EH200.12 Guided Argument Draft 2

EH200.12 10/30/12 Allison Manson Guided Argument Maggie a Girl of the Streets Maggie a Girl of the Streets is a story of a family in a city written by Stephen Crane. Crane’s idea was that people cannot move up in a society when they are in an environment that holds them back. Environment is what shapes a person. An idea is phycology is that of nature versus nurture, what really makes a person who they are. The answer is both. The nature side, which is the genetic side of a person, predetermines certain things about someone, such as their personality. However, on the flip side, nurture and the environment shape a person as well. There are many ideas in psychology and sociology that explains why characters act the way they do, and how it is engrained into human interaction. Humans are hardwired a certain way, and this supports Crane’s idea that people cannot change where they are in their life when what is around them works against them. The characters that shun Maggie and do not help her act like they do because of group think, self-perception and pressure of satisfying the society based on values. Maggie was not afraid to be herself and break social norms. Maggie lives in a culture where everyone conforms to the societies’ beliefs and values. Ideas and values are non-material culture. Nonmaterial culture also includes languages, beliefs, norms, and attitudes of groups. Beliefs are assertions about the nature of reality that are not based on scientific knowledge, but on social agreement. Values are shared ideas about what is socially desirable that define what is desirable by ranking behaviors, people, events, objects, and social arrangements; the rankings define what is good or bad, moral or immoral, just or unjust. Maggie breaks norms; expectations and rules for proper conduct that guide behavior of group members. Maggie is being what society considers deviant, because she is not adhering to social norms. Maggie’s actions of going with Pete and living with him as an unmarried woman were viewed as highly inappropriate for the time she was living in. Then when she comes home after Pete leaves her for Nellie, Maggie is rejected by her family, because she is considered an embarrassment. Maggie then turns to prostitution, which is looked down upon in the society. Maggie may have been a rebel for her time, not doing what girls were expected to do, or what was thought of as respectable. She was desperate to get out of a bad situation; abusive parents, alcoholism etc., she was desperate enough to grab at anything that could be her way out, first she had a job, trying to better herself and have something to live for. She then had Pete, who she thought loved her and could get her out of where she was because he was of a higher social status. When she is shunned by her family she turns to prostitution as a last resort because she has nowhere else to go. She was trying to better herself, but because of her environment it led to her ruin. Other characters in the story are so focus on what others think of themselves, looking at themselves through Charles Horton Cooley’s concept of the self is “the looking-glass self”. The looking glass self is the process in which individuals use others like mirrors and base their conceptions of themselves on what is reflected back during social interaction. There are steps to the looking-glass self. First we imagine how we appear to others. Then we imagine and interpret their judgment of us. And lastly we react positively or negatively to that perceived judgment while developing a self-concept. There were characters pointed out in Nazmi Al-Shalabi’s article “Authenticity and Role-Playing in S. Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets” who conform to the pressure of society. Jimmy, Mary, and the Clergymen all could have helped Maggie, but didn’t because of society’s morals. They are all very concerned on maintaining a certain reputation and Maggie’s actions are considered awful. In Crane’s story, the Johnson family is obsessed with being considered respectable. Their neighbors urge them to act a certain way, so there is no chance to break the chain for how they act. The characters feel obligated to act in a certain way, not wanting to be embarrassed. The mother and Jimmy publicly damn Maggie, to appear higher on the social plane. They want to please the people around them, so they act according to what the group finds appropriate. Pete also has actions that hurt Maggie because he wants to remain respectable. He doesn’t want Maggie to visit him while he is working and sends her away, because she may taint what others think of him. He also tells her to go to hell, damning her, just as her family also does. Another character who has the opportunity to help Maggie was the church man. She went to him seeking help before she committed suicide. He “saves his respectability” by a “vigorous side-step”. Nazmi Al-Shalabi also pointed out that the clergyman could have helped her, as well as Pete, but did not so their respectability should not be threatened. Nazmi Al-Shalabi also points out that another text where a character goes against what is thought to be right, Hester Prynne in The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester Prynne was out casted and shunned because she had a child through adultery was a rebel in her story. She was treated the way she was because it was against the views of the rest of the group. Maggie is much like the character of Hester in how the rest of society treats her. Maggie is brought to be oppressed, victimized and vulnerable through her life experiences. Crane’s story shows how concerned people are with how they look. How a person looks to another is more important than what a person thinks of themselves. The characters actions in Maggie a Girl of the Streets are realistic and are engrained into human interaction. Being accepted by a group is so important for humans. When not accepted by a group and treated as an outcast, people turn to desperate measures, like Maggie did with prostitution and then suicide. Crane’s story depicts spot on how an environment shapes who a person is. Theories in psychology show why characters act as they did. Maggie’s fate was caused by pressure of self-perception and pressure of satisfying the society based on values. Maggie could not have advanced in her life unless she had conformed to what the society wanted. Crane’s idea that people cannot move up in a society when they are in an environment that holds them back h is often true in many situations.   Work Cited Solomon, Barbara H., and Stephen Crane. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. 1896. The Haves and Have-nots: 30 Stories about Money and Class in America. New York: Signet Classic, 1999. 219-84. Print. Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. "Chapter 3: Society & Culture." Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. N.p.: Pearson, 2011. N. pag. Print. Al-Shalabi, Nazmi. "AUTHENTICITY AND ROLE - PLAYING IN S. CRANE'S." INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL Of ACADEMIC RESEARCH 1.1 (2009): 199-203. Print.

EH 200.12 Precis Draft 2

EH200.12 09/25/2012 Allison Manson Précis Fight vs. Flight: A Re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” by Susan Farrell Part I: The Situation This essay is taking a look at the article Fight vs. Flight: A Re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” by Susan Farrell. Susan Farrell is a credible source and analyzes what the purpose of Walker’s text was. This paper will be looking at who was Farrell’s intended audience, what Farrell’s reasoning was to write her piece and why it was prompted. We will also be taking a look at what questions Farrell may have asked herself when writing her article. After addressing these things, we will look at the important issues in Farrell’s piece, and see how she supported her points. The author of this text is Susan Farrell. She is from South Carolina and works in the department of English at the College of Charleston. She has Ph.D. English and has been teaching since 1985. She has received College of Charleston Summer Research Grant in 2001 and 1994. College of Charleston Sabbatical Leave Grant in spring of 2000, South Carolina Humanities Council Grant in 1995, and Professional Development Awards from the University of Texas in 1991 and 1992. She has written many published papers. She is a very credible source and knowledgeable (http://farrells.people.cofc.edu, Susan Farrell). The text that we are using is Fight vs. Flight: A Re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” by Susan Farrell. It was copyrighted in 2003 by EBSCO Publishing. The text is a re-evaluation of the character Dee, who comes across as a harsh unlikeable person in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”. The idea of this article was to reanalyze the initial reaction to Dee and if not change your perception of her, at least understand her character better. The text was redundant and could have been much more to the point. She used direct quotes from the story to help her point, and with the second piece of literature helped strengthened her point. One thing that really was a big part of what may have shaped Dee is the father, who was not even mentioned in Alice Walker’s story. I think that if Farrell had used the idea of the father not being there made each of the characters a certain way it would have strengthened her argument. The fact the father was not even mention may have a lot of insight to why mama is so submissive and Dee is so headstrong. The father could have died or left their family, causing each woman to take a different role, it would have been an interesting idea to explore. The reader of the text is those who have previously read the story “Everyday Use” and are looking into what the author Alice Walker was intending to portray with the character Dee. Those reading this are either very interested in extending their knowledge of Dee’s character or were assigned the reading in class. It was intended for people who like to read, debate, for people who did not like Dee’s character. The constraints of this article are your audience; it is limited to the people who have read Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”. Also there is the constraint of the secondary example she used in her article, the example of “Meridian” which was published in 1976. Not everyone had read this novel, so the example did not mean as much to the audience if the audience had read it. Having different points of view on characters, but did not have Maggie’s point of view or Dee’s point of view, only mamas. Not having the character of the father mentioned who should have been a pivotal character in Walker’s story makes it so there are many situations we don’t know. There are many things that could have shaped each character, including mama and Maggie, giving us understanding why they are who they are. The exigency in this article is to understand what Alice Walker intended with the character of Dee, to give readers a better understanding of her to in turn understand the overall message of her short story “Everyday Use”. Farrell wrote this to help clarify meaning behind actions and things said in the story for the audience to not judge a character so rashly, but to understand the importance of the character. Flaws needed to be pointed out to understand Dee; you do not see the full picture. If the story was written in a different point of view, we would feel differently. If the father was mention the story would have been totally different and we would understand much more about all of the characters. Part II: The Issue One of the major questions that Farrell had in mind when writing her essay, she thought about what would my reader think if Dee had a better more contemporary way to cope with an oppressive society that is more valid than Mama’s and Maggie’s. She thought about this to get her reader to think there are two sides to the story, not just Mama’s. By having this be the base question for her article, she hopes that her reader will better understand that character of Dee and possibly change their initial opinion of her. Another question I believe Farrell asked herself was what if I change how Maggie is perceived. In Walker’s story Maggie looks like a controlled victim. Farrell points out that Maggie is more disgusted with her sister than in awe of her like Mama is. Other actions support Farrell’s point, with Maggie banging things around in the background instead of speaking. Farrell wants you to take a second look at Maggie, to see she is not just a victim, and the way Mama perceives her may be wrong. An additional question Farrell asked was how a reader would react to the idea that Mama puts how she feels onto what other characters like Maggie feel. She thinks they are misconstrued, because they are not what Maggie said at all. Farrell quotes the original text to support this. The examples also provide insight to what Mama’s daydream is no one else’s. One more question she would have asked is how a reader’s opinion of Dee would change if I point out all the good things she does for her family. She points out how Dee tries to extend her education to her family, and how Dee is very proud of her African heritage. Dee wants to preserve the things her family has, which isn’t a horrible thing to want. Farrell’s questions try to have you change your opinion of Dee, and if not change it; at least understand that there is more than Mama’s side of the story and that Dee isn’t the worst person in the world. Part III: The Thesis The thesis of Farrell’s article was the character Dee offers an alternative way to cope with an oppressive society that is better than in some ways than the other perspective offered by Maggie and Mama, “While Dee is certainly insensitive and selfish to a certain degree, she nevertheless offers a view of heritage and a strategy for contemporary African Americans to cope with an oppressive society that is, in some ways, more valid than that offered by Mama and Maggie” (Susan Farrell, Fight Vs. Flight: A Re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker’s “Everday Use”, Studies in Short Fiction, p. 179). One of her supporting points were Dee’s bold actions and good things she did pointing out how Dee may not be such a bad person. Another is when she points out how Maggie’s behavior is totally opposite of Dee’s, and how it prevents her from doing more with her life. Lastly she brings up the point that Mama puts her influence on how things happened, and may be putting how she feels onto other characters and it may not be true. Farrell provides direct examples from the text explaining how Dee is not a terrible person, which is usually the initial reaction to the character. She points out how Dee tried to extend her education to her family, and how she is very proud of her African heritage. Dee also wants to preserve things that have been in her family, so they will last for generations. Farrell talks about how Maggie is limiting herself, because of how Mama raised her. Farrell uses the fact that Mama being the narrator limits what you know. Mama puts how she feels on other characters that may not be how they feel. Farrell uses specific parts of Walker’s article to support this. Farrell uses important points to support the idea of how Dee may offer a better way to deal with an oppressive society. She is a reliable source and is unbiased in her reasoning and successfully uses Walker’s text to support her ideas   Work Cited Susan Farrell, http://farrells.people.cofc.edu/vita.html?referrer=webcluster& Susan Farrell, Fight vs. Flight: A Re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker’s “Everday Use”, Studies in Short Fiction. Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”.

EH200.12 Precis Draft 1

EH200.12 09/25/2012 Allison Manson Précis Draft 1 Fight vs. Flight: A Re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” by Susan Farrell This essay is taking a look at the article Fight vs. Flight: A Re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” by Susan Farrell. Susan Farrell is a credible source and analyzes what the purpose of Walker’s text was. We will be looking at who was Farrell’s intended audience, what Farrell’s reasoning was to write her piece and why it was prompted. We will also be taking a look at what questions Farrell may have asked herself when writing her article. After addressing these things, we will look at the important issues in Farrell’s piece, and see how she supported her points. The author of this text is Susan Farrell. She is from South Carolina and works in the department of English at the College of Charleston. She has Ph.D. English and has been teaching since 1985. She has received College of Charleston Summer Research Grant in 2001 and 1994. College of Charleston Sabbatical Leave Grant in spring of 2000, South Carolina Humanities Council Grant in 1995, and Professional Development Awards from the University of Texas in 1991 and 1992. She has written many published papers. She is a very credible source and knowledgeable. (Information from http://farrells.people.cofc.edu/vita.html?referrer=webcluster&) The text that we are using is Fight vs. Flight: A Re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” by Susan Farrell. It was copyrighted in 2003 by EBSCO Publishing. The text is a re-evaluation of the character Dee, who comes across as a harsh unlikeable person in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”. The idea of this article was to reanalyze the initial reaction to Dee and if not change your perception of her, at least understand her character better. The text was redundant and could have been much more to the point. She used direct quotes from the story to help her point, and with the second piece of literature helped strengthened her point. One thing that really was a big part of what may have shaped Dee is the father, who was not even mentioned in Alice Walker’s story. I think that if Farrell had used the idea of the father not being there made each of the characters a certain way it would have strengthened her argument. The fact the father was not even mention may have a lot of insight to why mama is so submissive and Dee is so headstrong. The father could have died or left their family, causing each woman to take a different role, it would have been an interesting idea to explore. The reader of the text is those who have previously read the story “Everyday Use” and are looking into what the author Alice Walker was intending to portray with the character Dee. Those reading this are either very interested in extending their knowledge of Dee’s character or were assigned the reading in class. It was intended for people who like to read, debate, for people who did not like Dee’s character. Not clear if it is for children or adults. I know that it is hard to make an article like this interesting and fun to read, but it makes the reader fall asleep. The constraints of this article are your audience; it is limited to the people who have read Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”. You also have the constraint of the secondary example she used in her article, the example of “Meridian” which was published in 1976. Not everyone had read this novel, so the example did not mean as much to the audience if the audience had read it. Having different points of view on characters, but did not have Maggie’s point of view or Dee’s point of view, only mamas. Not having the character of the father mentioned who should have been a pivotal character in Walker’s story makes it so there are many situations we don’t know. There are many things that could have shaped each character, including mama and Maggie, giving us understanding why they are who they are. The exigency in this article is to understand what Alice Walker intended with the character of Dee, to give readers a better understanding of her to in turn understand the overall message of her short story “Everyday Use”. Farrell wrote this to help clarify meaning behind actions and things said in the story for the audience to not judge a character so rashly, but to understand the importance of the character. Flaws needed to be pointed out to understand Dee; you do not see the full picture. If the story was written in a different point of view, we would feel differently. If the father was mention the story would have been totally different and we would understand much more about all of the characters. One of the major questions that Farrell had in mind when writing her essay, she thought about what would my reader think if Dee had a better more contemporary way to cope with an oppressive society that is more valid than Mama’s and Maggie’s. She thought about this to get her reader to think there are two sides to the story, not just Mama’s. By having this be the base question for her article, she hopes that her reader will better understand that character of Dee and possibly change their initial opinion of her. Another question I believe Farrell asked herself was what if I change how Maggie is perceived. In Walker’s story Maggie looks like a controlled victim. Farrell points out that Maggie is more disgusted with her sister than in awe of her like Mama is. Other actions support Farrell’s point, with Maggie banging things around in the background instead of speaking. Farrell wants you to take a second look at Maggie, to see she is not just a victim, and the way Mama perceives her may be wrong. An additional question Farrell asked was how a reader would react to the idea that Mama puts how she feels onto what other characters like Maggie feel. She thinks they are misconstrued, because they are not what Maggie said at all. Farrell quotes the original text to support this. The examples also provide insight to what Mama’s daydream is no one else’s. One more question she would have asked is how a reader’s opinion of Dee would change if I point out all the good things she does for her family. She points out how Dee tries to extend her education to her family, and how Dee is very proud of her African heritage. Dee wants to preserve the things her family has, which isn’t a horrible thing to want. Farrell’s questions try to have you change your opinion of Dee, and if not change it; at least understand that there is more than Mama’s side of the story and that Dee isn’t the worst person in the world. The thesis of Farrell’s article was the character Dee offers an alternative way to cope with an oppressive society that is better than in some ways than the other perspective offered by Maggie and Mama. One of her supporting points were Dee’s bold actions and good things she did pointing out how Dee may not be such a bad person. Another is when she points out how Maggie’s behavior is totally opposite of Dee’s, and how it prevents her from doing more with her life. Lastly she brings up the point that Mama puts her influence on how things happened, and may be putting how she feels onto other characters and it may not be true. Farrell provides direct examples from the text explaining how Dee is not a terrible person, which is usually the initial reaction to the character. She points out how Dee tried to extend her education to her family, and how she is very proud of her African heritage. Dee also wants to preserve things that have been in her family, so they will last for generations. Farrell talks about how Maggie is limiting herself, because of how Mama raised her. Farrell uses the fact that Mama being the narrator limits what you know. Mama puts how she feels on other characters that may not be how they feel. Farrell uses specific parts of Walker’s article to support this. Farrell uses important points to support the idea of how Dee may offer a better way to deal with an oppressive society. She is a reliable source and is unbiased in her reasoning and successfully uses Walker’s text to support her ideas.