Discuss the assumptions about men and women, class status, religion, race, or the body that you encounter in one of the selections in this unit. You may include supporting details from the stories listed in prompt a. Additionally, you may include supporting details from the poem "Sweet Like a Crow" by Michael Ondaatje.
FILL IN THE BLANKS
Cultures [are/aren’t] different only in their details. This is illustrated in the selection “[...]” by [...]. There are assumptions about gender roles in this tale. This is shown when [...] ([page number]). This is [similar/dissimilar] to those of the culture of [...], where [...]. Also, the selection dives deep into class status. This is demonstrated when [...] ([page number]). This is [similar/dissimilar] to those of the culture of [...], where [...]. The selection also addresses issues of religion. This is shown when [...] ([page number]). This is [similar/dissimilar] to those of the culture of [...]. The piece also addresses issues of race. This is shown when [...] ([page number]). This is [similar/dissimilar] to those of the culture of [...], where [...]. Overall, when diving deep into their details, cultures [are/aren’t] different.
Cultures are different only in their details. This is illustrated in the selection "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. There are assumptions about gender roles in this tale. This is shown when the protagonist's husband dismisses her concerns about her mental health and invalidates her experiences, asserting his own authority over her decisions (page 6). This is similar to those of the culture of Victorian society, where women were often seen as hysterical and were subjected to the control and authority of their husbands.
The selection also dives deep into class status. This is demonstrated when the protagonist's confinement to a room with barred windows and a bolted down bed is reflective of her lack of agency and control over her own life, as she is confined by both her husband and societal expectations (page 3). This is similar to those of the culture of the time, where women of higher social classes were often stifled by patriarchal expectations and limitations.
The selection also addresses issues of religion. This is shown when the protagonist's husband uses his medical knowledge and rationale to dismiss the supernatural and spiritual explanations for his wife's behavior, instead diagnosing her with a mental disorder and recommending rest and isolation as the cure (page 6). This is similar to the beliefs of the culture of the time, where scientific reasoning and medical explanations were favored over spiritual or mystical interpretations of human behavior.
The piece also addresses issues of race. This is shown when the protagonist's descriptions of the wallpaper as having racial connotations, with its grotesque patterns resembling faces and figures trapped within the design, symbolizing her own entrapment and oppression (page 12). This is dissimilar to the culture of the time, where discussions of race were often overtly racist and discriminatory, with people of color being dehumanized and marginalized in society.
Overall, when diving deep into their details, cultures are different.