Journal 10: No Turning Back

The short story, “The Wife of his Youth,” by Charles W. Chesnutt was a surprise to me up until the last line with a true “Aha!” moment. The story did not go the way I thought; in fact I believed that somehow the women the main character, Mr. Ryder, intended to marry would be somehow a apart of the surprise. I like the fact that it was Mrs. Dixon, the woman he had intended to ask to marry him, who answered him first after his speech about a hypothetical story ending with the question “Shall you acknowledge her?” It is the first place where I realized where the story was taking a turn and has a bit of irony to it. It is ironic that the woman he had become infatuated with is the one to tell him to recognize his true wife. This story pairs well with the poem “Learning to Read” by Frances Harper because it is one about perseverance against all odds. Mr. Ryder’s first wife traveled for 25 years searching for her true love, never giving up on something she wanted above all else. The poem is from a free slave woman’s point of view of her talking about how she is looked down upon for reading but she will do anything to read her Bible and “the precious words it said.” Like Liza Jane, Mr. Ryder’s first wife, the speaker in the poem will only feel at home when they are in a place where they feel safe and independent and free from fear and doubt. 

I enjoyed and found insight from both readings. The perseverance and courage both women have is inspiring. During this time for a woman to travel alone to multiple cities in search of one man is dangerous and would be seen as hopeless. She looked passionately for 25 years and never gave up. Would someone today do that for their loved ones? We hear of stories where military wives divorce their husbands over seas after just a year of being apart. Devotion and honor is not like it used to be. Then the woman in the poem, who sought to read her Bible is a sweet and innocent sign of independence. She inspires those who feel persecuted for doing something different to fight the good fight and never relinquish their right to knowledge. 

Journal 9: Home to Who?

Being a San Diego native, immigration and the laws surrounding them are very familiar to me. When you live about 5 miles from the border of Mexico you can't help but notice or be aware. California has been a sanctuary for many different races immigrating to America even before the 1860's. From China to Mexico, a wide range of immigrants have found a way to settle in the prosperous land of California. Even today many people seek to come to California for work, mostly from Mexico. But one thing hasn't changed in all these years and that is the constant struggle in politics about immigration laws. Whether the reason be exclusion due to hostility, like the Chinese Exclusion Act, or for the fear of overcrowding in already crowded cities, both sides had a reason to argue their case.

What is funny is that even today this political battle is continuing. Some states would like to pass laws, and some have, that have limited immigration into America. Others call this unconstitutional and believe that we should welcome all kinds in with open arms to escape persecution. I see in the past where our laws about immigration have been to severe and probably led to the killing of many Jewish refugees fleeing Europe. Could we have possibly saved a few thousand more from returning back to a gas chamber? But I've seen with my own eyes the economic destruction of a city where there are too many people and they demand so much, too soon.

In the reading they talk about immigrants "flocking" to America, and taking the benefits and opportunity by storm. It is the true American Dream to be able to build a life for you and your family out of having nothing. But there must be a line drawn to how much is too much and how many a house or home can hold before it causes that home to be destroyed from the inside out.

Journal #8 Responded to Alex London

Journal 7: Powerful Peace

In the poem, "Ethiopia" by Frances Harper, the one thing that really stuck out to me was the powerful imagery she conveys through her writing. Not only is it vivid but it parallels itself to the Bible story of the slaves in Egypt. While reading this my mind kept going back to the first scene from The Prince of Egypt, for those who have seen the movie, where the slaves are toiling in the hot sun, covered in dust with their scarred hands stretched out towards God. Harper writes in her poem about the peace that has finally come, that the "tyrant's yoke off from her neck, his fetters from her soul," but the imagery she portrays here makes the reader feel that they were that of cattle, since oxen were driven by yokes in Biblical times. The imagery she uses through out the poem is very powerful and leaves one feeling like they themselves have been freed by an affliction, that they should join in the calming celebration found in freedom. Her imagery does not spur the reader to do something drastic, but instead gives a feeling that everything is going to be "ok" now, that we are free and we are to give thanks. She writes in her final stanza "Then, Ethiopia! stretch, oh! stretch they bleeding hands abroad; They cry of agony shall reach, And find redress from God." I feel that in this final thought she reminds the reader that they were in pain by saying "bleeding hands" but then, not ending in anger or call to action, she says to turn to God and he will give you rest. The imagery in this poem is in this consistent pattern, pain afflicted and then finding solace in God and his protection.

Journal 6: From Both Worlds of Race & Culture

In the story, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," by Harriet Jacobs, there are many themes that characterize her writing and are vividly brought to life. One of the main themes throughout her writing is the issue of race & culture. First of all, Harriet is a mulatto, meaning her mother was black and her father was white. In that time, a child with different race parents would be persecuted from both sides of the race spectrum. Jacobs doesn't say this, however she brings up the fact that she is mulatto more than once which makes me as a reader believe it was a big deal, and maybe even brings on a feeling of shame because then she herself had mixed race children. It is clear that she is caught between both the white and black world. She works for many white masters in a more than personal way yet she is treated like nothing more than property. You can feel her frustration with this in her writing, especially when she talks about her relationship with her first mistress. 


The most interesting conflict I saw in the reading was when Harriet was talking about her first mistress. She speaks highly of her, saying she taught her to read, write, and felt like a second daughter to her. So Jacob's grew up knowing very little of the idea of being a slave since she was blessed with being in a kind white household. But when the mistress died, she was left a slave and this person she considered like a second mother, did not give her her freedom. She writes, "My mistress had taught me the precepts of God's Word: ' Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself'...But I was her slave, and I suppose she did not recognize me as her neighbor." It is ironic that this mistress taught her that Biblical saying and yet could not show that same neighborly love to her. Because of Harriet's race and ethnic background she was not seen as equal to this woman who was so kind to her, and because of her race, was not given her freedom. Harriet grew up in one world but always "belonged" to another in the world's eyes. 

Journal 4: Beauty vs. Beast

As children we've always been told that beauty is in the eye of the beholder or that we all have inner beauty. But for some of us that were less than perfect when it came to our outer personal image, we can identify with the struggles that the character, Asenath Martyn, has in the short story "The Tenth of January" by Elizabeth Phelps. Asenath is compared to her friend Del, who she refers to as “Pretty Del,” and together put back to back, I see them as a symbol of deception. That the way one looks on the outside can easily fool the outside world of it’s true worth.

A lot of what society decides is pretty or meaningful is by the way it looks on the outside. In this story Del is described as a beautiful girl while Asenath sees herself as “a humpbacked white creature, with distorted face & wide eyes.” Del counts her rejected lovers while Asenath counts her lonely nights. Del seems like the perfect girl but at a critical analysis of her friend Asenath says, “…so pretty! So pretty! She’s just good for nothing, Del is; would let the kitchen fire go out, and wouldn’t mend the baby’s aprons…” This description is critical because it just shows how misleading looks can be. Even though Asenath is an unattractive girl, she can keep house and perform the duties a wife should but because of her looks her worth is diminished beyond saving.

Although not a obvious show of symbolism, Phelps has extensive comparison between the two friends for a reason. The world is easily fooled by beauty, and will quickly ignore those things that are of true worth and value. A crushed flower is still a flower, beautiful and worthy in its own way.  

Journal 3: The American Marriage

Washington Irving’s short story “The Wife,” is what I would call a true American love story. There is a well known idea that circulates our society that the men are the providers and protectors and the women work “backstage” most of the time but when the man is in need of support, his wife is right there to consul him. I can relate to this in my own relationship, even a military man needs a hug once in awhile. However what is inspiring about this story is the humility and sincerity of the couple that is rare to find in couples of our time. Our American values have changed a lot when it comes to marriage because I have seen marriages fall apart because the man can no longer keep the family at a financial level so the woman will go, leaving her wedding vows behind. As this story conveys beautifully, Leslie’s wife stands by him with a smile and adapts to the situation. This is difficult for modern day women since they believe they don't need a man to take care of them all the time. Women of our day are very independent, I myself am one of them, but I understand the partnership that comes with a relationship. You never leave your partner behind; you stick it out together, for better or worse. I see the inspiring values of trust, humility and patience in this story lost to our society.


"Marriage is not a simple love affair, it's an ordeal, and the ordeal is the sacrifice of ego to a relationship in which two have become one."- Joseph Campbell