Revised Ravens Essay

What if everyone judged you as a evil person? Just because your feathers are black and your voice sounded strange? "And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming.(Poe)" From your eyes which have emptiness just like how a demon's eyes would. Anything that is dark or black is automatically associated with evil just by Society means. Society has gotten that definition of dark being evil because it was influenced by Religion and Art. Since Ravens are so unusual because it is Black all around and its eyes it is considered evil. It is seen as menacing because of its size and its sharp beak. Ravens cloak to communicate and it doesn't sound as appealing as other birds speak. Ravens have been written about in Literature and Myths.

There is a Native American myth called "Raven the trickster" which is about how the Raven actually brings light to the world because it was filled with so much darkness. As dark as Ravens are from their eyes to their legs they "stole the light and brought it out to light up the world. (Reid)" Bringing light to the world, well to me means bringing goodness and purity to a world filled with evil and darkness. Its ironic how Society defines them as evil, but here they got rid of all the evil from the world. Myths created by the Native Americans believe the Raven is a symbol for being powerful who transformed the world by giving light to the world. This myth makes the Raven seen as a savior and heroic but also seen as clever. In the Myth it also describes, how the Raven tricked the old man who had the light by transforming himself to a human child. The old man had the light hidden because he was afraid that if he saw his daughter she would be physically unappealing. But in reality she was "the fronds of a hemlock tree. (Reid)" Reid describes the daughter as very detailed in appearance. Fronds of a hemlock tree are very detailed leaves. The Raven in this myth was selfless and clever.

They are just misunderstood creatures, who are in reality are very intelligent. It is also seen in nature the type of things they do to survive. Ravens have been seen in nature using "...sophisticated avian vocabulary (Davidson)" to communicate with one another. Ravens have specific sounds when nestling or when a predator is approaching. Ravens are excellent in survival because they can use their surroundings very wisely. Ravens have been seen nesting in utility poles and living in landfills. We see as landfills as a bad living conditions because it’s so much waste around, but to ravens its all useful. They may find scraps of food around or make a certain spot as their territory. Humans are just like Ravens, we find any means to survive and we are very precise with our actions and words. We just happen to put meanings to everything, from animals to inanimate objects.   

Revised Unpacking a quotation

“There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down. I get positively angry with the impertinence of it and the everlastingness. Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere. There is one place where two breaths didn't match, and the eyes go all up and down the line, one a little higher than the other.” (649-650)

In this quotation of  “ The Yellow Wall-paper” by Charlotte Perkins Stetson, We are seeing the narrator describing a very detailed description of what she sees on the yellow wallpaper. The yellow wallpaper is in her room that she shares with her husband, John. John picked the room for her because, the room needed space for two beds. The narrator is living inside an empty mansion with her husband, and her brother who are both physicians and her sister in law. Both physicians have diagnosed her as a “ Nervous patient” who is “forbidden to work until she is well again.” The narrator begins to write about her first day at the mansion and how she likes her new room. She describes it as " It is a big, airy room, the whole floor nearly, with windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore...."(648) It's almost as if the room was perfect. The tone and the wording the narrator uses are very precise. "Sunshine galore" meaning enough sunlight and lots of air.

But further into the story she finds one spot. That one spot on the Yellow Wallpaper is the imperfection of the room. It is a "Recurrent Spot" which means it keeps occurring over and over. "Pattern lolls like a broken neck" the narrator compares a spot on a wallpaper to a broken neck of a person or something living hanging loosely. The Comparison is quite strange because when a normal person sees a spot on a paper they would just assume its dirty. It wouldn't remind them of a person's broken neck. "And two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down" now the narrator's imagery is violent and it doesn't seem as if the narrator is mentally stable. "I get positively angry with the impertinence of it and the everlastingness," here the narrator knows the wallpaper is irrelevant but she says it is endless and she cannot avoid watching it. Here it is as if the "eyes" are watching her every move, "Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere." She feels as if the eyes are watching her as she writes about them. Here is the climax of her losing her sanity because she starts describing even more graphic images that do not exist.

The narrator wrote about the wallpaper because she has been in that room for two weeks. For two weeks she hasn't been able to express herself with anyone because her ideas aren't valued as much as John's. During that time period, women's ideas weren't valued as much as men's ideas. The narrator hides her writings from everyone because they believe that's what made her "sick" in the first place. She isn't literally ill it's just she started to think logically. The narrator believes if she could just tell someone her ideas she would feel better because they tire her. "I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me!"(649) But the narrator is sane at that moment but after such a long period of time being trapped inside that room she snaps and starts to hallucinate and become insane. She starts to see women crawling out the wallpaper and other things that do not exist. It's as if the Women she saw crawling out the wallpaper was a reflection of herself being free. The narrator becoming insane was the only way of her becoming free.

The narrator was sane at the beginning of the story but after being convinced by everyone around that she is "sick" she actually became insane. Towards the end of the story, she thinks about committing suicide by jumping through the window. "To jump out the window would be an admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong to even try."(656) She finally feels free to do what she wanted. The narrator was always being controlled, physically and mentally. When John sees his wife at this phase he faints and can't believe what he has done. The narrator has changed completely she doesn't want the outdoors anymore. "I don't want to go outside. I won't, even if Jennie asked me too." (656) If she was sane she would have rushed to the colorful garden outside that she likes. The narrator became insane, because she has been staring a old wallpaper for a long period of time. John is the person responsible for this, he should have just let her write and express herself with others. The story ends with him on the floor fainted and the narrator talking to him. This Classical problem is still relevant because society still has roles for Women. When Women go outside these roles, society talks bad about them.

 

Ravens

What if everyone judged you as a evil person? Just because your feathers are black and your voice sounded strange? "And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming.(Poe)" From your eyes which have emptiness just like how a demon's eyes would. Judged by what emotions they think you are feeling. Poe had such a large influence on how people treated Ravens. Clearly he found them creepy, because their appearance is quite dominant. “Quoth the Raven Nevermore.(Poe)” The Raven in Poe’s poem doesn't change its use of word because the Raven is precise with what it has to say and its actions. Ravens stand out from other species of birds because many people have attached meanings to them. Poe placed a negative meaning to Ravens, but other authors have placed a positive meanings for them. Ravens have been written about in Literature and Myths.

There is a Native American myth called "Raven the trickster" which is about how the Raven actually brings light to the world because it was filled with so much darkness. As dark as Ravens are from their eyes to their legs they "stole the light and brought it out to light up the world. (Reid)" Myths created by the Native Americans believe the Raven is a symbol for being powerful who transformed the world by giving light to the world. This myth makes the Raven seen as a savior and heroic but also seen as clever. In the Myth it also describes, how the Raven tricked the old man who had the light by transforming himself to a human child. The old man had the light hidden because he was afraid that if he saw his daughter she would be physically unappealing. But in reality she was "the fronds of a hemlock tree. (Reid)" Reid describes the daughter as very detailed in appearance. Fronds of a hemlock tree are very detailed leaves. The Raven in this myth was selfless and clever.

They are just misunderstood creatures, who are in reality are very intelligent. It is also seen in nature the type of things they do to survive. Ravens have been seen in nature using "...sophisticated avian vocabulary (Davidson)" to communicate with one another. Ravens have specific sounds when nestling or when a predator is approaching. Ravens are excellent in survival because they can use their surroundings very wisely. Ravens have been seen nesting in utility poles and living in landfills. We see as landfills as a bad living conditions because it’s so much waste around, but to ravens its all useful. They may find scraps of food around or make a certain spot as their territory. Humans are just like Ravens, we find any means to survive and we are very precise with our actions and words. We just happen to put meanings to everything, from animals to inanimate objects.   

Research assignment

Literature Source

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe


And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is


sitting


On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber


door;


And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s


that is dreaming,


And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his


shadow on the floor;


And my soul from out that shadow that lies


floating on the floor


Shall be lifted—nevermore


"Front Cover." Poetry for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski and Mary Ruby. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. [0]. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.

Scientific Source

Northern ravens and people: People killed northern ravens because they wrongly blamed ravens for the death of cattle. The raven is a symbol of death and the bird's ability to say words is the subject of Edgar Allen Poe's poem, "The Raven.



"Cover." Grzimek's Student Animal Life Resource. Ed. Catherine Judge Allen, et al. Vol. 1: Amphibians: Volume 1. Detroit: UXL, 2005. [0]. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.

Printed Source

In Europe, Ravens and Crows have often been seen as birds of ill omen, probably because of their role as scavengers on battlefields. Common ravens have a more positive role in native north american tradition where they are seen as creators and folk heroes.






Firefly Encyclopedia of birds

Edited by Christopher Perrins

Published by fire flu books Ltd 2003

Page 480

Explanation

A symbol I would define the Raven is powerful and intelligent. The Raven has had an influence on Poe's writings and it's still seen as a bird that is believed to be superstitious. These three items I chose fit together because Poe's writings are still relevant today and people still have bad ideas about Ravens. One difference I see how these items approach the theme is the scientific fact shows how the Ravens were victims of slaughter, but Poe defines them as evil.

Extra Credit

"Move! Can you hear me? Move or I'll call police! You have until three to get up from my stoop and go away!" The first line from the reading "Homelessness" by Jessica M'sihid. I felt like this line was really powerful because it made me want to read more. At first I thought "Who would speak to a homeless person in such a way and why?" But then I kept reading along and understood why.

She was only Eighteen years old, when she ran away from her family. Jessica's father tried to arrange a forced marriage for her. She was very young and he was in his thirties. Jessica was naive but decided her way out was to go to Paris. She was alone and had to resort to sell herself in the streets because she couldn't find a decent job. Jessica lived in shelters and also had to beg and steal to survive.

Some questions that I still do have is how did he end up in Laguardia? Did she ever see her family again? The reading ended so soon, but I'm glad she decided to write about it in this magazine.

Unpacking a quotation

“There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down. I get positively angry with the impertinence of it and the everlastingness. Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere. There is one place where two breaths didn't match, and the eyes go all up and down the line, one a little higher than the other.” (649-650)


In this quotation of “ The Yellow Wall-paper” by Charlotte Perkins Stetson, We are seeing the narrator describing a very detailed description of what she sees on the yellow wallpaper. The yellow wallpaper is in her room that she shares with her husband, John. John picked the room for her because, the room needed space for two beds. The narrator is living inside an empty mansion with her husband, and her brother who are both physicians and her sister in law. Both physicians have diagnosed her as a “ Nervous patient” who is “forbidden to work until she is well again.” The narrator begins to write about her first day at the mansion and how she likes her new room. She describes it as " It is a big, airy room, the whole floor nearly, with windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore...."(648) It's almost as if the room was perfect. The tone and the wording the narrator uses are very precise. "Sunshine galore" meaning enough sunlight and lots of air. But further into the story she finds one spot. That one spot on the Yellow Wallpaper is the imperfection of the room. It is a "Recurrent Spot" which means it keeps occurring over and over. "Pattern lolls like a broken neck" the narrator compares a spot on a wallpaper to a broken neck of a person or something living hanging loosely. "And two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down" now the narrator's tone is violent and it doesn't seem as if the narrator is mentally stable. "I get positively angry with the impertinence of it and the everlastingness," here the narrator knows the wallpaper is irrelevant but she says it is endless and she cannot avoid watching it. Here it is as if the "eyes" are watching her every move, "Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere." She feels as if the eyes are watching her as she writes about them. Here is the climax of her losing her sanity because she starts saying even more graphic images that do not exist. The narrator wrote about the wallpaper because she has been in that room for two weeks. For two weeks she hasn't been able to express herself with anyone because her ideas aren't valued as much as John's. During that time period, women's ideas weren't valued as much as men's ideas. The narrator hides her writings from everyone because they believe that's what made her "sick" in the first place. The narrator belives if she could just tell someone her ideas she would feel better because they tire her. "I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me!"(649) But the narrator is sane at that moment but after such a long period of time being trapped inside that room she snaps and starts to hallucinate and become insane. She starts to see women crawling out the wallpaper and other things that do not exist. The narrator was sane at the beginning of the story but after being convinced by everyone around that she is "sick" she actually became insane. Towards the end of the story, she thinks about committing suicide by jumping through the window. "To jump out the window would be an admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong to even try."(656) She finally feels free to do what she wanted. The narrator was always being controlled, physically and mentally. When John sees his wife at this phase he faints and can't believe what he has done. The narrator has changed completely she doesn't want the outdoors anymore. "I don't want to go outside. I won't, even if Jennie asked me too." (656) If she was sane she would have rushed to the colorful garden outside that she likes. The narrator became insane, because she has been staring a old wallpaper for a long period of time. John is the person responsible for this, he should have just let her write and express herself with others. The story ends with him on the floor fainted and the narrator talking to him.

The yellow wallpaper

Prompt : What do you find most striking about the Narrator’s description of the wallpaper? Isolate and discuss one key element of her description.

In the Charlotte’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” What I, find most striking about the narrator’s description of the wallpaper is how she describes it so violently. On page 3 on the last paragraph she says, “There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down.” She uses specific wordings and strange fantasies. The wordings she uses "bulbous" meaning fat and round. "lolls" which means hanging loosely. It's pretty graphic. There are other parts of the story where she uses very descriptive words but violent ones also. On page 7 she describes the pattern of the wallpaper on how “ it is torturing.”

It seems as if she is obsessed with writing about the paper, she talks about how it bothers her when it is daylight and at night with any kind of light she sees bars. Not only bars does she see but “ The outside pattern I mean, and the woman behind it is as plain as can be.” John’s wife is seeing things no one else is seeing. John’s wife has become insane she is saying things such as “To jump out of the window would be admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong even to try.” No sane person would be thinking that.