PR 7: Those Winter Sundays

This poem speaks to those people whom have had a person in their life that never received the gratitude that they deserved. Robert Hayden pays tribute to his father and the work he did to keep his family afloat. The author begins by talking about how his father would wake before everyone on winter mornings and make sure that the furnace was refilled with coal to keep the family warm. His father did many things, both manual labor and emotionally, to make sure his family was well. The family was put first and Robert Hayden never realized this as a child. The other aspect of the poem deals with the relationship between Hayden and his father. It was a form of “tough love” and Hayden as a child could not realize that this was the only way his father knew to show he cared.

The admiration that Hayden has for his father has come later than it should have, and he realizes this. Hayden wishes that as a child he could have understood the actions of his father, but now he not only accepts them he also appreciates them. I think that is true in many families. We all think that we are being treated unfairly as children, but as we mature we begin to realize that all of that “tough love” actually benefited us the most. It is a shame; however, that we can’t realize this sooner.

PR 6: The Coming of Wisdom with Time

This poem speaks of the progression of knowledge that is gained with time. Relating life to that of a tree is important aspect of this poem. Youth representing the blooming flowers and budding leaves of the tree show that we as children do whatever we please no matter the consequences, because we do not know the outcome. Our opinions shown and we do not care who hears them or affect it has. As our leaves begin to “wither” and fall off, our knowledge grows. While this means death is nearing, we should still live life to its fullest. Our roots will never leave and that is what keeps us growing. No matter how many leaves we may loose, knowledge sticks with all of us because it is deep in our roots. The tree will always live no matter how many leaves are lost. We hold true to our roots and live due to them. At the end of the poem the author talks about the withering into truth. Here he is analyzing how children learn that the truths they believed are no longer true. We all go through the same phase in life. Reality sinks in and all of us learn that certain things in life are not what they seem to be.

Awakening: End

The ending is definitely a significant one. Her ending her life in the sea shows her completely letting go and being free. However, it is also a selfish act. She has no respect for herself or care about the ones that love her. I feel no sympathy for Edna. Adele’s last words should have stuck in her mind. “Think of the children” is something she did not think about. Mothers would not take their life if they truly loved their children. Edna does not love her children or anyone for that matter.

Putting all of this aside I must comment on the rest of ending prior to this. There is more lusting and sex between Edna and Alcee. However, Robert comes back into the picture. I hate that he comes to back to her. Why can’t he see the writing on the wall that supposedly she loves him, but she is still married and having sex with Alcee. He must be an idiot. Anyway they both confess their love for each other and plan to have a romantic time, but the birth of Adele’s child interrupts them.

While I was indifferent to the book and kind of liked it for a while, I have defined my view on it. Its not that I hate the book, I dislike Edna and everything she stands for in life. I think the book was well written. My concluding thought on this story is that for a fact Edna was mentally insane.

Awakening: 30-34

Enda’s party seems like a big hit with the guests, but yet Edna still finds there is something missing in her life. She once again relies on the comfort of Alcee, the man she continues to experiment with while her husband and Robert are still gone. However, Robert does return and the two lovers of Edna finally meet. It was a very awkward scene. Both men confront each other and there definitely seems to be a tension between the two of them. Robert does the right thing in leaving Enda in this section. He shouldn’t put up with it. However, we see that Alcee has no self-respect and is just in it for the physical attraction.

Another side of this section also covers the reaction by Edna’s husband over her moving. Yes, we can confirm that her husband is a complete jerk. His only true feeling about her moving is that it will ruin his reputation. He even goes as far to put an ad out that says they are remodeling their house, and Edna and him will be vacationing. Leonce would rather spend thousands on renovating a house that doesn’t even need renovating to protect his stature in the society. He truly must not have any feelings for his wife, and they both should agree to split. The rest of the book seems to be a downhill travel for Edna.

Awakening: 25-29

Wow, what a curve ball in the story. I never would have predicted that Edna would have three men in her life. There are many things I could say about Edna, but I would rather keep the class peaceful. While Leonce is off in New York, Edna’s thrill of being alone wears off and she longs for something more. Her actions lead her to another man named Alcee. It is not that Edna has any actual feelings for him, but it is more of a sexual attraction. He is a way for her to release her sexual tensions and physical urges.

This is however not enough for Edna. She decides to write to Leonce and tell him that she is moving. She can’t stand the large house the upkeep it has. Even though she doesn’t do anything with the house. Mainly it’s the fact that the house is a symbol that is holding her back from independence. Edna is willing to risk everything in her life for the opportunity to be a “free” woman. She thinks that she can survive on money from the tracks. A side note is that Robert is to be returning. Edna may be experimenting with Alcee, but her heart is with Robert, and the awakening of Edna is in full swing. I can’t wait for class to see what others have to say.

awakening: 20-24

Major events have happened in this section of reading. More turmoil is added to Edna’s life, and her father, Colonel, is introduced along with her sister Janet. Leonce’s lack of control over Edna is what frustrates the Colonel the most. Leonce sees Edna’s new independence as a mental illness. So, I was stating today, she is going insane according to Leonce. Her husband even goes as far to call in the doctor to assess her behavior, but he can not see anything wrong with her.

Adele and Edna start to separate and their friendship fades, but Edna starts to show more affection to her husband as he prepares to leave for New York. When he does leave, the children are sent off to their grandparents’ house. Edna is left alone and she likes it. She eats alone and reads every night. Edna feels peaceful, and it is a time of relaxation for her. Her mind can reset and things will come into perspective.

This section reengaged me and gained my attention once again. I feel as though this is the calm before the storm. I think that Edna is going to slip and fall. She seems to be trying to come back to reality, but I believe that she will make one mistake and the whole world will come tumbling down. However, I’m not a psychic so I guess we will have to see.

Awakenig: 15-19

Summer has ended, and now everyone is heading home. The biggest shocker was the departure of Robert. He has decided to leave the U.S. and go to Mexico. He has said nothing to Edna about leaving and this frustrates her to no end. The two of them have created this great bond, and he never even hinted to her that he intended to leave. We see here another part of Edna’s awakening. She has started to have deep feelings for someone other than her husband, and she can not explain them.

While life has moved from the summer house to home, it is still the same routine. However, a new sense of self has come over Edna. She no longer tends to her expected duties. She doesn’t stay home and entertain guests or tend to her husband as she did. Edna spends her time drawing. Her husband disapproves of her actions and wants to know why she is not doing her duty. Once again she doesn’t know why.

You wouldn’t expect Edna to end up this way, but she let herself sink deep into an imaginary life. She makes no real progress and she constantly is changing moods while thinking of Robert. This would suggest that she intends to find him or continue to wait for his return. It is like she has stopped herself, but life continues without her. I really wasn’t expecting this all to happen, but I guess it adds a twist.

Awakening: 10-14

Chapters ten through fourteen are a little more eventful, but they are not over exciting. They do show a build up in the relationship between Edna and Robert and the distance being created between Edna and her husband. More and more now, Edna is “frolicking” somewhere with Robert and her husband starts to care less and less. The swimming scene at the beginning of this section shows something once again of Edna’s “awakening”. She doesn’t know how to swim, but yet goes on out and does it. In fact she swims out farther than most women do. This is a daring thing that she does. It shows that is showing no care to limits. She is pushing herself to the edge.

While the swimming expedition may not be a life-threatening challenge, it shows confidence in herself. This new side to Edna will most likely be the reasoning for her to cross the line that she is not supposed to cross. Yes, she is being her own self and not letting others control her life; however, she is undoubtedly going to push herself too far. It is good to be your own person, but it is not good to hurt those whom you love and love you. Edna needs to slow things down before she does something that will be too drastic to correct. I guess we will just have to see what happens and the choice the Edna makes.