Respond in a well-organized essay, and make sure your answer is written in complete sentences.
Respond to one of the questions below. Include at least two supporting details or examples.
A. In "The Literature of the Middle East and South Asia, Laura Winkiel writes: "These stories help us to understand the complex questions that Middle Easterners and South Asian people ask as they stand at a crossroads of cultural and religious change." Explain how this statement applies to one of the selections you read. Be sure to include the title of the selection and explain the crossroads that it illustrates.
B. Setting and mood are important elements in many of the stories in this unit. Choose one story and describe some aspects of its setting: where it takes place; what mood is created by the details of weather, place, and time; and how this setting helps to convey the theme of the story.
C. What did you learn about the role of women in the societies described in the reading selections in this unit? Describe how the women cope with the conflicts they encounter
B. In the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the setting plays a crucial role in creating a mood that enhances the theme of the story. The story takes place in a secluded mansion in the countryside, where the protagonist is confined to a room with yellow wallpaper. The isolated setting of the mansion, combined with the details of the decaying mansion and the unruly nature surrounding it, creates a claustrophobic and oppressive atmosphere. The time period of the late 19th century adds to the sense of confinement and restriction placed on the protagonist by societal norms and expectations.
The setting of the isolated mansion reflects the protagonist's own confinement and oppression within her marriage and society. The decaying mansion mirrors the protagonist's deteriorating mental state as she becomes obsessed with the wallpaper. The oppressive atmosphere created by the setting serves to convey the theme of the story: the destructive impact of patriarchal control and the repression of women's desires and agency.
The protagonist's gradual descent into madness, as influenced by her surroundings, highlights the suffocating nature of the societal constraints placed on women during that time period. The setting of the mansion effectively conveys the theme of the story by emphasizing the protagonist's struggle against the oppressive forces that seek to silence her voice and suppress her individuality.