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The Yellow Wallpaper (Charlotte Perkins Gilman)

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The Yellow Wallpaper (Charlotte Perkins Gilman)

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Historical/Cultural Context:

- late 19th-century medical practices for women's mental health

- use of "rest cure" for treating nervous conditions

- restrictive attitudes towards women's autonomy

Narrative Perspective: First-person narrative from perspective of a woman suffering from postpartum depression allows readers to experience narrator's mental decline

Tropes: "madwoman in the attic" trope as symbol of repressed female creativity and autonomy

Imagery: wallpaper as a symbol of the protagonist's entrapment & descent into madness

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In Search of our Mothers’ Gardens (Alice Walker)

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In Search of our Mothers’ Gardens (Alice Walker)

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Historical background:

Civil Rights Movement in US

Racism + Sexism: double oppression memorial: black women, victims of racism

Literary recognition of black authors

Narration:

first person perspective: intimate and authentic voice that resonates with readers

Reflective and analytical tone: Walker combines personal anecdotes with analytical insights, exploring themes of creativity, heritage and oppression

Symbolism:

Garden/Flowers = creative outlet that can grow

Mothers and ancestors = ethnic community

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Historical/Cultural Context: Early 20th century women's struggle for educational and professional opportunities

Message: Financial independence and personal space needed for intellectual freedom

Narrative Perspective: semi-fictional narrative/ blend of fiction and essay --> subjective/personal vs. universality

Tropes: idea of "Shakespeare's Sister": a hypothetical talented woman who never had the chance to write.

Imagery: room as symbol of freedom and creativity

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The Problem that Has no Name (Betty Friedan)

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The Problem that Has no Name (Betty Friedan)

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Historical/Cultural Context:

- Post-World War II suburban domestic ideal promoted the image of the devoted housewife

- Widespread unhappiness and mental health issues among housewives

- Lack of fulfillment and search for identity beyond domestic roles

Narrative Perspective: blend of sociological analysis, personal anecdote, and statistical evidence to argue for a broader understanding of women’s dissatisfaction in the 1950s

Imagery: Suburban homes as cages for women's potential.

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Homeplace: A site of resistance (bell hooks)

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Homeplace: A site of resistance (bell hooks)

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Key Aspects:

Creating homeplace as a form of resistance against white supremacy, practiced by black women

Create a place where all black people are subject although outside of it they are treated like objects by white people

Creating homeplace in order to prevent oneselves psyche and family relations being completely shaped by white supremacist domination

Historical/cultural context:

racism in the USA/also South Africa

Black seen as objects by White —> were only seen as labour without dignity

Black women worked in White households, but also had their own family to care for

Narrative Perspective:

perspective of the author bell hooks

telling about the time in which her grandmother lived and how the black women back then showed resistance

Symbolism/Imagery:

black women as „primary guides and teachers“ (448)

Homeplace described as a place filled with „warmth“, the place where the „nurturing of our souls“ takes place, and as a place of dignity for black people

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“Callaloo” from Poets in the Kitchen (Paule Marshall)

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“Callaloo” from Poets in the Kitchen (Paule Marshall)

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Historical Background

Migration: West Indian families move to the US and create Diaspora

communities e.g. in New York

Racism and economical challenges

First and second generation immigrants

Symbolism:

• Kitchen = place of learning and development, reconnecting to emotions, community, cultural heritage

Narration:

first-person perspective: personal and intimate account of her experiences

Reflective and anecdotal tone: narrative tone is reflective, blending personal anecdotes with broader insights

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Historical/Cultural Context:

- Early 20th-century American South.

- Intersectionality of race and gender challenges

- Black women faced systemic racism and sexism

Narrative Perspective/Voice:

- Third-person narrative with a focus on protagonist's perspective

- use of AAVE in dialogue adds authenticity to the characters and setting

Imagery: oppressive sweat; symbolic snake representing fear and danger

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School days of an Indian Girl (Zitkala-Sa)

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School days of an Indian Girl (Zitkala-Sa)

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Historical background:

removal: strategically taken from their native lands: trail of tears

Re-education (euphemism)
-> reform school: Christian schools attempt to extinguish culture
-> Lost Generation
-> text contributes to the survival of native voices/ and perspectives otherwise lost experience only from historians

Narration:

first-person perspective: direct and intimate account

Autobiographical account: authenticity lends credibility and emotional weight

Symbolism:

cutting hair: violent uprooting

losing the ability to speak in native tongue --> assimilation

"Within a year I was able to express myself somewhat in broken English" (814)

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Key Aspects:

Chinese family living in the USA, in a conflict between trying to adapt to the American culture and retaining Chinese culture

Historical/cultural context:

American Dream

Society heavily influenced by racism

Symbolism/imagery:

country club is a symbol for belonging to the USA

Mr. Chang's suit as a symbol for trying to fit into the american society --> thrust into pool as opposing this idea

Narrative perspective

first person narrator, extradiegetic homodiegetic narrator with fixed internal focalization

Callie's narration (2nd Gen) underlines the conflict between adapting to a new culture but still retaining the original culture of the parents

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Key Aspects:

two girls with different (tough ambiguous) races growing up in an orphanage together

Meet for several times in their life and each meeting is different

extraordinary friendship with conflict potential

Narrative perspective:

Story strategically withholds information from the reader, which makes it impossible to know which girl is black and which girl is white —> despite this racial identity matters in the story

Historical/cultural context:

Civil Rights Movement)

Symbolism/imagery:

Salt and Pepper —> different races but still belong together

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Where are you going, where have you been (Joyce Carol Oats)

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Where are you going, where have you been (Joyce Carol Oats)

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Historical/Cultural Context:

Rock-and-Roll culture

Civil rights movements

Traditional family systems are questioned, women's role? -> times of freedom, change

Narration:
• third-person limited omniscient narrator, focusing primarily on Connie`s perspective

allows readers to closely follow Connie`s thoughts and feelings, giving insight into her internal struggles and perceptions

Symbolism:

threshold: does she enjoy the attention?

Arnold Friend: an old friend/fiend

Music: losing control and agency

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Common Themes:

Patriarchy and Power Dynamics

Gender (In)Equality

Intersectionality