A Whisper In The Dark

The notion of insanity being introduced in the text makes you rethink how you perceive and comprehend how you read the text from that point forward. When you see Sybil struggling to cope with her new surroundings it makes you question how you would act in that situation and if you would be able to handle all that psychological turmoil that has taken its toll on her. The concepts of insanity also change how I read the story because the narrator (Sybil) is the one who is going insane. I was forced to feel and react to all the mental aspects and psychological battles that Sybil is fighting while in the insane asylum, which made me question if she was not already completely insane and if I could trust her thoughts. "I stretched my hands to them, crying with an imploring cry, Yes, I am quiet, I am hopeless." (Alcott pg.236) These were some of Sybil's actions that made it hard for me not to think she was not already insane.

I feel as though the mother and daughter relationship in nineteenth-century society literature was changed with the relationship of Sybil and her mother. Being that their relationship was established while Sybil is going insane and her mother on the other hand is already assumed to be insane. This is far different from the other text we have read were the mother daughter relationship was established on love and morals. I also feel as though Sybil and her mother still had that special love that a mother and daughter share even though it was under very dark and conflicting circumstances. Those circumstances were being able to fight through the insanity barrier and Sybil's mother warning her to escape, which was the foundation their relationship was built on. "I believed her dead, yet I had seen her, knew where her solitary grave was made, and still carried in my bosom the warnings she had sent me, prompted by the unerring instinct of a mother’s heart." (Alcott pg.240) This shows how there was still a loving relationship between mother and daughter with Sybil and her mother, it is just portrayed and received in a different manner by Sybil. Which is different from the traditional sense of a mother daughter relationship we have seen in other text.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

The ideas and theories that we have come to know in children's literature are lay to rest when reading the tragic tales in Uncle Tom's Cabin. This book to me completely abandons the ideas and theories that were established for children literature. Stowe choose to open the eyes of the world to the truths and dealing behind slavery and in the process made the general public during the time of its release rethink their views and morals regarding slavery in the United States.

The theory that children represent signs of being symbolic of hope and potential are dashed in Uncle Tom's Cabin. The only hope the children embodied were that they had a kind slave master or were not separated from their families. While their potential was limited to nothing more than being sold to the highest bidder and being worked until they grew old. As evident when Haley is discussing business with a man who wants to purchase a young boy "I could raise that ar chap myself, or get him raised; he's uncommon likely and healthy, and he'd fetch a hundred dollars, six months hence; and in a year or two, he'd bring two hundred." (Stowe pgs. 325-326) While there was potential for children in Uncle Toms Cabin it was for all the wrong reasons. Another theory that I felt was broken by Stowe regarding children's literature was that of authors hiding the social issues of the time period, as we have seen in are other reading the authors have shied away from this. But Stowe brings it full circle as we see when Mr.Bird addresses a law in Kentucky "There has been a law passes forbidding people to help off the slaves that come from Kentucky." (Stowe pg. 274) Another theory that I felt was broke was that of morality being the focus of children's literature, "high level of individual morality was indispensable if the promise of the nation’s future was to be fulfilled.” (Macleod) Well there was no morality displayed in Uncle Tom's Cabin with some of the most vicious and reprehensible acts committed by slave owners and peoples who accepted slavery. There was no morality upright in this text which gave great doubt on the nation's future ever being fulfilled.

Overall even though I felt that this text was eye-opening and one of the most saddest stories I have ever read, it might be one of the most important and influential novels ever published in history. While the whole message of slavery is not viewed as "good" Stowe was able to open the eyes of people and lend a helping hand in changing the view of ending slavery for the greater "good."

The Hidden Hand

I found this text to be the most interesting and my favorite reading of all the stories we have read up to this point in are readings. I was little disappointed with the fact that we don't know of Marah Rocke was wrong as Old Hurricane believed or innocent as Herbert Gresyon swore his life on. But as interesting as that was the most interesting aspect of the story I found was the setting of the whole story. As the story continued on the whole aspect of the trap door and all the different stories behind it fascinated me. Whether it was used to kill Indians to get land or as Old Hurricane said "was nothing more than a old cave that was used as a dry cellar". I was hoping that Cap and Pit-a-Pat would have explored it in more detail than the rather little investigating they did with the candle and the strap from her trunk. I was also disappointed by the fact that there were no more leads to the trap door when Cap searched for some. I would have loved for the story to continue going into detail with Cap and her curiosity with the trap door.

But the beginning of the text and going into detail with the setting by describing the likes of Hurricane Hall, Devils Run, and Devils Hoof. I felt as if the text really set the mood for the story and really established an intriguing and imaginative atmosphere that really left the reader pondering how all these settings will tie into the story later. I liked this a lot due to the fact that most authors during this time gave little attention to the setting, because they in no way wanted to take away from the moral lesson that they were tying into their story. But the fact that EDEN Southworth was willing to branch out and be different from the other authors was really groundbreaking for this time period.

The Lamplighter

I feel as though the video was quite evident of the changing times the world has gone through when it come to children and continues still till this day. I fell that the interview between Amy and Anna establishes the type of view that today's children have in the world, and how today's children are predicated on being their own person and doing what makes them feel good while in the 19Th century children were supposed to follow a strict regimen and grow into the mold that adult authority created for them. Anna as sweet as she is compares drastically different from Gerty. Both girls are struggling to find balance in their life and both girls deal with how to find that balance in a much different way. Anna finds balance by doing various yoga positions and its calms her to the point of balance. On the other hand Gerty finds balance by getting in touch with her violent emotional side which we see twice when she throws the wooden spoon and strikes Nan Grant and when she trows the stone at the widow and shatters it. I also feel as though today's girls are treated and perceived in today's society is vastly different from Gerty's time period. In the interview Anna says she does yoga to find balance and Anna says "You want people to like you for who you are" which is what people see of girls today as being their own person and being that contemporary girl that everyone finds pretty and sweet in today's society. While in Gerty's time period girls were viewed as young women in training and supposed to become well mannered and domesticated when they grew up.

If Gerty would have appeared on Amy Pholer's TV show there would have been a different kind of show and the questions might have been answered a little differently. For one when asked about school Gerty said she would hate it because of what those girls called Uncle True. When asked what qualities make a good teacher Gerty would have responded by saying what makes a good teacher is someone who is just nice with her and willing just to teach her, because she had never been taught anything until being taught how to be a housekeeper by Mrs.Sullivan. When asked the question what would you would tell people who say they cant do something, I believe Gerty would answer by saying they cant do it and just to give up. I think she would say this because of how she refers to her self as always being ugly and was always told that she was a bad child. As for the question on what advice she would give to girls I feel as though she would have responded by saying that all girls should find someone who will love them and be nice to them. Because we see how drastically Gerty has changed from a sad lonely little girl to a warm hearted loving child.