Knitting In Edith Whartons Roman Fever English Literature Essay

Knitting In Edith Whartons Roman Fever English Literature Essay In writing, it seems as though a writers every word is calculated, each sentence a carefully crafted work of art intended to invoke a thought, idea, or message in a readers malleable psyche. In essence, this is indeed the goal of writing: to convey to others ones own ideas through written words. When viewed this way, a reader is required to read differently than he or she would otherwise. When the reader takes on the challenge of searching for some deeper, more sophisticated meaning within a story beyond that which appears on the page, each sentence becomes a golden nugget nestled in the gold mine of the paragraph as a whole, the reader a miner meticulously working his or her way through the paragraphs in search of the mother lode. With each reading the walls of the story recede, revealing ever more of the intricacies and complexities infused into the story by the writer. Edith Whartons Roman Fever is full of delicately placed words, carefully planned structures, and pieces of the pu zzle conveniently hidden from readers, and yet for reasons unknown it has received very little critical attention in the seventy-five years since its release in 1934 (Bauer 681). Those who have turned their attention toward it, however, seem to have focused largely on the role Mrs. Ansleys knitting plays in the story. In Whartons Roman Fever, the authors mention of Mrs. Ansleys twist of crimson silk is calculated, as the knitting serves to emphasize and symbolize the relationship between Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley as well as to foreshadow the characters dramatic revelations later in the story (Wharton 1 of 12). Color is central to the human understanding of the surrounding world. People associate colors with feelings, places, people, and events in their lives, and each color harbors a different meaning for each individual. Thus, the color used by the narrator to describe Mrs. Ansleys knitting is vital to ones interpretation of the story. The narrator describes it as a twist of crimson silk, and in these five words there exists no shortage of meaning (Wharton 1 of 12). For instance, the knitting is said to be crimson (Wharton 1 of 12). Alice Petry explains it as an insistently passionate color in her article entitled A Twist of Crimson Silk: Edith Whartons Roman Fever' (164). In the article, Petry details the various meanings of the knitting, highlighting also the significance of the knitting within the story. Petrys characterization of the color is not singular to her interpretation of the story: red and its various shades are widely regarded as colors of love and of passion. This passionat e color choice serves to foreshadow the upcoming revelation of the characters as they realize that neither of them knows the whole truth about Mrs. Ansleys tryst with Delphin Slade. Much of the critical attention given to the story has centered on Mrs. Ansleys knitting, and so it is not surprising that critics have emphasized its color. Jamil characterizes the crimson hue of the knitting this way: If black signifies the gloom of guilt, then crimson signifies the heat of sexuality and risquà © youthfulness of romantic passion (99). The black to which Jamil refers is actually the black color of the handbag Mrs. Ansley is carrying, as the story says, Half guiltily she drew from her handsomely mounted black handbag a twist of crimson silkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Jamil 99; Wharton 1 of 12). This innovative comparison between the two colors emphasizes the foreshadowing effect created by the crimson color of the knitting. In much the same way that the human consciousness is heavily influenced by color, so also does the material from which something is crafted play a large part in how one perceives an object or an event. Different substances carry with them various connotations and denotations that must be taken into account when interpreting a story. Thus, just as color is important, the narrators mention of the type of material used in Mrs. Ansleys knitting is key as well. According to the narrator, the knitting being done by Mrs. Ansley is not made of yarn but of silk (Wharton 1 of 12). This seemingly minor detail is actually very significant, and it too foreshadows the characters coming disclosure of what really happened between Mrs. Ansley and Delphin Slade. Silk is often viewed as a very slinky, seductive material, and so this minor detail foreshadows the climactic revealing of the past that is to come. It suggests some kind of covert romantic encounter on the part of Mrs. Ansley and it can even be seen as contextually symbolic. Jamil puts it this way: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the act of bringing out the yarn, which is exquisitely delicate (silk), is the act of bringing the delicate thread out of the past into the present or bringing the present into the past (99). Jamil is not the only one to suggest some sort of connection between the silk and the storys plot, however. Petry also weighs in on the subject, saying, The sensuality and forcefulness suggested by [Mrs. Ansleys] knitting materials will help to render plausible her passionate moonlight tryst with Delphin Slade twenty-five years earlierà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (164). Both Jamil and Petry seem convinced that the narrators mention of the silk is not simply aesthetic; rather, both seem to believe that it is premeditated and deliberate, as it serves as one of the storys most powerful agents of foreshadowing. Mrs. Ansleys knitting does not solely serve to foreshadow the storys climax. Instead, it serves also as a contextual symbol of the relationship shared by Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade. As a result of the narrators descriptions of the knitting, it can be said that the knitting suggests a great deal about the relationship between the two women by its very structure. To knit is, by definition, to makeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦by looping together yarn or thread by means of special needles (Knit def. 1). Because knitting does not normally relate to relationships beyond the context of this story, the use of knitting here acts as a contextual symbol for the relationship between the women. Curiously, this aspect of Mrs. Ansleys knitting has received little critical attention. This does not, however, detract from its magnitude. Knitting is essentially a system of interwoven strands that seem to be completely connected and totally intertwined; the article I Had Barbara: Womens Ties and Whartons Roman Fever' describes the lives of the women in much the same way in the following few sentences: [Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley] move as one, they lean as one, and their expression is the same one. Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley had lived opposite each other actually as well as figuratively for years: a cohabitation, figuratively if not actually alongside their marriages (Bowlby 45). In these few sentences Bowlby outlines just how close the two women really are. Much like the threads of a piece of knitting, the two women cannot get much closer together. The lives of Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade are completely interwoven, and as a result it can be said that the knitting acts as a contextual symbol of the relationship between them. That said, however, even the best knitting will begin to destroy itself with even the tiniest snip of a pair of scissors. Viewed from this perspective, Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade represent the strands of silk, the relationship between them is the knitting as a whole, and Mr s. Ansleys encounter with Delphin Slade and its emergence later in the story act as the scissors that will cause the relationship to fall apart. The one-night rendezvous between Mrs. Ansley and Delphin Slade has such far-reaching, severe effects that it eventually unravels the very structure of the relationship shared by the two women, which had heretofore been intimate (Wharton 3 of 12). Edith Whartons Roman Fever is, according to Petry, Probably Edith Whartons best-known short storyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (163). It is bursting with symbols, foreshadowing, plot twists, and vivid descriptions. What sets it apart from other stories, however, is the significance it places on the simple, seemingly innocuous act of knitting. Mrs. Ansleys knitting plays a central role in the story, as it foreshadows the storys climax and symbolizes the relationship between Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade. The quantity of times it appears lends credence to the idea that Wharton intended for the reader to place a heavy emphasis on the knitting, and the placement and timing of its appearance is too uncanny and too often to be coincidental. Thus, it can be deduced that the narrators mention of Mrs. Ansleys twist of crimson silk is indeed calculated and is meant to invoke a deeper meaning to the story than would be found otherwise (Wharton 1 of 12). As a result, it cannot be ignored as one of the chief aspe cts of the story, and when included in ones interpretation of the story it in turn makes the story more realistic, more meaningful, and more enjoyable.

Capital Punishment :: essays research papers

Among the first people to be executed were the so-called witches within the colonies. These executions became known as the Salem Witch trials. When the trials between May and October 1692 were over, there were about twenty people that were sentenced to die. According to the English law many offenses were punishable by death. Most included property crimes and such other non-violent crimes. Robbery, extortion, arson and pick pocketing were all punishable by death. In Massachusetts there were only thirteen crimes punishable by death which include; cursing, adultery, lying under oath, praying to idols, etc. Throughout the colonies Ohio, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York kept the death penalty while in others they opposed and abolished the law. Michigan was the first state to do away with capital punishment. After that the states followed although Maine teeter tottered until 1887, when the law was abolished. Many years passed and states went back and forth on whether or not to keep or discard the death penalty. Some discarded it while other kept it and limited the number of crimes punishable by death. Since May 1995, 38 out of the 50 states had capital punishment laws.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ongoing debate about capital punishment is a tug of war. When crime declines the need for death penalty declines and when crime increases the need also increases. It’s all a matter of our social situation. Statistics show that by 2001 the 80 percent of supporters declined to a 65 percent and went even lower in 2002. From 1990 to 2000 the number of people sentenced to die was a good 3,550 the number of people executed was highest in 1930’s to the 1940’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1994, as part of the crime bill, the federal death penalty was expanded to some 60 different offenses. Some of the federal crimes for which people in any state or United Sates territory can receive a death sentence are, murder, kidnapping resulting in death, fatal drive-by shootings, sexual abuse crimes resulting in death, car jacking resulting in death, and crimes not resulting in death, such as running a large-scale drug endeavor. Below are some statistics taken from another source.*   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since 1988, the federal government has authorized seeking the death penalty against 211 defendants. Of the 211 approved prosecutions, 158 (75%) were against minority defendants. Of these defendants, 53 have been white, 39 Hispanic, 12 Asian/Indian/Pacific Islander, 2 Arab and 105 African American.

Battle of Raichur

Battle of Raichur :fought by Sri Krishnadevaraya, King of Vijayanagar empire and Ahmed Shah, the king of Bijapur-Was a turning point in the history of south India. Raichur-Indian state of Karnataka. Many battles between the kings of Vijayanagar empire and the muslim kings ruling from Bijapur and Gulbarga. City is located besite the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, which provides fertile soil, and water First recorded use of canon, the fort, and matchlock firearms in India-Canons were mounted on ramparts of Raichur, but had not replaced stone throwing catapults. The fort was captured by Bahmanis in 1323Isma‘il ‘Adil Khanhad retreated- his army was forced to abandon 400 heavy cannon and 900 gun carriages. Krishnadevaraya concentrated his attack on the Eastern walls. Governor was killed- shot by a Portugese sniper with a matchbox rifle. – This surpressed the morale or the troops, and they abandoned the wall. When Raichur surrendered, Krishnadevaraya treated the garriso n with kindness and consideration. Krishnadevaraya then returned to Vijayanagar and held a great celebration. The Firishta account is less trustworthy- he wrote about it 90 years after the battle had occurred. ——————————————————————————————————————— The textile industry has always been present in India but with the arrival of the Dutch and English, this part time indistry became a full time industry, with full time textile workers. The Dutch and the English were great trade rivals. The Dutch East India company hold many extensive records regating to textile production, and shipping- as well as commercial agriculture records. The textile industry was present in medieval times, and it's trade, and importance have alw ays been underestimated by historians.Rice quickly became the most commercially traded crop. It was necessary in the feeind of Indias urban population- which was growing. In the early 1600s, cotton began to gain importance. With the importance of cotton, came the importance of indigo- a plant used as a dye. In the 1630's, bad weather, and years with bad storms severely depleted indigo crops. The prices sky-rocketed. These goods, and their trade created extensive trade markets. In 1802, the Dutch created a weaver village. In some cases, parts of India had more that 2 looms per house. Demographic downturns may have led to shift from textiles to commercial agriculture. ur

Automobile Essay Example

Automobile Essay Example Automobile Essay Automobile Essay The automobile affected the growth of the American economy more than any other invention in the 1920s because it lead to mass production of goods, started the idea of a travel, and it started the highway. This invention completely changed the way that the economy in America has evolved since the 1920s. Itâ„ ¢s started a whole new way of life from a country that rode around on horses for many years. Economic ideas spread quicker than ever. The automobile helped goods get seen in the whole world and they helped to transport them. When the automobile came out it was the beginning of the economy we see today in America, a capitalist economy. The Assembly Line In 1910 the need for cars was steadily increasing, but the price of an automobile was around $ 4200. (Concept Carz) This made it very hard for the average American to purchase a car for their family. A world renowned invention was soon to be invented. As the need for cars was increasing, manufacturers were taking notice in that, but it was impossible to charge less with the few amounts of cars that they could make in one day. Henry Ford, then a president of a small company, heard much about a new way to produce cars. It became clear that the new technology had to be introduced into his factory immediately to increase profits. From 1913-1914, the first movable assembly line was built in Henry Fordâ„ ¢s factory in Highland Park, Michigan. I believe that this was the first moving line ever installed. The idea came in a general way from the overhead trolley that the Chicago packers use in dressing beef. (Ford Motor Company) Those are the words of Walter Flanders, the man who hel ped design the assembly line for Ford. The assembly was an invention for the people. It produced cars in shortly over an hour from 12 hours before. It allowed Ford to lower prices of cars from around $ 4,000 to about $ 500. The idea of an assembly line migrated quickly to other companies. Soon, many companies were mass producing their goods to the mass market. The assembly line had a huge positive impact on the consumer economy. People were able to afford things they werenâ„ ¢t able to buy before. The assembly line you could say is the reason Americans have things we donâ„ ¢t need. We are able to afford things because theyâ„ ¢re mass produced so the prices can be lowered. The assembly line was probably the biggest factor of improving the economy and it started with the automobile. If it wasnâ„ ¢t for the automobile mass production would cease to exist for probably another 10-20 years. Travel Before the automobile, many Americans had never traveled more than 50 miles from their house. That was about to change. With automobiles being mass produced, more people had them and, people started drift away from their hometowns. People wanted to get away. So they started to travel. With traveling comes the need to stay in places overnight and make attractions that draw crowds from different parts of the country. In 1927 in Minnesota, the government there noticed the new amount of tourists that they attracted due to cars. They decided to make the week of May 1st 10,000 lakes week. The goal was to get ten thousand visitors that week. That summer about 1,800,000 tourists spent over 70 million dollars in Minnesota because they could drive there. Arthur Roberts of the Ten Thousand Lakes Association said, Tourists are good business stimulators. Most of them are good buyers and they have cash (Lorentzen). As you can see just because of the automobile the economy in Minnesota exploded up wards. That was just the beginning of the tourist boom in the country. People started to travel a lot more and hotels and motels started to arise. People were going to the beach; they were doing road trips, and many other things. The automobile also helped spread ideas across the country very quickly. When someone would travel somewhere they would go back home and let their friends and family know and that would then bring more people to that area. That increased the number of sales that area made.

Interesting Personal Statement Essays - Computer, Head Web Designer

Interesting Personal Statement Essays - Computer, Head Web Designer Interesting Personal Statement National Merit Scholarship "Would you please get the mail," my mother implored as I entered the door. Heading towards the mailbox, I wondered if I would find daily assortment of bills and catalogues or something interesting addressed to me. To my delight, the first item was the new issue of PC Computing. Ever since I was introduced to computers when I was five, I have been fascinated by them. The summer before my sophomore year of high school, I wrote a program called Quickchange 95 using Visual Basic. This program changed the startup and shutdown screens of Windows 95. I distributed the program via shareware archives on the Internet, and I received email from all over the world about my creation. I shuffled through one of my mother?s clothing catalogues to find my issue of Money Magazine. I have been interested in business and finance since the day which we started studying the stock market in fifth grade. The summer before my junior year, I combined my interests in business and computers by starting a web design company with a friend. We created a web site for a local bike shop which is only one of two bike shops in Connecticut to have a presence on the Internet. Currently, I am the head web designer for my school. I intend to combine computers and business in my future career. My goal is to work on the business side of a computer firm, and eventually, I would like to start my own computer company. A board of education letter of commendation for my participation in the FIRST robotics program also arrived today. I have been able to develop my entrepreneurial skills through the FIRST robotics program. FIRST is a national engineering competition in which partnerships are formed between local businesses and high schools to design and build a robot-like machine. The team has about six weeks to build a machine, that must be able to compete in a timed sporting event. I have been involved in FIRST each year of my high school career. Last year, I was team captain, and our team finished fourth in the country out of one hundred and fifty-six teams. As a result of my involvement with FIRST, I have improved my confidence, my leadership, and my team working abilities. FIRST gave me experience working with a diverse group of people with a variety of skills. Working alongside engineers from our sponsor company, International Fuel Cells, exposed me to the professional world beyond the classroom . I have a great appreciation for this program which has challenged me to bring out the best in myself and others. My last piece of mail was Tennis Magazine. I began playing tennis at the age of eight. During my freshman year, I played on the junior varsity tennis team, and I received the Manchester Racquet Club deserving player award which is a scholarship for a year of indoor lessons. The next two seasons, I played on the varsity tennis team. Last year, I was named to the Hartford Courant All Academic Team. Tennis has provided a welcome diversion from my technical pursuits. "What took you so long?" my mother asked as I entered the house. "Oh nothing, I really have to start my homework," as I tucked my magazines under my arms and ran up the stairs.

Issues In Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Issues In Criminology - Essay Example 295). Intense gender discrimination, like the refusal of numerous law schools to give access to women, the frequent segregation of women from juries, and the habit of imposing to female and male ‘offenders’ different punishments for the same offences went mostly unquestioned (Lanier & Henry, 1998, 279). The scale of the victimisation of girls and women indicated that the lack of attention on the role of violence in the lives of women was the prime issue to appeal to the interest of feminist scholars and advocates. Due to this, a large volume of literature exists on the issue of victimisation of women, particularly in the subject matters of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. Meanwhile, the identification of the breadths and forms of female victimisation had a considerable influence on policy making, and it is perhaps the most concrete contribution of radical feminism to mainstream criminology (Almeder, Koertge & Pinnick, 2003, 18). The influence of cr iminology and especially criminological theory was varied, although, partly because these crimes did not at appear to challenge. The impact on the field of criminology and particularly criminological theory was mixed, however, in part because these offenses did not initially seem to dispute androcentric criminology as such (ibid, p. 18). Rather, the notions of ‘victimology’ and ‘domestic violence’, while crucial in the development of feminist perspective of criminology, also provided mainstream criminologists and several practitioners of criminal justice an alternative way of understanding criminology theory and research (Flavin, 2001). The objective of this essay is to discuss the development of feminist criminology, focusing on the post-war period, especially the 1960s and 1970s. More particularly, the essay will focus on the contribution of the three feminist perspectives, namely, (1) feminist empiricism, (2) standpoint feminism, and (3) feminist postmod ernism to British criminology theory and research. Feminist Perspectives of Criminology Feminist perspectives have remarkably grown in areas that have more established practices of interpretive knowledge like history and literature (Flavin, 2001). On the contrary, the tradition of criminology persists to be profoundly ingrained in the scientific method (ibid, p. 273). A great deal of British mainstream criminology is founded on principles that ‘science is value neural’ (Flavin, 2001, 273). Research can be duplicated, as argued by positivism, since researchers generate knowledge in related ways, making criminologists similar with each other (Almeder et al., 2003, 20). Richard Powers of the New York Times recognised the ‘vesting of authority in experiment’ (Flavin, 2001, 274) as the most outstanding thought of the new century. Yet, Powers (1999) argued that scholars â€Å"from Ludwig Wittgenstein to Thomas Kuhn and beyond† (ibid, p. 81) have mentioned, ... that fact and artefact may be closer than most empiricists are comfortable accepting... That great empiricists have rejected initial data on hunches, until their observations produced more acceptable numbers. That

Slavery and the atlantic slave trade Research Paper

Slavery and the atlantic slave trade - Research Paper Example The importing of African slaves became an essential, acceptable and profitable part of European commerce. Taking advantage of the internecine warring amidst African nations, Europeans forcefully removed Africans from their homeland, with the largest numbers from the Gold, Ivory and West Coasts. The cruel system of African slavery was uniquely different from other forms of slavery due to the brutal manner in which it was conducted, the treatment of African slaves as goods or personal property, and the great numbers of people who were captured as slaves, believed to be over 50 million. The one-way trip to the Americas was known as the â€Å"Middle-Passage†. One of the major debates among historians about the transatlantic slave trade argues the specific reasons for Europeans to enslave Africans during an extensive period spanning the 15th to the early 19th century. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to determine whether European motivation for the slave trade was rel ated to profits, racism, or had another explanation. The Significance and Long-Term Effects of the Slave Trade Historian Marcus Rediker has explored not only the transatlantic slave trade, but also the slave ships by which the trade was carried out for centuries. The transportation of enslaved Africans and business transactions of slaves towards their use as forced labor, forms history’s greatest imposed migration. ... Contrastingly, the loss of large numbers of its people led to extensive decline in Africa’s economy and political situation. Despite rich natural resources, the continent’s inability to overcome its low levels of development towards progress is attributed fully to its past of enslavement and depletion of its population3. However, other reasons such as the siphoning away of world financial aids meant for Africa’s development, by politicians in the weak political system, further undermines the continent’s future. Racism and the Brutality of the Transatlantic Slave Trade Significantly, racism is defined as white supremacy4, because no other race in the world has asserted itself to be the superior race; and used political or economic resources to impose oppression on others on the basis of race. The Europeans considered themselves as the superior race on the basis of their light skin color, and believed that dark skin genetically predetermined Africans as infe rior, and suitable only for the status of slave. Thus, the Europeans developed deeply ingrained discrimination against the dark coloured Africans as â€Å"others† belonging to a lower class of humanity. This approach is also evident in the fact that Europeans did not enslave other Europeans because of an underlying commitment to individual rights. They considered other whites as similar to themselves, and consequently their equals. Since Africans were considered as different both physically and culturally, this â€Å"otherness† was the rationalization for enslaving, ill-treating and enforcing hard labor on them. Carl Degler5 and Winthrop Jordan6 supported this view of racism being key to Africans’ enslavement by the white Europeans.