Ashley’s Comments (group member since Oct 02, 2015)

Ashley’s comments from the Forms of Literature (Keating's Goodreads Discussion forum) group.

Jesus wrote: "Both stories "Everyday Use" and "I Stand Here Ironing" demonstrate the value of family and how important family is in times of need. For example, in "I Stand Here Ironing" the mother, the narrator,..."
Along with family values each mother had to endure heart-ache because they struggles with their daughters issues.

Julio wrote: "“Everyday Use” and “I Stand Here Ironing” are two narratives that touch on family values and the importance to be compacted with your relatives. Both of these stories are told in the perspective of..."
Julio they way you structured your essay was very organized with comparing and contrasting both stories. Along with your essay all the details you input from the short story backed up everything your reasons.

The term “Negro” had been recently removed from the vocabulary, and had been replaced with “Black.” There was “Black Power,” “Black Nationalism,” and “Black Pride.” Many blacks wanted to rediscover their African roots, and were ready to reject and deny their American heritage, which was filled with stories of pain and injustice. In “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker argues that an African-American is both African and American, and to deny the American side of one’s heritage is disrespectful of one’s ancestors and, consequently, harmful to one’s self. She uses the principal characters of Mama, Dee, and Maggie to clarify this theme. Therefore, their family was not the only one to struggle. In "I Stand Here Ironing" as every parent knows how difficult it is to make decisions in the best interest of their children. There is always some doubt in the back of the mind, what if this happens or that happens. Tillie Olsen shows in her story “I Stand Here Ironing” the conflict and the results of one mother’s decisions. She illustrates the back, forth motion of the iron as the back and forth doubts in the mother’s mind. The detachment between mother and daughter in “I Stand Here Ironing” is understandable. The mother struggles daily with the decisions she made while her oldest child Emily was a young baby and toddler. Obstacles in Emily’s life have made it hard for her mother to forget these decisions, and life with Emily only reinforces these decisions. Furthermore, both stories have an odd difference between them.
The short stories, “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker reveal the importance of family by exploring their hardships and heritage. The authors supply various symbols to support their ideas of family; however, Walker and Olsen convey the meaning of family using different symbols, which as a result, produce different meanings. They incorporate and connect symbols in their stories to perpetuate the emotions of its’ characters. The iron, quilt, clock, and house all represent symbolic articles, which draw parallels and distinctions between the two short stories.

Ruby wrote: "In “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter,”D.H. Lawrence portrays symbolism when he uses the drowning of Mabel , the daughter , to depict rebirth. Joe, Fred Henry, and Malcolm are the brothers of Mable and r..."
The rebirth of Mabel is letting her feel again for that compassion and love for the doctor.

Andres wrote: "In "The Horse Dealer's Daughter" throughout the story you as the reader are presented with symbolism throughout the story, but the main one that I could relate to was rebirth which was strongly sym..."
I agree with the pond on how its rebirth of Mabel because she's wanting to become a different person or it also correlates with religion.

The theme is the repressive role of society. It shows itself in Mabel’s life after poverty strikes down her pride and forces her to buy cheap food and avert her gaze on the town streets. For Fergusson, on the other hand, success increases the social repression he feels; his sense of class, of professional status, makes him claim to hate the town and feel ashamed of his attraction to its people. Even after his confession of love to Mabel, the shame haunts him: “That he should love her? That this was love. . . . Him, a doctor! How they would all jeer if they knew!” Though Lawrence keeps society in the distance, its power is clearly in evidence, and the actions of his characters show his eagerness to strike against the still dominant Victorian sense of propriety he believed to be very destructive. The narrator emphasizes Fergusson’s lack of intention about Mabel, and thus the story brings out the idea that love is irresistible and overwhelming. To live without love leads people, literally, to the dead end in which both Mabel and Jack find themselves in the first part of the story. Therefore, the discovery of love is a power that cannot be resisted, for without love there is no life.

Maya wrote: "In Soldier’s Home, Krebs was a frat boy before going to war. He most likely was a very social and youthful (in all aspects) individual. Upon returning from the war, he seems to need approval and to..."


I agree with you completely when you said, "He wants things but doesn’t want to have to work for them." Krebs doesn't want to have to put in effort in order to get a job or even a girl.

Esmeralda wrote: "I would think that Krebs was a regular person in society that had goals in life and wanted specific things just like the average guy but after the war he changed in to a very simple person who just..."
In Krebs minds he does sound like a calm and collected guy and seems like all other guys too. I like where you took it into Krebs mind perspective then you compared it with a regular guy. You were thinking outside the box.

Jennifer wrote: "In the short narrative, "A Jury of Her Peers," lay many different examples of isolation. For instance, the Wright's home, is a place itself isolated from most of the other homes, it is described as..."

Jennifer, I do agree with you in the fact that the location of the Wrights' home may have been the reason It wasn't so "cheerful" as other characters have stated. In fact, it may have also played a part in affecting Minnie Wright's personality.

Mary Helen Washington discusses the sense of isolation utilized by Susan Glaspell in her story "A Jury of Her Peers". Glaspell accommodates isolation in her story through her depiction of Minnie Wright and of her home. She starts off the story by describing the home of Minnie and John Wright as "lonesome looking" and "in a hollow". A place that is detached from the town and down "a lonesome stretch of road", as Mr. Hale states. A place that Mrs. Hale wished she had visited, but never "seemed" to have the time to do so. Allowing the reader to see that the people never bothered to take their own time to visit the very secluded and never "cheerful place". Minnie Wright, a character, also gives off a sense of detachment in her depiction from other characters. For instance, Mrs. Hale described Mrs. Wright as a girl who "stood up there in the choir and sang" as a girl, but now was a woman who seemed "queer".

Arely wrote: "When evaluating Emily’s character, I considered her to be a rounded character because throughout the story she undergoes development and towards the end of the story she surprises the reader. For e..."
It was a surprise at the very end because I also thought it was going to be of how she was a blessed child but it had its own turning point of Emily's character.

Brandon wrote: "If Emily were to have grown up under better circumstances, such as a more stable household, better education and more money she would have most likely have been a more social individual and happier..."
I agree with the whole description and how she transitioned though the years.