A Room of One's Own

and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression — a slight hysterical tendency — what is one to do? (85) From this excerpt alone John becomes the enemy. John, as a physician of high standing, has credentials that make other’s trust in his opinion more than his wife even though only his wife would really know if she is feeling ill. However, the narrator listens to her husband’s advice to stay in her room, clear…

Many authors take these influences and transform them into a work of art, whether it be a painting, poem, or even a story. These influences range from one’s beliefs, one’s achievements, and sometimes one’s disability. After reading Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” readers infer how Gilman’s work is largely influenced by her own suffering from mental illness, her feminist ideas, and by women’s oppression she faces in the 19th century. Gilman…

Rather than finding points of similarities and empathy, the comfort of — in this case — Michelle’s own differences are seen as a safe haven from the unfamiliar, thus leaving little room for empathy. This event demonstrates that accessing the ability to empathize is too difficult when encountering blatant differences between individuals, and that the supposedly recommended response is to look into one’s self for contrasting values and traits rather than the similarities, which is a further away…

liberating, no more exhilarating than to determine one's position, state it bravely, and then act boldly.” Thoreau was the finest example of this quote. He refused to pay a poll tax for which he thought funded the Mexican war, and for that he was made to stay the night in jail; however, it was entirely unimaginable that it would have been such a liberating and enlightening experience for him. Thoreau’s experience utterly liberated himself from his own ignorance when he was made to witness first…

For years, young girls and women around the world have been deemed as the lesser of the two genders: whether it is by society, the media, or their own husbands and fathers. Today, one of the most talked about and quite controversial topics has been feminism, or the idea that women should be seen as equals in the work field, the home, and all other aspects of life. In the short story The Yellow Wallpaper, written by novelist, sociologist and self-proclaimed feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman in…

The realization of truth can hurt one’s feelings for a short period of time, however, the magnitude of the agony of a lie can hurt oneself in the long run. The denial of truth and reality is used by one’s self-interest to protect and retain their dreams and illusions from being destroyed. The protagonists in the movies “The Matrix” and the “The Truman Show” perceive who they truly are and realize their purpose in life because they choose to discover the truth rather than accepting a delusion.…

sometimes believe in their abilities to get something done, however, lack trust in their subordinates to do the same. By micromanaging, leaders may sometimes criticize their subordinates for work that is not adequate, and not allow them the breathing room to work effectively. Often times, this can lead to subordinates showing less initiative and effort, for they know that the leader will direct their every move and offer…

“We're always thinking of eternity as an idea that cannot be understood, something immense. But why must it be? What if, instead of all this, you suddenly find just a little room there, something like a village bathhouse, grimy, and spiders in every corner, and that's all eternity is. Sometimes, you know, I can't help feeling that that's what it is” (Dostoevsky 1). When Dostoevsky writes this he is talking about how eternity…

Kevin Wang Streckenbach Senior English P.7 8 February 2015 Formless Throughout history, men and women side by side were never equals. In fact even now, inequality persists however incomparable to the past. Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare explicitly revealed the treatment of females during his time through his play. In the play, Polonius’s daughter, Ophelia, evidently presents herself as a puppet that adheres to her master’s will until the strings that control her loosens. In her…

a crevice of his household that the telescreen could not see. Even when he was sure they could not see, writing about taking down Big Brother still sent chills down his spine. They knew they were being intruded on, they knew they had to watch their own backs because Big Brother was, yet they were forced to live in these torturing conditions. They can convince themselves that “Big Brother [was] watching you” for safety and protection, when he was actually just keeping you in check (Orwell 3).…