...is called "A Pair of Silk Stockings." It was written by Kate Chopin Little Mrs. Sommers suddenly acquires fifteen dollars, which seems like a large amount to her. Feeling important and wealthy, she considers how to invest her money, feeling that she must carefully spend the money. During the night, she thinks of a sensible use for the money. She determines that she should spend a dollar or two extra for Janie's shoes, so that they will last longer and be of better quality, and she plans to buy some fabric for her children's clothing. After that, she will still have enough money for new stockings and hats for everyone, which pleases her because her children will have new clothing for the first time in a while. Mrs. Sommers used to have more money long ago, before her marriage, but she does not worry about the past or the future, focusing mostly on the present. Mrs. Sommers is used to cheap purchase, but today she is tired and forgets to eat lunch. While sitting on a stool to rest before her shopping, she realizes that her hand has brushed against a pair of two-dollar silk stockings. She continues to feel the splendid fabric and asks the shop girl for a pair in her size. After choosing a black pair of stockings, Mrs. Sommers buys them and goes directly to the ladies' waiting room to change. For once, she abandons thinking about responsibility or about why she is so satisfied at her purchase. She sits in the room for a while, reveling in her stockings, before going...
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...-- Prof. -- English 101 26 August 2015 Unfulfilled Desires In "A Pair of Silk Stockings," Little Mrs. Sommers shows a slight dilemma that finally becomes a responsive expression of her ambition to return to a past that she can no longer have, reversing her hidden craving for the freedom and independence that she does not have while under the burdens of debt. She is a perfect example of how humans are seduced by material gain, "the life of luxury", and the savage way society judges things (or people). Society views people who live in the loop of luxury as "gods", they are above those who are not so wealthy. Anyone can fall casualty to this common societal problem, even honest "Little Mrs. Sommers". This is visible when she can feel the fifteen dollars in her porte-monnaie and she says "it gave her a feeling of interest such as she had not enjoyed for years". Mrs. Sommers does not simply aspire to wealth in the appearance of those who have never had money; instead, as Mrs. Sommers's neighbors note, she has in fact seen good days and possibly equates her youth with simple extravagance such as silk stockings and kid gloves. The second element of Mrs. Sommers's ambition for her desire purchases relates to her need to allege personal autonomy. As Chopin enacts at the beginning of the story, Mrs. Sommers has several kids to feed and clothe, and her first thoughts for spending her money come precisely from the need to skimp and save every piece of her money. Although fifteen...
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...Tony Dass Prof Shaw Egl 2219 March 2nd 2016 Kate Chopin who had an Irish father and a French-creole mother, she was born on February 8, 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri. The O'Flahertys were members of the Creole social elite and were fairly well-off. When Kate was very young, her father Thomas O'Flaherty died in a work-related accident. He left behind a family of four generations of women all living in the same house. Kate was very close to her maternal great-grandmother, Madame Charleville, who first introduced her to the world of storytelling. Madame Charleville spoke only French to Kate and told her elaborate, somewhat risqué stories. Family tragedy surrounded the young Kate. When she was eleven, Madame Charleville died, and her half-brother George was killed while fighting in the Civil War for the Confederate side. Yet, Kate seems not to have completely despaired; she earned a reputation as the "Littlest Rebel" when she tore down a Union flag that had been tied to her front porch by Yankee soldiers. Had Kate not been a young girl at the time, the incident might have resulted in serious consequences, but since she was, her act became famous as local legend. While attending a Catholic high school, Kate studied both French and English literature and became an accomplished pianist. She attended numerous social events and became very popular in St. Louis high society. She also became interested in the movement for women's suffrage although she never became very politically active...
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...A pair of silk stockings by Kate Chopin. Analysis. A Pair of Silk Stockings is a very realistic situation, because the story is not written in the romantic style it is written as life is. Not everyone gets a happy ending in their story. It is an enjoyable piece of literature because people can relate to Mrs. Sommers life. It is well defined story; Kate Chopin does not try to confuse the readers. The setting in the story is not clear, but do believe that it takes place in a regular city. In which they have a shopping center, dining area, theater and a cable car. Mrs.Sommers is in a small shopping area or maybe walks down the street where there are stores. It states, “… she crossed straight over to the shoe department” (Chopin 440). This shows how she can easily go into different stores to shop for herself. Mrs.Sommers is now visiting different stores instead of regular clothing stores. Chopin wrote “There were books and magazines piled up in the window of a stall a few paces down the street” (441). This explains how Mrs. Sommers was starting to enlarge her shopping surrounding. Thus, it helps with the story’s theme by showing what stores and places she goes too When the story took place is not stated in the story. We believe that it takes place in between the early1900 and mid-1950’s. During the 1900’s, fifteen dollars was a large amount of money. Chopin wrote “. . . the way in which it stuffed and bulged her worn out porte-monnaie . . .” (437). This...
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...light. It is warm. It is strong. But we scarcely care about those sensible concerns. It is so very, very beautiful. And we want it. The powerful pull that silk has for us — both as itself and as a symbol of a more luxurious and glamorous world — plays a central role in Kate Chopin’s famous story, “A Pair of Silk Stockings.” Chopin’s story follows “little Mrs. Sommers,” a wife and mother on a very tight budget, as she decides what to do with her unexpected $15 windfall. She begins, as I suspect most mothers with budget constraints would, with very practical plans: A dollar or two should be added to the price usually paid for Janie's shoes, which would insure their lasting an appreciable time longer than they usually did. She would buy so and so many yards of percale for new shirt waists for the boys and Janie and Mag.… And still there would be left enough for new stockings — two pairs apiece — and what darning that would save for a while! She would get caps for the boys and sailor-hats for the girls. As little Mrs. Sommers makes her plans and gathers her strength to face the crowds at the department store, her ungloved hand rests, for a just moment, on a pair of silk stockings. And like the real and fictional shoppers detailed by Virginia Postrel in The Power of Glamour, Mrs. Sommers becomes tempted by the “longing, projection, and … impulse to buy.” Her practical plans are no match for the promise of...
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...Over the course of history, a recurring theme of American literature authors utilizing their stories as “moral purifiers” has manifested. These authors use their works of literature to attempt to draw attention to and reform ideals and occurrences that they deem wrong or immoral within their time period. Three stories that efficiently display this concept are “A New England Nun” by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, “A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin, and “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. One prevalent example of an attempt at moral purification by an American literature author is “A New England Nun” written by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. In this short story, Freeman denounces the societal ideal of the 1900’s that a woman is...
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...A Touch of Freedom Feminism Analysis of A Pair of Silk Stockings Feminism is the ideology that women and men should be granted equal treatment and that the rights of women should not be undermined. In reality, as if born to bear the burden of domestic affairs, women tend to unconsciously make more personal sacrifices for family and children than men most of the time. In the short story A Pair of Silk Stockings by Kate Chopin, the devoted housewife Mrs. Sommers constantly prioritizes the necessities of her family before her own, but is later driven by the joy of gaining self-identity to escape from the dreary obligations of a “good” woman. In this case, the protagonist has clearly been suppressed by her social duties as a female and is unable to enjoy personal freedom. The idea that women should not be constrained by gender conformity applies feminism to the conflicts that Mrs. Sommers encounters. In A Pair of Silk Stockings, feminism is amplified through the portray of traditional gender roles of women in the society, and how Mrs. Sommers struggles to flee from the responsibilities as expected of a wife and mother. First, Mrs. Sommers submits to social pressure and constantly belittles herself, making sacrifices for family and children. Then unexpectedly, she becomes conscious of the value of self-identity and abandons her usual responsibilities that have been constraining her. As a devoted wife and mother, Mrs. Sommers sees the necessities of her family as the priorities...
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...There are two short stories which, at first glance, seem to be unrelated in terms of the authors’ use of diction. The first being ‘A Pair of Silk Stockings’ and the second being ‘Things that Fly. When one first looks at these two books, they would seem to be as different as two stories can get; however, upon further examination, many similarities between the two can also be found. Theses similarities and differences influence and develop the tone of each story. Three key elements link Kate Chopin’s ‘A Pair of Silk Stockings’ and Douglas Coupland's ‘Things That Fly’: diction, connotation, and sentence structure. In Chopins Short story, the diction of the story has a high register. The high register reflects Mrs. Sommers desire to return...
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...warm, red blood came dripping to the floor. I was so terrified and horror-stricken at the sight, that I hid myself in a closet, and dared not venture out till long after the bloody transaction was over.” (Douglass, 5) * In this quote, Douglass is descriptively explaining a beating that his Aunt Hester received from Colonel Lloyd. Douglass says that he was so terrified and horror-stricken that he did not want to come out of the closet. This quote demonstrates the brutality of the slave masters because of the intensity of the beatings regardless of the minor infractions the slave may have caused. 3. “Each year, they were supplied with one pair of stockings made of yarn and a pair of shoes. Once a year, children who were too young to work were given two long, coarse linen shirts that came to their knees. There were no shoes or stockings for them. Some children slept near a cabin’s chimney. Once the fires were put out for the day, they slept with their feet tucked into the ashes to keep warm” (Ruffin, 11) * This quote explained how often the slaves received their clothes. As stated, the children would get so cold that they would stick their feet in the ashes after a fire was put out to remain warm. This...
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...hand or elbow first) and mild soap; use only a washcloth or a very soft brush. Dry your feet well, especially between the toes. Use a soft towel and blot gently; don’t rub. Keep the skin of your feet smooth by applying a moisturizing cream or lanolin lotion, especially on the heels. If your feet sweat easily, keep them dry by dusting them with non-medicated powder before putting on shoes and stockings. Wear well-padded socks or stockings that are not wrinkled and that are ½ an inch longer than your longest toe. Don’t wear stretch socks, nylon socks or socks with an elastic band or garter at the top. Don’t wear socks with inside seams. When you buy new shoes, choose shoes made of soft leather. They should not fit tightly anywhere. If you’ve had foot problems because of shoes that didn’t fit well, you may want to be fitted for a custom-molded shoe with a high toe box. To get the best fit, try on shoes at the end of the day, when your feet are a little swollen. Break in new shoes slowly and carefully. Have at least two pair of shoes so you can wear each pair every other day. Look inside your shoes every day for things like gravel or torn linings. These things could damage your foot. Loosen your blanket at...
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...Essay “A pair of silk stockings” In this short story “A pair of silk stockings” written by Kate Chopin, we are introduced to the main character Little Mrs. Sommers. We follow the story of Little Mrs. Sommers, how she unexpectedly gets her hands on an amount of money and how this changes her and her life. The theme of this story seems to be concerning the conflict between “women and society”, this is evident in the description of how the neighbours consider Mrs. Sommers in society as well as the scene where Mrs. Sommers enters the fine restaurant and creates no reaction as she might have feared and been used to. How man’s weakness for materialism can lead to selfishness and loss of responsibility is highlighted in the way Mrs. Sommers gets obsessed with the feeling of needing more and nothing ever being enough. Mrs. Sommers is described as a very unselfish woman who declared her life to her family. Until she came in possession of fifteen dollars, she was a woman who used to bargain about everything and spend all of her energy on her children and their well-being. Mrs. Sommers decides to go out to spend the money in a proper and responsible way. She wants to buy her children nice shoes and clothes. However during the “shopping travel” something happens inside Mrs. Sommers. She gets caught in the feeling of wealthy: “…gave her a feeling of importance such as she had not enjoyed for years.” (L3,P1) The text tells us that Mrs. Sommers might have had a greater standard...
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...end of the month were each slave received eight pounds of pickled pork, one bushel of cornmeal, and one pint of salt, and lastly adult and child slaves got clothing. This can be supported by paragraph 16 and it says “ Sunday was a special day. There was no work in the fields...There was another special day, issue day, which occurred at the end of the month.It was the day that food and clothes were issued to the slaves. Each slave received 8 pounds of pickled pork or its equivalent in fish, one bushel of Indian meal(corn meal), one pint of salt. Once a year, on issue day, they received clothing. The men were given two tow-linen shirts, two pairs of trousers, one tow-linen , the other woolen, and a woolen jacket for winter . the grownups received one pair of yarn stockings and a pair of shoes. The children under eight had neither shoes, stockings, jacket nor trousers...
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...Christmas Traditions In Beijing, about two weeks before Christmas, all the big shopping malls decorating both their insides and outsides with beautiful Christmas trees, colored ribbons and glaring illuminations, set Christmas discounting information on posters on the gates. Crazy customers with large alacrity rush into their shopping heavens to choose on-sales goods as Christmas presents for themselves, their families and friends. The scene is spectacle. It seems that Christmas is merely a shopping season and entertaining festival for Chinese. But what is the true meaning of Christmas? What are the roots of those Christmas traditions? Christmas is the abbreviation of Christ’s mass. It is the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ for Christians. No exception, millions of people around the world celebrate Christmas on the widely accepted day, December 25th every year. They bought their Christmas presents a couple weeks before Christmas Eve, put green Christmas trees with decorations in the houses, and prepare pleasant hearts to welcome the Christ’s birth, one of the most important festivals in the year. Christmas traditions accompanying them to have great holidays during Christmas provide them a sense of warmth and satisfy. As an evergreen conifer decorated with pinecones, candy coated angels, colorful Christmas balls and fake icicles, a Christmas tree is the essential compose of the celebration of Christmas. The origination of Christmas trees can be traced to...
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...Hanson Ski Products I n early July 1986, Alden (Denny) Hanson, president and chief executive officer of Hanson Ski Products, was preparing for a meeting with his executive commit¬tee on the company's current and longer-term financing needs. For one thing, Mr. Hanson wanted to review the plans for fiscal year (FY) 1987.1 Although the com-pany's bankers had provided a $4-2 million line of credit to meet the year's seasonal cash needs, Denny wanted to recheck his figures to be sure that this credit would be sufficient, particularly since Hanson Ski Products was scheduled to repay stock¬holder loans of $841,000 in November. COMPANY BACKGROUND Hanson Ski Products was a leading manufacturer of high-quality ski boots located in Boulder, Colorado. Although it was a relatively new entrant to the market, its rev¬enues ranked among the top 10 ski boot manufacturers worldwide by 1984. Hanson commanded a 20% share of the U.S. market for high-quality ski boots, which was growing at an estimated 10% per year. While the focus of operations was U.S. skiers, the international portion of the company's business was growing faster than the do¬mestic portion. The company expected that in FY 1987, its international revenues would represent about 30% of total sales. One of the keys to Hanson's successful penetration of this tough market was the unique design of its ski boots. The revolutionary patented rear-entry concept, de¬signed by Chris Hanson, balanced the objectives of comfort and skiing...
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...Pair these coats with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and you are ready to go. Big and tall blazers can also be paired with a pair of khakis instead of jeans.
Of course big and tall sport coats are not just for casual days. These coats are versatile and can be dressed up as well as down. Instead of wearing your big and tall blazers with jeans and t-shirts, pair them with dress shirts and dress pants. The same coat will go from casual to dressy just by changing what you wear it with.
An important thing to remember when you buy pants to go with your big and tall blazers is that the pants do not have to match the jacket. As a matter of fact, they should not match. This is one way that big and tall sport coats are different than suit jackets. Suit jackets and pants should match. One other consideration is your shoes. Sears has a variety of men's dress and casual shoes that will coordinate with your coats and blazers...
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