Lillian’s Comments (group member since Jan 13, 2015)

Lillian’s comments from the Morales 2341 Spring 2015 Class MW group.

We usually admire a person who rises out of poverty to get an education and better her circumstances, but in this story, the reader does not generally identify with Dee or
sympathize with her. Why not? Do you see Dee as totally unlikable? Do you think those traits that appear to be her shortcomings are actually both common and necessary for someone to progress in life? Should we admire Mama and Maggie who are not willing to change?

What are the similarities between "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and "Revelations?" What do we learn about O"Conner as writer through these 2 stories?

Akaky was literally invisible before with his old coat, but once he has a new coat, he was accepted by those around him. What is Gogol trying to say about the relationship between one's appearance and social standing?

Is Death of a Salesman a tragedy and Willy Loman a tragic hero, or is his death merely the pathetic demise of a small man?

Note: Research a tragic hero and a modern tragic hero.

When the play first appeared in 1949, some reviewers thought it a bitter attack upon the capitalist system. Others found in it social criticism by a writer committed to a faith in democracy and free enterprise. After reading Act 1, what do you think? Does the play make any specific criticism of society?

Lol. I have heard this saying. In that regards I think a chopin presents a realistic view of the expectation of fidelity.

On your first point I think there is little evidence or hope really that she is happy, maybe satisfied. I think women should do what makes them happy as long as it does not compromise our morals, but morales should be determined by each individual. My morals are not the same as other women and that's okay I think. I'm not better or right, I'm just different I guess. Maybe that's why my name is Morales. Ooh, epiphany!!

Kirsten wrote: "How is he a whimp? I didnt see him as a whimp, he was with his son at the store. I saw him as a father."

I agree he is not a wimp. He just knows we hate it when our kids get dirty.

Suzette wrote: "I'm starting to think, what she did was okay within reason, because it was back in the day and she wasn't happy in her marriage.. Her cheating was inevitable. She had to get her rocks off, and it w..."
Suzette, I'm glad you are expanding past your horizons.

It don't think it's a matter of forgiving her or not. Frankly, who am I or any of us to judge others.

The question of immorality is an important one when we think of women being burned at the stake or outcasted from their homes and families, the loss of reputation of self esteem really when we are labeled bad women. Today women are stoned to death for committing adultery in some cultures, women are circumcised so they do not feel sexual desire. It's amazing what women pay for for being sexual creatures.

This discussion is about, for me personally, about accepting the complexities of a woman and not using labels or judgments for certain actions. I don't condone cheating. I think today we are given the choice to marry for love, so choose wisely, and if that love ends or you are not sexually attracted anymore then leave that person before cheating (Oops, just opened a whole new can of worms.). Avoid immorality. I don't like to do things if I will feel bad about it later, and I don't want to do things only because others think it's what's right.

It's complex to be a woman, but it is further complicated by judgements.

Women during this time got married because they had to. There were not many choices. If they had property, it went to their husbands. Imagine the inability to own property, work, or go to school. You had 2 options really- get married to a man or to God. So, the argument of why did she get married is flawed for this time. Today, we have the choice to marry who we want and even then some women are still forced to marry within their class or for business merging. In other countries they marry for political reasons. Something to think about for the modern reader

Compare and contrast "The Chrysanthemums " to "The Storm." You can use character, theme, conflict, tone, setting etc. to discuss similarities and differences.

No greater sin, even than murder?

So, I was thinking about this whole Naturalism business, and it just doesn't work for me. The idea of having no free will over natural forces like sexuality, although freeing for both men an women, simply, can not apply to adultery.

My rational is, if I as a woman can control my body's natural ability and inclinations to make a baby by any of the available methods because in my mind I understand the difficulties of raising a child and the consequences of it if not mentally or emotionally ready, then why can I not do the same with my body's natural sexual desires.

Although there are many behaviors and emotions natural to the body, the repression of them can not always have a negative effect. If this were true, I would have at least 10 children by now for Naturalism implies my body is stronger than my mind, perhaps smarter, and there would be one on the way. Yikes!!

He did too!!

Shanda wrote: "I think for me I always take the woman's side and what she should do. The old saying boys will be boys for me. I know this is wrong but being from the south this is what I was taught. I guess not h..."

I read an article once claiming that women have written a script for men that says it's okay to be an absent father and/or a cheating man. We make it acceptable b going with the boys will be boys mentality or thinking we don't need them to raise children. We are better off without them. I fins it all so interesting.

Suzette wrote: "Lillian wrote: "Suzette wrote: "She had no loyalty towards her husband. i would say that yes, it was immoral, It was not right for Calixta to do what she did by any means, She was married, she had ..."

Suzette wrote: "Lillian wrote: "Suzette wrote: "She had no loyalty towards her husband. i would say that yes, it was immoral, It was not right for Calixta to do what she did by any means, She was married, she had ..."

So we forgive him because he had a situation of distance and she did not?

Shanda wrote: "We we take vows in marriage they are sacred so yes Calixta's is wrong to have cheated on her husband. This is a moral issue and more than anything she will lie to her husband and her children for a..."

It's funny that we are hard on Calixta, but not many mention Alcee. He is married too. Why is this?

Suzette wrote: "She had no loyalty towards her husband. i would say that yes, it was immoral, It was not right for Calixta to do what she did by any means, She was married, she had a sexual encounter during a stor..."

are women's morals different than men? How so?

Critics note that one of the controversial issues in this story is its “lack of moral closure.” What moral issues are raised in this story? Does Chopin’s closing sentence, that “everyone was happy” seem immoral (in her time and in present time)?

Write a personal response to "The Flea" by John Donne or "Wild Nights, Wild Nights," Emily Dickinson explaining what the poem is about and why you think that.

Is Sammy's quitting a form of rebellion or a statement of some sort? Does it have any meaning? What is he rebelling against? Are there unconscious targets of his rebellion? Who is the enemy here? Are there any forms of oppression at work in the story? Who is oppressed (or "embarrassed" for that matter)? Is Sammy's standing up for the girls in some way a form of standing up for himself?