English 10

Weaknesses of Women in the 1900’s

Being a woman during The Great Depression was hard. So what are the effects of depression on women? In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and the world renowned novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, both authors illustrated the impacts of The Great Depression on lower class female farmers. Although each of these unique stories took place in different settings, both Mayella Ewell and Curley’s Wife experienced loneliness, very little opportunities, and a yearning for love in all the wrong places. Both stories demonstrate how companionship is a human necessity, even with such different lifestyles.

During The Great Depression, the lower class ladies seemed to find themselves very lonely and isolated. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella was isolated at home, always taking care of her many siblings. It was just herself and her drunken dad in a disastrous house behind the town’s dumpster. Her loneliness was evident in her testimony, when she was asked if she had any friends and thought Atticus was mocking her. Scout witnessed poor Mayella trying to answer the question and said, “Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world.” (Lee, 191). On the other hand, in Of Mice and Men, Curley’s Wife was the only girl on the ranch and just wanted some attention. She had nobody to talk to and was desperate for companionship. She even went into Crook’s room, which was insane, because a white woman never enters a black man’s quarters. She displayed her sadness by saying, “Sat’iday night. Ever’body out doin’ som’pin’. Ever’body! An’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs… an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else.” (Steinbeck, 78). All she wanted was to be free, but she was so far away from the rest of humanity that she was stuck. Both of these stories demonstrate how the lower class females were isolated during The Great Depression.

In the early 1900s, it was hard for females to be independent and carve their own futures. Particularly in the lower class, they were often degraded and treated with little respect. A perfect example is Mayella Ewell, who had no education or opportunities because she was forced to stay home and care for her siblings. Her lack of respect was indicated when she thought Atticus was mocking her by calling her Miss: “Wont answer a word you say as long as you keep mocking me… Long’s he keeps callin’ me ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella. I don’t hafta take this sass, I ain’t called upon to take it.” (Lee, 243). She had a harsh upbringing, with no education and no respect. Poor Mayella had almost no say in her own future. Meanwhile, Curley’s Wife in To Kill A Mockingbird was experiencing quite similar circumstances. She had a dream of becoming an actress and wanted to make it big, but the lower class life drew her down and she found herself at the bottom of the human food chain: “’I lived right in Salinas,’ she said. ‘Come there when I was a kid. Well, a show come through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’ let me. She says because I was on’y fifteen. But the guy says I coulda. If I’d went, I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet.’” (Steinbeck, 256). She had real dreams and goals set out for herself, but the time period and circumstances held her back.

Along with a need for companionship comes an empty heart awaiting to be filled with love. For example, Mayella Ewell from To Kill A Mockingbird was isolated for so long, that she went to desperate measures and tried to have a fling with a black man! The thought of this would be revolting to other ladies during The Great Depression, but Mayella was so lonely that she didn’t have many options. He was one of few people that passed her house every day, so she saw an opportunity and grasped it. Her father, however, knew that her actions were wrong. He forced her to convince the jury of her innocence: “I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!” (Lee, 231). Bob Ewell displayed his anger in trying to convince the jury of Mayella’s innocence. If the same situation had happened with a white man, nobody would’ve thought anything of it. Curley’s Wife from Of Mice And Men was in a similar position, and wanted someone to love. Yes, she was married to Curley, but she married him for financial reasons if anything. She ran around to all the boys on the ranch whenever Curley wasn’t around, just to find someone to connect with: “They left all the weak ones here,” (Steinbeck, 77) she once said, referring to when her husband and coworkers went off to town. She didn’t get the opportunity to expose herself to new people, and she was stuck on the farm all day every day.

Despite these two completely different story lines, each book outlined how it felt to be a lonely lower class female in The Great Depression. They lived without companionship, had next to no opportunities, and a deep yearning for love and contentment. Women were treated with disrespect in the world of independence, and these harsh circumstances degraded their freedom.

https://writepaperfor.me/?rt=ZRYMDCmx

https://www.showclix.com/event/of-mice-and-men

2 things I did well on:

I had very good grammar and quote insertion, and relavant quotes

2 things I should improve on:

I wish I had more time to proofread to catch mini mistakes and I removed deadwood

I think “Yet Do I Marvel” By Countee Cullen best explains the African American struggle because of his frequently used comparisons throughout the poem. His use of an extended paradox within a sonnet demonstrated the pain he feels with his disadvanteges as a black man. His allusions were more in depth; creating many unanswered questions that really make you think. Hyperbole was strategically used when describing his torture as a man with many talents but disadvantages. His sophisticated vocabulary showed his high education, adding to the effect of how his people were treated poorly. You can feel the frustration that Cullen was implying, especially in the last line, “To make a poet black, and bid him to sing!” I interpreted this poem as if Cullen were Tantalus, where he had the fruit but could never eat it. Cullen is not disrespecting God, but confused as to why he would do such a thing.

How do human relationships help us develop?

Having a bestfriend can greatly impact anyone’s life. In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie were the best of friends. When they arrived at the ranch to work with the rest of the migrant workers, they found that it was pretty unheard of to travel with another man. In a time of such desperation and isolation, there were only a few other relationships on the ranch for example Candy and his dog, and Curley and his wife. ‘”Slim looked through George and beyond him. “Ain’t many guys travel around together,” he mused. “I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other,”‘ (Steinbeck, pg. 35). In this quote, Slim sheds some light on how companonship can actually bring happiess and a sense of home. In a world so lonely in this period of time, having a best friend with no strings attatched was rare. “I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin’ to fight all the time,” (pg. 45). Steinbeck highlights how without companionship the feeling of lonliness can sink in, and turn a golden heart to stone. “‘A guy needs somebody-to be near him.’ He whined, ‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody,'” (pg. 72). Crooks said this because he had two brothers growing up, but now he his facing his own reality of isolation. Being the odd one out on the ranch, Crooks had been very lonely for so long. George and Lennie defy the sheet of lonliness draped over the time period. This novella proves that when one is surrounded and influenced by healthy relationships, companionship becomes a necessity to life.

https://sciart.eu/en/2014-04-24-0904/803/boris-cyrulniks-point-view-human-relationships-why-meeting-never-coincidence

Cooked at the Cookout
The field I sat on smelled of barbecue smoke and spilled sticky orange soda. I looked around at my family sitting on lounge chairs. I could see all of my friends with their families just beyond mine. The annual lake barbecue was the only place where all of the lake residents came together like one big community. Everyone knew everyone.
My 10 year old heart was beating faster than a hummingbird’s as I nervously awaited my performance. As my little toes curled up in the grass, my cousins and brothers poked me.
“What are you gonna sing?”
“I hope you forget all of the words and lose your voice as you go up there!”
I just love my fans.
I couldn’t focus on anything. I sat staring into abyss, repeatedly reciting the lyrics to ‘The Climb’ by Miley Cyrus. I was just an ammeter. My arrogant brain thought that my idols, Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus were going to come to watch me. Could you really blame my 10 year old brain for thinking that Miley and Hannah were two different people?
My dad reached into the pocket of his faded blue jeans and whipped out his video camera. The red flash mesmerized me as he interrogated me.
“Are you ready?! Want to do some vocal warm ups for the camera?”
“No dad, let me get in the zone,” I said. I hate when my fans interrupt my wholesome moments of preparation. I knew how proud he was going to be in just a matter of minutes.
That’s when I heard my name echo over the speakers. The voice shot past the barbecues, over the tennis courts, past the golf course, until it bounced off the surrounding mountains and rang back in my ear. Everyone was staring at me. This was my pinnacle. I weaved my way through the many lawn chairs and families sprawled out across the extensive mass of grass. I heard the audience clap, erupting the brief silence into a roaring explosion.
It was warm outside, but when I wrapped my sweaty palm around the cool metal of the microphone, I still had the chills. My toes squished into the damp grass. I heard the volume of my background music rise from somewhere behind me. I would look back to observe who was controlling my music, but I was too busy focusing on how the crowd full of people was beginning to look like a graveyard. The music was my eulogy. This performance would be the death of me.
Microphone to my mouth, I began to sing. “I can almost see it, that dream I’m dreaming,” I managed to squeak out. I hated feeling this vulnerable. Before I knew it, the rush of fear that once numbed my senses had turned into an indescribable excitement. I belted my heart out for another minute with absolute success. In the middle of the second chorus, the microphone heated up and zapped my right palm. I quickly passed the mic to my left hand, continuing on as if nothing had happened. About ten seconds later the same sensation happened in my left hand so I passed it back to my right. The show must go on. Even as the mic zapped each hand as I passed it back and forth, I acted as if I wasn’t mortified on the inside. I successfully made it to the bridge of the song with reasonable amounts of trauma.
That’s when I felt a spark in my right palm. Not just a little zap, but a really big spark. This spark illuminated my hand, and shot through my entire body like a virus. It electrified me too much to finish the song. I tossed the mic on the floor. A field full of people had never been so silent. My heart had stopped, yet it was beating a million miles a minute.
What happened after that was kind of a blur. I remember seeing my mom weave her way through the crowd to see if I was breathing, and exploding into a puddle of tears. Someone carried me and laid me down on a patch of grass. I remember a lineup of residents claiming they were doctors and offering their services. I was absolutely shocked.
I woke up in bed the next day. I cracked open the door and peered at my family. My youngest cousin turned towards me with wide eyes. “She’s alive,” is all he managed to say. My family stared at me with concern and curiosity. A fireman had determined that the electrocution was due to my damp bare feet, standing on the stage, racing electrons around me like a firework. I don’t remember much but I know this: I will eternally be etched in everyone’s mind as the girl that got electrocuted.

The buildings represent me building up all my courage and rising to the occasion, and the lightning represents the enemy, and the force working against me

What to improve:

Cut unessacary words and deadwood

Read over final draft for spelling errors

What I did well:

Provided good imagery with discripticve writing

Kept it casual by adding a humour aspect

The video “Most Shocking Second a Day Video” created by Save The Children follows a young girl who becomes a Syrian refugee. The girl blows out 9 candles on her birthday, surrounded by her friends and family in a nice home with a big smile on her face. She is living the ideal life, playing soccer, eating chocolates, wearing lipstick, learning recorder… but as her days progress some conflict is occurring and the news and radio began to speak of war. All of the sudden the girl’s parents bring her somewhere to hide, as they try to survive off of minimal water and medicine. She then gets brought around in a car trying to escape, dodging gun shots and wearing a gas mask. Her dad gets taken away from her so the girl and her mother find different hiding spots and try to find food. At the very end there is a clip of her mother singing happy birthday to her, with one little dish accompanied by a lonely candle. Humans take everything for granted, and we must be eternally thankful because we are surviving in this constant conflict. This video shows that humans have unbelievable capabilities to survive hardships so we must be thankful for every piece of joy we can grasp.