Ragged Dick

In many of the stories that we read about little girls one of the main goals for these young women was to portray the “perfect” image of how a little girl should be, and were taught how to behavior and what was expected of them. The narrator of Ragged Dick tells the reader that even though Dick is not the “perfect” little boy he is still a good person, “I do not consider him a model boy. But there were some good points about him nevertheless” (342).

We have talked about how “good” little boys and girls are defined by how society expects them to act. In the text we see many times that Dick is praised for being an honest and cunning young man. When deciding if Dick is a suitable tour guide for his nephew the man described Dick as, “Still he looks honest. He has an open face, and I thin can be depended on” (361). Such traits are what make Dick a well-liked and good boy. There is also an emphasis on the idea that through hard work one is able to achieve success. Frank tells Dick that even though Dick may not have all of the luxuries that other boys have, if he works hard then Dick can become a respectable man in society, “A good many distinguished men have once been poor boys. There’s hope for you, Dick, if you’ll try” (394). There are clearly difference in how society is trying to teach young girls and boys to behave.

A Whisper in the Dark

Insanity plays into the American gothic tradition that “things are not what they seem”. When the concept of insanity is introduced into the text there is no longer a distinct difference between “right” and “wrong”. At the beginning of the text the reader believes that Sybil has been wrongly accused of having a mental illness. As the story goes on Sybil beings sleep walking and hearing voices. At one point Sybil believes that she may be insane and begs for Mercy from her uncle. “I stretched my hands to them, crying with an imploring cry, ‘Yes I am quite! I am hopeless!’” (236). Due to the fact that insanity is so complex there is no longer a distinct difference between what is “right” and “wrong”, and “good” and “bad”. We, as the reader, no longer know what to believe is the truth and what could be caused by mental illness.

Our prior ideas about mother/daughter relationships were based on the fact that the daughter should aspire to be like her mother. In the relationship between Sybil and her mother, Sybil learns about life and what to avoid from her mother’s mistakes. Though unknowing that she is warning her daughter Sybil’s mother instructs her to escape before Sybil ends up with the same mental problems as her. “What devil sent you I may never know, but I long to warn you” (238). Sybil was also not to be granted her father’s land if she was misfortunate enough to have the same illness as her mother. “If it should appear that I inherited my mother’s malady, the fortune should revert to my cousin” (240). Through the hardships of her mother Sybil is able to learn how to better live her own life. This type of mother/daughter relationship is very different from relationships that we have previously seen.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Throughout the stories that we have read children have been seen as a symbol of hope and potential. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin children are both a symbol of hope and a symbol of heartache. In the text Eliza’s main goal is to save her son from having to leave her and work for a “bad” man in the south. When we being reading Eliza is talking about how she feels as if she must be crazy for leaving her kind masters and the only home that she has. “With a confused and stunning sense of the risk she was running, leaving the only home she had ever known, and cutting loose from the protection of a friend whom she loves and revered” (243). She makes this dangerous decision because she knows that it is the only chance that she has to protect her son. Though her child causes Eliza much pain and self-sacrifice, she does it because above anything else she loves her son and wants the best for him.

The children in the text also symbolize hope. Throughout her journey Eliza receives help through the kindness of other mothers. Eliza and these women relate to each other through the love that they have for their children. When explaining to Mrs. Bird why Eliza has chosen to run away from her master Eliza asks Mrs. Bird if she has ever lost a child. Mrs. Bird shares with Eliza that she has lost her daughter and through the feelings that they both have about their children they are able to relate to each other on a deep and emotional level. “Then you will feel for me. I have lost two, one after another—left ‘em buried there when I came away; and I had only this one left. I never slept a night without this; he was all I had” (280). In this portion of the text we see children as a symbol of hope and potential by acting as a common thread that is able to bring women of all color and background together.

In previous text we have read such as The Wide Wide World and The Lamplighter there has been an underlying message that if you are “good” then people will love you, and everything in life will work out. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin we see characters such as Eliza and Uncle Tom whom are “good” and moral, but their lives are still filled with hardship and hurt. This message is not the typical one that we have seen in previous stories.

The Hidden Hand

One aspect of this text that I found very interesting was all of the “hidden” clues throughout the reading. Many of the Names, what was said, and what was not said hinted at something bigger, or something that was to come. The old man is called “Old Hurricane” which leads readers to believe that something about him will be fierce and unpredictable. Also, Le Noir is the French word that means “black”. Old Hurricane refers to Capitola as Capitola Black. The color black usually makes people think of mysterious and ominous things. I am sure that the author chose to use such a name to provoke feelings such as those. The women who took care of Herbert and her own son was called Mrs. Rocke. A rock is a symbol of strength and security. Mrs. Rocke was that strength and security for both Herbert and her son.

While Herbert was describing all of the things that Old Hurricane was willing to do for Mrs. Rocke and her son, Mrs. Rocke did not say what she was thinking but through her reactions the readers can assume that there was some kind of past between her and Old Hurricane. “Her cheeks were brightly flushed, her eyes were sparkling with light, her whole countenance resplendent with joy” (194). Also, the text does not tell the reader what the connection is between Capitola and the house that Old Hurricane lives in, but there are many clues along the way that point at a connection between the two. “And the first owner, old Henri Le Noir, was said to be one of the grandest villains that ever was heard of” (197). These clues along with many other symbols throughout the text hint at a secret past that is not specifically told to the readers, but instead is hidden within the text.

The Lamplighter

In contrast with what we were trying to teach girls 150 years ago, today we encourage young girls to be who they truly are. In the video Anna said that her advice to young girls was, “don’t think about what you have to do for people to like you.” This idea goes against what domestic fiction stories such as The Wide, Wide World and The Lamplighter were trying to teach young girls. These novels encouraged girls to dedicate themselves to serving others. They taught that making other people happy was the key to being a “good” and well-liked lady. In The Lamplighter Gerty cleans Uncle True’s house in hopes of making him happy. “Which the child felt herself more blessed in being permitted to perform than she would have done at almost any girl or favor that could have been bestowed upon her” (110). This is an example of how The Lamplighter portrays girls serving others as a source of being liked. As times are changing so is society’s view of how girls should be. Just as we did 150 years ago, today we are still following what society thinks a girl should be. At the end of the video everyone choose if they liked a butterfly or a rainbow better. We tend to think of these two things as “girly” and associate them with girls. Though some of the idea about what is “girly” may have changed from 150 years ago we are still associating certain characteristics and things with girls because that is what we have been taught to do by the world around us.

The idea of the show was to encourage girls to “balance” themselves. This idea of balance was to get girls to focus on their inner feelings and try to be themselves. Gerty’s balance was to try to contain her inner feelings of hostility. The text talks about the look that Gerty would get in her eyes when she would talk about Nan Grant. It was described as a look of hatred that could only come from the inner feelings of Gerty. Uncle True and others wanted Gerty to find balance in her life by riding herself of and containing those hostile feelings. If Gerty was to be asked by Amy Pholer what she does to create “balance” in her life, Gerty probably would have said screaming. When Nan Grant kills Gerty’s kitten and when the girls at school make fun of Uncle True Gerty uses screaming as a way of releasing some of her anger. “When Gerty was angry or grieved, she always cried aloud—not sobbing, as many children do, but uttering a succession of piercing shrieks” (91). Gerty would have taken a much different approach than Anna and her yoga.

The Wide, Wide World

The text encourages us to view the role of “parents” as playing a critical role in a child’s life. The text shows how influential parents can be on their children by reiterating the importance of a parent’s teachings and the child’s goal to remember all that their parents have taught them. The text also points out how much children admire their parents as well as trust and believe in what their parents say. Ellen illustrates this in the story when she says, “Why, mamma,-- in the first place, I trust every word you say—entirely—I know nothing could be truer; if you were to tell me black is white, mamma, I shall think my eyes had been mistaken.” Throughout the text we also view the role of parents as someone who offers a sense of security to their child. This is demonstrated through the relationships between Ellen and her mother as well as Ellen and the stranger. Many times throughout the story Ellen talks about how safe she feels while lying in her mother’s arms. Ellen also is comforted by the kindness of the stranger when she is alone and confused while shopping at the store. This stranger is often referred to as the “protector” in the text. “ But Ellen and her protector went forth most joyously together from the store.” The roles of mother and father greatly differ throughout the text. The mother is seen as the parental figure that is closest and interacts most with the child. The mother is seen as a teacher to the child while the father is a provider for the family. Throughout the text it is clear that Mr. Montgomery does not have the same emotional connection with Ellen as Mrs. Montgomery does. Mr. Montgomery describes Ellen after breaking the news to her of her departure as, “Like a littler hero. She didn’t say a word, or shed a tear.” Mrs. Montgomery understands Ellen’s emotions much better than Mr. Montgomery. “She understood far better than her husband what Ellen’s feelings were, and could interpret much more truly than he the signs of them; the conclusions she drew from Ellen’s silent tearless reception of the news differed widely from his.” It is clear throughout the text that Ellen perceives her mother as her role model. Ellen adores her mother and aspires to be just like her when she gets older. Ellen relies on her mother for guidance. Ellen will use what her mother has taught her to guide and assist her throughout her life. While shopping Ellen chooses items that she believes that her mother would be pleased with because Ellen believes that those items are the best. Ellen perceives her father as an authoritative figure. Ellen probably does not expect to have a deep connection with her father throughout her life.

Constructions of Childhood

One theory to keep in mind when analyzing children’s literature is that many of the writings reflect how people felt about what was happening in society during that period of time. In MacLeod’s, “Children’s Literature for a New Nation,” she states that, “What the fiction speaks of is not so much what happened in the period as what many quite representative middle-class Americans felt about what was happening.” Children’s literature was a way for adults to express their feelings about society and the future. A second theory to note while analyzing children and childhood literature is that the primary concern of many of the writings was to teach children good and strong morals. MacLeod points out that, “They were written to teach, and specifically, to teach morality.” Adults want children to lean the difference between what is “right” and what is “wrong”. Many of the plots focused on the conflict between “good” and “bad” and that the “good” always prevails. Another theory important to the analysis of children’s literature is that writings reflect that society at this time was excited about the changes and growth of the nation, but many individuals still yearned for the stability of the past. “Even while they moved with their society, responding vigorously to economic and social opportunity, many Americans also yearned toward the stability of the past, and worried over the direction of the future” (MacLeod). MacLeod points out that one way in which this is seen is in children’s literature is through the depiction of the cities as “evil” and the suburbs as the “safe” place. “Most juvenile books suggested that all Americans were better off in the country, which was both moral and healthy, than in cities” (MacLeod).

The idea that childhood is a period of both freedom and powerlessness is important when analyzing children’s literature. In “Dependent State” Sanchez- Eppler describes childhood as, “a period of both remarkable freedom and inherent powerlessness, something to be yearned for and to escape.” Childhood is a period of a person’s life in which they are free from many of the rules and obligations that structure older individual’s lives. During childhood one is free to explore and make mistakes. Along with this freedom there is also a sense of powerlessness involved with being a child. Children do not get to choose when they are taught or what is deemed as important. Decisions for children are made by society, not children themselves. The final theory for analyzing children’s literature, which connects to the idea that children are somewhat powerless, is the theory that literature is based on social priority. In simpler terms this means that many of the writings are about what adults want in society. Sanchez- Eppler states that, “For most scholars changes in the statues of children are note for what they indicate about shifts in social priorities—that is, about changes in the desires and experiences of adults.” The morals that are taught to children are based upon the ideals of how adults picture society. In a broad sense this theory sums up the idea that if analyzed correctly, there is much more to children’s literature then one might expect.

All About Katherine

I am Katherine, from St. Louis, Missouri. I am a sophomore at TCU majoring in strategic communications and minoring in business. I choose to come to TCU because the size of the school and its location. I was looking for a school that was mid size and something away from home but not to far. Being in Fort Worth I am able to easily get to the airport and then it is just a quick one hour and fifteen minute flight back to St. Louis. If I was the Chancellor of TCU I would make more available parking. I have gotten numerous tickets! I think that a good teacher is one that works with and takes a personal interest in their students. I think that good students are ones that are willing to work and settle for only their best. Three people that I would like to have dinner with are JonBenet Ramsey, so that we could all finally figure out what happened, Vince Vaughn, and Britney Spears. Three things that you should know about me are that I am a huge cardinals fan, cookies are my weakness, and I am a member of Tri Delt sorority. I like to know a about peoples families and what types of activities they enjoy doing. Throughout this course I am hoping to gain a better understanding of literature and how to discover the meaning within different stories. Most of the books that I read outside of the classroom are the typical "beach read" types of books or murder mysteries. Most of the writing that I do is text messages or emails. Both text messages and emails are quick and easy to write. I hope that my blog sends the message that I am a vibrant and eager about a variety of aspects. I a littler nervous about this course but interested and excited about all that I can learn from it. I have read and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.