Thee Awakeningg

I have recently expressed my opinions about feminism in another paper for AP English, so I will withhold from talking about them on here. For the rest of this blog, I will focus on The Awakening and the ideas that go along with it. Enjoy!

Picture Edna, from The Awakening, as a normal, run of the mill woman from her times. I know it is hard to do, being that we recently read a book in which she was the main character. This leads me to my first of many tangents. I didn't know that I had strong feelings toward this until right this very second, but it bothers me that most books are focused on a set amount of people. It makes it hard to not create a larger than life view of the few main characters. I'm going off on another tangent from my first tangent here, but isn't it pretty awesome that most of the blogs for this class are full of opinions that are based off of little to nothing, and were formed practically on the spot? I am not trying to sound sarcastic, because I really do think it's cool that we are at an age in which we are constantly forced to form new opinions on new and unique topics. And while we are completely away from what I began talking about, I would just like to ask if that paper we got reminding us about the blog, was directed partially to me? If it was, I would reluctantly agree to change my format into a much more formal format, in which I write long sentences that sound good, but mean little to nothing. That came off a little harsh, sorry, I always get in a certain mood when writing on this blog. Also, (I promise this is the last thing!) it is obviously easier to type this all out, being that there is a sense of invincibility that people get when interacting online.

Anyways, imagine being a simpleton that was on vacation around the spot where Edna was. You just happen to occasionally see Edna, Robert, and the other characters, as well as hearing about what is going on with them. You have enough information to understand that Edna is inching away from her loving, seemingly great, husband, and gravitating towards that wife-stealing Robert. We all know that Robert is a big flirt and he can't control himself. Then for a while you hear nothing about the whole group of people, and continue to obey your husband and do whatever he pleases, because that is what seems to be socially normal at that time. (This goes without saying, but I obviously do not support anything like that, and am just saying it to put the reader in the times that the story was written) You eventually go back home, and hear the news that Edna had gone and drowned herself. There are many rumors, of course, which explain why she would have done such a terrible thing, although each "explanation" has their own holes and isn't completely clear. No matter what the real reasoning of her suicide was, it would seem like such an absurd and drastic solution to a problem that couldn't have been that terrible, considering what you knew about her.

My whole point of writing that scenario out was to try to show that well...actually...I'm not that sure. It started out as my attempt at expressing that suicide isn't this huge deal that automatically begins a revolution. Suicide occurs all the time, in every area, that affects all types of people. Now that I look more into my scenario, I see how I could be attempting to show that inner struggles of a person, or a society as a whole, do not relate well to the general public, unless, of course, if you read this fictional book. Also, this brings up a point that I am sure all english teachers have heard thousands... no millions of times: "Maybe the author just wrote the book to provoke emotions and to supply the public with a 'good read'. There doesn't need to be a deep meaning to everything in our world". At the same time that I say that, I am realizing that the "deepness" of worldly things, all depends on the individual. Going along with that logic, then does that mean that The Awakening was a book that was set on supporting their ideas, despite the fact that the author claims to not have had that in mind? Is a book, and its meaning, up to the author, or the reader to determine? (Thats a good question, I like it. Very vague and could provoke much discussion.)

I need to connect all of this to the current world still, I suppose. It is pretty obvious that times have gotten better for women, although there is still a clear advantage for men in life. It doesn't effect me much, being that I am a young man, but I understand it has been on many peoples cases for years. Hahah I'm laughing at the fact that I simplified such a large issue down to a simple, ignorant sentence. But really, I do understand the hugeness of this issue, and its importance. I am not nearly as optimistic as some people seem to be, but I do not think that anytime in my lifetime, women and men will be truly equal. I think that women will have the advantage over men, before equality would ever be reached. Nothing in this world is completely equal and balanced. Also, people still commit suicide often. So that's an ongoing issue that you can't really put any positive spin on. It is pretty terrible to think about, and scary, but I am assuming if someone is very religious, they believe that the person that committed suicide was meant to do it and God has a plan for everyone.

I would lastly like to state that I agree that all peoples should be equal no matter what race, culture, education, upbringing, sexuality, gender, or hair color that person is/has. I do admit that I am a little tired of reading the books from this unit, and am looking forward to the next unit. Thanks to all my readers, and I appreciate my small, but loyal fan group!

Peace Out,
Jake Gregan