Essay on The Importance of Male Characters to Kate Chopin

The Importance of Male Characters to Kate Chopin Why and how does she use them? Kate Chopin is an author who examines the position of women in 19th century Louisiana. She describes their plight, living in a society designed by men, one that confines women’s behavior. It was imperative for Kate Chopin to highlight her male characters, as they ultimately are responsible for her heroines’ actions. The â€Å"Awakening† and â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† are two examples that deal with the issues resulting from a male dominant society, though the stories vary in their approach. Men and marriage are however the common factors that symbolize the obstacles that Kate Chopin’s women face. In â€Å"The Awakening† Edna, the main character enjoys being†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"He fell in love, as men are in habit of doing and pressed his suit with an earnestness and ardor which left nothing to be desired.† (p.31) Pontellier courts Edna with great love and passion, trying to win her heart. When Edna decided to regain control of her life she had â€Å"a feeling of exultation† which â€Å"overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul.† (p.43-44) Pushing her quest for independence to the limit â€Å"she grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before.† (p. 43-44) Throughout â€Å"The Awakening† Edna longs to get away from her husband and attain total freedom of body and mind. She therefore, tries to escape her marriage through friends, music and love affairs. Reflecting on her life, Edna views her husband â€Å"like a person whom she married without love as an excuse.† (p.110). Furthermore, she looks at men as convincing and sly, who try to trap women with their love. In the end, as Edna feels that she has gained control of her life, she leans her head against the high-backed chair and spreads her arms like one whoShow MoreRelatedThe Unique Style Of Kate Chopin s Writing1603 Words   |  7 PagesThe unique style of Kate Chopin’s writing has influenced and paved the way for many female authors. Although not verbally, Kate Chopin aired political and social issues affecting women and challenging the validity of such restrictions through fiction. Kate Chopin, a feminist in her time, prevailed against the notion that a womanà ¢â‚¬â„¢s purpose was to only be a housewife and nothing more. Kate Chopin fortified the importance of women empowerment, self-expression, self-assertion, and female sexuality throughRead MoreFor centuries man has been considered to be the dominate species. Writings throughout history1100 Words   |  5 Pagessanity. Importance on being portrayed as the â€Å"perfect† women or housewife could have also been a factor. The late nineteenth century the author, Kate Chopin, brought to the surface truth underneath women with the use of her stories. Many considered this to be madness, because of the content in her writings. As Aristotle once said ‘â€Å"No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.† (Goodreads) Madness is behavior or thinking that is very foolish or dangerous. (Mariam-Webster) Kate ChopinRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin And The House On Mango Street1732 Words   |  7 PagesAwakening by Kate Chopin and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, spearheaded movements for freedom by tackling the prejudice of gender roles, expressing through their novels’ characters and experiences the arguments for individual freedom and the challenges that must be conquered to achieve those goals for future generations. The Awakening by Kate Chopin was written at the end of the nineteenth century in a time where freedom was granted based off of a bias: only white males could trulyRead MoreThe Importance Of A Women And The Hierarchy Of A Male1639 Words   |  7 PagesOne famous author that has been able to gain a vast audience is Kate Chopin. She has publish many short stories such as â€Å"Story of an Hour†,† A Pair of Silt Stockings†, â€Å"A Respectable Women†, â€Å"Desiree s Baby† and â€Å"The Storm† . These stories causes people to question whether their assumptions of a novel is correct. Two major theme that Chopin promotes throughout most of her work, is the importance of a women and the hierarchy of a male. These stories all have different story lines but share a commonRead MoreThe Female Role in William Faulkners â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† Katherine Mansfields â€Å"Miss Brill,† and Kate Chopins â€Å"The Storm.†1329 Words   |à ‚  5 PagesReading literature, at first, might seem like simple stories. However, in works like William Faulkners â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† Katherine Mansfields â€Å"Miss Brill,† and Kate Chopins â€Å"The Storm,† the female protagonists are examples of how society has oppressive expectations of them simply because of their gender. Curry believes that Faulkner displays the story of â€Å"A Rose for Emily† through scenes of gender differences. The beginning of the story shows the motivational split between men and women.Read MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening1553 Words   |  7 Pagesevident throughout The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Chopin uses contrasting characters such as Edna Pontellier and Adele Ratignolle to further embody the differing aspects of feminism. Adele Ratignolle represents the ideal woman of the time period, a mindless housewife working to serve her family, whereas Edna signifies an independent and daring woman who does not conform to society’s beliefs. These two women’s differing characteristics and personalities allow Chopin to further compare and contrast theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Story Story Of An Hour 1388 Words   |  6 Pagesnever lived to their full potential. In the short story, â€Å"Story of an Hour† the main character; Mrs. Mallard displays the ongoi ng struggles of what women during the eighteenth century had to go through. Men often had patriarchal values and dictated what type of behavior and traditional roles women had to follow that was deemed acceptable during this time. A patriarchal society is as follows, â€Å" consists of a male-dominated power structure throughout organized society and in individual relationshipsRead More The Awakening and The Yellow Wallpaper2395 Words   |  10 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kate Chopins story The Awakening and Charlotte Perkins Gilmans story The Yellow Wallpaper draw their power from two truths: First, each work stands as a political cry against injustice and at the socio/political genesis of the modern feminist movement. Second, each text is a gatekeeper of a new literary history. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman seem to initiate a new phase in textual history where literary conventions are revised to serve an ideology representative of theRead MoreThe Awakening : Evaluating The Core Values Of The Nineteenth Century1203 Words   |  5 PagesThe Awakening: Evaluating The Core Values of the Nineteenth Century In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the main protagonist Edna Pontellier exists as the embodiment of the feminist ideas that stand as outliers in the midst of the more traditional nineteenth century beliefs. Set in 1899 near the end of this generation, Chopin’s work explores the shared attitudes of most of the novel’s cast as they respond to Edna’s search for independence and freedom, an action that challenges her conservativeRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening1875 Words   |  8 Pagessocial, and economic equality to men.† The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, was written in 1890 during the height of the women s suffrage movement, and essentially the public felt that the author â€Å"went too far† due to â€Å"the sensuality† of the protagonist (Toth 1). The â€Å"male gatekeepers† that scrutinized her work saw her piece as a statement that â€Å"the husband is a drag†, and that traditional American values should be forgot ten (Toth 1). In truth, Chopin did not think that American values, such as motherhood

Night Creature Dark Moon Chapter Twenty One Free Essays

â€Å"Let’s regroup.† Nic stepped out of the sheriff’s office and headed for the cabin. The door was unlocked. We will write a custom essay sample on Night Creature: Dark Moon Chapter Twenty One or any similar topic only for you Order Now A note and the key lay on the kitchen table. Don’t forget to talk to Cora Kopway, I read in what I assumed was Will’s precise scrawl. He’d also drawn a map to her cottage. â€Å"Who’s Cora Kopway?† Nic asked. â€Å"Ojibwe wisewoman.† â€Å"And you’re supposed to talk to her why?† â€Å"Remember that talisman we found in Montana?† Which reminded me†¦ I left the kitchen and ran into the bedroom, retrieved the icon from my sweatpants and returned with it in my hand. Nic sat at the table, scribbling notes onto a notepad he’d produced from Lord knows where. He didn’t even glance up when I entered. â€Å"What about it?† Quickly I related what had happened since the icon came into my possession, as well as Will’s thoughts and the need to talk to Cora. At least he stopped taking notes. â€Å"You’re more powerful?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And you don’t know why?† â€Å"No.† He stood. â€Å"Let’s go talk to her.† I glanced at the clock. Close to 4 a.m. now. â€Å"Isn’t it a little early for visiting?† â€Å"You said she was old. She’ll be awake.† Since he was already headed through the door, I hurried to catch up. The sun wasn’t even a smoky glow against the eastern sky when Nic parked in front of a small cottage several miles outside of Fairhaven. But the windows were lit, and as we got out of the car, the front door opened. A young, beautiful woman stood on the threshold as if she’d been waiting for us to arrive. Her skin was olive, not the cinnamon shade of Will’s, but her hair was just as dark, flowing to her waist like a waving ebony river. Her eyes, black and heavily lashed, gazed at us curiously, but she didn’t speak, she merely waited. Talk about aging gracefully; Will’s ancient wisewoman didn’t appear a day over twenty-five. â€Å"We’d like to speak with Cora Kopway,† I said. â€Å"My grandmother joined the spirits last week.† Hell. We were SOL when it came to information if Cora was dead. â€Å"I’m sorry to hear that. Will Cadotte said she might be able to help us.† â€Å"The professor!† An expression of pure delight blossomed. â€Å"Grandmother spoke of him often. He didn’t come with you?† â€Å"He was called away.† We stood silent, her on the porch, Nic and I in the yard. â€Å"Well – † I began. â€Å"Would you mind if we took a look at some of your grandmother’s books?† Nic asked. â€Å"Of course not. She’d be happy to help any friend of Professor Cadotte’s.† The woman opened the door wider. When she moved, a sound, like faint jingle bells, ensued. Golden bangles circled her arms; red, blue, and yellow beaded earrings tangled with her hair, their colors a reflection of the calf-length skirt and frilly peasant blouse. I caught a glimpse of an ankle bracelet, as well as several toe rings on her bare feet. â€Å"I’m Lydia.† â€Å"Elise Hanover,† I replied. â€Å"This is Nic Franklin.† She nodded in welcome to us both. The place was lovely, overflowing with Indian paintings and sculptures. Most were of animals: bear, moose, birds, coyotes, and, of course, wolves. One table held dried bones and what appeared to be teeth. Candles of all shapes, sizes, and colors graced the room. Pottery bowls stood on each table; some held powders, some unidentified objects. I smelled fresh-cut grass, sandalwood, and new snow on a crisp winter night. I was reminded of Montana beneath a full moon, and for the first time in a lifetime I missed the place. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled to the ceiling with volumes whose spines reflected every shade of the rainbow. More cluttered the tables and the floor, some rested on furniture the hues of the earth and the sky at sunset: mahogany, sand, azure, burnt orange. â€Å"It’s beautiful,† I breathed. â€Å"Thank you.† Lydia stepped into the room just behind me. â€Å"Grandmother left me the place, and I’m grateful. She’ll be a great loss to the Ojibwe community.† â€Å"Will said she was quite knowledgeable.† â€Å"Very. She was teaching me, but there was so much to learn.† Here was good news. Maybe we weren’t SOL after all. â€Å"We’re interested in information on shamanic totems with mystical power,† I said. â€Å"What kind of power?† â€Å"Shape-shifting.† Her gaze sharpened. â€Å"Into what?† â€Å"Wolf.† â€Å"Weendigo,† she whispered, and one of the candles sputtered, then went out, leaving a trail of smoke behind. â€Å"I always hate it when that happens,† I muttered. Lydia struck a match and relit the wick. The flame held steady and sure. â€Å"What’s a Weendigo?† Nic asked. â€Å"The Great Cannibal,† Lydia answered. â€Å"Ojibwe werewolf.† Nic cleared his throat, turned so Lydia couldn’t see, then pointed at his teeth. I frowned, considering. There’d been a bite mark on the single victim we’d seen. But human teeth, not wolf. No flesh removed. What about the others that no one could find? For all we knew, they could have been sporting bite marks, too, or missing big chunks of skin – kind of hard to tell without the bodies. We had something to think about. I shook my head, indicating we’d keep the information to ourselves for now. We were here to discuss the talisman, not the disappearances. â€Å"Getting back to the totem,† I said. â€Å"A sacrifice would be required to imbue the icon with power.† â€Å"Rabbit,† Nic muttered. â€Å"Unusual choice,† Lydia said. â€Å"But blood is blood. What is the totem made from?† â€Å"Plastic,† Nic blurted, before I could show her the thing. He was right to be cautious. The icon was evidence – of what, we didn’t know. But passing the thing around like a brand-new baby could be a mistake. â€Å"Also unusual,† Lydia continued. â€Å"But Grandmother always said it’s not the vessel that matters but the magic. The power behind the plastic is what counts. A spell, correctly performed by a shaman, could make anything a conduit. However, there aren’t a lot of people left with that kind of power.† â€Å"Could Cora have done it?† Nic asked. Lydia cast a quick glance his way. â€Å"If she wasn’t dead.† Nic dipped his chin in acknowledgment before asking, â€Å"I don’t suppose you know any others of Cora’s stature?† â€Å"No, but I can ask around.† â€Å"I’d appreciate it.† Nic removed a card from his pocket and handed it to Lydia. â€Å"You can reach us at this number.† I glanced at the books. â€Å"Axe there volumes on shamanic transformation?† â€Å"I haven’t seen any, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Help yourself.† â€Å"I’ll take a quick look.† Nic headed for the nearest stack. Silence settled between us. We smiled, glanced away. Now what? I’d never been good at making friends. Becoming a werewolf and being relegated to a compound in Montana hadn’t improved the skill. Crossing to the window, I peered out. The forest came right up to the cottage. Most people would be claustrophobic, but to me the trees were soothing, both refuge and retreat. â€Å"Sorry.† Lydia joined me. â€Å"I’m not very good with people. Comes from spending too much time with just myself and my books.† She thought she was being geeky. Her insecurity called out to my own. â€Å"I have the same problem,† I said. My gaze was caught by a shadow. Something slunk low to the ground. Something furry, with ears and a tail. â€Å"Did you see that?† I asked. â€Å"What?† â€Å"There.† I pointed. â€Å"A wolf.† â€Å"No wolves around here. Probably a coyote.† The shadow had seemed damn big for a coyote, but then, shadows were like that. â€Å"You’ve never seen any wolves?† â€Å"Not since I moved in. Coyotes, though. A lot of them.† And where there were a lot of one, there weren’t any of the other. Wolves would tolerate foxes in their territory, but never coyotes. Another of nature’s little mysteries. â€Å"I’ve heard there are quite a few crows, too,† I observed. â€Å"They usually hang around wolves.† â€Å"I read something about that in a book on Chippewa legends.† Chippewa being the misspelling of Ojibwe by the government on treaties and other official documents. The mistake had made its way into common usage. â€Å"I meant Ojibwe,'† Lydia said quickly. â€Å"The author kept using the term Chippewa legend. I can’t get it out of my mind.† She smacked herself in the forehead with the heel of her hand. A second shadow skirted the cool confines of the forest, distracting me. â€Å"What’s so interesting?† Nic stood behind us. â€Å"Elise thought she saw a wolf.† He stared out the window for several moments. I held my breath. Did I want him to see a wolf, or didn’t I? â€Å"Nothing,† he murmured. â€Å"Must have been a coyote,† Lydia reiterated. Was I jumping at shadows? Probably. In my world, shadows often turned out to be real. â€Å"We should go,† Nic said. â€Å"You didn’t find anything useful in Grandmother’s books?† â€Å"No. But thanks for letting me look.† â€Å"Nice meeting you.† Lydia followed us to the door. â€Å"Come back anytime.† I stepped outside and sniffed, but the wind blew toward the forest – the wrong direction for me to scent anything but grass and trees, a few squirrels. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. Werewolves, for the most part, exist from dusk to dawn. However, the exact minute of dawn is hard to put a finger on without an almanac. â€Å"What’s the matter?† Nic asked as we climbed into the car and drove away. I flipped my finger toward the sky. â€Å"Too close to sunrise to have been anything but coyotes. Or real wolves.† â€Å"Okay.† Nic shrugged. â€Å"Then again, maybe not.† â€Å"Because?† â€Å"The Weendigo shifted anytime he wanted to, into any shape he saw fit. Luckily, he’s dead.† Thanks to Damien and Leigh. â€Å"There can’t be another one?† A cheery thought, however – â€Å"No. Or at least not right now. A Weendigo is made between the harvest and the hunter’s moon.† â€Å"Which means nothing to me,† Nic pointed out. â€Å"Harvest moon is in September, hunter’s October. Since it’s November we’re headed for the beaver or the frost moon.† â€Å"Where do you get this stuff?† â€Å"From books. The Indians coined names for each full moon. In November, the swamps freeze and the beavers wander. The People would set traps and make winter blankets of the heavy pelts.† â€Å"A kind of calendar – a way to mark time by the moon.† â€Å"Right. But I don’t remember reading anything about the beaver moon and disappearing bodies. I’ll have to talk to Will.† I held out my hand. â€Å"Cell phone?† â€Å"That’s a for-sure thing? The moon influencing – â€Å" â€Å"Werewolves?† I interrupted. â€Å"Oh, yeah.† â€Å"Okay.† He gave me his phone. â€Å"So no Weendigo. But that bite mark on the body bugs me.† â€Å"Me, too. I think we should talk to the medical examiner.† Nic’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. â€Å"Me, too.† How to cite Night Creature: Dark Moon Chapter Twenty One, Essay examples

Frederick Froebel free essay sample

Friedrich Froebel was a German educator of the nineteenth century who developed an Idealist philosophy of early childhood education. He established kindergarten and education for four and five-year-old children. Kindergarten is now a part of education worldwide. Friedrich Froebel was born in the small town of Oberwiessbach, Germany in 1782. His mother died when he was nine months old. His father remarried, but Froebel never liked his stepmother and he led an unhappy life with his father and her. His feeling of rejection and isolation remained with him for life.This had a strong effect on his theory of early childhood education. He believed the kindergarten teacher should be loving, kind and motherly. He wanted his kindergarten to offer a sense of emotional security and self-esteem in children. At the age of ten, Froebel went to live with his uncle. As a young child, Froebel spent a lot of time playing in the garden around his home. We will write a custom essay sample on Frederick Froebel or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This led to his love of nature and had a profound effect on his educational philosophy. He briefly attended the University of Jena from 1800-1802.Then he studied architecture at Frankfurt University. Although he ended his studies without receiving a degree, Froebel gained a sense of artistic perspective and symmetry he later used to design his kindergarten â€Å"gifts† and â€Å"occupations. † While in Frankfurt Froebel was hired as a teacher at the Frankfurt Model School, which was a Pestalozzian school. He studied the Pestalozzi method of instruction which emphasized using objects to teach. His method rejected the use of corporal punishment and emphasized respecting the dignity of children.Froebel returned to Germany where in 1837 he established a new type of Early childhood school, a child’s garden, or as we now know it â€Å"Kindergarden†. This school was for 3 and 4 year olds and incorporated songs, play, stories and activities. It was an educational environment in which children through their own self-activity could develop in the right direction. This meant that in a child’s development they would follow the â€Å"divinely established laws of human growth† through their own activities. During this time Froebel’s reputation increased and kindergardens were established throughout Germany.Froebel â€Å"asserting that each child at birth has an internal spiritual essence–a life force–that seeks to be externalized through self-activity. He stated child development follows the doctrine of preformation, â€Å"the unfolding of that which was present latently in the individual. † The kindergarten is a special educational environment in which this self-active development occurs. The kindergartens gifts, occupations, and social and cultural activities, especially play, promote this self-actualization.Froebel was convinced that the kindergartens primary focus should be on play–the process by which he believed children expressed their innermost thoughts, needs, and desires. Froebels emphasis on play conflicted with the traditional view held during the nineteenth century that play, â€Å"a form of idleness and disorder, was an unworthy eleme nt of human life. † Froebel believed that play facilitated â€Å"childrens process of cultural recapitulation, imitation of adult vocational activities, and socialization. He believed the human race, in its collective history, had gone through major times of cultural development that added to and refined its culture. According to Froebels theory of cultural recapitulation, â€Å"each individual human being repeated the general cultural epoch in his or her own development. The occupations were items like paper, pencils, woods, sand, clay, straw, and sticks all used in different constructive activities. German immigrants introduced Kindergarten in the United States. Elizabeth Palmer Peabody established a Kindergarten in Boston and she translated several of Froebel’s books into English. She organized the Froebel Union and established an institute to train Kindergarten teachers.