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Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Betty Friedan
Feminism
in Elizabeth Gaskell’s “The Old Nurse’s Story”
Elisabeth Gaskell’s husband
suggested that she begin writing as a therapy for her depression at after
losing her fourth child, which is ironic considering the place of women as the
weaker sex in Victorian society. This Victorian author writes a haunting and
didactic piece, “The Old Nurse’s Story,” which reflects the social injustices endured
by women and the working class during the time period. The work follows in the
Gothic tradition as it features spirits or ghosts, unexplained happenings, and
a huge, near abandoned manor. Also, in Gothic literature, the mother is lost,
forgotten, dead, or just powerless while the father is aggressive, controlling,
and domineering. The word Old in the
title of the story conveys two different implications. First, the word Old refers to Hester; in the beginning
of the narration, it is implied that she has aged and is sharing a story from
her past to Rosamond’s grandchildren. The second implication of the word Old is its relation to themes of the
story; the social injustice of women and the working class, and oppression of
women in patriarchal society is considered an old idea—not old as the themes are exhausted and forgotten, but old as in re-occurring and still
prevalent today. The word old symbolizes
Hester, the nurse, as representing the self-preservation of women through
showing love, protection, and selflessness to another. Hester builds a bond of
love, friendship, and trust with Rosamond and in return works to overcome the
demolishing structure of hierarchy in Victorian society. In contrast to
Hester’s compassion, the two, quarreling, Furnivall sisters show a lack of
sisterhood and a lack of bond between women. They divide themselves because of
jealousy, pride, and giving into passions. With the two differences in the
female relationships, Gaskell is bringing attention that women and society must
unite in order to overcome their oppressive positions.
The layered narration of the story
begins with Hester, the nurse of the protagonist, recalling the past to
Rosamond’s children, and explaining how she promised to Rosamond’s belated
parents that she would “go with the little child to the end of the world.”
(1223) Gaskell begins to illustrate the submissive position of women
through Hester and Rosamond when Hestor is “bidden” by her lord to have
Rosamond and her things ready “by a certain day” in order to relocate to the
Manor. Even the specific day is even ordered from them representing the men in
the story as those who hold the power to control time. Neither of two women act as deciding factors in moving to the manor; the matter was “settled” by the
current Lord Furnivall, a cousin of Rosamond, that the manor would “suit Miss
Rosamond for a few years.” (1224) Not
only is a man demanding the presence of their bodies and arranging for their
pickup, but also the carriage driver, a man, is literally delivering them as
packages or objects to the lord. On the journey to the manor, the carrier tells
the nurse to wake the young girl to see the phallic scenery of “rocks, gates,
thorned trees, and old oaks.” (1224) The author gives a contrast to the
masculine imagery with a flower-garden which is a feminine image that
symbolizes a psychological sense of security. “But the branches of the great
forest trees had grown and over-shadowed it again, and there were very few
flowers that would live there are that time.” (1224) In this case, the phallic imagery of the trees,
standing for men, is overpowering the feminine aspects—the flowers. These
flowers signify the women in the story and in Victorian society; they are
unable to grow because of the large trees blocking the sun. Symbolism of the
trees blocking the sunlight means the sturdy, rough, thick, and unmoving roots
of men are grounded in patriarchy and their tall, towering, shadow inhibits the
enlightenment, the wisdom, the creativity, and the energy of women. Where the
seeds of the flowers fell is where they were destined to grow, just as in the
case of women in Victorian society. This imagery also shows the importance of
how men viewed women in the Victorian era as “inferior in all ways except one
that counted most to man: her femininity.” (Altick, 54) Victorian society enforced
and encouraged women to hold feminine qualities such as submission and
humility. By keeping the feminine gender as nurturers and mere “dolls in the
dollhouse,” (54) men were able to presume their masculine, domineering, and
controlling societal expectations as seen in Lord Furnivall. This power of men
over women is seen throughout the story. Hester questions if she should return
to her father’s house where “if we live humbly, we lived at peace.” (Gaskell,
1232) In other words, she will be under a man’s roof no matter where she lives,
and she must do as the head of house pleases in order to keep the peace;
however, that is not the meaning of peace. To have peace, there must be a
mutual harmony between both parties. The word peace also is defined as a sense
of freedom, which Hester does not have. Hester
states she does as she is asked by the men, though she does not want to, “for
fear he should complain of me to my lord.” (1224) Aside from the division of
gender, division of social class emerges here because the lord sends his
gentlemen workers to attend to the ladies, but the narrator speaks as if she
and Rosamond are burdens to the workers when “He, too, shook us off and we were
left, two lonely young things.” (1225) The two Furnivall sisters also fall into
the male power trap as they are in love with the same foreign musician, who is
brought in by their father, Lord Furnivall, a man holding a passionate
obsession with music and “would pay any money for it.”(1232) In the Victorian
period, the economic survival of women rested on the financial support of the
father or the institution of marriage. Not only were they to marry, but to
remain sexually pure until the wedding day. The social expectation of marriage
caused a strain in the relationship between the sisters causing them to both
give into their passions for a man, and in return their desire broke their
sisterly bond. At this point, they no longer are described with the Victorian
feminine characteristics. Miss Maude and Miss Grace are attributed to
“handsome” appearances and are described of carrying their father’s masculine
and haughty attitude. The overpowering
masculine qualities are what cause their relationship to crumble, just as their
lame father is crippled and needs the support of the phallus, the crutch, to
support his own body.
Gaskell aims to point out the class
differences in society and the behaviors associated with the classes. Hester’s
position of nurse or governess reflects the employment opportunities for women.
“Over ten percent of the female population were working as maids,” (Altick, 52)
and aside from the two sisters who are heir to their father’s estate, the women
in the short story are all servants of Lord Furnivall. Hester feels she must
meet an expectation of social importance when she states, “I was well pleased
that all the folks in Dale should stare and admire, when they head I was going to
be young lady’s maid at my Lord Furnivall’s Manor.” (Gaskell, 1223) She wants a
social status of significance and feels this employment opportunity is the only
situation where she can be seen and noticed. A hierarchy not only exists
between the upper and lower classes, but also between the servants themselves.
Even so, the servants of Furnivall Manor are depicted by Hester as “so
hospitable and kind. I would never wish to meet kinder people.” (1225) It is
important the narrator mentions the relationship between the servants James and
Dorothy. Even though he is in a lower
social class position himself, he “looks down on his wife” because she had only
lived in a farmer’s household until she married him. Again, Gaskell is
illustrating the pressures of marriage on women in the Victorian period. Women
married because it was one of few options open to them. Because of limited
working opportunities available to women, they depended on the financial
support of men.
The institution of hierarchy and power
of the aristocracy is illustrated as crumbling. “It was the continued existence
of class lines at the same time that the diving barriers were breaking down,
consequent upon the increasing wealth of the bourgeoisie and the declining wealth
of the aristocracy.” (Houghton, 186) The imagery of the degenerating aristocracy
is shown in several instances on the story. The manor is described as old and in
ruins. Lord Furnivall, the defender and upholder of this hierarchical power of
the aristocracy is lame, crumbling, and his only support rests on a crutch, a
phallic symbol, the only thing left that gives him power. He uses it to harm
the innocent child born to the sister, Miss Maude, and the musician. Sisterly
relationships also deteriorate after they adopt their father’s qualities of
giving into selfish, obsessive passions and pride. The organ built into the
wall of the manor is representation of the Lord whose identity is also built
into money and social status. The organ is described as “so large it took up
the best part of that end,” just as Lord Furnivall’s pride and power fills the
entire room. (Gaskell, 1231) This “loud and thundering” (1231) organ continues
to play music which relates to the lord’s loud, thundering, and angry behavior
towards his daughter. Continual music is heard by the women after the lord’s
death which signifies the position or title of “Lord” is never stamped out and the
voice of patriarchy is never silenced; the story refers to a current Lord
Furnivall that is Miss Rosamond’s cousin, and the belated Lord Furnivall who
haunts the mansion. “He was a stern, proud man, as they say all Lord
Furnivall’s were.” (1223) One lord is replaced with another, alluding back to
the title—the old hegemonic
patriarchal cycle continues. Although the exterior cosmetics prove the organ to
be functional, it is actually also “broken and destroyed inside” (1227) just as
Lord Furnivall. He is characterized as a
ghost because he is broken and destroyed inside, empty, lost to his own body,
and is powerful only because of social status.
Karl Marx’s writes, “Money is
the pimp between man’s need and the object, between his life and his means of
life. The extent of the power of money is the extent of my power.” (Marx, 165)
Lord Furnivall wants to be the musically accomplished artist, and he only
becomes so not because of his individuality and creativity but because of
money. If it were not for his money, he would not have an abundance of leisure
time to learn to play a variety of instruments, nor would he be able to
purchase the instruments. Money leads to his consumption and obsession with
music causing him to become alienated and foreign to the idea of loving his
daughters and accepting their individuality. After the jealous sister reveals
the adulterous relations between Maude and the musician, the father, the lord,
grows angry. His anger originates from his loss of power and control over his
daughter; he was unaware of the relationship between Maude and the musician. His anger also is attributed to the fact a
women, Miss Grace, had to enlighten him about the affair. He strikes the child
with the crutch and cold-heartily shunned the two out of the manor, and left
his daughter and granddaughter to die in the cold. He shows one last act of his
power over the women.
“Social order is the cause of woes. As individuals we are
potentially perfect and not responsible for the ills about us, which are to be
cured in the most agreeable of all possible ways, by casting down the covetous,
selfish, and powerful.” (Wesson, 153) Hester characterizes the slaves in
society while the Furnivall’s are the masters. Slaves have limitations set upon
them by society, but instead of developing their identities in materials, like
the masters, they develop intellectually within their minds. Slaves have
compassion for their community as seen in the love Hester shows for Rosamond
and in the servants that work beside her. She selflessly offers herself to
Rosamond, a child who is not her own, yet Hester willingly offers her body as a
protective covering to Rosamond when peril arises. Hester is contrasted with
the aristocracies who have no societal limitations other than their own pride,
love of money, and a detached or alienated life. Their dependence on slaves,
material consumption, and hierarchal system implodes or crumbles on itself.
Works Cited
Gaskell, Elizabeth.
“The Old Nurse’s Story.” The Norton
Anthology of English Literature. Ed.
Reidhead. 8th ed. New York: Norton. 2006. 1222-1236. Print.
Altick, Richard. “The
Weaker Sex.” Victorian People and Ideas.
New York: Norton. 1973. 50-57.
Print.
Houghton, Walter.
“Moral Attitudes.” The Victorian Frame of
Mind. London: Yale University Press.
1957. 183-195. Print.
Wesson, Robert.
“Marxism in the Modern Western World.” Why
Marxism? New York: Basic
Books. 1976. 145-188. Print.
Marx, Karl. “The Power
of Money in Bourgeois Society.” Economic
and Philosophic
Manuscripts of 1844. New York: International Publishers. 1964.165-169.
Print.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Betty Thomas
The
Plow That Broke the Plains
Unlike the lack of narration in Listen to Britain, the question that one
may ask is if this documentary can still be classified as poetic because of the
role of the narrator? Does poetry differ from prose? British poet and
philosopher William Wordsworth says, “A large portion of the language of every
good poem can in no respect differ from that of good prose.” Like poetry, prose
contains read between the line elements and can be just as rhythmic, just as
ambiguous, and just as beautiful or meaningful as poetry. A popular literary
example proving this fact is the book House
on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. So, the mere presence of prose does not
make the film less poetic, but the actual words being used by the narrator does
not leave the audience with an interpretive meaning and may manipulate or
distort the meaning.
What gives this documentary the
‘poetic’ title is the artistic screen shots; for example, in the opening scene,
the sky, the cattle, and the grass-covered plains are symmetrically shown in a
panning motion. Wide shots are mainly seen in the beginning to emphasize the open
spaces and uninhabited plains. Throughout the film, the shots become busy and
crowded with tractors, tilling machines, army tanks, and people; this symbolizes
the spoiling of the land. After the land has been exploited, the scenes move
from grassy plains to dust storms (standing for the public’s clouded
perception), cattle skulls, and struggling farmers. To accompany the drastic
change, the music switches from a major mode of cheery folk tunes to a dark,
slow, and minor mode. The subject matter deals mostly with nature, the human
condition, and mutability, which are all popular poetic motifs. The
chronological movement is visually shown through the linear plow lines in the
soil; cause and effect is also the progressive driving motif in the
documentary. Cause and effect is an element of poetics as Wordsworth explains
in his essay “What is a Poet?” He writes, “A poet considers the man and the
objects that surround him as acting and reacting upon each other so as to
produce an infinite complexity of pain and pleasure.” Cause and effect is
referenced centuries before in Eastern Taoism and called yin and yang. Yin and
yang is used to explain duality in the world like night and day, masculine and
feminine, sadness and joyfulness. All the dichotomies work together to produce
balance in nature. This is represented
in the film through plentiful growing seasons, economic success, and increased
prices in grain and contrasted with drought, war, and the economic crash. The
subjects in the film do not allow for balance to happen because of the
exploitation of the land.
If
the message of the documentary is poetic and ambiguous, are audiences receiving
the correct message? One may wonder if any meaning was taken from this
documentary because exploitation of the land is still practiced today.
Americans live in an instant gratification society; applying this to agriculture
means farmers are not allowed to let the soil rest due to high demand of
produce. Perhaps, an interpretation of the documentary is that humans never
learn from their mistakes, and exploitation is a cycle we continue even today.
This circular imagery of a continuing cycle is seen in the wagon wheel, the
turning windmill, and the repetitive music. Benjamin Hoff, author of the “Tao
of Pooh” offers an insight related to this idea:
“Looking back a few years, we see
that the Puritans practically worked themselves to death in the fields without
getting much of anything in return for their tremendous efforts. They were
actually starving until the wise inhabitants of the land showed them a few
things about working in harmony with the earth’s rhythms. Now you plant; now
you relax. Now you work the soil; now you leave it alone. The Puritans never
really understood the second half and never really believed in it. And so,
after two or three centuries of pushing, pushing, and pushing the once fertile
earth, and a few years of depleting its energy still further with synthetic
stimulants, we have apples that taste like cardboard, oranges that taste like
tennis balls, and pears that taste like sweetened Styrofoam…all products of
soil that is not allowed to relax.”
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