The Purloined Letter

In The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe, the Paris police used intuition to try to solve the mystery. Although they knew that Minister D was the culprit, they were unable to find the hidden evidence. Dupin said that the method was wrong because logic was what should have been used. He felt that the police were ignoring the obvious places. My friend, Albert, handled showing his mother his report card with his failing grade in a very logical manner. Instead of looking for excuses, he waited until she was preoccupied and unable to concentrate on the document.

The Yellow Wallpaper

The narrator is driven to a state of innsantiy by the constrants placed upon her. To make her husband believe that she is conquering the battle of her nervous depression, she must pretemd to be happy in her marriage. This means that she cannot show her anxities and fears, and she must remain idle. This creates turmoil for her. She wrties secretly in her journal because she knows her husband forbids her to do any work, but it is a form of keeping her mind and body active.

The Story of An Hour

The author, Kate Chopin, indicates that marriage during the Victorian period suggests that male chauvinism was predominant. Louise Mallard's marriage was a prime example of this. Obviously, she wanted to be independent and not her husband's pawn. This is seen when she states, "Free! Body and soul free!." Her dream came to a halt when her husband walked in the door.

The Use of Force

William Carlos Williams in "The Use of Force" utilizes characterization in depth. When the doctor first appears, he does not seem to have bedside manner. His only concern is to diagnose the young child's illness. He does not mince words when talking to the family. He loses control in his fight with the young girl, and the result is the use of force. The mother is an apologetic woman who is embarrassed of her household environment. She seems to be powerless. The father seems to be a gentleman as he wanted to stand up and shake the doctor's hand when the physician arrived. He is perplexed by his daughter's illness, but he wants her to get better. We notice as he speaks his uneducated vernacular speech. Mathilda is a cute young child, but she is quite feisty. As the doctor moves closer in proximity, she attempts to claw his eyes as she knocks his eyeglasses onto the floor. As her fear grows more intense, her strength and anger also heightens.

English 40 - Hills Like White Elephants

Jig amd her boyrfriend are a young couple at a train station waiting to go to Madrid. They are Americans, and Jig does not understand Spanish. He wants her to have an abortion, and she doesn't want it. She says she will do it because she does not care about herself, but he wants her to care about herself and still go for the abortion.