Answer one of the following questions with 200-250 words:
1) Why are the two sisters in "The Daughters of the Late Colonel" unable to deal with the challenges of the everyday life on their own? Why don't they have the ability to make decisions for themselves? What causes their indecisiveness and child-like timidity?
2) "Class" is a central issue that is been contemplated in Mansfield's "The Garden Party." How does Mansfield criticize the middle-class gentility and its pretentious snobbishness in the story?
3) In Rhys' "The Day They Burned the Books," the narrator is a white girl who only partially understands the painful entanglements of class, race, and cultural prejudice. How are these issues reflected in the story?
58 comments:
The two daughters relied on their father for every need before his death, they were controlled by father since they had consciousness, and it is hard to be free. In the past, the idea of male domination and patriarchy was deeply rooted in the society. Even now, still many people prefer to have boy kids than girls. The colonel is a symbol of patriarchy. Constantia and Josephine are victims of this society. They are oppressed by their father, so they don’t have their own thoughts and ideas, and still feel father is watching them, scolding them, blame them, even he is already dead. It is terrible that the daughters can’t get freedom even the depressor is not here anymore. I think they are not only physically controlled, but also mentally, because as they hearing a barrel-organ starts to play in the streets, the only thought they have is to stop the organ-grinder otherwise their father would get mad. They don’t have any confidence to make decisions, they are not individuals, they don’t have a room of one’s own, they have hollow mind. What’s worse, they don’t think it is strange, they are used to it. And their father is used to have power to control them, too. Can women get real freedom when everything in the patriarchy of the society is so normal? They won’t doubt because they are used to it. Like many things run in our world. Things are wrong, but we are blind to see the truths.
Question 1:
Basically, these problems are interrelated and are resulted from two main causes. One is the Late Colonel’s repression on his daughters. The other is the sisters’ contentment with the status quo.
The two sisters are so used to obeying their father’s orders that they lose the ability to think and make decisions on their own. Without their father giving the command, they don’t know what to do. Even after the father’s death, they are still haunted by his authoritative image: at the funeral, Josephine is afraid that her father would be angry because they have him buried without asking his permission; when they are in their father’s room, they feel that he is hidden in the chest of drawers or behind the door handle; as they hear the barrel-organ playing in the street, they spring to their feet and think it urgent to stop the organ-grinder as if the father was still alive. Their ridiculous thoughts reveal how strong the father’s repression is. His words, eyes, and the thumping of stick are referred to several times in the story because the two sisters can’t get away from his shadow.
However, they are content with the status quo. They want to be weak, they depend on Kate for food, and they still live in their father’s house even they are already middle-aged. Thus, they are unable to deal with the difficulties in daily life by themselves and they become so timid and child-like that they will never grow up.
In "The Garden Party", Mansfield criticizes the middle-class gentility and its pretentious snobbishness and describes the difference between classes by showing us the attitude, the behavior and the thought of different characters. In addition to the extremely different living environment, there are some examples that can show the classification between the classes: 1.Laura shows curiosity in the workman's attitude towards her. Her upbringing made her wonder for a moment whether it was quite respectful of a workman to talk to her of bangs slap in the eye. 2. Laura's mother buys a vast amount of lilies which would be only used one day. It’s a waste and extravagant. 3. Laura’s mother does not care about other’s feeling. Even if the neighbor is killed, she insists having party. She views those people who are lower status as the poor creatures and their life as nothing.
At the end of the story, Laura sees the dead man. He lies peacefully and that is so wonderful and beautiful. It gives her the epiphany that her class is vulgar. ‘’Forgive my hat.’’ she says. The hat in the story is the important symbol of higher classes. It’s proud and arrogant. In the story, we can see the upper classes are shown selfish and being lacking humanity, while the lower classes present love and respect.
49902030 Angela
Question 1:
The reason why these two sisters have those aforesaid problems is caused by their father, the late of Colonel which is the represent of authority.
The two sisters have oppressed by their father since they were born. It resulted that they are unable to make any decision. Because in that era women are superior to the men and lived in the patriarchal society, men have the power to do everything. Women could only follow men’s instruction without having their own mind. These reasons make Constantia and Josephine is timid to do any decision and could only submit their father’s control. Although they seem to get freedom, they are still haunted by their father’s image. It also shows the influential dominance of their father who physically died but still exists. The shadows of their father will make them repeat their pathetic life.
These two sisters also are the victims of habit. They get used to obey their father’s order, without independent minds. This makes them think it is better to be weak than to be strong. Even their servant, Kate is able to walk all over them. Although, they realized their father was actually died, they have already accustomed to listen to other people's words rather than decide things by themselves. I think they are destined for controlling by others.
Constantia and Josephine’s paralysis of making decisions and lack of personal will were caused by their father’s military education. The daughters grew up in an autocratic environment, where all the decisions were made by their father without any discussions with the family. As a result, the daughters learnt nothing that an adult require, for example, how to make a decision, or how to negotiate with others; instead, they were obedient and passive all the time. That’s how exactly their motto “it’s much nicer to be weak than to be strong” came from. There’s an example of their weakness, when they want Kate to get them two cups of hot tea, Constantia said, “I won’t ring. I’ll go to the kitchen and ask her.” They were so afraid of bothering their servant that they adjusted themselves in order not to make their servant complain. Being obedient and not having personal strong will became their philosopher of life; therefore, after the father passed away, they panic at no one to follow. For example, after their father was buried, they had unnecessary and ridiculous fear of not asking for the father’s permission first. Having the unreasonable fear of their father, it is reasonable to say that two daughter’s lack of motivation to be their lives’ own master, was because of the father’s over protecting and tyrant-like education.
Mario 49902064
The Garden Party of Katherine Mansfield, in this short story, she depicts the tremendous difference of her characters between the middle class and their worker class. By the character of Laura Sheridan, an upper-class, adolescent girl with the naiveté and compassion of her age, she acts out an ambiguous attitude towards “class” that she has never known in her peaceful garden. When the annual garden party meets a funeral, in Laura’s sensitive opinion, she thinks the party should be cancelled because of the mourning of their dead worker. However, her family doesn’t show their empathy and even makes the party continue. Beside, while Laura steps in the worker’s house, this is the first time she experiences the worker class. The sight gives her a shocking lesson, she unconsciously feels sorry about her inappropriate party hat, giving the worker family leftovers. In final lines, she even cannot complete her sentences because her mind is confused and tangled. Mansfield describes the ambiguous comprehension of Laura’s mind towards the different class to compare with the middle-class and upper-class’ reaction of life. She makes the critics of class consciousness in which she explores the class issue and overturns the mainstream awareness of upper-class that is selfish, hypocritical, and pretentious.
410002003 Amy Sun
I choose question 2 to answer.
I think it can be to divide into two parts.
First is to describe how middle class extravagance and waste. We can see in p.2648 that Laura’s mother-Mrs. Sheridan orders too many lilies. And then is on p.2653- “There on the table were all those sandwiches, cakes, puffs all un-eaten, all going to be wasted.” These two sentences reveal how middle-class squanders their money, and it also gives me a feeling that they think they have money, so they can spend money without controlling, so I think money makes them to become blind.
Second is attitude toward the death of Scott. Jose, Laura’s sister, when she hears that Laura says to her to stop garden party, she says to Laura:” don’t be so absurd. “And then Jose knows why Laura wants to stop party, but her attitude becomes worse, she says: I feel just as sympathetic. Her eyes hardened. And Laura tells her mother this thing, however, her mother is the same attitude, but even worse, she says: “You are being very absurd … And it’s not very sympathetic to spoil everybody’s enjoyment as you’re doing now.” From Laura’s sister and mother, we can see that one life passed away is not important than their garden party. To me, I feel they just like “Everyone caring for his/her own business without bothering about the needs of others.”
According to these two points that we can see how Katherine Mansfield criticizes middle- class, and it is also reflected condition in that time.
49902038 Vera
Q1:
The main reason is their father’s controlling and repression. Constantia and Josephine were controlled by their father since they were born. Therefore, their minds were still stayed in the time when they were children. And not just their minds were stayed in the time when they were children, their life styles were stayed in their childhood too. They still lived in the same room even though they were “the old tabbies”.
Colonel never gave up the authority even when he was going to die. And Constantia and Josephine cannot get rid of their father’s authority and influence even after their father was dead. Because of the long-term controlling, the daughters were used to it. They chose to be weak and unwilling even when they were free. They have already given up their wills, thus they have lost the ability of individual thinking. That is why Josephine would ridiculously say that they shouldn’t burry their father without his permission. It seems like their meanings of life are not to annoy their father, and get everything on approval by their father. After their father’s death, they lost the meaning of life. Therefore, besides their father’s decision, they couldn’t decide anything trifle in their life. They didn’t even dare to ask their servant for two cups of water. Constantia and Josephine are not just the victims of their father’s authority; they are also the victims of that era.
In the end, Constantia seems started to think. However, Constantia and Josephine still could not decide who should speak first. As a result, they lost the chance to think and decide again. And they may never be able to be independent.
The two sisters obey everything what their father asked them to do. Most of their life is trying to get his father’s approval. According to the context we can know the two sisters are not young ladies anymore. So, we can know how long are the two sisters be controlled under this patriarchy. They always ask for their father’s permission before do things, they don’t have their own mind to deal with every single incidents. They had come to rely on him for their every need. Constantia and Josephine lack the self-confidence to make their own judgments. The story begins with the girls are discussing whom to give their fathers top-hat. While give it to the porter or not. Even this simplest question they were unable to decide. What’s more, their father is no longer existed, so why should they care about if father will angry or not. That shows how indecisive they actually are. If the decision is not made for their father, then the decision won’t be made. Under this kind of controlling from their father for a long time, it causes the two sisters’ indecisiveness and child-like timidity. At the end of the novel, Constantia and Josephine are going to announce something that just burst form their own opinion, but at the end they both forgot what to say at the beginning, only because they cannot decide whom to speak first. They were having the chance to accept new values, but the indecisiveness made them keep the old ones at the end.
HAZEL 49902032
Q1: The two sisters obey everything what their father asked them to do. Most of their life is trying to get his father’s approval. According to the context we can know the two sisters are not young ladies anymore. So, we can know how long are the two sisters be controlled under this patriarchy. They always ask for their father’s permission before do things, they don’t have their own mind to deal with every single incidents. They had come to rely on him for their every need. Constantia and Josephine lack the self-confidence to make their own judgments. The story begins with the girls are discussing whom to give their fathers top-hat. While give it to the porter or not. Even this simplest question they were unable to decide. What’s more, their father is no longer existed, so why should they care about if father will angry or not. That shows how indecisive they actually are. If the decision is not made for their father, then the decision won’t be made. Under this kind of controlling from their father for a long time, it causes the two sisters’ indecisiveness and child-like timidity. At the end of the novel, Constantia and Josephine are going to announce something that just burst form their own opinion, but at the end they both forgot what to say at the beginning, only because they cannot decide whom to speak first. They were having the chance to accept new values, but the indecisiveness made them keep the old ones at the end.
Qiana 49902068
My question is no.1
Ans. Their indecisiveness is because of their father. In the 19th century, under the patriarchal society, male thinks female don't need to have an individual thinking; their father is kind of the person like that, therefore their father is like a controlling person. For example, Constantia and Josephine are not got married. In their whole life, they only met clergymen; it is because their father has cut off all the opportunities to let them have man. Besides, when father gets sick in his later years; they need to look after him in the rest of their life, just as they are still controlled by father.
Meanwhile, they are afraid of their father. For example, on the page 7, they think that their father will come out from the drawer even if father was already buried; and on the page15, when they hear the sounds of the barrel-organ, they tend to run away the street immediately. Why they have this kind of reaction? It is because their father doesn’t like to listen this noise sounds and he always thinks they are not hurrying enough to leave there. Even father has already died; they still have that reaction; this revealed the image of their father in their mind is so deep, as a deepest shadow, a kind of threatening in their mind.
Under their father’s control and under this extent of fear, therefore as time passing, they are gradually lack of self-initiative and individual thinking. That is why they are always indecisiveness and child-like timidity, unable to make decision on every thing.
Question 1:
The two daughters, Constantia and Josephine, are unable to make decisions for themselves is mainly because of their father. Colonel Pinner, their father, had been controlling their life. They do everything under his father’s will. For example, we see they panic and run to get money for the barrel-organ so it can stop playing music. Or their father would thump angrily because he didn’t like it. They are so afraid of their father. Meanwhile, they never decide anything in their life when their father still alive. They don’t have to do anything because they have servants and live a quit wealthy life with their father. But their father didn’t respect them at all. He used his stick to point at them or waves them away, which can be read when Cyril comes to visit. Not even does their servant, Kate, has respect on them. Although they want to send Kate away because they don’t need her to cook for father, they forget that they couldn’t decide if they want the fish to be fried or boiled. They think they are the ones who take care of their father, but in their daily life, we see they are the ones who are taken care of by people. The lack of freedom causes their lack of self-esteem and independent thinking. Their father controlled what they do and how they think which make their mind weaker than servants’.
49804003 Doris
Q1:
The colonel, who spends most of his life in military, is the main reason why Constantia and Josephine can’t make their own decisions for themselves and always living in a kind of fearfulness. Due to the great influences of militarism, their father has become an authoritarian and a controlling man who treats them almost like soldiers. Furthermore, it is patriarchy society which leads to an outcome that women have fewer rights to speak out loud. In that time, men have power over everything. No matter what they say, women always listen, obey and do what men want to do. What is going to happen if women keep being weak than strong? For long, women will lose their ability to think, speak, as well as desire. Like these two daughters, they almost can’t aspire to reach for a brand-new life which is full of freedom; instead, they used to live under the shadow of their father and thus miss the opportunity to break through the constraints that binds them to the old world. Frankly speaking, it is pitiful for them to live more than half of their lives in such a fettered environment and then causes their indecisiveness and child-like timidity.
Two sisters’ indecisiveness and timidity are mostly caused by their father because his presence hangs ominously over them. In the colonel’s final moments, he is very unkind and threatening to his daughters. His face is described as “a dark, angry purple face”, and he opened only one eye “glaring at them”. This directly causes Josephine to feel very uneasy at the funeral because she thinks that they have buried their father without “asking his permission”, and she even hears “the stick” thumping. It suggests their father is an authoritarian and a controlling man. He likes to express his anger by thumping his stick, and when he used his stick, he also asks people to obey him and his commend. His military title ‘colonel’ suggests he is used to commend people. The story doesn’t give the colonel’s background. I only know his last name is Pinner and the author only calls him ‘colonel’ when his grandson Cyril tries to talk to him, and nothing more, but his title is just like his personality. Maybe the author wants to use him as a symbol of the invisible oppression. When two sisters are going to check their father’s room, they are also scared by the thought that the colonel’s ghost would come out of the closet. Therefore, Constantia argued that it is better to be weak. It shows two sisters do not dare to break through the constraints even though their father has died.
Question1
The father of the two sisters control his daughter behavior. They need to share the room with their father and serve him in the everyday life. They cannot live without their father. Their father doesn’t let them to go out without him. There are once time the daughter wants to go outside and see the sea. Her father finds and stops her to do that. They have no freedom. The two daughters follow their father’s order and want to get love and affirmative from him. When the two daughters choose the top hat for father, they cannot make decision. It is because father makes decision for them. They don’t need to make decision in their daily life. The Nurse Andrew need stay in their home and take care of their father. They irritated with her because she use the butter. But they don’t tell her. The daughters cannot tell people about their thought without their father. They serve their father in the daily life and without their own thought. When their father died, the two daughters buried their father and think without asking father permission. All the things the two daughters do should ask father permission make them become a child-like timidity.
The two sisters are basically under their father’s control almost throughout their lives. Their father makes the calls on everything; he doesn’t give them much choice to make their own decision. Technically their father controls their minds. In this way he can make them do whatever he wants and don’t have to worry about they will leave him someday or have second thoughts against him. Their father plays an authoritative role in the two sisters’ lives, creating a morbid dependency between the two sisters and the father. The two sisters rely on their father to make every decision so that they don’t have to worry about anything.
When the chance comes, which is that their father dies, they are glad that they can finally make their own decisions. However, they chickened because they never make decisions in their lives before, and they are scared. Their father’s shadow, or rather their memories of their father, seems to linger in the house and in their minds. Also they are too old to make a change. Therefore there is the line that they are saying “It’s better to be weak than to be strong.” I would say that their father is the start for their indecisiveness, but the two sisters themselves are also one of the main reasons for their child-like timidity.
49902042 Pansy
1.
In this story, the reason causes the two sisters unable to deal with the challenges of the everyday life on their own is because their authoritarian father. Their father is a controlling man who loves control everything of both his daughters, including those people who want to make friends with these two sisters. It causes them have no friends, no confidence, and even have not gotten married yet.
The controlling father even deprived of their individual thinking. For example, after their father’s death, the servant, Kate is no need to stay in this house. However, they don’t know how to ask her to leave. It is the difficulty for these two sisters. Besides, they are afraid of their father and even cannot make decision whether they should bury their father’s body or not after their father died. Except nonconfidence, the other main reason why they can’t make decision to bury their father is because they fear of the image of their authoritarian father.
Before the moment their father died, he still didn’t show any kind words or behaving kindly to his daughters. Instead, he glared at them. How could a father glare at his daughter at his final moment? With this scaring image of their father, they have no courage to reach for the freedom and the better life although their father died.
Q1:
Monica
The two sisters of late Colonel are not able to deal with challenges of everyday, because they have been lived under his father’s military-like control for so long. The two sisters are old virgins since their servant Kate called them “ole tabbies”; but they still share a room of his father. They are so lack of confidence for everything was decided by their father before. All they need to do were to put his words into action. That leads the two sisters cannot make any decision after his father’s death, like they cannot decide whether they should fire Kate, and they afraid that his father won’t happy for burying him. It sounds creepy cause how could a dead man opposes to be buried. From these things we can learn that how they lack of individual thinking and be depend on their father, that they are not allowed to reach freedom from repression and self-denial. All in all, that is because the two sisters are living in a patriarchal society. In this kind of world, women can never make their own decisions without men. Finally, people are getting used to it, and like these two sisters do not feel unfair at all.
49902006 Bradshaw
In the story, Mansfield makes Laura as the middle class “connector” to the lower-class people. Laura is an idealistic and a sensitive girl. She cares about the things “in other class.” When she hears the sorrowful news of the worker, she immediately suggests her mother that it is inappropriate to hold garden party during the time. However, her mother responds her “It’s not very sympathetic to spoil everybody’s enjoyment as you’re doing now.” This shows how selfish and indifferent the middle-class people hold the attitude to people from lower class. After the party, Laura’s mother makes Laura bring the leftovers to the family whose father has just passed away. Laura, with the gorgeous hat, comes to realize that life is more than just being dressed up when she walks into the door. In addition, she says “forgive my hat.” The hat symbolizes the material thing. When visiting a place whose atmosphere is mournful, people should behave and dress plain. Laura notices that she doesn't fit to the scene at all. And, she realizes the so-called “kind giving” may not worth anything to them. Mansfield citizens the arrogance of the middle-class people by Laura’s action, which makes the reader impressed.
69902622 Michelle Lin
I choose Q1 to answer:
The two sisters, Constantia and Josephine, lack of confidence and individual thinking to deal with the challenges of the everyday life on their own and to make a rich life all because of their military father, the Colonel. Before he dies, he makes every decision and gives every command to his two daughters. To them, he is more like a colonel than a father. They dedicate their lives to serving his every need and are afraid to disobey or having second opinion against his will. The same to Kate the servant, who takes care of their father, they do not dare to offend either even if they feel irritated. It does not end even after their father dies. They can still hear the thumping stick in their mind which points out they are still living under the shadow of their father. When people live in the great fear for a long time, they lose their self-confidence and become timid which results in losing the decision-making powers and losing the abilities to love themselves. Just like Constantia and Josephine end up being bound forever to the memory of their father and care about what would he/people say, and never being able to reach for the new world and the freedom that opens up to them.
49902056 Aere(Question 1)
In the short story, The Daughters of the Late Colonel, Katherine Mansfield shows inability of women grown up in the society of Victorian Period to deal with everyday life trifles on their own. The two sisters, Josephine and Constantia have been brought up under the dominance of their late father and assistance of their servants since they are born. The dependence on their father and those servants gives them inability of many things. They have no strong mind to decide their thoughts, so the lack of decisiveness and mind of their own leads to their sad unsatisfactory in their lives. Even when their father dies, their inability to make decision on dad’s funeral also makes them helpless. Without their father’s decision, the two sisters are surrounded by the memories of their father. They keep living the life under father’s dominance and never being able to step out. But the final chapter points that, no matter how deeply the inhibition society grants to them, every woman, including the two sisters, is intuitively aware of what really brings her happiness, even if she can’t wholly realize her hidden dreams and desires. So, Josephine and Constantia begin to flee to their memories, during which they search for freedom that is hidden in their deep mind.
69804001 Wesleigh Liao
Q1
It is the sisters’ lack of decisiveness and a mind of their own that leads to their sad unfulfilment in their lives. After many years of dependence on their imperious father has weakened them of any decision-making powers. Their inability to make decisions for themselves are shown when they cannot come to a consensus regarding Kate - “on this one subject I’ve never been able to quite make up my mind – and their dismay towards their first ever decision of burying father. Helpless without their father to make their decisions for them, both sisters end up being bound forever to the memory of their father and forgetting “what it was (they were) going to say”. They will continue to live in the void created by their father’s death, never being able to step out.
This story reflects the unfair treatment which male gives to female. The colonel is a symbol of patriarchy; women who live in this authority-dominated society are repressed in their own thought and can’t have their own ideas. Even the world changes, women can’t still get real freedom.
49902004 Kimlake
1. Jug and Con are adults, but they still live with their tyrannical father and take care of him. Before he is dead, they have to listen to and follow his every word. For example, when he feels that the organ-grinder’s playing the barrel-organ is noisy, they have to ask that person to go away. They are deeply influenced by him. Even though he passes away, he still has strong influence on them. There are many times they think of him and feel terrified. For instance, one is that when they go to clean his bedroom, they are so afraid as if he is still alive and he will scold them. Annother time is that when he is buried, they imagine that he is angry. Because they are used to comply with his orders and fear him, they are indecisive and can’t cope with problems. Therefore, they can’t even decide trivial things, such as whether to send his hat to the porter. In addition, although they are Kate and Nurse Andrew’s masters, they dare not ask them to leave. To sum up, it is due to their father and their being unable to get rid of his influence that they are so childlike and weak.
1.The two daughters are totally controlled by their father since they have had consciousness. They do whatever their father tells them to do. They do not have the courage or thought to disobey his command. Their father is the authority, and he is also the hierarchy symbol. The two daughters are like the objects of his. They serve him and they do not even have to consider what to do. They just follow what he requires. That is the reason why they do not have any ideas when their father dies. They are like losing the one who controls them so that they cannot control themselves. They realize that they have to encounter the reality without their father’s command. But they are not used to it. They are afraid that their father will not agree their actions and become angry. They have no courage to do what their father does not say to them. Lacking of the ability to have their own thought, they are like not able to grow up. They are not going to be individuals but only their father’s accessories. Because their father’s image lasts in their mind for so long a time, they cannot move on to walk out of the being-controlled situation. They can only be like before, having no life of their own.
The two sisters, Constantia and Josephine, possess a weak and sentimental personality. Their father was a colonel, is a strict and harsh man. The way he treated the two sisters were authoritarian, and I think partly is because he serves in the army for many years. He commanded all the household and living style in the house, and what his two daughters has to do is complete obedience. This result the timidity and indecisiveness in the two sisters, instead of love, they are afraid of their father. Everything were decided and controlled by the colonel when he is still alive, and his power is unquestionable. I think human beings are animals that are prone to rely on others, especially the strong ones. When things happened, we are easily to look for others opinion, but when their opinion has too much power over our own will, this will leads to lack of individual thinking. After the colonel’s death, he was like a ghost lingering in the house, still haunting the two sisters. They were indulged in the thoughts that father is still alive, what will father think of this, and what will father… Under the shadow of the colonel, they will never able to live their own life. It may sounds pathetic, but in our society, most of the women in the past are just like the sisters. They depend on their husband and son, and lived poorly throughout the way. This really shows the importance of independency in women.
410002019 Linda Hsu
The two sisters’ behaviors in the story are influenced by their father. They are oppressed by their father. In their life, they can not do any decision to themselves. Everything had been prepared, they need not do anything. Even though they want to do anything to themselves are not allowed. That is because they live in the society which women are oppressed by men. Men are dominating the society. The two sisters had oppressed in the society too long. Even though after their father died, they still can not get rid of the shackles. Constantia and Josephine are is timid under their father. It is like a curse to them. The two sisters are the victim. They are the typical victim of patriarchy. Because they are accustom the pattern of life. Even they finally have chance to become strong. They do not want to change. Because they think it is better to be weak than to be strong. They do not want to change the pattern of life. The indecisiveness made them keep the old value to live.
Helen 49902002
Q1:
The two daughters of the late colonel can not make decisions by themselves because their father is a controlling man who always gives them orders to follow. Consequently, the colonel makes them lack of their individual thinking and self confidence. If their father is annoyed with something, they need to care about his feeling so they are afraid of his angry. After a long time, they are under their father’s shadow and can not get use to father’s death.
They even think their dad is going to say “You two girls had me buried!” No doubt, their father will not come back to them, but their father’s authority always keeps lingering in their minds. Lacking self judgment and individual thinking makes these two sisters want to be weak. Obviously, they want someone to protect them and depend on their father and the servant, Kate. This kind of thought will make them too weak to escape from the repression under their dead father. Weakness can not give courage to these two poor women. Without courage, seeking their brand new lives is very impossible after their father’s funeral. Finally I want to say to these two sisters “Why not be strong for once?”
49902060 Joanne
(2)
In "The Garden Party", Mansfield uses several images to show the superficialness of the middle-class. At the very beginning, the host of the house, the Sheriden family, commands the gardener to trim the plants and clean the garden since dawn just for impressing the guests on the party. Besides, Mrs. Sheridan, always cares about if there are enough canna lilies, displaying how showy, boring, and shallow she is. Second, Mrs. Sheriden requires her daughter Laura to dress on appropriate clothes for the party, and especially reminds her to wear the beautiful hat which indeed is praised by many people. Somehow, we don't know if those guests are truthful or just for socializing. Next, after hearing of the bad news that one of their neighbors is killed in an accident, Mrs. Sheridan insists on continuing the party and blames on Laura that she is not very sympathetic to spoil everybody's enjoyment. However, Mrs.Sheridan is the one who is not sympathetic to care about others, especially the family of working-class. Then, Mrs. Sheridan stands as a prelatic role to send the remaining food to the Scott family. She utilizes "that poor creature"(2653) to describe their neighbor which is an egotistic behavior of dehumanizing others. Above all, they story conveys the hypocrisy and complacency of a shallow and imperious middle-class family.
410002037 Chou
I would like to take the first one question. I think this story is really a tragedy. The author described this story to satirize the patriarchy. Constantia and Josephine did not have the individual thinking due to Colonel’s oppression. On account of their father’s title, we can know that it was symbolized the militarism. He used the repressive ways to command his daughters. Both of them were lived under their father’s shadow since they were born. They obeyed all the things that their father had asked for. They relied on him for all the needs. Those reason caused both could not solve the problems by themselves. They became indecisive. All they could do is to wait for their father to reply. Even Colonel died, this situation seemed did not change. The patriarchy somehow just likes the nightmare which was haunting their whole life. Moreover, in the story Constantia and Josephine shared the same room which means they do not have their own space, the thinking space. The Colonel symbolized the patriarchy. Constantia and Josephine were the victims of it. In the end of the story, from their dialogue, we can know that they still could not make the decisions. They could not seek out the opportunity of the new life.
英美四 49802032 陳蓁
Q2:
Katherine Mansfield characterizes Laura as a sensitive girl and differs from her family members. By her point of views, readers can discover an obvious contrast between the working class and beau monde. One of the biggest contrast is the capability of sensitivity. Laura discovers that the workers who help to set up the marquee are very different from those boys she knows. She is deeply impressed when she sees one of them snuffing at the lavender, because in her upbringing back ground, she may be taught that people from working class are uneducated and vulgar. On the contrary, for Mrs. Sheridan, the flowers are functioned as her way to make a display of her social status and wealth. The other case is the car accident. Both Jose and Mrs. Sheridan think Laura is over reacting for the accident. Jose grows impatience and annoyance when Laura feels sad for the family. She judged that the man must be drunk so he gets killed. Her mother also responses with the same answer. She even scolded Laura for asking to quit the party. Apparently, they think they are prominent and superior than people from working class. Compared to Laura, their acts are cruel, cold-blooded, and ignorant. Laura is the one who has sympathy and mercy, who really cares about people from different classes.
410002052 Cindy
Mansfield criticize the gentility and its snobbishness in The Garden Party. She shows the selfish attitude of Laura's sister and her mother. When Laura heard the accident, she confused to have the garden party. In contrast with Laura, her sister, Jose, represented a snobbish attitude. She thought the opinion that Laura wanted to stop having the party very extravagant. However, I think that you spend so much money and time holding a useless and kind of valueless party more extravagant than Laura wanted to stop it. Also, Laura's mother did not care about the lower class. When Laura told her a man's been killed, she just cared about the party and her hat. She even told to Laura that “my dear, use your "common sense". It's only by accident we've heard of it.” Her mother behaved just like her sister. I confused the meaning of common sense. It seems that the common sense of middle-class very different from other people. After the party, her mother saw there are so many food going to be wasted. She had a kindness idea which is to give Scott's family these leftover food, and she also thought that "people of that class are so impressed by arum lilies." These thoughts can show her gentility. Finally, Laura went to Scott's house. She said, "Forgive my hat." She known it is inappropriate to wear the hat which represented the middle-class gentility in a sad situation.
Judy 49902027
1)
Constantia and Josephine’s indecisiveness is probably affected by their father’s military background. They lack the self-confidence to make sound judgments. As we can see in the story, these two sisters couldn’t make simple decisions on their own even though they have already reached some age. For example, at the beginning of the story, they are discussing about whom to give their father’s hat, and they couldn’t even make the decision. Moreover, they panic at the thought that he will discover they are going to bury him even though he’s not alive. And, they couldn’t either send the maid, Kate away when she’s no longer needed. We can say that they are strongly affected by their father, who might have been a controlling man. Constantia and Josephine rely so much on their father that after his death they suddenly lose the direction in life and thus couldn’t deal with anything on their own. It seems that they are constantly haunted by him. And, the main reason is that they lack for individual thinking which stops them from leading a fulfilling and rich life. Without the ability to think independently, it’s hard for one to have personal opinions and will be easily controlled by others.
Celia 49902066
In "The Daughters of the Late Colonel", the two sisters are living belong with their father. Since they were the child, they do not have any opportunity to connect with the outside world. They life are control by the father. During the times, they are unable to deal with anything. They are hesitated of making decision by their own because of their father long-term military education. They are doing everything what their father wanted. After the father’s death, they can get their freedom but actually they are still live in the father’s shadow. Even though they have aged but they still share the same bed, it means they are still in childhood. They are weak on everything as they said “it’s much nicer to be weak than to be strong”, they prefer to be weak and not to be strong. Because of their weakness and over repress of the father, they cannot ask the nurse or the servant to leave; they are child-like timidity. And in the end of the story, they still cannot make decision to say the things what they want to say, and forgotten. It is very ironical.
I think the patriarchy society are making female being useless, cannot have their opinions and unable to make any decision in the late 19th to early 20th century. The two sisters are afraid of make their father annoy and cannot be independence in this situation.
I choose the first one to answer.
The two sisters lived under a patriarchal society. The power and violence their father imposed on them influenced them a lot, even after his death. Their powerful father made decisions for them, forbid them to do what would made him unsatisfied. Still, the two protagonists are defined as “daughters” instead as individuals, controlled by their father. In some ways, the two daughters were impersonalized. Every time they tried to make a decisions, when it’s almost could be figure out; they became nervous and thought whether their father would be angry or not. Their father was just death before long, they were not young and were described as old tabbies; so the two daughters’ personalities would be hard to change. The story shows us in other ways a British Empire’s influences. People became indecisive and were forced or controlled by the empire. Thus it would make them unhappy and lifeless, and became the victims of those superstitions. Those old and dead values hanged around us, and made us haunted and frustrated. Even finally there nearly came a transformation for Constantia, but was interrupted and finally forgot. It indicated they may lead a miserable life without changing after.
I choose the first one to answer.
The two sisters lived under a patriarchal society. The power and violence their father imposed on them influenced them a lot, even after his death. Their powerful father made decisions for them, forbid them to do what would made him unsatisfied. Still, the two protagonists are defined as “daughters” instead as individuals, controlled by their father. In some ways, the two daughters were impersonalized. Every time they tried to make a decisions, when it’s almost could be figure out; they became nervous and thought whether their father would be angry or not. Their father was just death before long, they were not young and were described as old tabbies; so the two daughters’ personalities would be hard to change. The story shows us in other ways a British Empire’s influences. People became indecisive and were forced or controlled by the empire. Thus it would make them unhappy and lifeless, and became the victims of those superstitions. Those old and dead values hanged around us, and made us haunted and frustrated. Even finally there nearly came a transformation for Constantia, but was interrupted and finally forgot. It indicated they may lead a miserable life without changing after.
I want to answer question 2.
In the story’’ The Garden Party,’’ in Lauran’s house, they hold a luxurious and grand party. Unfortunately, their neighbor was died because of an accident. When Lauran told her mother that we couldn’t continue hold the party at all. Her mother said that ‘’ What are you talking about?’’ ‘’ What do you say that words?’’ So, they were happy to celebrate in the party with their neighbors sorrow. After the party, Lauran’s mother asked her to take some food for the neighbor. When Lauran went in to the house, she was shocked that what small and narrow house they live. Besides, she visited them with her beautiful dress and the noticed hat. When she saw her neighbor’ dead body lying there, she was astonished and felt that she was guilty and shameful. In the end, she ran away from the house and said’’ forgive my hat.’’ It is very ironic that she wore the beautiful hat to get into the house with sadness. I think the author want to show that the middle-class in that period, they are selfish and ignorant. They feel that they are noble and superior. In fact, they are the shameful and selfish people in the society.
李姵瑩 69902623
Q1.
Because their father, the late colonel, is an authoritarian father and a controlling man, everything they do must have their father’s permission. If the things they do are contradict to their father’s will, the father would show his wrath to them, so they gradually become dare not to make their decision on their own. His father never shows any warmness to Josephine and Constantia; even in his final moments, he does not have a kind word for them. Instead he opens one eye, not with a look of affection, but glaring, almost threatening in its last view of the world that he leaves behind. The image becomes a lingering nightmare for Josephine and Constantia, which they cannot escape from. When they bury their father, they are even afraid that he would get angry for they do not ask for his request first. Having serving their father and sacrificing their own happiness and young, they do not have any freedom to express their mind. This lack of individual thinking prevents them from having a rich life. Finally, with their repression and self-denial, they choose to give up their ability to live for themselves and stop to seek out the opportunity of the new world that opens up to them.
49902049 Ben, question 1
As we all are being raised by others, (some by parents, some by grandparents or other relatives) they are the way that we learned as an example. So we try to copy the image that they gave us and follow their steps and ways to deal with problems that we encounter in our life. In "The Daughters of the Late Colonel", the two girls had never deal with difficulties or even to made choice by their self, the reason was that they all depend on their father, the colonel too much. Though they were not mean to do this kind of behavior in purpose, but parents’ likes to decide things for their children, they believe that their choice will be better, because they know more. In this story, it shows the extreme patriarchal. The father, colonel controls all, so when he died, his children suddenly lost the person that they used to depend on, they have to do things and think by their self. Constantia and Josephine are the miniature of the children nowadays; they are stupid, without the ability of critical thinking, and like to depend on others. On the other hand, the colonel not just represent patriarchal, the image of being a upper class of soldier, I saw the image of strict mainstream consciousness of modern society. People are all afraid of breaking rules that already be set up by others, and follow steps people said we have to do, so we get more and more lazy, more and more stupid. We lost the ability to take control of our own life, these ideas I got from the article I thinks is important and worth to disgusts.
I would like to answer question 3.
From the way the speaker were treated by the people she deems "real" English people, they are in a lower status.
On the first page are descriptions and examples of the way Mr. Sawyer mistreats his wife. This is an example of racial discrimination. On the last page, when the speaker say that her mother won't take notice of Eddie's mother, Eddie shoots back that he thinks she says so because her mother look down on non-whites. This is also an example.
An instance of cultural prejudice may be when Eddie tells the others about the real "England", which the others originally imagine to be full of delightful things. The others purposely pronounce the word "strawberries" in a strange way which they think is how the real English pronounced. This shows that they don't value their own culture and wants to imitate cultures that they think are above them, but which they know almost nothing or falsely about. Another place I found with cultural prejudice is when Mrs. Sawyer burns the books. She specifically places works written by the hands of women into the pile that was to be burnt. She must have been thought that it is a taboo for women to write, which is why she thinks "women must be tortured".
英美碩三 69902613 李怡慧
Q 3.
Rhys successfully portrayed the issues of the discrimination against colored people, the colonialism, and the conflict between the British and the colored people in the story. The examples of these three issues are as follows: First, regarding the issue of racial discrimination, Mr. Sawyer who is a British man discriminates against his wife — Mrs. Sawyer who is a colored woman. He treats her horribly. He uses all kinds of bad words to describe her; for example, he says “You damned, long-eyed, gloomy half-caste, you don’t smell right” to her. He even uses the word “nigger” which is an extremely disparaging and offensive word to call her. Another example is that from the conversation between the narrator and Eddie, the readers learn the fact that the most probable reason for the narrator’s mother not taking notice of Mrs. Sawyer is that Mrs. Sawyer’s skin color; in other words, it is because she isn’t white. Second, concerning the issue of colonialism, colonists use various ways in order to control the colonized. For example, they keep telling the colonized that London is a great place, or ask them to read English poems which are all in praise of daffodils (i.e. England). They try to inculcate British culture values to the colonized. Third, the issue of the conflict between colonists and the colonized, Mrs. Sawyer hates Mr. Sawyer and the British imperialism he represents. Another example is that the narrator says that if she calls herself English, the colored people would snub her haughtily, and say “You’re not English; you’re a horrid colonial”. Through these examples, the readers can get a more in-depth idea about the ugly truth of colonialism.
410002012 Phillip Huang
Mansfield used the character Laura to reflect the life between middle-class and worker-class, however, “Laura felt like a work-girl in the very beginning”, Laura wants to behave like a work-girl; she admired those worker’s sincere behavior, and she wants to be free from the noble camouflage of middle-class. Mansfield put the contrast in the very beginning of the story to present Laura’s ironic feeling of being a middle-class child, however, wants to behave like a work girl.
Mansfield uses the child to be the main character in the story, so that it could show a stronger contrast between child and adult. Even a child can sense something wrong as being in a self-absorbed middle-class family, however educated, submerged in a feeling of noble, condescending, adults are rather numb, insensitive, indifferent to the society, and enjoy themselves in middle-class’s pretentious snobbishness.
Someone died in Laura’s neighborhood, however, insisted by Laura’s mother and sister the party goes on. By pointing out the aloofness of the middle-class family toward their neighbor, Mansfield shows the extremely outrageous attitude of middle-class and its numbness thoroughly. Though, Laura wanted to stop the party, she was emerged in the beauty of the fantastic hat. It points out the mighty, putrid, enchanting power of middle-class, however, it’s more than ironic that the mighty power is merely a hat.
By showing Laura’s fear while walking into the dead man’s house, it somehow reflects middle-class’s fear of facing reality and the world around them. Finally, Laura said, “Forgive me hat” it shows the shameful feeling of being in a middle-class family. Compared to Laura’s attitude in the end of the story, her family remained in the same attitude. It emphasized the unchangeable numbness in the middle-class again.
Question 2:
Mansfield portrays the Sheridan family as a rich and snobbish family. All the family members look down on the servants and work men, except the little girl, Laura. But at first, Laura also thinks that what is the proper way she should talk to the work men or the way the work men should talk to her. Then, Laura wants to get along with the work men. Mansfield describes the great differences between the working class and the middle class. The Mansfield family prepares the garden party in a luxurious way. Laura’s mother buys a lot of lilies which is only used in the party. It is really extravagant. And it is also ironic when there is a man in their neighborhood died. Laura considers that it is improper to have a party but her family insists on holding the party. Her family doesn’t care about other people die. When Laura went to the neighborhood, she feels sorry to see the shabby situation of her neighborhood. She said “Forgive my hat.” Maybe the hat in the story is a symbol of upper class. In the story, we can see that the family is lack of sympathy. They are snobbish and proud.
49902014 Charles
Question 1
From our literature class we all know women in the Victorian age didn’t have much right. Many things in their life were actually dealt by men. The reason why the two sisters in The Daughters of the Late Colonel could not do anything on their own is because they simply had never done anything neither tried to decide anything on their own. Everything was done by their strict father when he was alive.
One example is that they couldn’t even fire their servant despite they disliked her and clearly knew that they didn’t need her in their life. We can also observe how Constantia and Josephine panicked after they buried their father. They couldn’t shake off their father’s phantom that none of them dared to enter the colonel’s room even though he was dead.
The Dominant male gender culture is what causes their indecisiveness. Many people said it’s a tragedy and it’s a sarcastic work of describing how miserable women were in the Victorian age. I don’t agree somehow. Although the end of the story is ambiguous, from the end of the chapter I see that these two sisters had begun to ask themselves questions like “How did one meet men?” or “What was it she was always wanting? What did it all lead to?......” I consider it a good sign of they are walking out of their father’s shade.
Irene 49902034
Question 1
In my opinion, these two sisters have been live in their father’s control in a long time. While facing the things that need to be decided, they always relay on what their father said. Speak of their father, the colonel, it can be asserted that he is a tyranny and controlling man. Because we can see these two sisters usually says that “Father will never forgive us…” even thought the colonel was dead, these two sisters still feel afraid and insecurity. It is not hard to imagine the life of the colonel and his daughters before he passed away. These two daughters obey his father’s rules all the time. In other words, they don’t have their own will at all.
Under their father’s pressure for several years, they have no freedom and thoughts by their own. Also, they never have a chance to make a decision by themselves. They were limited and repressed by their father. They are used to do the thing their father ask they to do. Even when dealing the daily trifles, they can’t make up their mind because they are not used to making decision.
From my point of view, their father’s control and oppression is the main reason why
these two sisters are unable to make decisions for anything and also the reason which cause their indecisiveness and child-like timidity
2.
Mansfield criticized the middle-class’s pretentious snobbishness in the story by describing the poor’s living conditions and Mrs. Sheridan’s talks and behaviors on the poor. First, the Sheridans thought that the poor had no right to be in their neighborhood at all. The Sheridans were not allowed their children to go near the little cottages where the poor lived in because they thought that their children might learn the revolting language and of what they might catch. Second, Mrs. Sheridan still wanted to have the garden party when there was one of her neighbors died. Her response toward the accident was that she could not understand how the poor kept alive in the little cottages. She described the little cottages as poky little holes. She sent Laura to give the leftover of the party to Scott’s family after the party was over. She thought she was better than the poor. She had no sympathy and empathy. Readers can feel the emotions from the words in "The Garden Party". "The Garden Party" does not tell what wrong or right is, but it touches readers. It makes readers think more. People should respect each other, and do not to look people down.
Question two:
The “Class” issue is described in Mansfield’s “The Garden Party” is the connected events to make the cause and effect.
In the beginning, there is a soft day to hold a very scratch meal, however, when Sheridan family are preparing for the party here comes a horrible accident news, a man killed in the cottages below them. Laura would like to stop this feast because she feels sad and astonishment, but her mother’s, Mrs. Sheridan, acting is much astonished her seriously: she do refuse her decide and say that the accident does not happen in front of her actually, and also say they live in the poky little hole which they can’t image. The party still keeps going; they even can’t feel others sadness who just beside them and pretend it is different cosmos, how narrow heart seriously.
Then, the party is completed and still much food which is un-eaten, Mrs. Sheridan says to Laura and asks her sends the remains to those “poor creature”, the accent and the words of using are implying the superior to the different wealth level.
Michelle 49902022
I would like to answer question one.
The main reason why these two sisters don’t have the ability to deal with and make decisions by themselves is caused by the repression of their father, the Colonel. The two sisters are always afraid of making their father angry because Colonel commands his daughters by militarism. Furthermore the military education put lots of repression on these two daughters, and the control from Colonel also causes self-denial of these two daughters that they can’t make decisions for themselves because they lack of individual thinking. For example, as we can see in the beginning of story, without their father Constantia and Josephine even can’t decide who to give the top-hat. Once they said “it’s much nicer to be weak than to be strong” and according to this conversation we can know that the second reason is because the two sisters prefer to be weak but not to be strong.
In conclusion, in "The Daughters of the Late Colonel" the repression from Colonel is predominately. The two sisters they depend on their father too much it seems like they never grow up and had never deal with difficulties or made choice by themselves. In some way I think this story reflect the how the patriarchy society made female being indecisiveness and independent in that time.
I think the reason why the two daughters are unable to deal with the challenges in their lives is because their dad controls them for his whole life. He does not give them the chance to learn how to survive without him. He does not let his two daughters free at the last moment of his life. He gives his last glare with one eye open, which makes the two daughters dare not do anything without asking his permission. It feels like their dad is still watching them even he is dead. Another thing I notice is an important subtlety. The two daughters do not have their own rooms respectively. As Woolf states in A Room of One’s Own, having a room of one’s own is very important. It represents privacy and that gives people a lot of room to develop their own potential, ability, even thoughts. But the two daughters are forced to share a room, which is not a big deal for them because it is “normal” for the two daughters. The other turning point is that their dad does not allow young boys get close to them. If their father does not forbid them to fall in love and get married, they may have the chance to change themselves because they have to learn how to manage marriage and family.
↑Sorry I forgot to put my student number and name on it.
410002008 Treer
1.
I think the reason the two daughters have no ability to deal with the daily life is because they have been controlled by their father for almost the whole life. They have not made any decision by themselves before. As they grow up under father’s control, the father’s order and father’s need become their major motivation of doing things. They do not have their individual thinking, and they forget, or even are afraid of the feeling of deciding. For example, after the funeral, they feel uneasy and even guilty about what they have done without their father’s permission. The whole story is just like a minimum patriarchy society. Women are controlled by men and most of them do not feel being controlled. Besides, the father is like their lord. They have to service him and do whatever he wants them to do. Once the authority disappears, they will feel helpless and indecisive immediately.
Q2
In the opening of the story, the Sheridan family was preparing the annual garden party, and the workmen were going to set up the marquee. I think the leisure of the middle class family and the word workmen make the thought of class more easily come to our mind. And then, Laura was assigned to supervise the workmen. I think the reason Mrs. Sheridan sent her to do it is that doing this kind of thing by herself seems a little bit degrading.
Then, Laura was surprised that one of the workmen stopped to smell the lavender but the boys as her class didn't. It's also a demonstration of stereotype of class.
Before the party was going to start, there comes news that one of their neighbors, called Scott, was dead. Normally if we faced this kind of thing, we will feel sorry to hear that. Even, some people will go to ask whether they need any help or not. However, most of the Sheridan families feel it's not their businesses and they don't need to call off the party. Mrs. Sheridan just didn't take it seriously, and rapidly diverted their attention to the fashionable hat. When the party was going to end, Mrs. Sheridan then asked Laura to take the leftover food to the Scotts. When Laura went there with a hat on head, she saw the Scotts' simplicity and felt sorry about all things about the middle class.
1. In “The Daughters of the Late Colonel”, Constantia and Josephine can’t and not need to do any decision because of their authoritarian father. Like his military title suggests the militarism with which he commanded his household; therefore, two sisters can just obey what he says not decide what they do by themselves. After long time, they lose the ability to individual thinking because they use to following their father’s opinion. Besides, they can’t make decision after their father is dead. In their family, father makes every decision including unimportant things and not gives them any chance to practice how to make decision. After all, we have to have opportunities to learn how to do it and practice again and again if we want to have ability to something. And it is so ridiculous that they still care what their serious father thinks about their behavior after he died. It is impossible that their father has any reaction to what they do but they still care a dead person’s thought. That is why they can’t begin a new life that opens up to them and still be child-like timidity because their minds are still under the control of their father. They don’t escape the life that is repressed by their father.
49902016 Ryan
Q3
Independence in life is achieved with constant practice of being independent. Making decisions on one’s own is a genuine part of being an adult. At the very beginning, readers are given the scene in which the two women are unable to decide to whom the colonel’s top-hat should be given even after the colonel is dead. It should be surprising to readers since giving a top-hat away can hardly be an event significant enough that they should consider their late father’s thoughts, especially since they are considering to give it away already. This is one of the many conversations that show the women are unable to make a decision, especially since their father isn’t here to tell them what to do. The development psychologist Erik Erikson suggested that a person has to go through nine crises in his or her life, and if a particular crisis has not been dealt with, a person cannot go to the next stage. The two daughters may be still in the crisis of autonomy v.s. self-doubt. The crisis is about the support caretakers give to children when they do something on their own in order for the children to believe in their own capacities. When this crisis cannot be overcome, children doubt their capabilities. Apparently, it is this crisis that the daughters are now dealing with and because they have never overcame this crisis, they cannot experience any other crisis that bring about other experiences of life, like the crisis of intimacy v.s. isolation (where people must learn how to commit entirely to another.)
410002007 Erica
1.
Repression is often a main element in modernism. The repression comes form imperialism, hetronormality or patriarchy. In The Daughters of the Late Colonel, the main element is the repression from their father. The story starts with a funeral. From the sisters’ conversation, we can slightly sense there is something wrong. They are arguing whether to give his father’s hat to the porter. Even this tiny trivial thing they cannot even make the decision. Besides, the points they are arguing is that what their father would think about this action. And then, they don’t even argue with each other because they just used to don’t speak up their mind. Thus, the argument is actually not an argument or not even a discussion because they only predict what their father might think. Even their father is already dead, they still afraid that he might get angry. The strangest part in the story is that even if the sisters keep mentioning their father, we cannot feel any sorrow in their words. The emotion in their conversation is mostly fear, fear to offend their father. This is not a expected reaction when a close family member died. This shows how tremendous repression their father gave them while hi was alive.
In Katherine Mansfield’s short story, The Daughters of the Late Colonel, she depicts the inability of women who brought up in a society of the late 19th to early 20th centuries. The Colonel's daughters lack the self-confidence to make judgments. Without their father’s to make the decision for them, it cannot be made. The Late Colonel, himself, must have been a firm, controlling man. The sense of who he was can be felt throughout the whole story, even though he isn't alive. First, at the funeral the girls are preoccupied about what their father would have said. Josephine said, "Father will never forgive us for this-never." This shows the insecurity of these women. The colonel doesn't even know anything about the funeral. Because he is already a dead man! Again, when the girls went into their dead father's room, they felt watched by him and felt as if he were angry with them for being there without permission. However the final chapter points at the fact that, no matter how deeply the inhibitions of the society are ingrained in them, every woman, including Constantia and Josephine, is intuitively aware of what really brings her happiness, even though she cannot always realize her hidden dreams and desires.
410002016 Kenny
I would like to answer question 1. The two sisters get used to live the life under huge pressure form there father. And their servant takes care of them well. So they are disabled to do anything and afraid of the punishment from their father. The main stream ideology of patriarchy society result this kind of situation. Their father had the strong desire of controlling her two daughters and he had taught their two daughters to be mindless. Both of them cannot have their own mind, everything they do must under the permission of their father. For example: they cannot choose the top-hat also in the novel there is a sentence spoke by Constantia : “Why shouldn’t we be weak for once in our lives, Jug? It’s quite excusable. Let’s be weak－be weak, Jug. It’s much nicer to be weak than to be strong.” This is really a clear statement that they are haunted by the pressure from their father. The idea of weak woman is deep rooted in their mind, and they think that is common that woman always represent the weak side. Their patriarchy education from his father is very successful. Both of his daughters are indecisive and afraid to change the status quo.
The answer to question NO.2
At first, Mansfield give us a good first impression of the story, that is story begin at a delightful and wonderful morning, there are going to hold a party. But we can found natural instincts, when the accident occured, which is their neighbor died before the party start. First, Laura’s sister, Jose, who is cold-blooded that she doesn’t take pity on the dead, and she even say something horrible, really look down upon people in the bottom society. For example, the harshest words are “they are not right to be in that neighborhood at all…the very smoke coming out of chimney was poverty.” Afterward, Laura also stunned by her mother’s reaction. Her mother, Mrs. Sheridan acts negligibly and also make Laura to send some snack to the bereaved family, pretending she is generous and kind to help people, but she never care about others feeling.
I think the author shapes the image of protagonist, Laura, who just looked like an innocent girl living in the upper class family. She seemed to be a white paper without any prejudice and bias in her mind. Author use this kind of pure image to make contrast between the rests of her family, who are so self-absorbed that they think they are more superior to others.
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