...different, because in the Secret Sorrow, the woman’s attitude is positive. She has the courage to keep going with her life. In A Sorrowful Woman, her attitude is negative and her way of thinking is selfish. However, the differences constitute problems in the Secret Sorrow, Faye cannot get pregnant, and so she was disappointed. In A Sorrowful Woman, the presence of her husband and child, made her feel sick and sad. She can’t stand to be around her own and only child, she just wanted her freedom. Contrast what marriage means in the two stories. In the story of Secret Sorrow, marriage means everything because the protagonist wants to have her own family. Otherwise, in the second story A Sorrowful Woman, marriage doesn’t mean anything, she just want her freedom. The monotony of different types of marriage and lifestyle. The story from Secret Sorrow by Karen Van der Zee was published in 1947. Faye, the main character, wants to have her own family with her boyfriend Kai. However, she can’t get pregnant because she had an accident in her past. Furthermore, the couple got married and decided to adopt. Ultimately, they finally had their own family and were happy. A Sorrowful Woman by Gail Godwin was published in 1937. The unnamed protagonist wanted to have her freedom; being a wife and a mother made her feel depressed. However, in both stories, the protagonists want to have something meaningful in their lives, to make them feel complete. In the Secret Sorrow explains a woman’s challenge...
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...Sorrowful Woman 1. FIRST RESPONSE. How did you respond to the excerpt from A SECRET SORROW and to “A Sorrowful Woman”? Do you like one more than the other? Is one of the women – Faye or Godwin’s unnamed wife – more likable than the other? Why do you think you respond the way you do to the characters and the stories – is your response intellectual, emotional, a result of authorial intent, a mix of these, or something else entirely? Both writings were very well written and very enjoyable to read. “The Sorrowful Woman” and A Secret Sorrow were similar, although they were very different, due to the inner sorrow they both faced. I enjoyed reading A Secret Sorrow more than “The Sorrowful Woman” due to the fact that I was able to somewhat feel what Godwin’s unnamed wife was feeling. I responded to the characters in an emotional way. I found myself able to sympathize with both Faye and Godwin’s unnamed wife. They both have very deep issues, but being a mother myself, makes me have more empathy for Faye. I could not imagine what it would be to want to push my child or husband, nor could I imagine not being able to have a child of my own. 2. Describe what you found appealing in each story. Can you point to passages in both that strike you as especially well written or interesting? Was there anything in either story that did not appeal to you? Why? In A Secret Sorrow, I found Kai’s love for Faye most appealing. He did not look at Faye’s inability to have children not as a...
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...She folded her hands upon her bosom, this four-year old child of mine and as her breathing became more labored, prayed as I led her: "Jesus. You love little children: help me!" that was at midnight on November 28, 1932. A few minutes later, she had joined the angels and left us in anguish that numbered all feelings. But t have since risen from the depths to which Sonia's death crushed me, and phoenix- like have left my dead ashes, to sing the charms that the death of one so dearly loved can bring to the soul. I have known the darkness of occasional brooding, but I would dwell most upon a struggle with sorrow that has sweetened my nature, which otherwise, would have been stultified by the pain. Pain, I have realized, is beautiful only when one can rise from its depressing power. I have known the people who have become bitter and cynical under the lash of sorrow, and I have known some who have never recovered from anguish. My experience is important only so far as it may help others towards growth: it is worthless to me if it implies vanity. Sonia is, to me, as fairy tale told or a lyric half lost in fancy, a delicate melody unsung. Had she grown into full womanhood, she might have become an intellectual, for she was deliberate and clear- cut in her language, precise in her reasoning, and keen in sensing nuances which matured minds about her could not appreciate; then, I should have been forever lost, the glamour of its poetry never felt even in vague suggestions, and the delicate...
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...Jake Dubuis Matt Cardin English 1302 28 January 2015 Women that are to Sorrow In both stories A Secrets Woman and “A Sorrowful Woman” are about two woman centered on ideas of marriage and family. However, marriage and family are viewed and experienced in two different ways. Karen van der Zee shows a married life style with the perfect children and family in her dream; it’s what Faye, the protagonist of A secret Woman, wants for her happiness. While Godwin’s protagonist, marriage and family has already come true, and searching for a resolutions why she is suffocating of her home and eventually leads to her suicide. Both of the Protagonist in the stories have experienced a dramatic crises in their lives. In A S Secret Sorrow, Faye’s dramatic crisis comes before her marriage. She is discomposed because she can no longer have children, and she fears that her being unable to have children will prevent her from marrying the man she loves. Both Fays and her husband Kai always wanted marriage and children, and she assumes that it’s only under those conditions to be truly happy. Faye feels that she is incapable of having children now is a flaw. “Every time we see some pregnant woman, every time we’re with somebody else’s children I’ll feel I’ve failed you!” (36). Faye’s fears is not getting married to the man she loves and not having children. In “A Sorrowful Woman” The dramatic crisis comes after her marriage and family has already started. Unlike Faye, she would be blissful in this...
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...become bitter and cynical under the lash of sorrow; and I have known some who never recovered from anguish. My experience is important only so far as it may help others toward growth; it is worthless to me if it implies vanity. Sonia to me is a fairy tale half told or a lyric half lost in fancy, a delicate melody unsung. Had she grown into full womanhood, she might have become an intellectual; for she was deliberate and clearcut in her language, precise in her reasoning, and keen in sensing nuances which maturer minds about her could not appreciate; then I should have remembered her as reason grown into wit and perhaps into philosophy, but the impression of a fairyland would have been forever lost, the glamor of its poetry never felt even in vague suggestions, and the delicate melodies never perceived. As a friend suggested to me when grief was most oppresive: "You shall always remember her as a child." How beautiful I felt it was! For nothing but poetry could give such a feeling. In such a moment, reason would have destroyed me with consummate triumph; for if I had tried to explain why God had snatched away from me the thing I loved best in life, I would have allowed reason to rob me of sorrow to show me the way to a more beautiful, more full, and nearly perfect life. Sonia shall always live in my memory as a child who wonders why the stars shine in the sky and the rain drops from heaven and the grass grows on the wayside; as a child who finds all things pure and true in her...
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...Sorrowful Woman 1. FIRST RESPONSE. How did you respond to the excerpt from A SECRET SORROW and to “A Sorrowful Woman”? Do you like one more than the other? Is one of the women – Faye or Godwin’s unnamed wife – more likable than the other? Why do you think you respond the way you do to the characters and the stories – is your response intellectual, emotional, a result of authorial intent, a mix of these, or something else entirely? Both writings were very well written and very enjoyable to read. “The Sorrowful Woman” and A Secret Sorrow were similar, although they were very different, due to the inner sorrow they both faced. I enjoyed reading A Secret Sorrow more than “The Sorrowful Woman” due to the fact that I was able to somewhat feel what Godwin’s unnamed wife was feeling. I responded to the characters in an emotional way. I found myself able to sympathize with both Faye and Godwin’s unnamed wife. They both have very deep issues, but being a mother myself, makes me have more empathy for Faye. I could not imagine what it would be to want to push my child or husband, nor could I imagine not being able to have a child of my own. 2. Describe what you found appealing in each story. Can you point to passages in both that strike you as especially well written or interesting? Was there anything in either story that did not appeal to you? Why? In A Secret Sorrow, I found Kai’s love for Faye most appealing. He did not look at Faye’s inability to have children not as a burden...
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...upon his childhood, and with his dark and disturbing writing style he creates the image of fear and loneliness that he felt as a child within the reader. Poe establishes in “Alone” that the true definition of alone is to be emotionally distant from the world. This idea comes from his childhood influences, his search for the unexplainable and his philosophy...
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...African people in America always transcending generations. There is that sense of pride evidential in the elder in the family or community who makes it their moral and ethical duty to pass on these stories. To the younger generation, the firsthand account of historical and family events is greatly appreciated. The poem’s central idea is to portray the maternal bond between an elder and a child as she passes on not just a story but confidence and self-acceptance of being a descendant of slaves. The poem characters are a woman and a child where the setting is on a front porch during a summer evening. Aunt Sue’s Stories begins as the narrator describes Aunt Sue, not physically, but exactly what she is best known for. Aunt Sue’s personality, character and motherly instincts are depicted through her stories. The reader learns that Aunt Sue is emotionally connected to her stories because lines 21 and 22 suggest she may have been a slave. The poem develops into one of her stories about the conditions of slaves, working hard in the hot sun and walking home when the dew begins to fall. “Singing sorrow songs” symbolizes Hughes unconditional love for the blues. The blues represents the psychological condition and the genre of the music which the people have long used to comfort their soul and as suggesting humor to continue with the battle. The poem ends with the narrator assuring us that the brown/dark faced...
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... 4 Two groups in our society that are looked down upon are gays and Muslims. Homosexuals are looked down upon because society is not used to seeing same sex relationships. It is “unnatural”. Society also looks down on Muslims because we suspect every Muslim to be a terrorist. Infant Sorrow: 1) Identify 2 themes and explain how they are shown using textual evidence.4 Parental Care and Struggle The parents are repressing their children. Safeguarding their children actually keeps them from learning. The child struggles with his father and wants to be with his mother. 2) Describe the mood/tone and key words that help you define this. 2 The mood/ tone is depressing. Words like groaned, wept, and dangerous. 3) In “Infant Sorrow” what are the reactions of the parents and the child to the child’s birth? What do these reactions indicate about the moment? 3 I had no clue it was about a child’s birth. I am not good with poems. The parents are happy for their child and caring. Chimney Sweeper: 4) Identify 2 themes and explain how they are shown using textual evidence.4 Themes: Child Abuse and Thankfulness The father abuses his child by selling him into labor. The child is thankful that he is at least alive, unlike many other children. 5) Explain the contrast in black and white.2 Black is dark and resembles death. A black coffin. White resembles purity and innocence. Darkness covers the children’s purity. 6) Show evidence of the role of God in the lives...
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...hints to the reader that the person she is addressing is most likely a guy that she is familiar with, but we do not yet know their relationship yet. The reader learns that she has been given a mission to go out and find the person she is addressing in the text. We also learn that Florens is a young Portugese girl who has been taken away from her mother to be enslaved by another character named Sir. This chapter plays an important part as it introduces the reader to almost all of the narrators in the story, Sir, Mistress, Lina, and Sorrow. The next narrator the reader gets introduced to is Jacob Vaark, or Sir which Florens has referred to him as. Jacob’s point of view tells the story of his travels through Maryland to handle business. It was while he was away on business that he acquired Florens. Though he did not approve of the slave trade, he agreed to take Florens, which he thought would be a good substitute for his wife’s dead child. Based on the text, Jacob comes off as a man who is...
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...Seasons of Change Poetry uses many elements to convey meaning and theme in an often times consolidated form. The use of such elements, such as form, imagery, and symbolism, enable the author to evoke specific feelings and thoughts in the reader. Gerard Manley Hopkins uses elements like alliteration and diction to juxtapose life and death in his poem “Spring and Fall.” The poem compares a young girl’s sadness over the changing of seasons to humans’ sadness regarding their own mortality. This inevitable fate causes a loss of innocence even before she is able to describe it with words or emotions. Hopkins alludes to the idea of the contrast of life and death from the very beginning of the poem by choosing contrasting words “spring” and “fall” for the title. Many times when speaking about the seasons, authors will use the term autumn rather than fall. This intentional decision by the author clues readers in on the theme and draws parallels to comparisons of youth versus age and innocence versus experience. Spring, often representative of youth, innocence and renewal, is depicted by young Margaret and her “fresh thoughts” (4). The speaker suggests that autumn is comparable to old age and death with the term “Fall.” The use of the word fall also calls to mind the “fall from grace” of man from the Bible. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, causing all men to be subjected to a mortal life with sin. This idea speaks to the theme of mortality and...
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...In March 1956, the French protectorate ended and Morocco regained its independence from France as the "Kingdom of Morocco". The very first Eurovision Song Contest is televised. An event that invited countries across Europe to each submit original songs. This time-period is united by the release of portable televisions allowing a global audience to view the world unfolding (World History Project, n.d.). This year is also marked by the release of The Red Balloon (Lamorissse, 1956), a short film which explores childhood through a lens. The opening shot captures the back drop of what appears to be monochromatic colored town and a vibrant red balloon. This is captured by a deep focus shot that follows the boy’s journey to secure...
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...Luis Ivan Lopez Rodriguez GEEN 2311 G00418163 Interamerican University Final Essay Exam Compromise in A Secret Sorrow and Sorrowful Woman Marriage is a compromise and both “A Sorrowful Woman” and “A Secret Sorrow” express this theme. But they portrait differently on how this compromise can affect the outcome of a marriage. On the short story “A Sorrowful Woman” shows that too much compromise can cause feelings of unfulfillment and the failure of a marriage. While in “A Secret Sorrow” shows that if there is a balance of how much is compromised the outcome can be worth the sacrifice and the marriage can thrive. Marriage is a compromise because both sides come to an agreement that they will be together to the day they die. Faye, the female protagonist of “A Secret Sorrow”, and the unnamed protagonist from “A Sorrowful Woman” both had to compromise something for marriage, yet Faye’s is the less severe of the two. The accident that she had been in made her incapable of having a child and Kai, her love, claimed to be willing to work through it and still desired to marry her. But she believed he was “playing the gentleman”(34). She thought that he was giving up his dreams for the sake of chivalry. Faye only had to give up her doubt and believe he really loved her in order to get what for her represented...
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...Take for example in “The Raven” author sates that “From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore” this shows that the narrator is trying to forget the memories of his lost wife Lenore by reading the books. On the contrary in “Annabel Lee” the author wants to keep the memory of his girlfriend Annabel Lee who died several years ago. He remembers her by sleeping every night beside her tomb. Which is showed in line 38 where he states “And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side. Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride… in the sepulcher there by the sea… in her tomb by the sounding sea”. This shows the narrator still loves her and misses her every...
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...The Broken Wings Kahlil Gibran The Broken Wings Table of Contents The Broken Wings..............................................................................................................................................1 Kahlil Gibran...........................................................................................................................................1 FOREWORD...........................................................................................................................................1 SILENT SORROW ..................................................................................................................................2 THE HAND OF DESTINY.....................................................................................................................3 ENTRANCE TO THE SHRINE ..............................................................................................................4 THE WHITE TORCH.............................................................................................................................6 THE TEMPEST.......................................................................................................................................7 THE LAKE OF FIRE............................................................................................................................11 BEFORE THE THRONE OF DEATH ......................................................................................
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