So far I know that I want to do my project on The Californians by Gertrude Atherton. This has been my favorite reading thus far and made me go out and download the full book so that I can read the entire thing. These are the three project topic ideas that I have so far.
#1
From a piece of fiction (short story, section of novel, or a play) choose a female character on whom to focus, and create a project that discusses some of the following questions:
What is the author’s attitude towards her? (how can you tell?)
What is your attitude towards her?
How do (at least 2) other characters view her?
How does she view herself?
I think that this would obviously be an interesting topic to discuss because of how our two main characters (who are females) are treated. One thing that definitely stood out to me in The Californians was the treatment of women around this time. The fact that these two girls would be arrested for dressing like boys goes to show how messed up this time period was for women. I think this would be a perfect prompt to do my project on since it is such a major part of The Californians.
#2
Choose a reading.
In your project, consider the following:
What does this work reflect about its historical, social, political and/or economic context? You may focus on race, class, power, cultural values and beliefs, historical events, the author’s biography, gender, psychology, etc.
This would also be a good choice for a project on The Californians because I could discuss how the main characters treatment based on their gender and class reflects the way that women, particularly wealthy women, were treated during this time period. I could. Also discuss how the author, Gertrude Atherton, was actually a wealthy woman herself and how her treatment in this time was shown by the way that she wrote The Californians.
#3
Choose a reading selection. Then choose one of the following questions, and write an argument in response to it:
How does the work reflect the period in which it was written?
What does the work reveal about the cultural behavior contemporary to it?
How are class differences presented in the work? Are characters aware or unaware of the economic and social forces that affect their lives?
#3
Choose a reading selection. Then choose one of the following questions, and write an argument in response to it:
How does the work reflect the period in which it was written?
What does the work reveal about the cultural behavior contemporary to it?
How are class differences presented in the work? Are characters aware or unaware of the economic and social forces that affect their lives?
This one could be cool because I could discuss the class differences specifically, as opposed to the last prompt where there were a bunch of different subjects to discuss. The upper class position that these girls were ind definitely had a huge impact on them, because if it were not for their social status, they would have been locked up in jail for dressing as boys to go see the fire, but instead, through their connections they were released and got a ride home paid for by the police chief. I don't think I will choose this prompt, but it would be interesting to take a look at.
Hi anthony, I personally think you should do the second prompt especially on the literature you enjoyed "The Californians". I think you have the right direction going towards it as I like that you know how this story reflects women in society. I also liked that you are willing to also integrate the author's biography to add more depth into the social aspect as you said you can demonstrate how the author's life is similar to the women in "The Californians." For the first prompt, I honestly don't think you've shown that you have enough info to do this prompt since it also asks you to share the author's attitude towards female character(s). It also asks you to give the female character's attitude towards themselves as well which you also didn't provide information to indicate that you should be able to do this topic. Personally, for the second prompt i can tell that you have enough to go on with the information you provided. I would ask for the teacher's recommendation as well.
ReplyDeleteHey Anthony, I saw that this story really stuck with you, and I’m glad to see that you want to do your essay on it. I thought that that the story would pair nicely with your first topic of choosing a female to focus on. I do not understand why women had to wear dresses or skirts back in the day. My aunt was part of the protests at Antioch High during the times where women were not allowed to wear pants to school because it was “unladylike”. And to think that at one point in history, legislation even passed a law that women could not wear pants, and men could not wear dresses. You are right about it being a horrible time for women. I liked your second and third choices for topics as well. I felt like you have a good grasp on both, and which directions you would want to go with them.
ReplyDeleteHi Anthony,
ReplyDeleteI love this story too! I haven’t yet downloaded the full story, but it is definitely on my must-read list. All of your topics are great picks; I’ve actually chosen to use this story as well and do my thesis on the class differences. I think topic one would be a great choice because you can definitely get a feel of the author’s attitude towards the girls. Also, there are many examples of how the characters view themselves and each other. Definitely adding in some additional background to how women were treated during this era will help you elaborate on your thesis and give the reader more insight to how it was for women during this time. My last thesis was about the female character and Ms. H gave some great tips on what should be added in order to make the work flow and easy for the reader to understand what you were trying to convey. I look forward to seeing what your choice is!
Hello Anthony, that is great that you found a story that you enjoyed reading and really connected with which I think will make doing your project overall easier and more enjoyable. I think the first topic choice would go over well and the story definitely can fit into that prompt nicely and you have already brought up some great points. The topic number 2 would also be really good for this story and I think you would be able to discuss how the writing discusses historical context regarding how the two females were treated. And lastly the third topic choice could be good to and I think you already have some well-formulated arguments. I am excited to see what you choose and what your project will look like.
ReplyDeleteHi Anthony. I also liked that story. So, the two females could be arrested for dressing like men? I thought Helena was disguised as a man and Magdalena as a "muchacha" what Helena called her? I was thinking they first of all did not want to be seen by people that would recognize them and that most females did not go out without a man at those times? I did not realize Gertrude Atherton was wealthy? Also, I think Helena was wealthy, but Magdalena was middle-class? I am thinking to write about the third prompt, hopefully I can find a lot to discuss on it. What will be your thesis for the prompt you choose? I think the three prompts you are considering are all great selections for this story. You seem on the right tract for this project. What if you start looking for quotes to support your thesis? Great job!
ReplyDeleteHey Anthony! I think that the story that you picked is going to make a great project! I think what would really help this project shine would be to do the second prompt that you thought of because that totally fits in with the story. The fact that the two females dressed like men and could be arrested for it only proves why it would be perfect for the second prompt. You could perhaps even talk about how that could play in with times changing and even talk a little about the acceptance today versus back then. Anyways, good luck on the project!
ReplyDelete