We will approach th text with the critical feminist point of view, because the text is mainly seeing from desirees point of view. Desiree is kind of oppressed in the text, because she is the scapegoat in the story, and the man is never questioned. We will also go thru the text with policital approaches, because of the differences betweeen the social classes. He is from snobby france and she is an orphan, most likely from mexico. She is dark skinned and all dark skinned persons are sub humans.
When you apply a feminist approach to the text, i think you might also analyse the relationship between the women in the text. Which observations would be relevant?
We think the main critical approach is feminist criticism, because this is the subject that touches the main character the most. She is married shortly after meeting her husband, who has fallen in love with her more because of her looks, rather than her person. This, combined with his reactions later on in the story, clearly shows that his main intention is to get her into bed. The later reaction being that, well knowing that it is not even her fault, he sends Desiree away with their baby in order to restore his honour.
Interesting! I agree - you know that. However, the first theme that came up in our discussion was race and many of the following suggestions also centered around political issues. Could these two approaches be combined?
We in our group (Sasha, Alexander and Samuel) choose the Post-colonialism approach to the story Desiree’s baby. Why? The post colonialism is focusing on the problems that had occurred after the breakdown of the English empire. There is a strong sense of “us and them” and family name and roots play a major role, in order to reach the top of the society your family roots and social class has to be in a certain way. “What did it matter about a name when he could give her one the oldest and proudest in Louisiana?” Desiree is an orphan and her family roots are unknown. But despite this fact, Armand wants to take her as his wife because he has one of the best family names in all of Louisiana. Later when the child is born and it looks like a quadroon, Armand throws both the mother and the baby out. This is because it is unacceptable for a French-American to have mingled with another race.
Notes to mock exam on “Desiree’s baby”’ The author is all knowing Eks: Arman looked into her eyes and did not care - line 26 Characteristics: Desiree: she is beautiful, gentle affectionate, sincere - line 15 The love of her husband means everything to her. She is a believer in a perfect marriage. - line 39 page 2 she is an orphan - line 4-5 page 1 She both loves and is scared of Armand
Armand: He has a dark and handsome face. Armand has two sides or personalities - page 2 line 38-40 both a dark and a light side. “He coldly but gently” the contrast in words show his to sides He is a typical man from that period of time. The color of his skin could represent his dual personality.
Critic of colonialism. Page 2 line 12 “This is not the baby” Page 2 line 20-24. The grandmother examines the child and look searchingly at the black servant Zandrine. The grandmother is chocked by the color of the child, maybe mainly because she cares about Desiree and she knows the norms there was at that day. She knows that it would be bad for Desiree to have a black baby because black people were not as good as white people. Desiree wishes not to be black .
We would use feminist criticism. He is blaming her for not being white instead of considering that it might be him that is not white: “It means that the child is not white; it means that you are not white.” (p.3, l.35) Armand is the boss and he is working. She is just a housewife who is taking care of the baby. Psychoanalytical literary criticism is based on Sigmund Freud’s thoughts of humans influenced by instincts, sexual urges and repressed feeling. Armand is acting by his sexual urges when he fell in love with Desireé. He has a strong passion for her, but has to repress the feeling because of the situation with the black baby. “It was not wonder, when she stood one day against the stone pillar in those shadow she had lain asleep, 18 years before, that Armand Aubigny riding by and seeing her there, had fallen in love with her.” (p.1, l.17-20) Post-colonialism is based on how the story sees the colonies. The French colonies took their own norms, language, culture and religious views with them to America. “French was the language spoken at Valmode in those days.” (p.2, l.12) They talk French to each other instead of talking English. “Mais si, Madame.” (p.2, l.18). They have different words in French they use instead of the American words. “L’Abri”, “Madame”, “Monsieur”, “Cor’beille”, “Cochon de lait” and even Desiree is French for something you wish for.
Presentation: Short story, Desiree’s Baby, By Kate Chopin, 1892 Characters: Desiree: Adopted, (maybe)left by Mexicans, brown long hair, grey eyes,fair skin, beautiful, gentle, affectionate and sincere - Represents the beauty and gentleness of Valmonde(1.p l. 16) Armand: Dark face, superficial (falls in love like shot by a pistol), first very proud of the baby, turns around - baby is black, racist, almost sadistic treatment of the slaves. Mr. Valmonde: Main themes: Racism - oppression of slaves, oppression of women, heritage - no mixed races Message: Nothing good comes of being prejudice. Symbols - Period typical: women oppression - The house and the environment is a symbol of his mental state. - Her white garment = innocents - torn apart in the field = falsely accused; innocence is tainted Perspective: Women oppression: - Jane Eyre -Yellow Wallpaper
We think that the political approach is very relevant in this short story, as it deal much with racial issues, not to mention class issues as we’re dealing with slavery and the high class. The racial problems are of course obvious given the black slaves and the white/French master (Armand), but also given the way the slaves are treated by Armand. “the young Aubigny’s rule was a strict one, too, and under it his negroes had forgotten how to be gay…”(p.2 l.3) This strongly implies that Armand does not treat the black in a very pleasant way. This is confirmed a few lines later where he Desiree describes his behaviour towards his slaves, as if the devil has gotten a hold of him. Armand’s view on the African race is also clearly seen as he slowly but surely starts to turn away from Desiree and the baby, as he stats to notice that the baby has a dark skin tone. When Desiree asks what is wrong with him, this is the answer she gets: “…the child is not white; it means you are not white.” This is also the trigger which makes Armand throw out Desiree and the baby. At this point a feministic view could also be adopted, as there is no doubt, in Armand’s mind anyway that Desiree, as woman, is of course to blame for this. The view on women is also evident in the beginning of the text where Mrs. Valmonde is very happy how Desiree has turned out, “For the girl grew beautiful and gentle affectionate and sincere - the idol of Valmonde.” This is the family’s (symbolising the society)view on how a real woman should be. She need not to be clever or educated she only need her looks and the so called soft values such as love and tenderness.
We will approach th text with the critical feminist point of view, because the text is mainly seeing from desirees point of view.
ReplyDeleteDesiree is kind of oppressed in the text, because she is the scapegoat in the story, and the man is never questioned.
We will also go thru the text with policital approaches, because of the differences betweeen the social classes. He is from snobby france and she is an orphan, most likely from mexico. She is dark skinned and all dark skinned persons are sub humans.
Mikael og Janus.
When you apply a feminist approach to the text, i think you might also analyse the relationship between the women in the text. Which observations would be relevant?
DeleteWe think the main critical approach is feminist criticism, because this is the subject that touches the main character the most. She is married shortly after meeting her husband, who has fallen in love with her more because of her looks, rather than her person. This, combined with his reactions later on in the story, clearly shows that his main intention is to get her into bed. The later reaction being that, well knowing that it is not even her fault, he sends Desiree away with their baby in order to restore his honour.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I agree - you know that. However, the first theme that came up in our discussion was race and many of the following suggestions also centered around political issues. Could these two approaches be combined?
DeleteBTW - who are you? ;)
DeleteWe in our group (Sasha, Alexander and Samuel) choose the Post-colonialism approach to the story Desiree’s baby.
ReplyDeleteWhy?
The post colonialism is focusing on the problems that had occurred after the breakdown of the English empire. There is a strong sense of “us and them” and family name and roots play a major role, in order to reach the top of the society your family roots and social class has to be in a certain way.
“What did it matter about a name when he could give her one the oldest and proudest in Louisiana?”
Desiree is an orphan and her family roots are unknown. But despite this fact, Armand wants to take her as his wife because he has one of the best family names in all of Louisiana. Later when the child is born and it looks like a quadroon, Armand throws both the mother and the baby out. This is because it is unacceptable for a French-American to have mingled with another race.
Notes to mock exam on “Desiree’s baby”’
DeleteThe author is all knowing
Eks: Arman looked into her eyes and did not care - line 26
Characteristics:
Desiree: she is beautiful, gentle affectionate, sincere - line 15 The love of her husband means everything to her. She is a believer in a perfect marriage. - line 39 page 2 she is an orphan - line 4-5 page 1
She both loves and is scared of Armand
Armand:
He has a dark and handsome face.
Armand has two sides or personalities - page 2 line 38-40 both a dark and a light side.
“He coldly but gently” the contrast in words show his to sides
He is a typical man from that period of time.
The color of his skin could represent his dual personality.
Critic of colonialism.
Page 2 line 12 “This is not the baby”
Page 2 line 20-24. The grandmother examines the child and look searchingly at the black servant Zandrine.
The grandmother is chocked by the color of the child, maybe mainly because she cares about Desiree and she knows the norms there was at that day. She knows that it would be bad for Desiree to have a black baby because black people were not as good as white people.
Desiree wishes not to be black .
Samuel Alexander and Sasha
We would use feminist criticism. He is blaming her for not being white instead of considering that it might be him that is not white: “It means that the child is not white; it means that you are not white.” (p.3, l.35) Armand is the boss and he is working. She is just a housewife who is taking care of the baby.
ReplyDeletePsychoanalytical literary criticism is based on Sigmund Freud’s thoughts of humans influenced by instincts, sexual urges and repressed feeling. Armand is acting by his sexual urges when he fell in love with Desireé. He has a strong passion for her, but has to repress the feeling because of the situation with the black baby. “It was not wonder, when she stood one day against the stone pillar in those shadow she had lain asleep, 18 years before, that Armand Aubigny riding by and seeing her there, had fallen in love with her.” (p.1, l.17-20)
Post-colonialism is based on how the story sees the colonies. The French colonies took their own norms, language, culture and religious views with them to America. “French was the language spoken at Valmode in those days.” (p.2, l.12)
They talk French to each other instead of talking English. “Mais si, Madame.” (p.2, l.18).
They have different words in French they use instead of the American words. “L’Abri”, “Madame”, “Monsieur”, “Cor’beille”, “Cochon de lait” and even Desiree is French for something you wish for.
Made by Kirstine, Michelle, Kristina og Stinna
Presentation: Short story, Desiree’s Baby, By Kate Chopin, 1892
ReplyDeleteCharacters:
Desiree: Adopted, (maybe)left by Mexicans, brown long hair, grey eyes,fair skin, beautiful, gentle, affectionate and sincere - Represents the beauty and gentleness of Valmonde(1.p l. 16)
Armand: Dark face, superficial (falls in love like shot by a pistol), first very proud of the baby, turns around - baby is black, racist, almost sadistic treatment of the slaves.
Mr. Valmonde:
Main themes: Racism - oppression of slaves, oppression of women, heritage - no mixed races
Message: Nothing good comes of being prejudice.
Symbols
- Period typical: women oppression
- The house and the environment is a symbol of his mental state.
- Her white garment = innocents - torn apart in the field = falsely accused; innocence is tainted
Perspective:
Women oppression: - Jane Eyre -Yellow Wallpaper
We think that the political approach is very relevant in this short story, as it deal much with racial issues, not to mention class issues as we’re dealing with slavery and the high class. The racial problems are of course obvious given the black slaves and the white/French master (Armand), but also given the way the slaves are treated by Armand. “the young Aubigny’s rule was a strict one, too, and under it his negroes had forgotten how to be gay…”(p.2 l.3) This strongly implies that Armand does not treat the black in a very pleasant way. This is confirmed a few lines later where he Desiree describes his behaviour towards his slaves, as if the devil has gotten a hold of him. Armand’s view on the African race is also clearly seen as he slowly but surely starts to turn away from Desiree and the baby, as he stats to notice that the baby has a dark skin tone. When Desiree asks what is wrong with him, this is the answer she gets: “…the child is not white; it means you are not white.” This is also the trigger which makes Armand throw out Desiree and the baby. At this point a feministic view could also be adopted, as there is no doubt, in Armand’s mind anyway that Desiree, as woman, is of course to blame for this. The view on women is also evident in the beginning of the text where Mrs. Valmonde is very happy how Desiree has turned out, “For the girl grew beautiful and gentle affectionate and sincere - the idol of Valmonde.” This is the family’s (symbolising the society)view on how a real woman should be. She need not to be clever or educated she only need her looks and the so called soft values such as love and tenderness.