Annotated bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter and Other Readings. Norton Critical Edition ed. New York + London: W. W. Norton, 2005. Print.

This will be where most of my research information will come from the book and the other writings as well, The Scarlet Letter have the main evidence for my paper from the reader response view on motherhood. 

Person, Leland. The Dark Labyrinth of Mind: Hawthorne, Hester, and the Ironies of Racial Mothering. Norton Critical Edition ed. 656-69. Print.

This essay by Leland S. Person will help support my paper with quotes from the author that I feel are about my topic or are related to my topic. 

DeSalvo, Louise. Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Feminists: The Scarlet Letter. Norton Critical Edition ed. 500-12. Print.

Another essay that will provide me with little information mostly about Hawthorne but it does give me some insight to the Feminist view of Hester; this will give me some help with my paper.

Boudreau, Kristin. Hawthorne’s Model of Christian Charity. Norton Critical Edition ed. 338-68. Print. 

Another fine essay from the Scarlet Letter and other Writings, I have found some great evidence in this to give my paper more support from my reader response of motherhood. 

ruff draft and i do mean ruff

Neva Huber
Research Paper
4/30/11
Ruff Draft
In The Scarlet Letter , Hester Prynne is a strong willed and determined signal
mother of Pearl, her daughter from an affair with Dimsdale, Hester lives with the guilt of
her sin, reminded by her daughter everyday. Despite this Hester takes control of her live
by keeping her land and creating her own business she makes enough money to care for
Pearl and herself. In this paper I will be comparing Hester and my life as signal mothers
in completely different settings, one being seventeenth century and the other being
twentieth century cultures and societies and their believes.
Hester’s struggles are similar to the daily struggles that I my self go through in
my daily life as a signal mother, even though I did not have an affair, I am divorced and
raising my daughter on my own, also I work part time and go to school in order to provide
a great future financially for me and my daughter. Today’s society is much different from
the seventieth century, there are some similarities and many differences. Today it is still
seen as a sin to have an affair but it is not as strongly felt, some religions feel that
marriage should never end in divorce but that’s not always the case.
Hester Prynne was looked down upon by the society because of her sins, in the
seventh teeth century this was considered extremely sinful, but in the twentieth century
today this is not as looked upon so strongly, except that some religions in my case do not
believe in divorce and believe in the sanctum of marriage. Also signal moms get more
opportunities and are actually applauded of their jobs as signal mothers they work even
harder than others in some cases they may work two jobs and create lives for their
families, we all struggle with providing food, shelter, clothing and education for our
children. In Hester’s case she did not raise Pearl of their societies beliefs of the puritan
ways that everyone knew. She let Pearl choose her own ways, more of a radical and
unstructured way of life for Pearl.
I would also like to compare Hester’s inner strength, her willingness to keep going
on and this is what I am a strong woman, a successful woman, a mother and provider,
despite the every day struggles of living day to day. Not only has Hester survived sin and
raising her child she also gets true love in the end. I my self have suffered many losses in
my life, my brother, my mother and being a victim of domestic violence, has only made
me stronger, and pushes me to keep moving forward no matter how much I want to give
up. But most of all I can compare Hester’s honesty and compassion with my very own
honesty and compassion it is this exact description that characterizes both me and Hester
Prynne.

Annotated bibliography

Resources
1. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: London, 2005

Difficulty paper #2

Second difficulty paper

            I keep going over The Scarlet Letter in my mind and try to come up with parts of it that I can compare to my personal life as a signal mother, parts that seem familiar to me and that I can relate to. I know just the fact of Hester Prynne accomplishing her goal of struggling as a young women from day to day, she creates her own seamstress business that allows her to live on her own and raise Pearl even though she is the product of an affair.  I feel that I can relate to the part where Hester takes control of her life, she is determined to live on her own and to make money for her and Pearl, I myself am struggling with keeping up with school and working part time, I am determined to keep going for myself and for my daughter to make our lives better.  But what more can I explain and compare The Scarlet Letter to my life, I can summarize the story and give examples to show how this relates to my life. 

            Despite Hester’s guilty emotion and conscious of her sin she knows what she wants and this is true love she wants to live her life with man she loves not someone she barley knows or was not her choice to marry.  I like Hester want to live my life and I know that I want to do well for my child and to give her the best life possible. I have still more to explore and to compare of my life and Hester’s but that will hopefully fall into place soon. 

The Scarlet Letter

Difficulty Paper

     What I found difficult from reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, What I found most difficult was not having enough time personally to read it completely with out having to use spark notes. My last resort was to read spark notes to finish half of what I had actually read, I also found it difficult to follow the story, I loved when I started to read and I was intrigued by the exciting things that were about to happen to dear Pearl and her mother, Hester Prynne. I thought they might both be sentenced to death and be burned by the steak, but has I read on it was not what I had thought. This story was about love in every sense, about Hester’s affair and the child she had from this affair. I was expecting her to be not just a single mother of a fatherless child, but it was a child from her affair not her husband, who seemed to be stalking her, and plotting against her the whole time.

     The story was about love, a mothers love for her child and a child’s love for her mother, but the love of a man who saw Prynne for who she was and not for what she had done, it took both of them to admit to their sin of having an affair and having a child as well. I wanted the first story to not end, I read other short stories from other views and almost got lost but then soon realized that it was parts to a story but more like a play, with wild and strange language of the sixteenth century setting up the rise and fall of the plot and the whole story.
      I can relate to Hester Prynne in many ways, feeling like an outcast from her community, seemingly trying to fit in but marked for life. This analysis of her character is what I would like to use as my research paper for class, I originally wanted to do the content of the story but re examined my options and choose Prynne due to our similarities in being a single mom and feeling like an outcast in our own communities. I will be looking forward to researching on single moms in my research paper, and comparing her life to theirs, I would also like to examine what makes signal mothers more likely to suffer from post traumatic stress after having a child.

Gender Criticism Analysis/updated

Gender Criticism Analysis
My critical analysis
Girl
　 　 In my analysis of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid I will be using the Gender Criticism
Theory that we have discussed in class. I would like to start by describing the attitude of
the narrator’s point of view, which seems to be a voice of an authoritative such as a
mother figure of sort. The narrator’s point of view is not scolding the girl in this short
story but merely shaping her into how a well behaved young women should act. I feel this
sets the tone of the short story, the simple structures of a growing women is becoming the
women she is supposed to be in the authoritative figures eyes. All the how to do this and
that and what not to do and what she should be doing. The whole tone sets the setting for
me it is a year of conforming to be a good little women by learning to sew and cook like
women should be. However this is not the case in today’s society. Also in this story there
is a pattern, a repeating of the words “this is how you” preparing the girl for and or
training her as if she were involved in an arranged marriage. And through out the short
story there seems to be a very interesting style and it builds up the entire theme of the
narrator’s point of view. Some general examples of how a real lady should behave with
proper mannerism and grace would be when stick guidelines were given to girls to sit up
straight, ware skirts below the knew and not to chew gum because it wasn’t lady like.
It reminds me of private school, I never attended but was often treated like I was
by my grandmother, she would always tell me to pull my hair back so that it wouldn’t get
in my food on my plate. She picked out clothes for me that only she would ware and
made a big deal when I became a woman. I guess I would have to say that there are
positive and negative impacts due to some of the text. Like the narrators’ point of you
always nagging on the girl, could cause for the girl to rebel and not enough guidance
could cause her to become the girl she is not supposed to be. Overall I feel that the tone
sets the theme and the setting for both the written and the video, I watched it and it was
interesting but very different from the actual text it’s self. by Jamaica Kincaid

Gender Criticism Analysis

My critical analysis
Girl
　
　
In my analysis of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid I will be using the Gender Criticism
Theory that we have discussed in class. I would like to start by describing the attitude of
the narrator’s point of view, which seems to be a voice of an authoritative such as a
mother figure of sort. The narrator’s point of view is not scolding the girl in this short
story but merely shaping her into how a well behaved young women should act. I feel this
sets the tone of the short story, the simple structures of a growing women is becoming the
women she is supposed to be in the authoritative figures eyes. All the how to do this and
that and what not to do and what she should be doing. The whole tone sets the setting for
me it is a year of conforming to be a good little women by learning to sew and cook like
women should be. However this is not the case in today’s society. Also in this story there
is a pattern, a repeating of the words “this is how you” preparing the girl for and or
training her as if she were involved in an arranged marriage. And through out the short
story there seems to be a very interesting style and it builds up the entire theme of the
narrator’s point of view. Some general examples of how a real lady should behave with
proper mannerism and grace would be when stick guidelines were given to girls to sit up
straight, ware skirts below the knew and not to chew gum because it wasn’t lady like.
It reminds me of private school, I never attended but was often treated like I was
by my grandmother, she would always tell me to pull my hair back so that it wouldn’t get
in my food on my plate. She picked out clothes for me that only she would ware and
made a big deal when I became a woman. I guess I would have to say that there are
positive and negative impacts due to some of the text. Like the narrators’ point of you
always nagging on the girl, could cause for the girl to rebel and not enough guidance
could cause her to become the girl she is not supposed to be. Overall I feel that the tone
sets the theme and the setting for both the written and the video, I watched it and it was
interesting but very different from the actual text it’s self. by Jamaica Kincaid

Ruftdraft

Neva Huber

English1B

3/4/2011

                                                            Spider-Women

            A spider weaves a very intricate web that has many woven lines, it is used to catch their prey then they make their move. In the novel The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb you can find out what it might be like to see how a spider gets their prey. There is an interesting story about Sonny who is a thirteen year old boy and Cindy, a nineteen year old blonde girl who is more or less the spider and Sonny is the prey that gets trapped and entangled in her spider web. Sonny is the step son of a racist stepfather named Cloyd, who puts Sonny to work at the apartment complex that Cloyd owns. Sonny tries to keep to himself but it is hard not to get involved with the tenants when he is outside sweeping. There Sonny is seen by the other residents and persuaded by some of them to open up and get to know each other.  That’s when Sonny meets Cindy, she entraps him with her looks and Cindy places him in several pretty messed up situations. Sonny finds out what it is like to be with a bad girl, and he will never be the same.

            Sonny is just trying to mind his own business, until he meets Cindy, and bam he is lured into her web of sin. Sonny states “She lit up one of her mota cigarettes. Then passed it to me...” (124). Cindy is the young wife of a drug dealer named Tino who is almost always working. Sonny describes Cindy’s room in this quote “drying pizza slices were curling up as they tried to escape the box…” (123) Bored with being left alone each day in her filthy apartment, Cindy is defiantly the opposite of Cinderella. Cindy is more like a poisonous spider waiting to catch her pray in a tangled web of destruction. Cindy invites Sonny in to her cluttered domain for refreshments, like marijuana and wine coolers. After she gets Sonny lit, she makes her move, she knows Sonny is a virgin and takes total advantage of him and his man hood. In this quote Sonny proves Cindy is a vulture and robs him of his innocence “She dropped my pants and she rolled us and got on top of me…” (124). There are other reasons to Cindy’s intentions but what about Sonny’s intentions. Sonny lets this vixen intoxicate his body and his life with drugs and alcohol, isn’t this wrong.  Sonny said “I didn’t want that. But I went into her apartment” (160) Sonny shows in this quote that he doesn’t want to continue to be a part of Cindy’s sinning ways.

            Cindy the snake that she is convinces Sonny with her body rather than her brains.

Sonny said “She was in something low- cut and she wasn’t wearing a bra.” (160)  Cindy says “Sonny, I’m broke. I’m lonely, I’m bored” (161). Which is Cindy’s cry for attention or in this case the bait that lures Sonny in to the web. The web symbolizes Cindy’s sinful ways and her selfishness. Cindy said “kiss me” (72) then Sonny said “she put her tongue in my mouth…” (72) Right here in these quotes is a great example of Cindy taking what she wants. Cindy is a bad influence on Sonny she smokes marijuana with him but in this quote it seems Sonny does it only to fit in. “Mostly I didn’t want it to seem like I was afraid to get high, so I did what she did”(71). Why does Sonny let Cindy do these things to him, he wants to fit in and be a man. But there are consequences to Sonny’s actions like when he said “I was scared too about what we did. What if someone saw? What if that Tino dude…” (87). Right there in that quote was when Cindy and Sonny had messed around and the door was wide open to her apartment, what if Cindy’s drug dealing husband walked in? Another issue is what if Cindy gets pregnant she already admitted to having an abortion with Tino’s child. Cindy said “but this time I had an abortion” (44). Well that proves Cindy is not very responsible when it comes to save sex.

Sonny is getting involved way over his head, but seems to like the sexual attention. Sonny states “so up there it made me feel both old enough for this…” (86) He is still very immature but very much wants to be a man. When Sonny said “I wanted to show God how I was a man…” (37) This shows he takes things into his own hands without talking to anybody about what’s going on in Sonny’s world.  Sonny sets himself up by falling for Cindy’s innocent girl act; it is almost like he wants to lose his virginity to Cindy for practice.

Idea paper

              I have had a lot of ideas for the essay. It is hard to pick just one. So, I finally decided to write       about the female perspective regarding Sonny and Cindy, the whole bad girl good girl thing. I am hoping to open up a lot of interesting ideas from the feminine perspective. Coming from a female view this essay should be very interesting for both me and the readers. I want to discuss things like how Sonny and Cindy kind of use each other to get what they want. And how Cindy, takes Sonny and shows him what she knows. I would also like to concentrate on how Sonny and Cindy both take risks when they are in the bedroom.  Overall it should be a great paper, I just have to start writing it.

Blog#4 Freewrite

BLOG#4
Freewrite
　
At first I thought this novel would be difficult for me to read but I soon found out it was not. I started my weekly reading and noticed I could not stop, so easily. It has been an interesting story and it raises many issues and questions to me as a reader. Sonny’s story is interpreted by him and the other characters as a part of his life, that is vulnerable and chaotic. He has to adjust to moving and making new friends, but also must put up with a step dad that is racist and unwanted. As for Sonny’s life choices they are spontaneous and troublesome. Sonny to me is a miss guided youth who is surrounded by people that are not good influences on him. He is already getting into trouble and denying that he did anything, his denial is a problem.
Why is he denying he took the magazines, embarrassment, or fear? Who knows, I also believe he has an issue of trusting others he choices to trust the wrong people. I am afraid to say, that he lets Cindy take advantage of him, by getting him stoned then having her way with him. I think she likes the excitement of wanting to get caught or she is not getting what she wants from her own man. However there is a lot of exciting things happening to Sonny and in this novel. I can’t wait to read more. So far this novel is turning out to be interesting in many ways.
I am trying to come up with a topic to write my paper on but am having a bit of trouble pinning one idea down. I have decided to write about Sonny but only one characteristic or problem that he faces. I have had many options from his stealing, his anger or his relationship with his mother? I think I will narrow it down pretty soon and may even run some of my ideas with the teacher. I have one or two other ideas but I don’t want to give them away. I am sure that everyone has their own ideas of what to write about but I really want to be different if possible.
I also want to choose a topic that will be some what easy for me to gather information and to put down on paper. As I keep reading I will look for more evidence that will back my ideas up. I know writing an essay is difficult for me to bad it wasn’t as easy as reading this novel. A lot of my ideas are coming from Sonny’ character, he has a lot of issues and all I need to do is pin point one main point regarding an issue. And then let my brain figure out the writing part. I am looking forward to more of our group work and hope to discuss more in class very soon. I think discussion will help me to narrow down my options of what it is exactly that I want to focus my paper on.

BLOG#3

BLOG#3
I can honestly say I have been reading this novel religiously, and I am not much of a reader. I use to say I don’t read much because it hurts my brain. I am enjoying this read, the characters and the things happening are starting to get exciting. I try to make time for reading anytime I can. Sometimes I read in my bed when I can not sleep, I read in class when I am early and sometimes I read on my lunch break or when I am waiting for my daughter to get out of school. One of the hardest parts of reading this semester is having to read two books at a time. My philosophy class is also reading a book that is not an easy read. It is definitely challenging. There is a lot of new vocabulary and new information to rap my head around. It is also helping to think critically not only in philosophy but in our English class as well, it helps me to see more than just black and white. I can see many colors of the world just by reading, writing and thinking.
Maybe now when I go to write an essay it will not be so hard for me. I am really enjoying this novel, just hope that reading will get easier as I go, I am not use to looking up words in my dictionary and then reading it again. So far I have not had to do this for our novel but for my other class. I also am planning to fit more time into my schedule to read more for my philosophy class because I am really not that interested in that book. Oh well I will just have to bear with it. So I will make sure to make time for all of my reading for this semester. And there is a lot of reading to accomplish, better get cracking. I guess I am old school but trying to bring out the new school in me. The hardest thing is going to be choosing a topic to write my first formal essay, sometimes I would like the teacher to choose one for me, cause that is a lot easier then coming up with one on my own.
Well , for now I will just have to think critically about a topic, it is hard for me to pick one. I have a hard time evaluating a book or reading. Picking out themes and stuff like that is a bit difficult for me personally. Hopefully I will learn to do this better, picking out conclusions and topics, and themes. I also plan on attending the writing center where I would like to get help with the issues that I struggle with. I would like to know more about how I can improve my reading and writing skills, not just in this class but for future classes to come. If I am going to CSUMB then I need to take it up a notch. Considering I really don’t like to write essays, and here I am writing 500 words for this class. I do struggle with this the most.

Character Description

BLOG #2
　
Chapter Description
As I read through the next fifty pages or so, I noticed that the character Cloyd is interesting to me. He has many different characteristics. One of his characteristics that stood out to me was his love of hunting (A buck, he explained p.19) He also likes to fish and that is something I like to do also. (another body on the wall was a prize-winning rainbow trout, he said p.19) He likes to be out doors and hunting is a manly thing to me this is why I like this character because I can relate to it. Another characteristic is that Cloyd is responsible and wants to set a good example for Sonny, he starts giving him odd jobs around the apartment complex like (One of the jobs Cloyd had made mine was to make sure the laundry room was cleaned up. P.27) As I read further Sonny has multiple jobs that his step dad gives him, which tells me that he wants Sonny to either earn his keep or responsibility or both for that matter. I like the fact that Cloyd is trying to keep Sonny out of trouble with these odd jobs but I think that it has already started to get him in trouble and trouble seems to find Sonny. One characteristic that I do not particularly like is the fact that Cloyd has a small racism problem that Sonny makes note of in the book that he dose not like blacks and he is always making comments on how Mexicans are good hard workers and how he likes Mexican and now he has Sonny’s mom to make him Mexican food. It seems like Sonny is always mentioning that Cloyd has a drink in his hand so I feel that Cloyd may have a drinking problem and how he likes swirling his ice cube in the glass. All of these characteristics lead me to believe that Cloyd means well but also is sort of using Sonny’s mom in a way that only Sonny can relate to. For some reason Sonny doesn’t like him but I think he may start to produce a half hearted relationship with him. How do all these pieces help me to understand Cloyd, well if I put them all together I can see his intentions and his actual purpose as a part of this novel. Everything I read about any character in the novel I take a little note to my self, this is a part of the that persons personality and helps me build up towards a better understanding of each character. I actually find Sonny my favorite character but I choose to write about Mr. Longpre because that was one of the choices I had to make, but most of all I can pick out the personal characteristics that interest me and why. Like the hunting and why he is being responsible to his job and has a step father. He wants to show Sonny that he can take care of them as a family and would like to share some of his families traditions hoping to pass them on to Sonny. Cloyd is reaching out to him for closeness and maybe approval. He is trying to make this family work, in more ways than one.

BLOG#1

BLOG #1
As I read the first few pages of this novel I thought it was about a girl, because of the picture on the front, but as I kept reading I realized it is about a young boy maybe about thirteen who liked to go into houses just for fun. I thought this was some what confusing because he wouldn’t steel anything and it seemed he really did not have a positive male role model in his life, Sonny talks about his mom as though she has been with several different men who she might have fallen in love with or thought she was. He later moves in with his mother and her want to be husband, he seems like a good influence on Sonny at first but it is later on that I read about his racism and its possible he has Sonny doing some of his dirty work. I think that Sonny may run away in this story, he has been saving money that he stole but is also very independent to the point I can picture him living on his own. Making himself meals which he has already proven he can do, even if it is a microwave dinner, Sonny is independent and does not like his moms new man, he can see right through him and his intentions. Sonny has saved some money about two hundred and fifty dollars, he might be saving so when he feels that the time is right he can take off and live on his own maybe even get a job, since Sonny has been doing these odd jobs around the apartments for Cloyd and doesn’t seem to mind doing the odd jobs, it tells me that Sonny is and can be responsible but he also is worried and concerned for his mother, who maybe to him she is not so bright when it comes to men. Well maybe Sonny will take his mother and sister with him, he can take care of them and protect them from the world He likes the way life is but I really think he wants a normal life, yet he wont eat at the dinning table, this to me is normal family living. I actually think that maybe he will run away and take on his own life, Sonny can fend for himself and even gets encouragement from his mother, she gives him money here and there so if he saves up enough money he can move or buy a car or use it for any kind of emergency that he may need it for or for his mother, eventually it will be used for something maybe he will buy the neighbors car if he doesn’t sell it. Really I see Sonny living on his own and taking care of himself just as he did before they moved in with Mr. Longpre, I see Sonny finding out the truth about his dog goofy and pretty much scolding his mother for not letting him keep her he is seems upset about his companion, over all I think Sonny will grow up to be a responsible adult and make a place in the world for himself.

I am...

I am Neva H. born and raised in a small town which is been growing for the last few years and continues to grow. I have a ten year old child who was recently diagnosed with type one diabetes, and we continue to be strong through all of it. I graduated some time ago and I sometimes feel like a dinosaur when it comes to new technology and I recently finished my Child Development AA degree last semester and will be transferring to CSUMB this fall, where I will study for a BA in Collaborative health and human services or Liberal studies for teachers. I plan to get a job in the social services or teaching professions, and may even attempt preschool teaching when I get my permit. I am waiting for my assistant preschool teaching permit then I can get work in this area and work my way up to teaching, possibly. As for my interest and hobbies I like to watch movies, television, music, poetry and ceramics. I work part time for the nearby school distinct as a classified sub. For yard duty, instructional aides, and other in office positions at many of our local junior high and elementary middle schools.  I really don’t find time to read, unless it is to my child, but I plan on reading quite a bit for this class and my philosophy class this semester I will be reading four novels and one book of my choice, most I have read in a few years. So this should be interesting I am looking forward to attempting the writing assignments for this class, because reading and writing is not my passion nor is it in my favorite things to do. Sorry to say that, but I do like poetry and have even written some of my own and even had one of my poems up in the writing center a while back.