Biographical, Historical, and New Historical Criticism Perspective
Upon reading the biographical information on Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the reader discovers that like the main character in the story, Charlotte suffered from depression and was prescribed a rest cure by the doctor. She states that during her period of rest, she “came so near the border line of utter mental ruin that I could see over” (329). Just as she descended toward the pit of madness, Gilman pushes her character near the shores of insanity, yet she scripts her protagonist to go completely insane, whereas Gilman herself was able to overcome her mental setbacks. From her bed rest experience she wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper”, and sent a copy to the physician who proscribed her “cure”.
A historical background of the time period further reveals some of the topics discussed in the story. When “The Yellow Wallpaper” was published in 1892, the role of women in society was drastically different than today. During this time period, middle and upper class women suffered from severe bouts of depression, and were usually prescribed to lengthy terms of bed rest. The result was that the women became passive and completely subservient to their husbands and other male figures in their lives. This corresponds with the heroine in Gilman’s story who states, “I lie down ever so much now. John says it is good for me, and to sleep all I can” (line 152). Though the heroine believes that some mental or physical exercise will help her condition, she does not have the strength of character to disobey her husband to that extreme. In the end, it was the lack of mental fortitude seen so often during that time period that led the heroine to her final plunge into madness.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
personal statement
Matt Gehrke
I had never seen him cry, yet when I looked in his direction, I still expected to see tears running down his face. I did see them, but it was his other facial expression that left me staring at him with my mouth agape. My Grandpa was smiling.
We were at my Grandma’s funeral, and he was surrounded by his children, who were all trying to comfort him despite being far from in control of their own emotions. My dad put his arm around his shoulder and asked him what he wanted to do. He turned to him and replied, “I want to celebrate, because I know my wife is now free of suffering”.
That is the nature of my Grandpa. Alfred Gehrke is my idol, and every day I strive to be a man of his stature. I try to show determination and diligence in both academics and athletics, and once given a task I pursue it until it is accomplished. I have always strived to perform to the best of my ability, but my Grandpa’s ordeal has caused me to revaluate what I determine as success and failure. If I score a poor grade on a test, it seems as though the world is going to come crashing down on my head, but in perspective it is a trivial footnote compared to some of the disappointments and failures that I will experience as I graduate from school and become acclimated in the real world.
Alfred Gehrke is my daily inspiration on dealing with adversity. Just before the death of my Grandma, his kids had forced them to move into a retirement center to help with her medical issues. At the same time they also said that he could no longer drive on his own. Instead of complaining he took it all in stride, and submitted to their wishes. After the death of my Grandma, many of us expected him to just stay in his room all through the day. Instead, at ninety one years young, he runs through the halls of the center in an attempt to stay in shape. The staff has even asked him to slow down because they are afraid he will over exert himself and they tell him that it disturbs the other residents. Whenever I deal with adversity in my own life, I always picture my Grandpa, and the amazing hardships he has had to endure these past few years. He gives me strength, and his example allows me to press onward through the difficult times in my life.
I had never seen him cry, yet when I looked in his direction, I still expected to see tears running down his face. I did see them, but it was his other facial expression that left me staring at him with my mouth agape. My Grandpa was smiling.
We were at my Grandma’s funeral, and he was surrounded by his children, who were all trying to comfort him despite being far from in control of their own emotions. My dad put his arm around his shoulder and asked him what he wanted to do. He turned to him and replied, “I want to celebrate, because I know my wife is now free of suffering”.
That is the nature of my Grandpa. Alfred Gehrke is my idol, and every day I strive to be a man of his stature. I try to show determination and diligence in both academics and athletics, and once given a task I pursue it until it is accomplished. I have always strived to perform to the best of my ability, but my Grandpa’s ordeal has caused me to revaluate what I determine as success and failure. If I score a poor grade on a test, it seems as though the world is going to come crashing down on my head, but in perspective it is a trivial footnote compared to some of the disappointments and failures that I will experience as I graduate from school and become acclimated in the real world.
Alfred Gehrke is my daily inspiration on dealing with adversity. Just before the death of my Grandma, his kids had forced them to move into a retirement center to help with her medical issues. At the same time they also said that he could no longer drive on his own. Instead of complaining he took it all in stride, and submitted to their wishes. After the death of my Grandma, many of us expected him to just stay in his room all through the day. Instead, at ninety one years young, he runs through the halls of the center in an attempt to stay in shape. The staff has even asked him to slow down because they are afraid he will over exert himself and they tell him that it disturbs the other residents. Whenever I deal with adversity in my own life, I always picture my Grandpa, and the amazing hardships he has had to endure these past few years. He gives me strength, and his example allows me to press onward through the difficult times in my life.
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