"The Yellow Wall-Paper"
by Charlotte Perkins Stetson Gilman

IMAGE: One image I had a particular reaction to was the relationship between the woman and her husband John. Their marriage struck me as more "father-daughter" than "husband-wife". For example:

"What is it, little girl? Don't go walking about like that--- you'll get cold."

I realize that marriage in the late 1800's was different than it is today, but this "protector" sense became overly-obvious when he referred to her as a "little girl". It seems like John is more interested in giving her patriarchal commandments rather than the loving care of a husband.

LINK: This "paternal" image in the story reminds me of the relationship between the two main characters in Lolita, by Vladimir Nobokov.


"Ain't I a Woman?"
by Sojourner Truth

IMAGE: "Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasnt' a woman!" This quote made me conjur up scenes of this woman, stuck in a hot and humid church, listening to a sermon and coming to this realization in the middle of it all. I notice how the author refers to the preacher as a "little man in black"; a clever way of belittling him the way he belittles women.

LINK: This passage reminds me of a mixed media piece of art called "The Liberation of Aunt Jemima" (1972), by artist Betye Saar. I first saw this collage in an art history course about a year ago, and I think it relates to the images of realization created by Sojourner Truth. In "The Liberation of Aunt Jemima", the artist takes an image of a stereotypical black woman from the late 1800's, and "liberates" her by placing a gun in her hand alongside the broom, and creates a new image of her in less traditional garb, holding a child in the center of the piece. Saar belittles the idea of the Aunt Jemima stereotype, and Sojourner belittles the preacher; it was a way for both women to show their distaste for the same racist, sexist ideals.


"Lady Lazarus"
by Sylvia Plath

IMAGE: I admit I'm not too familiar with Sylvia Plath's work, so I hadn't read this poem before. After reading through it a few times, a few lines stuck out:

"Dying,
Is an art, like everything else.
I do it exceptionally well."

and

"That melts to a shriek.
I turn and burn.
Do not think I underestimate your great concern."

I think the main idea of this poem was Plath's own suffering, related to something having to do with Nazi Germany and/or the Halocaust. I'm not entirely sure, but the references to her own death are what created images for me.

LINK: When I read the poem, I was reminded of another author from a previous era; Virginia Woolf. Since Woolf also struggled with depression, imagery of death is prevalent in her work as well. But I think what first made me connect these two women was the fact that they both committed suicide. I was thinking of Virginia Woolf before I even started reading this poem, honestly.


"When I was Growing Up"
by Nellie Wong

IMAGE: "... blonde movie stars, white skin, sensuous lips and to be elevated, to become a woman, a desirable woman, I began to wear imaginary pale skin." When I read this line, I imagined a young girl dressing up in her mother's clothes or makeup, longing to be more "beautiful" or someone else altogether.

LINK: The imagery of a person dressing up in order to take on the identity of someone else reminded me of the famous photo taken by Man Ray, called "Rrose Selavy" (1921). "Rrose Selavy" was an alias that artist Marcel Duchamp used when he was dressed and photographed in women's clothing. Something about these two people, Nellie Wong and Marcel Duchamp, being attracted to the idea of traditional beauty ("white skin", "sensuous lips", "to become a woman") reminded me of each other.


"The Thirty Eighth Year"
by Lucille Clifton

IMAGE: When Lucille Clifton refers to herself as "plain as bread, round as a cake, an ordinary woman", I pictured not only an ordinary woman but a sad one. She goes on to describe her mother and her daughters, and all she had hoped to become; but still came back to the idea of herself as nothing but a "plain" person.

LINK: With the repetition of the word "plain" so many times throughout this poem, I couldn't help but think of the book Sarah Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan. I haven't read this book or even thought about it since I was really young, so I don't remember too much about the story. The link in my mind comes basically from the word "plain", and my ingrained sense of what a "plain" woman is from reading this book so long ago.