Response paper The Glass Menagerie

While  reading The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, how their family lived and their lifestyle caught my eye. With no father figure in this family because he ran off makes this family broken. The mother Amanda is trying to keep the family together and functional but all she seems to do is yell at her children. Yelling doesn't help anything; it creates distance between all of them instead of bringing them closer and succeeding in life. The son and brother Tom escapes this home and his mother with liquor, literature, and movies. Because Tom uses these hobbies as a way out it causes his mother Amanda to fight with  him about it. Tom has a job but the daughter Laura is shy and isn't going anywhere in life like her mother wants. Amanda pushes her and gets Tom involved to help her get a husband. This story about their lives is complicated because conflicts erupt and this home doesn't seem functional at all. A home shouldn't be so crazy, it should be a place where you feel comfortable. Pushing and pulling makes this family get one each others nerves. My home and family aren't perfect; we have arguments and disagreements but never as much as their lifestyle. I also have my whole family with me. I have both parents and a brother. Laura and Tom are without a father figure and Amanda is without a husband to rely on. Because Amanda is husband-less she feels the need to step up and try to be the father because she feels the need to since their father isn't there.
 When I read stories with damaged family I feel grateful for what I have. Even in hard times I realize other people have it worse then I do and somehow they manage to go on and live their life with that scar. I have also seen it in person. My best friend has been through so much and recently she had to go through her fathers death. I saw everything that was happening to her through a different perspective because it wasn't happening to me but I realized how much I have and what I could lose. Even though Tom, Laura, and Amanda didn't actually lose him like that but they did lose him in a different way. With the people you surround yourself with makes a difference. If you have a loving family and friends around you it can make a big difference and can pick you up when your really down and depressed. Showing love towards people is strong medicine and powerful. Maybe if the character Amanda showed more of love towards her children the relationships wouldn't be as tense as they are.

Rough Draft

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Londa McDonald

Stacey Knapp

English 1B

May 4, 2011

The Beauty of Evil

In the Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne, the protagonist Hester Prynne is a women living in the Puritan society and has committed the sin adultery. Because of her sin she is forced to wear the letter “A” on her breast for the rest of her life. Using reader’s response, there is good and evil throughout this novel and Hester shows off both.  Hester has her ups and downs with adjusting to her new life with raising Pearl, being compared to Ann Hutchinson, and facing all the people who judge her disastrous act.  From the beginning until the very end, Hester survives through her punishment and uses her strength from her mistake and changes the views of the people around her. Hester grows into a strong independent woman in the Puritan society.

When Hester is introduced she is stepping out of the prison cell with her daughter Pearl. This is the first impression you get of Hester showing you right from the start that she has done wrong in her society. The town’s people watch her stand up and get her punishment and make comments about it. One woman in the crowd says “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not a law for it? Truly there is, both in the Scripture and the statue-book” (Hawthorne 39). This shows so much hate towards her and they judge her because adultery is considered “evil” to them.  We still judge people frequently on their actions today whether its adultery, how they look, or getting pregnant at a young age. Adultery is still considered a sin and we know it’s wrong but we don’t mark the people who violate the commandment or society’s beliefs. With the scarlet letter placed upon her breast she is an outcast from

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the community. The scarlet letter has “. . . the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself (Hawthorne 41). From now on the red letter on her represents her loneliness and withdrawal from the Puritans society. Because of her punishment she is forced to live a different life and become an independent woman.

Hester has many thoughts running through her mind but she knew that she had to live for her child Pearl who was only an infant. She had to step up and care for her without a man by her side. Hester “…possessed an art that sufficed, even in a land that afforded comparatively little scope for its exercise, to supply food for her thriving infant and herself” (Hawthorne 57). This shows that she worked for herself and Pearl. She used her gift of sewing clothing for children to the deceased. Her hard work paid off and “. . . her handiwork become what would now be termed the fashion” (Hawthorne 57). Because of her work, she has given something back to the people and this shows she has earned somewhat of their respect. From my point of view she deserves it because she is taking her punishment and living the life she picked for herself. There are consequences for every action we do and she becomes strong on the outside to survive in the Puritans strict environment.

Hester knew that her actions were considered evil to everyone around her. The evil that came out of this sin was her daughter Pearl. Pearl’s personality wasn’t like other children’s in the community. While Hester watched Pearl grow and noticed “It was as if an evil spirit possessed the child, and had just then peeped forth in mockery” (Hawthorne 66). This shows the wickedness that child has within her because her mother did not have Pearl like the society wanted her to. She was supposed to have a child with her husband not another man therefore Pearl is considered an act of evil. Deep down inside Hester isn’t has tough as she seems to show people. Hester breaks down about how Pearl acts and says “… O Father in Heaven, -if Thou art still my Father,-what is this being which I have brought into the world” (Hawthorne 65). This shows Hester thinking about her sin and how it led to her giving birth to this outcast

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child. Hester knows what she has done and has to live life even though she is without a husband by her side to help. Many women now in the 21^st century live without men to take care of them but back then women always relied on their spouse to provide for them while the women played their role as house wives. Women are strong but fragile; Hester is both of these and has her ups and her downs with the life she has given herself.

            After seven years of wearing the scarlet letter and raising her daughter, her life stayed the same but the people around her seemed to change.  The obvious symbol placed on her changes and represents the good that’s in Hester. According to the towns people “Such helpfulness was found in her, -so much power to do, and power to sympathize, - that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 106). This shows that Hester has changed people’s perspective of her because of her “good” acts she has done. Individuals throughout the society forgot and forgave Hester’s sin and would say “Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge?” they would say to strangers. “It is our Hester, -the town’s own Hester, -who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted” (Hawthorne 106).   This quote shows her consideration and sympathy towards the suffering even though people show hate towards her. Hester cares for people anyway and gains their respect not to gain the town’s people’s approval but I think for herself to become a better person. She is a mother and has to show Pearl how to be an independent women in this cruel world. I definitely respect Hester and everything she has gone through while living on the outside because she takes full responsibility for her actions and still goes on with all of the non sinners against her.

            Hester is not the only woman who has gone against the Puritans strict society. Ann Hutchinson is another woman just like Hester to go and rebel against the Puritan ways. For Ann Hutchinson she is introduced in the novel when Hester is at the prison door.  Ann’s act of evil towards the Puritans was

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“hosting meetings for women and had reproached most of the ministers, including Reverend John Wilson, for preaching a covenant of works rather than a covenant of grace” (Hawthorne 37). Her actions show how Ann Hutchinson spoke out and took action in what she thought was right for her and other women. According to Michael J. Colacurcio, Hester and Ann both are both women whose lives turned out to be very similar. Michael J. Colacrucio explains “Like Ann Hutchinson, Hester Prynne is an extraordinary women who falls afoul of a theocratic and male-dominated society; and the problems which cause them to be singled out for exemplary punishment both begin in a special sort of relationship with a pastor who is one of the acknowledged intellectual and spiritual leaders of that society” (Colacrucio 306). With what Michael pointed out I agree with him about Hester and Ann being “extraordinary women” because they both had the strength to face the harsh society they live in. Hester did do the wrong thing by committing adultery but I don’t believe she is a bad person. These acts that women did back in the 17^th century seemed to be horrible but without these rebellious women society wouldn’t have changed into how the 21^st century is today. Lots of women fight for what they want or believe because they want to be independent and treated differently instead of men always being the dominate sex. For Hester this wasn’t the case but she proved to people anyway that women can be independent and so did Ann Hutchinson.

            Another similarity Hester and Ann have is they both become better women after their operations of evil. After, they both reached out and brought kindness to the people around them. Michael also pointed out “. . . with increasing complications, both of these remarkable and troublesome women have careers as nurses and counselors to other women: Ann Hutchinson begins her prophetic career this way, whereas Hester Prynne moves into this direction as a result of her punishment” (Colacurcio 306). “Evil” things people do throughout this world lead to better things. I wouldn’t consider these two things these women did as being evil.  Good things come out of the people you least expect; Hester and Ann are examples of good out in the world. For Hester to change herself and become the person that she wanted to after her sin shows us the great strength she has.

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Many readers who read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter have many opinions of the conflicts involved in this novel. When Hawthorne was writing this novel according to Stephen Railton Hawthorne wanted to “. . . use a woman’s sexuality to explore and challenge the structures of society. . .” (Railton 482). This shows that he went into that direction and showed his readers how complications about women actions can turn the society’s structure upside down. He had to focus on an audience when writing this book and “. . . realized that the Puritans are a terrible audience” (Railton 485). Hawthorne wanted an audience that would get what he was trying to say through this story. Hawthorne focused on the “. . . scene between the action and their reaction” (Railton 486). This shows he wanted to write each scene as if he would already know the reaction the readers has. He uses foreshadowing and gives hints on what will happen next and it all connects to the point he is trying to get the reader to realize.  Stephen Railton presented that Hawthorne’s “. . .”plan” for The Scarlet Letter was to communicate as well as to explore the depths of our common nature, the truths of the human heart” (Railton 486). This quote shows his deeper meaning he wanted readers to catch, he wanted people to read this and feel these characters from their heart. From my perspective the way he wrote this got me to feel something for Hester and her life. I didn’t end up hating her because of what she did but saw how the good over came the evil she has done. He wrote this in a way to see the beauty of Hester that hides underneath the scarlet letter she wears.

            Throughout this novel Hester Prynne’s story shows the balance she brought between good and evil. Living in the Puritan society in the 17^th century was rough and challenging. Now in the 21^st century women have it easier and actually are a big part of the growing society. We all see things differently and have diverse opinions about what’s evil and what is good. While one person can think something is evil another can have a different view and think it’s not evil at all. We all learn to forgive and forget and move into the future. Just like Hester’s story she shows us both sides of her but looking into her heart we see who she really is and it’s not evil at all. We can never fully understand why we judge people in these categories, but when it comes down to it we all make mistakes and live with them. They lead us down a

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path where we find who we are supposed to be and what we are meant to do in the world. Just like Hester she knows her mistake and instead of putting her head down she rises above what society thinks and lives her life how she wants too. Everyone seems to cut down the people who fall when we all know that no one is perfect and that’s what’s beautiful about the world. We live, learn, and love and it doesn’t have to be perfect in judgmental eyes, it has to feel right and be perfect in our eyes since it’s our life.

           

           

           

           

           

annotated bibliographies

Colacurio, Michael J. "Footsteps of Ann Hutchinson: The Context of The Scarlet Letter." The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2005. 304-31. Print. 

While I was researching for my paper I came across this criticism. Michael J. Colacurcio explained how Hawthorne used Ann Hutchinson in the novel to compare Hester his fictional character to real life Puritan women who sinned in their society. He states how Ann and Hester are similar because of how they turn out to be good influences on other women. But Hester had to catch up to Ann's good deeds since it took her time to come out and give back to the people. Ann sin was different then Hester's but they both came out to be strong independent women.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, and Leland S. Person. The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2005. Print.

Another source I used was the actual novel. The book is about a woman named Hester who commits the sin adultery and has to face the consequence and wear the letter A on her breast. She has to live with what she has done and with her daughter Pearl she thinks about the evil she has brought into the world. As the years go by she washes all the evil away with the good deeds she does for other people and for herself. Sh also runs into conflicts with her husband and the man she had an affair with.

Railton, Stephen. "The Address of The Scarlet Letter." The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2005. 481-500. Print.

The last source I came across was really interesting. Stephen Railton's main focus was Hawthorne's audience when he was writing The Scarlet Letter. He knew that the Puritans wouldn't be thrilled about this writing but he wanted to take the risk and write a novel about a women who addresses challenge to the strict society. He wanted to use this novel as a way to get people to realize the deeper meaning of the story. He didn't want the readers to hate Hester but she whats really in her heart.

difficulty paper 2

While reading the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I came across many quotes I didn't really understand but I knew that they have an important meaning to them. I would reread them but sometimes I just couldn't figure out what the words were actually saying. Because of the language that Nathaniel Hawthorne used to write the Scarlet Letter made this a challenge to figure out some of the meaning of quotes throughout this book.  One of the quotes that I thought was important but wasn't sure is "When we last spake together, said Hester, now seven years ago, it was your pleasure to extort a promise of secrecy, as touching the former relation betwixt  yourself and me" (111) After reading this over and over again and looking up some of the words I didn't understand made it more clear. I'm not totally sure if I got the meaning of it right but I tried to break the quote down and figure it out. I think Hester is talking about her relationship with her husband and how they promised to keep a secret about it. I'm not sure if this is correct but I picked out words like betwixt and extort and looked them up to find what this quote was trying to say.
Another quote I took apart is " It lies not in the pleasure  of the magistrates to take off this badge, calmly replied Hester. Were I worthy to be quit of it , it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something  that should speak a different purport" (110).  I looked up the meaning of magistrates and purport when i didn't understand this quote. After I looked up the meaning of these words I got that Hester was explaining the scarlet letter and how she would want the meaning of it to fade on its own or the meaning would turn into something else. She would rather it be seen differently then have it taken off. She knows what she did and she takes full responsibility and wears it without complaint. I really like this quote  because of how independent and strong she has gotten when wearing the scarlet letter. She doesn't want a way out of it unless she has deserved it by showing people who she really is and changing the meaning of it herself by proving to the people around her.
Throughout the Scarlet Letter I took the quotes that were difficult for me and broke them apart to find the real meaning of them. It really helped me understand the deeper meaning of things and the story's conflicts. If people picked out the quotes and took the time to understand them it would really help them if they were struggling through this reading. It helps me a lot and I suggest the reader should take the time to reread and understand what is the most difficult for them to fully recognize what they are reading.

difficulty paper 1

While reading the Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne I found the language he used to be the most difficult. When I started reading it I actually got into the story line. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book when I first picked it up. It took me longer to read the Scarlet Letter because I didn't understand some parts when I first read them. I had to take the time to reread some parts and try to understand what the author was trying to say by using this different language that I'm not used too. I always had trouble with books that are written this way. I try my best to get through the book and to understand it.
One thing that helped me understand this story is my history class I am taking this semester. I have learned a little bit about the Puritans ways and their beliefs. I know they are very strict about religion. They think that if anyone doesn't follow the church that they have evil in them. They punish anyone who disobeys the church or the law. Knowing some of the Puritans background gave me an idea where the story was going. I had no questions about why this was happening the Hester Prynne. I knew she was being punished for the sin she committed. I understand why Nathaniel Hawthorne used evil to describe and symbolize certain things like Pearl and the scarlet letter Hester wears.
In the book they have so much hate towards her but they didn't sentence death to Hester or her daughter Pearl. They only made her stand in front of everyone at the place of dishonor with Pearl for punishment. I was surprised they didn't end up killing her and her child because of the sin she decided to commit. She was placed away from the town and that's the punishment she took. The Puritan society seems like a difficult place to live. Women don't have many freedoms in this society and have to live by the church or suffer the consequences like Hester has.
Another thing that confuses me when I read this was the names of people and the titles given to them. When Nathaniel uses the clergymen or clergyman, minister, and reverend instead of the persons actual name i always get  confused on who the person is when he is describing something. I always have to look back on the actual characters name so I don't mix up people. This stresses me out because I sometimes think the conflict is happening with one character then I find out that it really was happening to some other character. I guess its just how  its written since it was already hard for me to understand the language but with the characters thrown it and given a different title messes me up a little bit. Some of the names are different so its hard to remember all of them and to keep track of what is happening to who and all of the conflicts.

Final ( blog wouldn't let me fix page numbers)

     

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Londa McDonald                                                                                                                              
Stacey Knapp

English 1B

March 7, 2011

Two Different Teenage Lives

            In the novel The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb, the author tells a story about a teenage boy. This teenage boy is named Sonny. Using reader’s response, Sonny’s and my life have some similarities and differences.  The family he comes from made him become independent at a young age however when I was Sonny’s age I depended on my family for a lot. Broken and lost, Sonny tries to find something or someone worth his time.  From start to finish, everything that has happened to Sonny makes him into the struggling independent teenage boy he has become.

            From the very beginning, Sonny has lived with his mother Sylvia and his sister Ceci. Unlike my life at home, Sonny doesn’t have a father figure in his life. The only relationship he has is with his mother and it’s never been strong. Sonny tells us “It was that my mom, if she wasn’t at her job, was out on dates and whatever [sic]” (5).  This shows that Sonny never had his mother around like he needed.  He never relied on anyone but himself. Sonny states “. . . I made my own dinner and lunch and did my shit without nobody” (5). This states that Sonny is lonely and independent and can’t count on anyone. The household I lived in was much different. I lived with both my parents and my brother. I had my parents to rely on for mostly everything. Since my brother and I are very close, I also had him to go to if I needed it. My family likes to be

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together when we all have time. Every day we sit down and have a family meal or we will watch TV together.  Unlike Sonny, I had it easy, while Sonny had to become an adult at an early age.

        Sonny also came from a household that was pretty violent for a child. His mother Sylvia would “. . . go after Ceci with belts or wooden hangers or whatever was near” (5). This shows that Sonny witnessed this violence many times and it became his lifestyle. To live in a household like that is a very hard environment to grow up in. A young child shouldn’t be alone or around violence. The household I lived in was a loving and a caring one. I had my family together, no one abandoned me or threatened to abuse me. If my parents ever left for a business trip or for a vacation they never just took off. They would send me to my grandparent’s house when I was younger. I was always with someone; I was never left alone.  For Sonny, all I think he is looking for is someone to notice him. He is looking for someone to be there for him and love him for who he is.

            When his mother marries Cloyd, Sonny is moved into a new environment. Sonny gets involved with tenants Pink and Cindy and he builds rough relationships. None of them have a good influence on him. Pink offers a Bel Air to Sonny if he spies on Cloyd for him. Pink confronts Sonny telling him “. . . all I need is you to listen for me is all . . . I’m speaking of your stepdad [sic]” (139). This shows that all Pink wants is for Sonny to spy on Cloyd for his own benefit. Cindy also hooks onto Sonny because she only wants him so she isn’t lonely and for sexual things. Sonny feels no connection and states “I felt confusion like I wasn’t on my own feet” (125). This shows that Sonny isn’t sure about their relationship because she is desperate and she is just using him. During my childhood I had some good and bad friends. Some would

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use me just like Pink and Cindy used Sonny. One friend would make plans with me and then ditch me. After a while I just stopped hanging out with her. Sonny and I have trust issues and it’s hard to find people who like you for you.

From the beginning, Sonny has a stealing habit. He steals from people who don’t appreciate what they have. Sonny states “It was sitting there in his truck...almost lost in a pile of receipts…” (49). This shows that Sonny doesn’t really feel guilty that he has stolen because he does appreciate everything he has. Sonny also steals out of anger. He got accused of stealing Gina’s magazines. After being accused thoughts run through his head, “I wanted to steal something” (122). This shows that his anger makes him want to act out so he can feel more powerful. For being so young he has a lot of anger inside of him. When I was almost sixteen I didn’t use anger to strengthen myself. Throughout my childhood I had a couple of disagreements with friends and family that caused conflict. I looked at the positive in every one and tried to not let the anger in me become a problem. I knew it would lead me into trouble. For Sonny that’s all he can do since he has never had anything positive in life.

            In this novel, Sonny finds someone who is worth getting close with. Her name is Nica. Sonny and Nica’s relationship is different from any other relationship Sonny has had with anyone. Sonny states “Happy to see me, happy that somebody was over, happy I visited her, that it was me” (94). This shows Sonny’s joy that someone actually is happy to see him since no one usually acts this way towards him. Sonny always felt unwanted and used until he met Nica because she isn’t expecting or wanting anything from him like Cindy and Pink do. He wants a
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relationship that will last and mean something more than all the broken relationships he has had in the past.

Nica is Sonny’s first love. We all have this first experience with someone. For me it didn’t happen when I was as young as Sonny. No matter what age, it’s always a new feeling and                                                                   you want it to last forever. Sonny takes it slow and tries to buy pizza for her. Sonny asks Nica “What if I buy us a pizza right now?” (95). This is the first time Sonny actually offers something instead of just stealing because Nica is important to him. As things around him get complicated he goes to her more and more. Nica opens up to Sonny about how she wants to run away from her family to Mexico. Nica confesses “I don’t like it here. . . I don’t want to stay now” (236). This shows that Nica and Sonny’s relationship has grown and they learned to trust each other. Sonny really cares for her and gives all of his money he stole to her.  Sonny tells Nica “You don’t have to worry. . . I have money, it’s your money” (248). By Sonny donating his money towards her well being shows that he loves her. With the LA riots erupting, Sonny sacrifices everything for Nica to get away. He wants her to have a better life then what she was living before.  I understand wanting to give everything to a person you love. Just like Sonny, I had to move that special person to live somewhere else because his old home wasn’t working. Sonny and I both had the strength to let the ones we love go for the better.

            Sonny’s story is filled with anger, independence, violence, sacrifice, love, and hope. He came from a broken family and finally found someone that loves him for who he is. To actually let someone in after being abandoned from most of his family is a miracle. I was born with everything that Sonny wished he had. The thing that connects me and Sonny is that we all wish

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for that one person or persons that get who you are. I happened to have it from the start and I also was able to find more people that care for me.  Every struggle he has had to go through lead him to Nica and made him become the person he wants to grow into. Maybe after becoming close to Nica, he will reach out and learn to trust good people that will help him change his ways.

                                                                                                                                       

Work Cited

Gilb, Dagoberto. The Flowers. New York: Grove, 2008. Print.

                                                                                                                                                                        

"Girl"

          In the short story Girl written by Jamaica Kincaid, the speaker is telling the girl what she should do and how to do it. Girl can by analyzed in the Feminist perspective because the speaker is teaching the girl how to do everything the "right" way. The girl is learning right from wrong on how to do chores and how to behave. She is learning simple things like "how you sweep a corner" or "how you set a table"(2). Between all of the chores and manners the speaker throws in about becoming a slut "on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming" (2). After this line the speaker keeps adding in on how she can prevent herself from turning into one.
          The style, tone, and setting really completes what the author wanted to tell us. The style of Girl is written as a long list. Every line is what she has to follow each day in order to be a respectful lady. The tone is very serious and demanding. An example would be the author always using "this is how you..."(2). The repetition of this is used because the speaker is trying to get his point across. The setting may be set in 1978, when it was written or it could be set in the years before. The line the stands out to prove it was set around this time is "when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse..." (2). This line tells the reader that it must be set in a time where women still made their own clothes. So this gives us a hint that it is set around 1978. Another quote that proves this is "this is how you hem a dress when you see the hem coming down to prevent yourself from looking like the slut you are so bent on becoming." (2) Women were not allowed to wear short dresses back in that time period. They always covered their legs and chest unlike how women dress now. The term "slut" is still used now but before it was a really bad insult. While women had to cover their bodies during earlier times; now women have the freedom to dress in what they want knowing that they might be called a slut.
         This story shows us that women were expected to do everything on this "list". They had a profile to maintain because it was expected of them. Jamaica Kincaid wrote this in a way to show that women were told to do many things in a certain way. When reading this the speaker tells this girl how to cook, clean, buy cloth, eat, smile, set the table, and not be a slut. If women follow all these rules they will become a proper women that civilization expects them to be.