Freewrite about The Flowers

 I actually find that The Flowers is an interesting book. I can actually relate to the book and I understand the language since parts of it are written in spanish. I find it really interesting how so many things happen to Sonny and how he does so many things and some dont even notice. It is nice to see that Sonny is not racist like Cloyd and he does get along with black people. I also found it ironic how Cloyd is racist against blacks but he does not even know that Pinkston is black even though he might not look like it. The lies that constantly go on in this novel also show us the true sides of some of the characters in this novel. Sylvia, for example who lies about being able to cook.

Why didn't Sonny get on the bus

Why didn’t Sonny get on the bus

I was really shocked by the end of The Flowers. I would have totally expected Sonny to get on that bus, but in the end he did not. I did not like the ending because of this. I think that Sonny probably did not get on that bus because of he was too young he probably was not that in love with Nica. It was nice of him though to help her leave to Mexico and give her money. Yet, at the end when Nica is leaving he tells her that he loves her in French. So this maybe was not a reason why he decided not to leave with Nica. Another possible reason that sonny did not get on that bus was because of his mom. He might have been scared for her to leave her behind. It is clear that Sonny was more mature and responsible than his mother. Or a last option could simply be that Sonny did not want to go to Mexico. Throughout the whole novel he would say that he wanted to go to France.

The Scarlet Letter Freewrite

Scarlet Letter Freewrite

The Scarlet Letter in the beginning was hard to read and understand. I admit I did have a hard time trying to read it. The language was just confusing and some of the words they referred to or the way they just said the words were hard to understand. Reading The Custom House was hard I would read it and then looked at the bottom margin to see what it said about what they were talking and I did understand some parts, but others were hard. I knew some history but that was since high school so it was not that helpful. I also knew that this part of the book was important because it sets the setting. I want to know what importance it has in the book. I learned that it does set the setting .

The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie

Viewing The Glass Menagerie at the theater was way better than the reading. It was nice seeing the play being acted out by people. I had never really seen a play and it was nice seeing one. I found it amazing that the actors made it seem as if the audience was not there like if they were really going through it for reals. The actors and actresses were great. I would rather see plays than reading them because I get a better interpretation of the scenes and the play. I understand it better in other words. When I read it I am not as interested as when it was being played right there in front of me. Yes, both the play and the book have many things in common. I thought overall that the play had a sad ending because Laura finds out that her love is getting married. Although he does kiss her and they have a good talk in the end Laura is only hurt. She goes back to her little glass figures. I kind of thought that the little glass figures represented her because like the glass figures she was very nice and fragile. Another thing that I found interesting was that Tom would leave because he did not want to be home. He was running from his problems and trying to solve them by drinking which obviously does not solve anything. I could understand though why it was that he drank which was not the solution. He did it because he was just tired of still having to take care of his family. Overall the play was very entertaining.

Research Proposal

Research Proposal

For my research paper I was thinking about writing about Hester. I want to prove that she is a good person. Yes one mistake really impacted how the whole town saw her, but I think she is a good person. I can see this throughout the novel because she shows it in many parts. Hester is a good mother and we can see this because she resists going to a witch gathering because she knows she has responsibilities now as a mother. She proves that she is an independent woman because she is able to make a living from her talent of needle-work. She also still manages her time to help out the poor and the aided. This then leads the townspeople to change their mind about Hester and see her symbol as Able instead of adulterer. I also want to show how women today have more freedom and are independent. I also want to show how Hester’s punishment would be viewed today. Because today wearing an A on someone’s chest is not common.

The Scarlet Letter Final Draft

Daisy Rodriguez

English 1B

December 1, 2010

The Role of Hester Then, Compared to Today

            In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne makes Hester look as a woman that at the time was a woman of sin. He states throughout the novel that because Hester had a relationship with another man other than her husband, she is a bad example of a woman. The truth though is that just because Hester is a woman, who committed adultery, she is viewed as a sinner and a criminal. Today, a woman like Hester would not have been viewed as a criminal or have been exposed with such a punishment as Hester had to go through. A woman today has more rights and freedoms than back then. A woman can commit adultery but not be equally punished as back then in the Puritan society.  

            In the beginning of the novel we learn that Hester is a woman that has been condemned for adultery. Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, whose identity is kept a secret, had sent her to America and said he would follow her. He never went with Hester, but when he arrives where Hester is he finds out that she cheated on him. Chillingworth becomes furious and wanting revenge. As a result of this love affair with a man she would not mention, which we later learn is Reverend Dimmesdale, a child is born, and whose name is Pearl.

            Hester’s punishment was to stand in front of all the townspeople in the scaffold, and to wear the scarlet letter on her chest for the rest of her life. This scarlet letter was a big “A” which stood for adulterer. In the essay, Hester’s Double Providence: The Scarlet Letter and the Green by Daniel G. Hoffman, he states, “It is apparent that the Puritans badly bungled the case of Hester Prynne. The scarlet letter they condemned her to wear was a self evident judgment: A for Adultery. Giving up her individuality, she would become a general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman’s frailty and sinful passion” (343-344).This shows that all the people would see her and know that she was an adulterer.  It allows us to see how significant this symbol was and what problems it would cause. Problems like the townspeople pointing at her and remembering her that she was an adulterer. Everyone would know and she would be pointed to whenever they talked about an adulterer and to show what would be the punishment.

Although it was alright for them to do that at the time, today not a lot of women would be punished as then. Today if a woman cheated on the husband, he would simply leave her and ask for the divorce. He would probably let everyone close know that his wife cheated on him, but not everybody would know nor would she have to wear an A on her chest. Thus, having an “A” engraved on Hester’s clothes was not going to change anything. It is clear that if a woman made a mistake back then in the Puritan society it would be a big deal. Even though Hester’s punishment was embarrassing and exposed her to the whole society, she did not let these obstacles overcome her. Instead she was going to make up for her mistakes and show the people that although she was marked, she was still good.

            Hester is good and we can see this in many occasions. For example, when Hester is released from prison she had the choice of leaving to somewhere completely new or staying there where everyone knew her and her “crime”. Yet, Hester decides to stay there in Boston and face her mistake and show the townspeople that she is good and that a little mistake is not going to let her go down. Thus, her actions show that she is not only good, and brave, but also a responsible and independent woman.

            One can see that Hester is capable of living by herself with the help of no one. Her qualities and actions make her an independent woman who is able to work and raise her child at the same time. In the novel, the narrator states, “She possessed an art that sufficed, even in a land that afforded comparatively little scope for its exercise, to supply food for her thriving infant and herself. It was the art-then as now almost the only one within a woman’s grasp-of needle-work” (Hawthorne 57). This shows that Hester was able to work in order to feed herself and her daughter. She did not need of a man to work and take care of her and her child. She was more than capable of doing this on her own. And even though her talent and her work of needle-work still made her an outcast, she still kept on doing it. The society still saw her as the adulterer but also as a woman that was very independent which was not right for a woman to be so.

            Women back then in a society like of that of the Puritans were to be at home taking care of the children while the husband worked. In Hester’s case this situation obviously did not apply. Hester was very independent and with no husband after her mistake of adultery. Yet as Michael J. Colacurcio describes Hester in Footsteps of Ann Hutchinson: The Context of The Scarlet Letter, “Like Ann Hutchinson, Hester Prynne is an extraordinary woman who falls afoul of a theocratic and male dominated society, and the problems which cause them to be singled out for exemplary punishment both begin in a sort of relationship with a pastor…” (215). This shows that Hester is viewed differently and bad by the society because the society that they live in is dominated by men. And one can see if a woman were to change this by her actions she would be viewed differently and with bad eyes. Even through all the townspeople comments Hester tries her best to regain the respect of the townspeople and show that she is good.    

            Throughout the novel one can clearly see that Hester tries to be a better person. She does this for herself and her daughter. We can see that Hester is a good person. Her only mistake was being with another man but that was because her husband never went with her. She didn’t even know if he was ever going back. Now that Hester had a daughter she knew that she had to take care of her. Even when the town judges were discussing whether or not to allow Hester to keep Pearl, Hester said that she should keep her because she would learn from her mistake. In another occasion when Hester is at Governor Bellingham’s mansion, Mistress Hibbins invites Hester to a witch gathering. Hester answers and says, “I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little Pearl” (Hawthorne 81). This shows that Hester cares for her daughter and that she is a good mother. Hester could have responded yes, but she didn’t because she knew that as a mother she had more responsibilities.

            Today, in society being a single mother is common. Women that are single mothers are even viewed different than back then. Today a woman that is capable of raising a child and still work and sometimes even still go to school is seen as someone great. They are seen as independent woman capable of doing so much. It is clear that women’s rights and freedoms have dramatically changed from Hester’s time to our present day. Women are way more independent and are not seen with bad eyes, in the contrary they are seen as amazing role models. Some women too like Hester still manage to work, take care of their children, and even still help out in the community. They help out those that are less fortunate just like Hester did.

            Hester also sets a good example because she cares for the poor, and aids those that need help. For example, in the book she is described, “Such helpfulness was found in her, so much power to do, and power to sympathize, that many people refused to interpret the scarlet letter by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 111). This shows that the view of what the townspeople used to have of Hester changed. They now saw her as someone caring, helpful, and with great strength. Even though everyone criticized her in the beginning and called her so many things she still came out and decided to help out. Even when some of those she helped didn’t want it, she still did. She earned back the respect of the people because she alone was able to go through so much and still in the end be liked by the people. Even the significance of her “A” was viewed differently. People saw it as something completely different.

           

            It is evident that throughout the novel Hester is really someone who can do so much because since the beginning she was viewed as an outcast. Though the type of outcast she was seen as changed. It is clear that Hester is a woman that did commit a mistake and was punished for, but that learned to surpass. She gained the peoples respect and kept her daughter. She was able to survive without the need of anyone and still help out others while taking care of her child. She still kept on working and although a women being independent at the time might not have been seen with good eyes she still did it.  It is evident that a woman today who commits adultery would not be punished as Hester was back then in a Puritan society. Hester’s role though, compared to a woman’s role today is similar in that Hester was an independent woman like many woman today are. Even though at her time it was not seen right, today it is very common and right.

Works Cited

1.)    Colacurcio, Michael J. "Footsteps of Ann Hutchinson: The Context of The Scarlet Letter."                                                         The Scarlet Letter: an Authoritative Text, Essays in Criticism and Scholarship. New York: W.W. Norton &, 1988. 213-30. Print.

2.)    Hawthorne, Nathaniel, and Seymour Gross. The Scarlet Letter: an Authoritative Text, Essays              in Criticism and Scholarship. New York: W.W. Norton &, 1988. Print.

3.)    Hoffman, Daniel G. "Hester's Double Providence: The Scarlet Letter and the Green." The                    Scarlet Letter: an Authoritative Text, Essays in Criticism and Scholarship. New York: W.W. Norton &, 1988. 343-49. Print.

Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

1. Colacurcio, Michael J. "Footsteps of Ann Hutchinson: The Context of The Scarlet Letter."

            The Scarlet Letter: an Authoritative Text, Essays in Criticism and Scholarship. New

            York: W.W. Norton &, 1988. 213-30. Print.

“Like Ann Hutchinson, Hester Prynne is an extraordinary woman who falls afoul of a theocratic and male dominated society, and the problems which cause them to be singled out for exemplary punishment both begin in a sort of relationship with a pastor…” (215).

 I got this passage from one of the essays in the back of the book. This quote is relevant to my research because it supports one of the points I am trying to make in my essay. It is comparing both Ann Hutchinson and Hester. It shows how because they both lived in a society where men were dominant their reputation went down and if they stood out from the other women they would be seen as bad.

2. Hawthorne, Nathaniel, and Seymour Gross. The Scarlet Letter: an Authoritative Text, Essays          

      in Criticism and Scholarship. New York: W.W. Norton &, 1988. Print.

“She possessed an art that sufficed, even in a land that afforded comparatively little scope for its exercise, to supply food for her thriving infant and herself. It was the art-then as now almost the only one within a woman’s grasp-of needle-work” (Hawthorne 57).

“I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little Pearl” (Hawthorne 81).

“Such helpfulness was found in her, so much power to do, and power to sympathize, that many people refused to interpret the scarlet letter by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 111).

I chose these quotes from the book because they really help the reader get a better understanding of what is going on in the book, and also to prove that Hester is good.

In the first quote it explains the talent that Hester had of sewing. This was not just a talent but her job in order to feed herself and her child. It shows that Hester is more than capable to support herself and her daughter.

In the second quote Hester tells Mistress Hibbins that she will not go to the witch gathering in the forest because now she has a child. A child who she must take care of. So she rejects her offer and goes home. It also shows that Pearl is the savior of Hester because she knows she has a child she wants to show that she is a good person and mother.

In the third quote shows that the townspeople’s views changed about Hester dramatically. In the beginning everyone in the town viewed Hester’s “A” as Adulterer. After the town sees her as Able and not an Adulterer.  

3. Hoffman, Daniel G. "Hester's Double Providence: The Scarlet Letter and the Green."

The Scarlet Letter: an Authoritative Text, Essays in Criticism and Scholarship. New                  York: W.W. Norton &, 1988. 343-49. Print.

“It is apparent that the Puritans badly bungled the case of Hester Prynne. The scarlet letter they condemned her to wear was a self evident judgment: A for Adultery. Giving up her individuality, she would become a general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman’s frailty and sinful passion” (343-344).  

            This quote is from an essay in the back of the book too. It shows what the letter A stood for in the beginning and how hard it was on Hester. It lets the reader see that this letter might just seem as any letter but back then it stood for something horrible for a woman to wear.

The Flowers Rough Draft

Daisy Rodriguez

English 1B

            In The Flowers, by Dagoberto Gilb, it is clear that women are portrayed as inferior. One can see this because of the characteristics the three main women portray. These three women are Sylvia, the mother of Sonny, Cindy, a drug addict, and Nica, a young girl that is forced to be at home.

            Throughout the novel, Sylvia is portrayed as a bad mother, a liar, and the wife that just wants to please her husband. Sonny describes her as the mother who was never there. In the book Sonny states, “It was that my mom, if she wasn’t at her job, was out on dates and whatever. And sometimes she’d get in so late I wouldn’t be awake” (5). This shows that Sylvia did not care much about her son because she would rather be out. Sylvia is also described as a liar. She constantly lies to Sonny and Cloyd. It appears that Sylvia has to lie to Cloyd because if she does not, Cloyd will not support her. She is forced to lie about being able to cook food just to please Cloyd.

            Another character that is portrayed as inferior is Cindy. Cindy’s characteristics as a bad woman also make her look inferior. She is described as a drug addict and a bad example of a woman. She dropped out of high school, and got pregnant at a young age, but has had an abortion, and a miscarriage. In page 42, Cindy states, “He’s here when he wants something, like sex, or to sleep, or to eat, or to drink, or to have more sex with me once in a while.” This leads the reader to think that Dagoberto Gilb is saying that women should only be at home waiting for their husband to come so they can please them. Cindy is just always at home waiting for her man to come. These characteristics show that she who had the opportunity to do whatever she wanted got stuck with a man who doesn’t even care about her.

            Nica is also looked down as a woman who cannot do that much. Dagoberto Gilb makes her look as a young woman who does not have the freedom to do what she wants to do. In the novel, Sonny says, “There was her dad, and it seemed like she had to watch out for him…She didn’t go to school, you know? That was something from the dinosaur times. She was like an Indian slave” (67). The author makes Nica look helpless, because she is always to stay at home and take care of her little brother. She is stuck at home while her parents are at work. Nica is also not allowed to go to school. Just because her father is very strict she is not allowed to go anywhere, not even to school. Without school she is enabling herself from succeeding and getting a better life.

            As you can see, these three women, Sylvia, Cindy, and Nica poses woman characteristics that make them seem inferior and weak. One does not have the motherly characteristics. Another one is just with a man so he can provide her a house. The last one is just stuck at home because she cannot go out.

                                                                Works Cited

1.)   Gilb, Dagoberto. The Flowers. New York: Grove, 2008. Print

The Scarlet Letter Rough Draft

Daisy Rodriguez

English 1B

December 1, 2010

            In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne makes Hester look as a woman that at the time was a woman of sin. He states throughout the novel that because Hester had a relationship with another man other than her husband, she is a bad example of a woman. The truth though is that just because Hester is a woman, who committed adultery, she is viewed as a sinner. But what if a man had been the one to commit adultery? Would there have been the same punishment towards that man?

            In the beginning of the novel we learn that Hester is a woman that has been condemned for adultery. As a result of this love affair with a man she would not mention, which we later learn is Reverend Dimmesdale, a child is born, and whose name is Pearl. Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, whose identity is kept a secret, had sent her to America and then he would follow her. He never went with Hester, but when he arrives where Hester is he finds out that she cheated on him. Chillingworth becomes furious and wanting revenge.

            Hester’s punishment was to stand in front of all the townspeople in the scaffold, and to wear the scarlet letter on her chest for the rest of her life. This scarlet letter was a big “A” which stood for adulterer. This shows that all the people would see her and know that she was an adulterer. It was alright for them to do that at the time but today not a lot of people do that. Having an A engraved on her clothes was not going to change anything. We can see that if a woman made a mistake it would be a big deal.

            Throughout the novel Hester tries to be a better person. She does this for herself and her daughter. We can see that Hester is a good person. Her only mistake was being with another man but that was because her husband never went with her. She didn’t even know if he was ever going back. Because Hester had a daughter now she knew that she had to take care of her. Even when the town judges were discussing whether or not to allow Hester to keep Pearl, Hester said that she should keep her because she would learn from her mistake. In another occasion when Hester is at Governor Bellingham’s mansion, Mistress Hibbins invites Hester to a witch gathering. Hester answers and says, “I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little Pearl” (Hawthorne 81). This shows that Hester cares for her daughter and that she is a good mother.

            Hester is also sets a good example because she cares for the poor, and aids those that need help. For example in the book she is described, “Such helpfulness was found in her, so much power to do, and power to sympathize, that many people refused to interpret the scarlet letter by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 111). This shows that the view of what the townspeople used to have of Hester changed. They now saw her as someone caring, helpful, and with great strength. Even though everyone criticized her in the beginning and called her so many things she still came out and decided to help out. Even when some of those she helped didn’t want it, she still did. She earned back the respect of the people because she alone was able to go through so much and still in the end e liked by the people. Even the significance of her “A” was viewed differently. People saw it as something completely different.

            It is evident that throughout the novel Hester is really someone who can do so much since the beginning she was viewed as an outcast. Though the type of outcast she was seen changed. It is clear that Hester is a woman that did commit a mistake and was punished for, but that learned to surpass. She gained the peoples respect and kept her daughter. She was able to survive without the need of anyone and still help out others while taking care of her child. She still kept on working and although a women being independent at the time might not have been seen with good eyes she still did it.

The Flowers Final Daft

Daisy Rodriguez

October 17, 2010

English 1B

View of The Flowers from a Feminist Perspective

            In The Flowers, by Dagoberto Gilb, it is clear that women are portrayed as inferior. One can see this because of the characteristics the three main women portray. These three women are Sylvia, the mother of Sonny, Cindy, a drug addict, and Nica, a young girl that is forced to be at home. Dagoberto Gilb’s constant description of these three main women lead the reader to believe that he is a sexist because of the roles the women play in the novel.

            Throughout the novel, Sylvia is portrayed as a bad mother, a liar, and the wife that just wants to please her husband. Sonny describes her as the mother who was never there. In the book Sonny states, “It was that my mom, if she wasn’t at her job, was out on dates and whatever. And sometimes she’d get in so late I wouldn’t be awake” (5). This shows that Sylvia did not care much about her son because she would rather be out. Sylvia is also described as a liar. She constantly lies to Sonny and Cloyd. It appears that Sylvia has to lie to Cloyd because if she does not, Cloyd will not support her. She is forced to lie about being able to cook food just to please Cloyd. For example, in the book Sonny states, “I knew something was more messed up when Cloyd complemented her on the chili salsa. He might as well have complemented her on the tortilla chips, because she bought them at the store too” (51). This shows that Gilb is insinuating that all Mexican women should be able to cook and because Sylvia does not know how she is inferior and forced to lie.

            Another character that is portrayed as inferior is Cindy. Cindy’s characteristics as a bad woman also make her look inferior. She is described as a drug addict and a bad example of a woman. She dropped out of high school, and got pregnant at a young age, but has had an abortion, and a miscarriage. In page 42, Cindy states, “He’s here when he wants something, like sex, or to sleep, or to eat, or to drink, or to have more sex with me once in a while.” This leads the reader to think that Dagoberto Gilb is saying that women should only be at home waiting for their husband to come so they can please them. Cindy is just always at home waiting for her man to come. These characteristics show that she who had the opportunity to do whatever she wanted got stuck with a man who doesn’t even care about her.

            Nica is also looked down as a woman who cannot do that much. Dagoberto Gilb makes her look as a young woman who does not have the freedom to do what she wants to do. In the novel, Sonny says, “There was her dad, and it seemed like she had to watch out for him…She didn’t go to school, you know? That was something from the dinosaur times. She was like an Indian slave” (67). The author makes Nica look helpless, because she is always to stay at home and take care of her little brother. She is stuck at home while her parents are at work. Nica is also not allowed to go to school. Just because her father is very strict she is not allowed to go anywhere, not even to school. Without school she is enabling herself from succeeding and getting a better life. Gilb is also making it look that women should be at home taking care of children.  

            As you can see, these three women, Sylvia, Cindy, and Nica poses woman characteristics that make them seem inferior and weak. One does not have the motherly characteristics. Another one is just with a man so he can provide her a house. The last one is just stuck at home because she cannot go out. It is evident that throughout the novel Dagoberto Gilb makes the women look inferior. Through these descriptions of the women the reader gets a bad interpretation of women. Women are more than just the cooking person or taking care of children or just waiting at home for their husband or partner. Women at the time might have been viewed as inferior to men, but today a women’s role is much more important than back then. Women are capable of doing what a man can do, get an education, and have a career in whatever they want. At the end of the novel we can see that Sylvia still stays with Cloyd. Cindy’s man leaves her and thus she has no place to live. Yet Nica is brave enough to take Sonny’s advice and leave.

                                                                  Works Cited

1.)   Gilb, Dagoberto. The Flowers. New York: Grove, 2008. Print