An Analysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles - 1293 Words

Symbols are important, especially in literature. They have been known to inspire hope and life, in turn inspiring some of the most profound actions in the history of the world. Yet, humanity’s statement to symbols goes beyond us finding meaning in innominate or non-human objects. People assign humanity into objects, almost a part of themselves. This concept is clearly demonstrated in Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles. The work contains many element of symbolism that make important and relieving comments on the characters of the play and the themes of the story. One of the first symbols introduced in the work, Mrs. Wright’s apron is deeply symbolic of her personal struggle in her home and marriage. Physically, the apron is a feminine piece of†¦show more content†¦Throughout the drama, Mrs. Wright and the canary share many similarities. For example, Mrs. Hale, the wife of Mr. Hale, describes that Mrs. Wright â€Å"was kind of like a bird herself—sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and—fluttery† (185). Overall, the quotation describes Mrs. Wright as a gentle and submissive woman, the type of woman society expected her to be. In addition, although Mrs. Hale compares her to a bird in a favorable manner, she also defines Mrs. Wright as a woman that is fragile and uncappable of providing for herself, another social stereotype that women were subject to. Ultimately, however, the rigid social expectations for women served to reiterate their role in the home and to further confine them to the homestead itself, esp ecially as society typically objectified and trivialized women, celebrating the conforming wife while condemning women to have their wings clipped by society’s standards. In this way, beyond her personality, Mrs. Wright becomes even more synonymous with the canary, an estranged creature confined behind bars as an aesthetic spectacle that is unable to sing an independent song. Lastly, Mrs., Wright’s quilt is directly symbolic of the empathetic relationship that all three of the women, Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Wright, share throughout the work.In many ways, theShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles 983 Words   |  4 Pagespreconception someone makes based on gender, race, or religion that in this case is by gender, and affects women based on their expected gender roles. Women endlessly have expectations that go along with being a wife, mother, or simply a female. In Trifles by Susan Glaspell, 1955 by Alice Walker, and Girl by Jamaica Kincaid women are stereotyped by men and told to follow unwritten but expected roles such as being seen and not heard. As well as how they present themselves, their behavior, and tasks they needRead MoreAn Analysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles 1203 Words   |  5 PagesA Love Gone Bad A woman who was once full of life and happiness is now left with no joy in her life. In the play, â€Å"Trifles† by Susan Glaspell, we see how Mrs. Wright has changed over the years. We see how cheerful she was before marrying Mr. Wright. While trying to solve the murder, the author uses symbolism, conflict, and irony. The are many examples of conflict in this play. The most apparent conflict is that between the men and the women in the play. In the first parts of the investigation,Read MoreAn Analysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles 1056 Words   |  5 PagesIn the early 1900’s, both males and females were perceived as complete opposites of eachother. Women were considered physically weaker and morally superior to men. The gender roles during this time period were clearly demonstrated in the play â€Å"Trifles†, by Susan Glaspell. At a first glance it may seem like the play is only about the death of Mr. Wright. The play could simply be interpreted that the characters all work together to determine the murderer of Mr. Wright. The initial perception overlooksRead MoreAnalysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles 1307 Words   |  6 PagesIn the play â€Å"Trifles† by Susan Glaspell, she relates the title of her play to how the women in this play are treated with very little respect and authority. Mr. Wright overpowers his wife and he just does not realize that until it is to late and she kills him. The two women in this play that go into the house with the attorney and the sheriff for the investigation934 were the ones to discover the evidence of what clearly happened. The two women end up hiding the evidence from the two men to helpRead MoreAn Analysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles 988 Words   |  4 PagesA Heavy Conscience â€Å"Trifles† by Susan Glaspell is a short play built around the murder of John Wright. Throughout the play there are numerous entwined themes and ideas. With closer examination of Glaspell’s work it is clear that there is a far greater plot in action than just a murder. Mrs. Minnie Wright has been arrested for the murder of her husband while the investigation is active. Interestingly enough the murder is not the focused of this play. The focus is how two wives Mrs. Hale and MrsRead MoreAn Analysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles 1606 Words   |  7 PagesThe play Trifles written by Susan Glaspell is a mystery story of a murder that takes place in a small farming town. At the time the play was written women in the united states were still not given the opportunity to vote. It is through the mystery of this murder that we find the role of gender to be a major factor throughout the entirety of the play. In the play, we are given tandems of females and males to follow as they seek to solve the mystery of how Mrs. Wright’s husband was murdered. TheRead MoreAnalysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles Essay916 Words   |  4 Pagesmultiple themes that a story is trying to convey. In Susan Glaspell s, Trifles, she meticulously incorporates significant symbols that help the reader recognize and construe the depth of the significance of the jar of fruit preserves, quilt, bird, and the bird cage. Things are not always as insignificant as they appear to be, and Glaspell s play is a prime example of how important it is to read between the lines. A central theme in Glaspell s play is gender obedience, displayed seemingly by MrsRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles 1714 Words   |  7 PagesFaulkner and Trifles written by Susan Glaspell loneliness, poverty and isolation consume the lives of the characters. Susan Glaspell’s play â€Å"Trifles† written in 1916. In this play the author’s talks of her preoccupation with culture- bound notions of gender and sex roles. Glaspell says women are considered trifles which mean they are not important to society which is carried out by men (Baym, p. 742). In Trifles written by Susan Glaspell the time is in the early 20th century. When Glaspell wrote â€Å"Trifles†Read MoreLiterary Analysis of Susan Glaspells Trifles1788 Words   |  7 PagesAn Analysis of Natures in Susan Glaspells Trifles A trifle is something that has little value or importance, and there are many seeming trifles in Susan Glaspells one-act play Trifles. The irony is that these trifles carry more weight and significance than first seems to be the case. Just as Glaspells play ultimately reveals a sympathetic nature in Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, the evidence that the men investigators fail to observe, because they are blind to the things that have importanceRead MoreSusan Glaspell s Trifles 1732 Words   |  7 PagesSusan Glaspell (1876-1948) was an American-born Pulitzer Prize winning writer of both plays and fiction. Glaspell came from humble beginnings and went on to study at Drake University and the University of Chicago. Much of Glaspell s work dealt with the relationships between men and women and the negative effects they have on women. In Glaspell s play Trifles, it is revealed that the operations of patriarchy are just an illusion that men have created to make themselves feel superior to w omen

Shedding Light on Gay Culture in New York in George...

George Chauncey’s Gay New York Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World 1890-1940, goes where no other historian had gone before, and that is into the world of homosexuality before World War II. Chauncey’s 1994 critically acclaimed book was a gender history breakthrough that gave light to a homosexual subculture in New York City. The author argues against the idea that homosexual men lived hidden away from the world. Chauncey’s book exposes an abundant culture throughout the United States, especially in New York. In this book Chauncey not only shows how the gay population existed, but â€Å"uncovers three widespread myths about the history of gay life before the rise of the gay movement which was isolation, invisibility, and internalization.† Chauncey argues against these theories that in the years 1890-1940, America had in fact a large gay culture. Chauncey book is impactful in the uncovering of a lost culture, but also works as an urba n pre-World War II history giving an inside view of life in the city through sexuality and class. Chauncey’s, Gay New York Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World 1890-1940, is essentially a social history investigation into the non-invisible gay New York. The author introduces his reader into city where no man was either a homosexual or heterosexual. Instead, this was a place where a man was either masculine of feminine rather than the sex of their chosen partner. Chauncey makes this argument by saying

The Changes in Representation of Teenagers in the Media free essay sample

Since the birth of the subculture teenagers, these stereotypically rude, rebellious and rowdy young adults have been included and represented in movies, plays and any other type of entertainment. In studying two separate films from two separate time frames, I have found that they depict teens in many different ways, although the root of their problems, values and attitudes are very much the same. This essay will explore and discuss these changes in representation, and will strive to discover the core reasons for this development. The two movies I have studied; Freedom Writers 2007, directed by Richard LaGrevense) and To Sir with Love (1967, directed but James Clavell), will be my main examples in this report, while also using other materials as backup evidence. Paragraph one will address how teenagers are represented today, and how they were in the past. Paragraph two will explore the reasons behind the differences in portrayal, and paragraph three will decide on whether or not this is a realistic representation of teenagers in society. We will write a custom essay sample on The Changes in Representation of Teenagers in the Media or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Throughout the years, the ways teenagers have been depicted have changed ramatically in some areas, while staying completely the same in others. An example of this is the values of the teenagers in the two movies I have viewed. In To Sir with Love, the teenagers were valued relationships and being disrespectful, whereas in Freedom Writers, the teens valued respect and acceptance, but on the flip side, both movies represent the teenagers as rebellious, loud, hostile to those not of their social group, or those they do not accept, who are in search of an identity. These values and attitudes stem from broken homes and violence in both movies, as well as the want, nd in some cases need, for respect. No matter what decade you look at, you will find that this is a common basis of problems in the bulk of teenagers. In both movies, and many others beside, you will find that a majority of the teens have a problem with authority, and seek to disobey all powerful fgures at any possible time. Also, in almost all teenage movies, you have an antagonist, or one person who tends to make more trouble than the others. Sometimes its fairly obvious, an example being To Sir With Love, where the antagonist is clearly Denham (one of the students), but other imes it is not, an example being Freedom Writers, where there are certain students who make more trouble, but no defined antagonist. As you can see, over time values and attitudes may change, but the core root of where these problems have stemmed from does not. The main reason as to why the representation of teenagers has changed over time is because tha values and acceptances of the audience have changed dramatically. The media has to release entertainment suitable and appealing for its audience, otherwise it would receive no money because nobody is watching it. This means that Hollywood, and other people who make movies, must shape the content of their films as the values and interests of its viewers changes, so that it keeps the audience I have viewed are so different, is because the values and attitudes of the people in the decades they were released in were so different. For example, in To Sir with Love, there were almost no swear words, except for the occasional bleedin, whereas in Freedom Writers, there is a whole range of swear words used. This is but one example of the many differences in the representation of teenagers in movies. In my opinion, the way teenagers are depicted in the film world can be both realistic and unrealistic. Some examples of this in my two movies is the fact that To Sir With Love is a very sexist movie, which is a very real mirror image of London in the 60s (where it was set). Also, in To Sir With Love, it is very unrealistic that none of the kids swear, because the children of 1960 London would have sworn all the time. This also shows how the media shapes itself for the wants of its audience, as swearing on film was frowned upon. In conclusion, teenagers can be depicted in many different ways, as I have shown you n this essay, by use of examples, but the core root of their problems, as well as some values, attitudes and beliefs, tends to stay the same throughout the entire teenage history. In this report I have; addressed how teenagers are represented today and how they were in the past, explored the reasons behind the differences in portrayal and decided on whether or not this is a realistic representation of teenagers in society, also giving direct examples from the two movies I have done a study on; Freedom Writers and To Sir With Love.

Mice of Men Curleys Wife Villian free essay sample

Curley’s wife is introduced in section two she is introduced in a negative way, and we find out a lot of notable information about her, during the gossiping between Candy and George. She lives in an extremely patriarchal environment, and is treated like an object throughout the book, she is excluded from the ranch as women were treated like an object, she is excluded from the ranch as women were treated like this in the 1930’s America, and all women were seen as derogatory. The expectation of women were to stay at home and raise a family, and obey there husbands, on the whole we see Curley’s wife deceit these obligations. We are never told Curley’s wife’s name because she is a possession of Curley’s, this reflects on her complete lack of individuality because she is owned by Curley and therefore doesn’t have her own identity. We will write a custom essay sample on Mice of Men Curleys Wife Villian or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Many Americans had a big dream, the dreams were never succeeded. Throughout the novella we see that Curley’s wife doesn’t listen to Curley and is both a victim and a villain as she is judged but is still a young girl. At the start of section two, we already know Candy’s full opinion on Curley’s wife, even though the readers haven’t seen her for the first time. Candy gives the readers an overview of his opinion of the relationship of Curley and his wife ‘Curley is even cockier’n ever since he got married’ giving us an impression that he doesn’t like her because Curley has got more attitude and because Curley can now show off that he has a wife, because he wants to make the ranchers jealous. This is also implying that she is the one to blame for this behaviour. The men on the ranch also imply that she’s not trustworthy, loyal and faithful ‘yeah? Married two weeks and got the eye’ they all know what she’s up to and what she is doing, and it makes the males aware of her, but it is also suggesting she is already flirty and communicating to all the workers and is trying to get them into trouble, she is always seen as a troublemaker from the start of the book. She is also seen as a ‘tart’ and ‘bitch’ that threatens to destroy male happiness and lives later on in the novella ‘I could get you strung upon a tree so easy it ain’t even funny’ she becomes more powerful and emasculates the weaker men because of her authority and power, as she wants somebody to talk to but nobody will listen, because they know she is a ‘rat trap’. She s seen as a tart because of her appearance such as ‘full rouged lips’ and ‘heavily made up’ her beauty is powerful and she uses this to flirt with the ranch workers to make her husband jealous. She brings evil to the men’s lives by tempting them in a way they cannot resist. Red is the only colour described about her ‘finger nails were red’, ‘red mules’ and ‘red ostrich feathers’, this is intriguing because red is danger, and passion, and red is used to describe the girl in weed, showing t hat Lennie is involved, and the ending is similar to the girl in weed. This is also influencing the readers attitude to be aware of her because she is dangerous and does it to get the attention off the workers, because she wants the attention because she is lonely, the readers also know that it is inappropriate to wear mules on a farm and ostrich feathers because she doesn’t need to look good for anybody because she is married, this is also suggesting that she is desperate and craves for attention. We know she flirts and provokes all the men ‘her body was thrown forward’ this shows that she is proud of her body and sexuality; she throws her body forward so that the men are observant of her, because they normally don’t see women’s bodies. This also suggests she’s confident as she is the only girl on the ranch and a bit big headed because she knows that this will make the men resentful and conscious of her glamour because they only see prostitutes, we also know she has a lack of experience ‘girl’ suggesting she isn’t a women yet, the way that she throws her body forward is like a teenager teasing men. Steinbeck uses a lot of light and dark imagery from the beginning of the book ‘the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off’ demonstrating that she cuts off the American dream because the light is representing as the big dream and she cuts this off. In of mice and men we learn that as the emotions change so does the light and darkness throughout the book.