstances life brings upon us are instead moments of joy. L.M Montgomery demonstrates this skilfully in her work; Anne of Green Gables. The novel is about a lonely orphaned girl whose only friend is her imagination. Due to her imagination and the support of her new loving family, she grows into a bright and intelligent young woman who realizes the potential that life has for her and her tremendously creative mind. The experiences and expectations that are placed on the character of Anne show how she later on gains an identity. Anne Shirley starts appreciating life more after her arrival at the Green Gables, since the realization dawns upon her that all events that occur in life are what help her bloom into the young woman she is now.