"A &P"

In John Updike's short story "A & P," he contributes to the male chauvinistic roles in society by the view in which the nineteen year old cashier has about the women who he helps in his line, female stereotypes, and showing skin. Updike's description of the first woman he encounters, " She's one of these cash-register-watchers, a witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows, and I know it made her day to trip me up," (p. 599). The nagging stereotypical housewife that had nothing better to do but make his life miserable, like most women of a certain age do, nag their husbands. She is a typical  1950's female. Updike also reveals the males lust towards the leader of the pack whom he calls "Queenie" dresses inside the store. It kind of gives him sexual excitement, being a man an all, "With the straps pushed off, there was nothing between the top of the suit and the top of her head except just her, this clean bare plane of the top of her chest down from her shoulder bones like a dented sheet of metal tilted in the light. I mean it was more than pretty" (p.600). Woman are sexual objects, they dress that way because they want the attention from a man, to notice them, and want them, even thought the girls were asked to dress more appropriately by the manager, they still got noticed, they still got their attention. He describes how the behavior of others in the store react to how the girls dressed, "A few housewives in pin curlers even looked around after pushing their carts past to make sure what they had seen was correct," (600) reflects oh societies view of how "girls ot to dress" when they are out in public, let alone inside the grocery store. They were in the middle of the town, not on the Cape at he beach. In a the eyes of society of that period, this sort of behavior was frowned upon because a lady would never go into a store with their bare shoulders showing. In the 1950's girls just didn't do such things if they were a lady. The story was definitely written by a man, in his point of view.

"The Yellow Wallpaper" facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/#!/julia.physician

I created a facebook character blog for "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, here is the link.

"Orientation"

This is room number ten, her name is Maybell West. Pictures adorn her walls of the family farm back east. She has hearing aids, upper partials, no fixodent. She says she can taste it all day long. Call light is here on the wall, always fasent it to the edge of the bed were she can reach it. Her family wants nothing to do with her because she only talks about the pigs and that they loved to eat little children. She will tell you that they ate three of hers, and that not one piece has ever been found. They ate the pigs you know. Remember to draw the curtain and wash your hands.
Room number eleven is empty. Door is shut, just leave it that way. The cleaning staff does a deep clean after someone leaves or dies. Don't get caught sleeping in one of the beds on your shift. You will get written up, depending how much management likes you, or fired.
Room twelve is Cecil Huffaker. Incontinent. Upper and lower dentures, glasses, hearing aids. Always put an undershirt on him. Left knee brace, use it for all transfers. Cecil is a bit handsy with the guys. He'll give your scrotum a good squeeze if hes in the right mood. He was never married and had no children but was a very active member of the church. He was a religious man, devoted to god, if you know what i mean. Check him every two hours when it is time for rounds, he is on a two hour bathroom schedule. Remember to wash your hands.
This door here is the dirty linen and trash closet. The code is 4558 backwards. Flip this and the code is hidden. Remember the code is 4558 backwards. Its that way because the residents cant figure it out if they try to get in. Dirty linen with feces, urine, wound drainage, mucus, sputum, emessis, or fluids from the lungs, abdomen, and spinal area go here. That is standard precautions for all patients that have bodily substance controls. Infection control guidelines are here in this book. If you get any of these materials on, or in your mouth or eyes here is the eye wash station. Don't lick your fingers.
Room thirteen is haunted. Imagene McKinny is in there now. She has her own teeth. Incontinent. Tow hour bathroom checks as well. Family does her own laundry. Put the bags in the left closet in the hamper. She eats in the assisted dinning area. Nectar thick liquids. Everyone who has ever been in this room ends up dying within the year. You know that they are on their way when they start seeing the little children playing in the corner of the rooms, or running up and down the hallways at night. Sometimes you can hear a faint laugh or cry. This place used to be a orphanage at the turn of the century. And a tb ward after that, then back to a children's home. Lots of people died here, some in mysterious ways. Imagene talks with a little boy. He tickles her feet at night. She is a very restless sleeper. Always wash your hands after exiting.

Southern "grotesque"

Flannery O'Connel's short story "A Good Man Is Hard To Find," is a perfect example of Southern Grotesque because it focuses on irony, the wrong turn on a family vacation, getting in a wreck, living through it, yet still meet their demise and get shot to death. The story also posseses a secular "grotesque" character, "The Misfit," who is the escaped killer convict. "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" reminds me in a  way of a biblical tale of family morals gone awry and their punishment. In the first sceen you have the grandmother, or soothsayer, who foreshadows the story when she says to Bailey, her only son for whom she lives with, "See here, read this," And she stood with one hand on her thin hip and the other rattling the newspaper at his bald head. "Here this fellow that calls himself The Misfit is aloose from the Fedral Pen and headed toward Florida." The son disregards her "old womanly" worries, thus not respecting thy mother and thy father, one of the ten commandments. The next circumstance that makes it a Southern grotesque masterpice is that the family turns down an old dusty road (of no return) because the granny want to see her home when she was a child, and then she realizes that she is actually thinking of a totally different state. The grandmother lied and manipulated to get her there, showing her deciet."It's not much farther," the grandmother said and just as she said it, a horrible thought came to her. The thought was so embarassing that she turned red in the face and her eyes dialated and her feet jumped up." The lie that set off a chain reaction leading them to wreck the car into a ditch. The children are misbehaved, disrespectful of adults, feeling sad that no one had died in the crash, not even paying attention to their mother who had a broken collarbone and their baby brother was of no concern either. Another notch on the ten comandments belt. The father disrespecting his mother, the children disrespecting all other adults, the grandmothers manipulation into getting what she wanted because she knew her son wouldn't honor her wishes, all cardinal sins, leads to their demise by The Misfit. He is the secular grotesque character in the story because you sermise that he grew up poor and abused by his father, feeling sorry for him, yet he kills a family in cold blood, even the little baby. The Misfit says to the grandmother, who's decietful actions got them into the whole perdicament, "Jesus thrown everything off balance," in turn being the family's ironic punisher for their "moral shortcomings." The tale is a "wrong turn"into the Southern Gothic style of writing and its deep seeded "moral corruption and human capacity for evil."(i'm sorry but the spell check doesnt work for some reason so i did my best)

"The Lottery" Julian Ankney

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" concerns itself with concepts of magic and superstition and their place in society. In a town riddled in superstition the people stone a person at the end of June. I think this signifies a sacrifice to the Gods to ensure a bountiful harvest.  In the "selection" or "lottery" process is a way for the community to relinquish the blame from themselves and place it on a higher power in honor of that long steadfast tradition. "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon"(294), is the old folk saying of the town in this story. After the sacrifice the corn will be harvested.  In biblical days, people would give a sacrifice to appease the Gods, so they in turn would be blessed in his favor and be granted a good harvest. If the sacrifice was worthy enough the harvest would be good. Old Man Warner says that "Listening to the young folks, nothings good enough for them. Next thing you know , they'll be wanting to go back and live in caves..." (294), reinforces the time old traditions of the town's people and their unwillingness to change the time honored ways of their ancestors. Though the people are viewed as a modern society the traditions are archaic like the testaments of old, not willing to chance to a more progressive, non-sacrificial mindset. In allot of ways it can mirror the thinking of our elders and the prejudices of today's society and its norms. For example, even though "All people are created equal" under the constitution, we have affirmative action programs, and we still have reservations for the Native Americans where they receive government help and are regulated federally. People of older generations are less willing to accept the things of modern society, like gay marriage and same sex adoption, or gays in the church or military.  If you say something wrong or look a certain way (brown skinned) you are automatically searched at the airports, even though we as Americans are granted the freedom of speech, we could be labeled as a terrorist and be caught up in the violent "War on Terror." It takes people coming together for the common good and having the willingness and openness to change the old mindsets and superstitions, step out of the old testaments and into the twenty first century to change your place in society.

"BOY" Julian Ankney

Always remember to chop and stack your wirewood the day before; not at night, or at sundown because you risk injusry to yourself. Learn how to build a good strong fire for your woman; a man who can't make fire is not suitable for a husband and your relationship will fizzle, just like your flame will. Remember to keep your blood strong, with Natives. Never leave your mocasins on the poorch at night, hang them up high else the dogs will run off with them in the night and chew them up. Catch your fish in the morning inside the reservation or at dusk when the fish are hungry, dont waste your time at midday. Always remember to gut your fish before it gets hot, fish are ruined if they bloat and will taste of waste. Always give thanks to the Mother for all that she provides for you and your family to eat. Never take too much for your family, only take what you will eat. Practice makes perfect, the more you ride and get to know your horse by brushing and feeding it, the horse will get to know you. Practice this. Never hit your horse and never hit your wife. Talk to your horse and let her familurize your voice, she will come when she hears you wisper her name. Always be gentle to your horse and your companion, and you will have a good relationship with trust and communication. Never force them to do something they dont want to and you will always be able to ride them. Remember to keep your Native blood strong. Learn from and respect your elders, they have the wisdom of the people. If an elder likes something that you have, you must always respect them and offer to give it to them; they may decline, but if they dont and they accept, you must give it to them. Never refuse a meal when it is offered at someone else's home. Eat all of the food that is given to you at the table of another, to refuse this kindship is to show them disrespect and you will put discrace on your family. Do not interrupt when an elder is speaking, never talk back, accept what is said to you with agreement. Say please and thank you when you recieve gifts from friends anf family. Stick up for the underdog, someday it could be you. Never pick a fight, but if you must you can end it. Dont run with sharpened sticks, you will poke your eye out. Choose a woman that can cook and you will be fed for the rest of your life. Make sure she can mend your leather, cut up your meat and has strong back to pack it. Your woman must know how to make fry bread and corn soup, and when you are home from work dinner is on the table for you. Remember to thank the Mother and keep your bloodline strong. Never date a white girl. Make time for sweat and brotherhood at least once a week. Practice your dance and spread your people's herritage. And remember to always thank the Mother for all that she has blessed your life with.

intro JulianAnkney

The nicest thing that I ever did for someone was, saving their life. I saved my little sister from drowning in the river when I was eleven years old camping in St. Marie's.
My teachers last year will tell you that I try never to miss a class and always turn my schoolwork in on time.
My friends will tell you that I am very opinionated and always right when I choose to speak.
People like me because I will always tell them the truth of the matter.
One thing people don't know about me is that I am superstitious.
 I am an expert on making home-made, delicious soups. My friends say I should open a restaurant, but I don't think I'm that good.
I want to know more about the laws and government because it interests me very much.
The bravest thing I ever did was face a bull straight in the horns. It almost made me piddle.
I am proud of myself for overcoming obstacles in my life, and going back to school.
I really need to make all A's and B's this year so I can get into the Radiology program here at LC.
My favorite class is anatomy because when I learn big words and say them in front of my non-college-going friends, it makes me feel smart.
My friends make me laugh when they say words wrong and don't know they said it wrong.
My pet peeve is when people turn without using their blinkers. I hate it.
When I am sad I listen to music that makes me happy.
The most stressful thing in my life is the thought of getting a bad grade. It stresses me out so badly.
I am named after Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son. John is from the Beatles.
I like a wide variety of music from classical Vivaldi, to Devin the Dude Rap, the only genre I do not listen to is Country. I am currently listening to Lana Del Rae, I have all her songs plus the remix CD.
My favorite color is green because I am just drawn to that color. Every color of green, I love them.
My favorite place on earth is laying in bed watching my son sleep beside me. He is my tiny world.