The Glass Menagerie

In the Glass Menagerie (1945), a play by Tennessee Williams, the author describes the life of the Wingfield family in the 1940’s and their inevitable fate as they go through life and take on challenges that are present societally and within their family during that time period. The author often begins each scene of the play with vivid descriptions of both the characters and their surroundings. In scene one, the author describes the Wingfields’ home surroundings as “vast hive-like conglomerations of cellular living-units” that appear as “warty growths in overcrowded urban centers.” The author’s imagery allows the reader to clearly visualize the scenery, giving them a more involved feeling. Additionally, the author frequently utilizes rhetorical questions to present ideas that were not previously mentioned. Amanda, Tom and Laura’s mother questions Laura and her plans after realizing Laura dropped out of business school.  “So what are we going to do the rest of our lives?” she asks, a question that was not meant to be answered. The rhetorical question also foreshadows events that occur later in the play. To conclude, the author uses Tom’s character to deliver sarcasm into the play. After Amanda’s inquisitions of Toms whereabouts, he sarcastically responds by saying that people refer to him as “Killer, Killer Wingfield” he suggests that he is “leading a double-life” as a “simple, honest warehouse worker by day” and by night a “dynamic czar of the underworld.” This sarcasm reveals the genuine issues of unhappiness and deception that are occurring in the Wingfield family, and specifically the tension between Tom and Amanda. The tone of the play is predominantly suspenseful because of the uncertainty of what will occur next, and how the play will conclude. The purpose of the play is to provide inspiration to those who are unhappy with the situation they are in, and confidence and hope to those who are unsure of themselves. Since the play was written in the 1940’s the authors intended audience is people that were living in that time period, because it discusses issues and societal norms that were present in the 1940’s.

Vocabulary:

•Conglomerations- To form or gather into a mass or whole

•Automatism- The performance of actions without conscious thought or intention

•Implacable- Relentless; unstoppable

•Ineluctably- Not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable

•Menagerie- A collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition

•Emissary- A person sent on a special mission

•Temperament- The tendency to behave angrily or emotionally

•Portieres- window treatment used in cased door openings made of two separate drapery panels tied back, utilizing identical or contrasting fabrics

•Martyred- (of an attitude or manner) Showing feigned or exaggerated suffering to obtain sympathy or admiration

•Precipitated- Cause (an event or situation, typically a bad one) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely

•Gesticulating- Use gestures, esp. dramatic ones, instead of speaking or to emphasize one's words

•Insolence- contemptuously rude or impertinent behavior or speech

•Inquisition- A period of prolonged and intensive questioning or investigation

•Querulous- full of complaints; complaining

•Supercilious- Behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others

•Unobtrusive- Not conspicuous or attracting attention

•Quinine- A bitter crystalline compound

•Negligence- Failure to take proper care in doing something

Tone(s):

Suspenseful/uncertain, Inspiring/influential

Rhetorical Strategies:

•Imagery- “The Wingfield apartment is in the rear of the building, one of those vast hive-like conglomerations of cellular living-units that flower as warty growths in overcrowded urban centers…”(21)

•Telegraphic Sentences- “The play is memory.”(23) “Come in stumbling.”(41) “Don’t say peculiar.”(66)

•Compare and Contrast- “In Spain there was revolution. Here there was only shouting and confusion. In Spain there was Guernica. Here there were disturbances of labor…” (23)

•Rhetorical Questions- “So what are we going to do the rest of our lives? Stay home and watch the parades go by?”(34)

•Metaphor- “…encouraged by one in-law to visit another-little birdlike women without any nest-eating the crust of humility all their life!”(34)

•Sarcasm- “They call me Killer, Killer Wingfield, I’m leading a double-life, a simple, honest warehouse worker by day, by night a dynamic czar of the underworld, mother.”(42) “I’ll rise-but I won’t shine.”(46)

•Onomatopoeia- “Knowledge-Zzzzzp! Money-Zzzzzzp!-Power!”(100)

Discussion Questions:

•What is the meaning of “screen legend” or “legend on screen”?

• Why does the author frequently se telegraphic sentences? How does it add to the tone of the play?

• How is the author’s description of beauty through Jim’s Character similar to societies idea of beauty or “being pretty” today?

“The power of love is really pretty tremendous! Love is something that-changes the whole world’ Laura!” (108)

“I didn’t go to the moon, I went much further-for time is the longest distance between two places.”(114)

Education and Responsibilities

 Half the Sky (2009) by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
Chapters 11-14


In Half the Sky (2009) by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the authors assert that a vital tool in terminating the disparities that women are currently facing is investing in the education of females, and granting them economic responsibilities. They begin by introducing the issue with facts. Men, in several societies currently manage finances, and because of that, very poor families spend approximately “ten times as much on a combination of alcohol, prostitutes, candy, sugary drinks, and lavish feasts as they do with educating their children.” They then support their claim with statistics on impoverished families and the amount of money such families in different countries spend yearly. They found that “4.1 percent of their money on alcohol and tobacco in Papua New Guinea; 5 percent in Udaipur, India; 6 percent in Indonesia; and 8 percent in Mexico.” The authors present a solution by suggest that “there would be a breakthrough in the prospects of poor countries” if families invested in the education of their children through inductive reasoning. The purpose is to reveal the mistakes poor families are making and propose a solution to the problem. Their audiences are members of the poor families they discuss to help them realize their mistakes, and virtually anyone who is willing to assist in the investment in the education of children of these poor families.

Vocabulary:

•Exudes- Discharge (moisture or a smell) slowly and steadily

•Panacea- A solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases

•Reallocate- Distribute (resources or duties) for a particular purpose in a different way

•Impoverished- Reduced to poverty; poverty-stricken

•Execrable- Extremely bad or unpleasant

•Commodity- A raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold, such as copper or coffee

•Feckless- Lacking in efficiency or vitality

•Defer-Put off (an action or event) to a later time; postpone

•Iniquities- Immoral or grossly unfair behavior

•Autonomy- The right or condition of self-government

•Coalitions- An alliance for combined action, especially a temporary alliance of political parties forming a government or of states

•Acquiesce- Accept something reluctantly but without protest

Tones(s):

Informative, Passionate

Rhetorical Strategies:

•Commonly held beliefs- “women are supposed to work from home and look after children at the same time.” (191)

•Facts-“Mortality data show that in famines and droughts, it is mostly girls who die, not boys.”(192) “the poorest families in the world typically spend approximately ten times as much on a combination of alcohol, prostitutes, candy, sugary drinks, and lavish feasts as they do with educating their children.” (192)

•Statistics- “They found that the impoverished families spent 4.1 percent of their money on alcohol and tobacco in Papua New Guinea; 5 percent in Udaipur, India; 6 percent in Indonesia; and 8 percent in Mexico.” (193)

•Telegraphic sentence-“Zainab was horrified.”(218)

•Inductive reasoning-“If poor families spent as only as much on educating their children as they do on beer and prostitutes, there would be a breakthrough in the prospects of poor countries.” (193)

•Rhetorical questions-“What can our good intentions achieve against thousands of years of traditions?” (206) “So was it cultural imperialism for westerners to criticize foot-binding and female infanticide?” (207)

•Imagery-“Zainab Salbi is thin with olive skin and close cropped black hair framing large luminous eyes.” (216)

•Allusion-“Jesus did not address slavery at all in the Gospels; Saint Paul and Aristotle accepted it; and Jewish and Islamic theologians believed in mercy toward slaves but did not question slavery itself.” (234)

Discussion Questions:

•What was the purpose of the author(s) allude to the gospel and others on page 234?

•How do the author(s) narrations at the end of each chapter of people who are contributing to the well-being of women around the world add to their message?

•Will this novel enlighten people on the inequalities women are experiencing today and inspire them to make a difference?

“If we believe firmly in certain vales, such as the equality of all human beings regardless of color or gender, then we should not be afraid to stand up for them; it would be feckless to defer to slavery, torture, foot-binding, honor killings, or genital cutting just because we believe in respecting other faiths or cultures.” (207)

Preventative Factors

Half the Sky by by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
Chapters 6-10

In chapters six through ten of Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the authors focus on the causes of the inhumane outcomes of many women in third-world countries, and preventative factors that can decrease those outcomes. They first introduce the frequency of these outcomes with statistics. They mention that there are“30,000 to 130,000 new cases of fistula,” a passage between an organ and the body surface which are often caused by gang rape “develop each year in Africa alone.”  The authors then discuss the “why” of the conditions of women in third world countries through analogies. They compare women to the idea of war and claim that they “become a weapon of war-meant to be disfigured or tortured to terrorize the rest of the population,” unlike men who are victims of war.  To conclude, they provide a solution to the problem using syllogism. Kristof and WuDunn propose that the solution to the issues is education because education is associated with “lower desired family size, greater use of contraception, and increased use of hospitals.” So with education more women would be less likely to become pregnant, and if they became pregnant, they would be “more likely to likely to deliver in the hospital.” The purpose is to propose factors that can decrease the detrimental events women are undergoing. Their audience is adults and young adults who are willing to make a change for women in developing countries because they mention several ways of improving their circumstances and give several examples of people who have already made a change in those countries, with a sincere and informative tone.

Vocabulary:

•Dissipated- Overindulging in sensual pleasures

•Sanctimonious- Making a show of being morally superior to other people

•Obscenity- An extremely offensive word or expression

•Ostensibly- Apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually

•Sadistic- Deriving pleasure or sexual gratification from inflicting pain on another

•Constituency- A body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body

•Galvanizing- Shock or excite (someone), typically into taking action

•Catatonic- Either rigidity or extreme laxness of limbs

•Excoriated- Censure or criticize severely

Tone(s):

 Passionate, Sincere, Informative

Rhetorical Strategies:

•Statistics- “there are 5,000 honor killings a year, almost all in the Muslim world…” (82) “90 percent of girls and women over the age of three were sexually abused in part of Liberia during Civil war there.” (83) “30,000 to 130,000 new cases of fistula develop each year in Africa alone.” (97)

•Facts- “Social psychologists argue that that all this reflects the way our conscious and ethical systems are based on individual stories and are distant from the part of our brains concerned with logic and rationality.” (100)

•Expert opinion- “All militias here rape women, to show their strength and to show your weakness,” said Julienne Chakupewa, a rape counselor in Ghana.” (84)

•Anecdotes- “a tall, genial man who served us dinner in his comfortable mountain lair.” (85) “After interviewing several women who told of having been raped when leaving their camps to get firewood, we asked the obvious question…” (86)

•Rhetorical questions- “If women are raped when they get firewood, then why don’t they stay in the camp?” (86)

•Analogy- “But whereas men are the normal victims of war, women have become a weapon of war-meant to be disfigured or tortured to terrorize the rest of the population.” (87)

•Imagery- “ The family members had no electricity, no running water, no bicycle, no wristwatch, no clock, no radio- virtually no possessions of any kind- and they shared their home with a large pig.”(167)

•Telegraphic sentences- “So we introduced processing equipment.” (177) “We were delighted.”(177)

•Syllogism- “Education is associated with lower desired family size, greater use of contraception, and increased use of hospitals. So with more education, Prudence would have been less likely to have become pregnant, and if she had become pregnant, would have been more likely to deliver in the hospital.” (114)

Discussion Questions:

•What was the purpose of the author(s) criticism of George bush on page 98?

•What is the significance of the author(s) frequent use of statistics?

•Why do many people in society continue to ignore what is happening to women in these poor, developing countries?

“It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in an armed conflict.”

“One of the great failings of the American education system, in our view is that young people can graduate from university without any understanding of poverty at home or abroad.”

Modern Slavery

Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Chapters 1-5

In Half the Sky(2009), a novel  by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the authors discuss presence and prevalence of sex trafficking, which they describe as modern slavery in many third world countries. Kristof and WuDunn begin the novel with a narration. They describe the life of a young woman, Meena Hasina an Indian Muslim who is a prostitute in a Northern Indian brothel. They explain that Meena was kidnapped and trafficked at a young age to present the reader with a vivid image of the lifestyle. The authors then allude to the decrees that North Carolina and Georgia made in 1791 declaring the inhumanity of slavery and the lack of change they provided, in order to compare them to the ineffectiveness of Pakistani laws in preventing brothel owners from trafficking women. To conclude, the authors use rhetorical questions to have the readers further analyze the reality of modern slavery, and to develop potential solutions to the questions that are presented. The purpose is to expose society to the “hidden” issue of modern slavery in order to empower us to initiate a change and contribute to the confinement of human trafficking. Their audience is adults, young adults and those that are unaware of the significant issue of modern slavery.

Vocabulary words:

•Unsavory- Disagreeable and unpleasant because morally disreputable

•Muffle- Wrap or cover for warmth

•Accommodate - Fit in with the wishes or needs of

•Listlessness - Languor: a feeling of lack of interest or energy

•Multistory- Having several or many stories

•Empirical- Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic

•Impunity- Exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action

•Notorious- One who is unfavorably known for a particular trait

Tone(s):

Passionate, Empowered, Afflicted

Rhetorical Strategies:

•Allusion: “In 1791, North Carolina decreed that killing a slave amounted to “murder,” and Georgia later established that killing or maiming a slave was legally the same as killing or maiming a white person. but these doctrines existed more paper than on plantations, just as Pakistani laws existed in statue books but don’t impede brothel owner…”(11) “After 9/11, we’ve tightened things up here.”(23)

•Rhetorical questions:

 “Well, is the best solution really to kidnap Nepali girls and imprison them in Indian brothels?” (24) “Isn’t trafficking girls as important as pirating DVDs?”(24) What policy should we pursue to try to eliminate that slavery?”(26)

•Statistical facts:

“85 percent of the women have been able to stay out of prostitution, while 15 percent have returned.” (59) “The U.S Department has estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year, 80 percent of them women and girls, mostly for sexual exploitation.”(10)

•Satire: 

“I’ve got it! You know in the United States we have a lot of problems with harmony in society. We should start kidnapping Indian middle-class girls and forcing them to work in brothels in the United States!” (24)

•Telegraphic sentence: 

“We won’t eliminate prostitution.”(26)

Discussion Questions:

•What do authors mean when they say “the tools to crush modern slavery exist…” (24)?

•Why does the author evert from narration to description? How does it add to his purpose?

•How will the author(s) vivid narrations allow us, as a society to be enlightened on the reality of modern slavery?

“As long as the girls are uneducated, low caste peasants like Meena, society will look the other way-just as many antebellum Americans turned away from the horrors of slavery because the people being lashed looked different from them.”