Answer:
To Misread or to Rebel: A Woman’s Reading of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
At its simplest, reading is “an activity that is guided by the text; this must be processed by the reader who is then, in turn, affected by what he has processed” (Iser 63). The text is the compass and map, the reader is the explorer. However, the explorer cannot disregard those unexpected boulders in the path which he or she encounters along the journey that are not written on the map. Likewise, the woman reader does not come to the text without outside influences. She comes with her experiences as a woman—a professional woman, a divorcée, a single mother. Her reading, then, is influenced by her experiences. So when she reads a piece of literature like “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber, which paints a highly negative picture of Mitty’s wife, the woman reader is forced to either misread the story and accept Mrs Mitty as a domineering, mothering wife, or rebel against that picture and become angry at the society which sees her that way.
Due to pre-existing sociosexual standards, women see characters, family structures, even societal structures from the bottom as an oppressed group rather than from a powerful position on the top, as men do. As Louise Rosenblatt states: a reader’s “tendency toward identification [with characters or events] will certainly be guided by our preoccupations at the time we read. Our problems and needs may lead us to focus on those characters and situations through which we may achieve the satisfactions, the balanced vision, or perhaps merely the unequivocal motives unattained in our own lives” (38). A woman reader who feels chained by her role as a housewife is more likely to identify with an individual who is oppressed or feels trapped than the reader’s executive husband is.
Mrs Mitty is a direct literary descendant of the first woman to be stereotyped as a nagging wife, Dame Van Winkle, the creation of the American writer, Washington Irving. Likewise, Walter Mitty is a reflection of his dreaming predecessor, Rip Van Winkle, who falls into a deep sleep for a hundred years and awakes to the relief of finding out that his nagging wife has died. Judith Fetterley explains in her book, The Resisting Reader, how such a portrayal of women forces a woman who reads “Rip Van Winkle” and other such stories “to find herself excluded from the experience of the story” so that she “cannot read the story without being assaulted by the negative images of women it presents” (10). The result, it seems, is for a woman reader of a story like “Rip Van Winkle” or “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” to either be excluded from the text, or accept the negative images of women in the story puts forth.
It is certain that women misread “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” I did. I found myself initially wishing that Mrs Mitty would just let Walter daydream in peace. But after reading the story again and paying attention to the portrayal of Mrs Mitty, I realized that it is imperative that women rebel against the texts that would oppress them. By misreading a text, the woman reader understands it in a way that is conventional and acceptable to the literary world. But in so doing, she is also distancing herself from the text, not fully embracing it or its meaning in her life. By rebelling against the text, the female reader not only has to understand the point of view of the author and the male audience, but she also has to formulate her own opinions and create a sort of dialogue between the text and herself. Rebelling against the text and the stereotypes encourages an active dialogue between the woman and the text which, in turn, guarantees an active and (most likely) angry reader response. I became a resisting reader.
Works Cited
Elias, Robert H. “James Thurber: The Primitive, the Innocent, and the Individual.” Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 5. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Detroit: Gale Research, 1980. 431–32. Print.
Fetterley, Judith. The Resisting Reader. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1978. Print.
Hasley, Louis. “James Thurber: Artist in Humor.” Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 11. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Detroit: Gale Research, 1980. 532–34. Print.
Iser, Wolfgang. The Act of Reading: A Theory of Aesthetic Response. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1981. Print.
Lindner, Carl M. “Thurber’s Walter Mitty—The Underground American Hero.” Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 5. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Detroit: Gale Research, 1980. 440–41. Print.
Rosenblatt, Louise M. Literature as Exploration. New York: MLA, 1976. Print.
Thurber, James. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” Literature: An Introduction to Critical Reading. Ed. William Vesterman. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1993. 286–89. Print.
Tompkins, Jane P. “An Introduction to Reader-Response Criticism.” Reader-Response Criticism: From Formalism to Post-Structuralism. Ed. Jane P. Tompkins. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1980. ix-xxvi. Print.
How does the author respond to the conflicting viewpoints expressed in these sentences? plz help (10 pts)
Answer:
D
It is obvious, the author explain what happened after
Answer:
D
Explanation:
Can someone please help me if you could make a original limerick poem
Answer:
There once was a cat
Who also had a bat
Surprised to make a foul
Made such a loud growl
While being a little brat
What does the South African rugby team represent for black South Africans?
Will Individual A have brown or blue eyes?
Answer:"As non-whites were not eligible to be selected for South African national sports teams, the Springbok colours came to be viewed as a symbol of white supremacy in apartheid South Africa because they were only awarded to white sportspeople."
"
Explanation:
How and why is Juliet's relationship with the nurse different than her
relationship with her mother?
Answer:
In the story Juliet's relationship is with her nurse is more maternal than her relationship with her mother. The nurse is the one who raised Juliet from the minute she was born. The nurse loves Juliet and Juliet is more familiar with her nurse. Describe Mercutio!
Juliet's realationship with her mother is formal and distant while Juliet's realationship with the nurse is more maternal.
PLEASE ANSWER!!!!! Which of these statements describe how Ling and Leona are alike. Select ALL that apply. * Both are influenced by their grandmothers both are eager to impress someone both are overconfident about the contests they enter both are faced with potential failure both are honest about their mistakes both are willing to cheat in order to win.
Answer:
The correct answer to the given question is
Ling and Leona are alike, the following statements show that they are alike.
Both are overconfident about the contests they enter
Both are honest about their mistakes
Both are willing to cheat in order to win
Explanation:
The correct answer to the given question is
Ling and Leona are alike, the following statements show that they are alike.
Both are overconfident about the contests they enter
Both are honest about their mistakes
Both are willing to cheat in order to win
(only answer if u have read or watched the outsiders)
Do you think Johnny was justified in doing what he did? Explain.
Answer:
in doing what? is there a passage or page number?
Explanation:
Answer:
In my opinion, Johnny was justified in killing Bob. If Johnny did not kill Bob Ponyboy would be dead because the Socs were drowning him. The Socs have a really hard time controlling themselves, if they could then this would not have happened.
Explanation:
hope this helps! :)
How are the poems Sonnet 55 and Love is Not All similar?
two paragraphs
WILL GIVE BRAINLIEST
Answer:
according to the article The similarities in both of them is the use of alliteration and imagery. This can be seen in “Sonnet 55”, for example “wasteful war.” and in “Love is Not All”, “pain, past, power, and peace”. ... Love is not all is mentioned as Shakespearean sonnet
BRAINLIET IF CORRECT!
When readers make an inference based on a story or essay, they
reach a conclusion based on hints or clues
reach a conclusion prior to reading a text
reach a conclusion without doing research
reach a conclusion based on quotations
Answer and Explanation:
When readers make an inference based on a story or essay, they reach a conclusion based on quotations.
I think that's correct.
Pls answer great gatsby
Answer:
I really think c sorry if I'm wrong
Which question does the bolded adjective answer:
She opened up the mysterious envelope in hopes it would give her a clue
A. What kind ?
B. Which one ?
C. How many ?
Answer:
a
Explanation:
Choose the best thesis statement for a persuasive essay.
A. Freedom of the press is one right we enjoy in our country.
B. Dogs are the most popular pet in the nation for many reasons.
C. High schools should require students to perform community service.
D.Most students enjoy taking art and music classes as part of their education.
please help!! i’ll mark you as brainliest
type a one page paper: are there hero’s today, and if so, who te they and what makes them heroic? if you believe there are no heroes today, explain why?
Answer:There are heroes today yes they are people around the world that help other people and saving animals and i do believe there are heroes today and the most heroic hero in this universe is god
Explanation:
1
The purpose of Romeo's soliloquy is to allow the reader to
A.see how his feelings for Juliet changed for Rosaline.
B.establish his love and passion for Juliet
C.show his friends that his love for Juliet is real.
D.compare Juliet's beauty to the sun
Answer:
Option "B" is the correct answer to the following question.
Explanation:
Soliloquy is based on the Latin, that implies "to speak to ourselves." Romeo's affection and appreciation for Juliet are illustrated in this soliloquies. Romeo is overcome by his passion for Juliet upon seeing her positioned by her bed, and considers her to become more gorgeous than rising sun.
15) Amelia and Amy are alike in that they both
0)
A) enjoy watching movies.
B) have three older sisters.
C) can act childish sometimes.
D) destroy their sisters' creations,
Answer:
C) can act childish sometimes.
Explanation:
Summarize this paragraph in twelve words or less. 3 SUMMARIZE IT! The tallest tree in the world is a giant redwood located in Humboldt Redwoods State Park in Northern California. This tree is 380 feet (116 m) tall That's more than twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty! Only a few people know exactly where this tree is. The people who discovered it have kept it a secret so that people will not damage it
Answer:
The world's largest tree's location is secret so it won't get damaged.
Explanation:
guys can u give me any fake story
Answer:
A fake story?? as in what. I'll answer in the comments, i just need you to be more specific
Explanation:
Which of the following describes the narrator’s mother?
She struggles to remember her past as a trapeze artist when she loses her vision.
Her past as a trapeze artist helps her move around now that she is blind.
She is blind because of her past experiences as a trapeze artist.
Her past is something she talks about often with her family.
Answer:
from which book or poem or statement
Explain the pun in the following quote: "He drove his expensive car into a tree and found out how the Mercedes bends
Founding out his car Mercedes bends after driving into a tree which is a pun in the following quote"He drove his expensive car into a tree and found out how the Mercedes bends". A pun is a term used to describe a play on words in literature. Puns are most frequently employed in texts to provide humor.
Why is Mercedes more expensive?However, Mercedes-Benz automobiles are typically valued higher than those from other manufacturers. This is mostly because they were made with better materials and workmanship, and they frequently come with more opulent features and facilities.
Puns are figures of speech that use words with various meanings or that use words that look similar but have diverse meanings. Both varieties of puns are used by the humorous novelist Douglas Adams. Double entendres and malapropisms, two additional figures of speech, are frequently mistaken for puns.
Learn more about Puns here:
https://brainly.com/question/23926005
#SPJ2
How is life in Jacksonville different for Zora than it was in Eatonville? What are the significant changes, and how do they affect her? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.
The best way to find the differences or similarities in two places is to make a comparison.
What is Comparison?This refers to the side-by-side view of two or more different things in other to find their differences and similarities.
Hence, it is important to read the text and make a side-by-side analysis of the two towns to find out how they are different from each other,
Please note that your question is incomplete so I gave you a general overview to give you a better understanding of the concept.
Read more about comparisons here:
https://brainly.com/question/25261401
"All around them lay the vast black ocean, deep and hungry."
This sentence is an example of what type of figurative language?
Simile
Personification
Idiom
Onomatopoeia
Define each term below and use it in a sentence. Then choose two additional terms from the movie.
Rhyme: the correspondence of two or more words with same -sounding final syllables placed so as to reflect one another.
Metaphor: a figure of discourse in which a word or phrase literally meaning one kind of object or concept is used in place of another to offer a likeness or metaphor between them.
Define the following?Rhythm: mean ordered new alternation of strong and weak factors in the flow of sound and silence in speech
Prose: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to offer a likeness or analogy between them.
Thus these are the defination.
To learn more about Metaphor click here:
https://brainly.com/question/13020675
#SPJ2
Which is better: playing sports or watching sports?
Answer:
playing sports
Explanation:
you get to experience something new and make friends on the way
Answer:
-^- watching-
Explanation:
you can watch with your friends you already made-
0-0 XD
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse signpost
Answer: its a novel
Explanation:
Out of the Dust joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!"Dust piles up like snow across the prairie. . . ."A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo's life, scarring her inside and out. Her mother is gone. Her father can't talk about it. And the one thing that might make her feel better -- playing the piano -- is impossible with her wounded hands.To make matters worse, dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of Oklahoma -- and in the surprising landscape of her own heart.
It is important to follow conventions of writing because __________.
A)errors can confuse the reader and distract from your ideas
B)you could lose points
C)readers will stop reading writing that isn't interesting
D)there are multiple steps in the writing process
Answer:
A)errors can confuse the reader and distract from your ideas
please help! pyramus and thisbe response
Answer:
10
Explanation:
What does Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones do when she first meets the boy to establish herself as the stronger of the two?
She runs away from the boy.
She immediately gives up her purse and its contents to him.
She kicks him "right square in his blue-jeans sitter."
She robs the young boy.
Answer:
She kicks him
Explanation:
Give an example of Opportunity Cost
I'll mark brainliest and 10 points!
Fix the one word that is used incorrectly.
Experts advice that all children receive a measles vaccination once between twelve and fifteen months and again between four and six years of age.
Answer:
Experts advise that all children receive a measles vaccination once between twelve and fifteen months and again between four and six years of age.
Explanation:
advice = advise
How are boldface and italics similar?
A.
They both help clarify information in an informative text by providing a visual of the author’s words.
B.
They are both types of formatting that can draw readers’ attention to particular words or pieces of information.
C.
They both help organize a text into sections and save the reader time by communicating, at a glance, the main idea of each section.
D.
They are both types of multimedia through which authors can communicate supporting ideas in the text.
WILL MAKE BRAINLIEST
Answer:
B.
They are both types of formatting that can draw readers’ attention to particular words or pieces of information.
Explanation:
Bold normally is to call more attention to the word, and italics is to emphasize the word. So both are to draw the readers attention.
Answer:
The person above (or below) me is correct, the answer is:
B.) They are both types of formatting that can draw readers’ attention to particular words or pieces of information.
Explanation:
I took the quiz on Edge, 2022.
(See the attachment below.)
Hope this helped, please mark the other person's answer as brainliest!! <3
Suppose you were writing a summary of how an earthquake happens. Which of these should not be included in this summary?
A- Two of the earths tectonic plates get caught
B- Force builds up at the fault line between tectonic plates
C- The fault line is the crack between the plates
D- The plates break free from each other, and the force is released.
D
Explanation:
when earthquakes happen tectonic plates rub together not break apart so you wouldn't include d in your summary