Skip to main content

#1 Afternoon in Linen (Shirley Jackson, 1943)

 Rating: 8.5/10

    The story started off strong with reference to another story, 'Alice through the looking glass.' It foreshadowed next storyline that something would be out of order and overturned. As expected, typical hierarchy was dishonored between Harriet and her grandmother. While two old women conversed with each other attempting to prove that their kid was the superior, Harriet adamantly refuses to be exploited as a doll in their competition. At the end, Harriet ensures that her grandmother's pride is killed by taking her poetry out of Mrs. Lennon's unresisting hand.

    I saw the ethical ambivalence in Harriet's behaviors as the only thing she did was to protect herself. However, it was simultaneously immoral to humiliate and disrespect her grandmother. I could relate to her from deep down my heart as I would also make cruel reactions against someone who tries to exploit me, using values I gained from countless hours of effort. The story showed me the bitterish aspect of modern society, where individuals are forced to compete against their fellows due to its preference of superior values. I rated the story 8 as it induced me to relate to Harriet's feelings just by describing a casual situation.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

#8 The boarding house

    The boarding house, By James Joyce(1914) Rating: 8.2/10 There still exists an invisible social hierarchy that demarcates the level of individuals. Borderlines between each echelon are undefiable because they are preserved in an intangible and verbal way. It almost seems like modern citizens are solely focused on elevating class throughout their lives. Generally, it is considered successful when someone with a proletariat job marries another with a bourgeoisie job. Similarly, Ms.Mooney was affirmative that her daughter would have a happy life if she were committed to Mr.Doran.  In this flow, a sarcastic view towards the materialistic society stood out as a theme. Polly's innocent love was rather a cover for Ms.Mooney's unachieved goal of marrying "up." Mental paralysis of the Dubliners perhaps was another problem that Joyce was experiencing.  <The boarding house> approached as a relatable yet bittersweet story. Although it is unrightful to judge people with ...

Video Portfolio

<intro> : 14 sec Hi. My name is Nina Lee from Korean Minjok Leadership Academy. Wanna know more about me? I invite you to my library.  Each part of my bookshelf represents a chapter of my life.  Let’s look at this chapter.  <Chapter 1> : 25 sec I’ve been in love with books ever since I was young. It is pretty obvious as I made my own room into a library. Collecting, reading, the smell of faded paper, and even organizing them in bookshelves… I liked every part of it.  Books are like magical portals that let me become anything I imagine. But I didn’t want to stop just imagining. So, my life has been about becoming everything. <Chapter 2> : 30 sec  + surf I am a [sports]. Playing these sports as a sportswoman has shaped my resilience . I’ve learned that failure can never be an excuse for giving up. Failure, as well as success, is a melody that makes up a great musical composition.  <Chapter 3> : 20 sec Oh, speak...

#15 Revelation (Flannery O'Connor, 2004)

 Rating: 7/10     'Give and take' relationships have been so pervasive that most people hesitate to interact with others unless they promise your elevation to a higher rank. Most people show respect or ask for their wellness for a reason: elevation of their place within the social structure. This kind of relationship is well depicted by O’Connor. For example, the mutual respect between Mrs. Turpin and her African-American workers is solely due to the benefits they gain out of that relationship. Mrs. Turpin even trusts her biggest virtue is possessing a good disposition even to dark-skinned workers, while the truth is that she pretends to have a good disposition because she can’t possibly do all household without her workers.       At this point, connection held by mutual needs is inevitable in this society. The world has been so much focused on profit that individuals don’t truly sympathize no matter what. The world is gradually becoming void of e...