The Structure of Charles Dickenss A Christmas Carol Essay

Charles Dickens’s, a British social reformer which has presented to an audience a brilliant novel: A Christmas Carol. The play is set in the mid 1900’s where the industrial revolution was introduced which resulted in inventions such as machines; people consequently were fleeing the countryside for work in city for good paying jobs, for good achieving business people this gave their business a massive amount of money but a small minority of people were underprivileged because money was distributed unfairly. The basis of the story is to show the audience that money alone cannot bring happiness, but it is how you use it. The novel is incredibly carefully structured into five staves and the last stave and the first stave being total†¦show more content†¦These synonyms demonstrate how selfish Scrooge is and what he would do to get money. Dickens is saying rain and snow can pour down handsomely but scrooge handsomely pours down money this shows rain can have a positive effect but scrooge has none. When Scrooge’s nephew first appears Dickens uses the opposite metaphor of cold ‘he was all in a glow’ this shows Scrooge’s nephew has a good heart. The nephew is Scrooge’s only living relative and Dickens is suggesting Scrooge can change to be like his nephew. The audience realizes that Scrooge’s nephew has a good heart and Scrooge has the potential to be the same. Dickens is hinting something to come later. Two other business men come to visit Scrooge to collect charity money off Scrooge, but they are not collecting to give Christmas presents they are collecting for common necessities. When Scrooge tells the two gentlemen he does not want to give any money the two business men suggest Scrooge wants to remain ‘anonymous’ but Scrooge replies ‘are they no prisons ‘or ‘workhouses, Dickens is showing us just because you are a business man you do not have to be cruel like Scrooge. Towards the end of the novel Scrooge changes and kindly gives the two business man a large amount of money and the two businesses are astounded that Scrooge has changed and are wondering if he is another man. Dickens is so mean that if they are soShow MoreRelated Critique of Christmas Time in Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol2831 Words   |  12 PagesCritique of Christmas Time in Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol An audience members gleeful first-hand account of Charles Dickenss public reading of A Christmas Carol unwittingly exposes an often overlooked contradiction in the storys climax: Finally, there is Scrooge, no longer a miser, but a human being, screaming at the conversational boy in Sunday clothes, to buy him the prize turkey that never could have stood upon his legs, that bird (96). Perhaps he is no longer a miserRead MoreDickens Use of Language and Structure to Build Up a Picture of the Joy of Christmas Present1022 Words   |  5 PagesDickens Use of Language and Structure to Build Up a Picture of the Joy of Christmas Present I’m going to analyse stave 3 of a Christmas carol, Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812. 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Social Media Sites - 1383 Words

Social media sites present a platform through which people are able to build connections based on shared interests. The internet is used to generally reach out to people in one’s social network and easily communicate. There are a number of social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, Instagram, Flicker and many others. Most of them are open to individuals from any part of the world such that they are allowed to connect seamlessly. Depending on one’s interests, the social media sites are available for each and every class of people. LinkedIn for example is only useful for professionals who are keen to build their career profiles by accessing job openings or obtaining career advice. Twitter is for people who like to have†¦show more content†¦The founder initially thought of a way college students would connect with each other informally. Slowly, it gained prominence on the rest of the people beyond college. It is currently open to anyone. Overtime, Facebook has grown to host other functionalities such as a platform where people can play games, send virtual gifts to one another, share photos and join groups. All this can be considered as promoting the social agenda. In this regards, people are able to strengthen social bonds between one another. Billions of people around the globe make use of Facebook to make connections and share information. On a personal level, Facebook allows its users to pass communication to friends and family members and receive the same from them. It is therefore an exchange platform. On a professional level, Facebook can be used to broaden one’s knowledge in a particular field and building their professional network though this is rather on a secondary level. Beyond the general subscription into becoming a member, members are allowed to form small subgroups with particular people who they share common interests. These can be business interests, education, sports or home groups where to qualify for the group, one simply needs to root from the particular location. On a non-personal level, businesses too are able to elevate their brands by communicating their product offering and actually communicate in real time

Constitutional Conventions free essay sample

Constitutional conventions are no longer capable of constraining those who hold public office; they should be converted into legal rules. ’ Discuss. One might define the constitution of a country as a set of regulations that a government is expected to derive its principle rules from, thus regulating the relationship between the state and its citizens. Under the UK constitution these rules, although being non-legal rules, are considered binding and are embodied by way of constitutional conventions.These conventions are intended to police the powers of government ministers, their policies and not only their own actions but those of their staff and institutions. They are more often than not held accountable to the convention identified as ministerial responsibility. A. V. Dicey defines constitutional conventions as: â€Å"understandings, habits or practices which, though they may regulate the conduct of the several members of the sovereign power, of the Ministry, or of other officials, are not in reality laws at all since they are not enforced by the courts. [1] The question arises of the true value of these conventions considering that they are uncodified and are therefore unenforceable in a court of law. The subsequent arguments endeavour to address concerns over the control of an abuse of power within the government and the nature in which such indistinguishable regulations are understood, or not, by those to which they apply. Unlike the majority of the world’s governments, the UK has an uncodified constitution; it cannot be found in any written document.One such opinion is that of Thomas Paine who stated that the English Parliament â€Å"is merely a form of government without a constitution, and constituting itself what power it pleases†. [2] Although it can be seen in many countries that the exercise of conventional practices exist hand-in-hand with codified constitutions. The different constitutional conventions of the UK constitution comprise its ideology and although they may be recognised as habitual practices and cannot be lawfully enforced, they obtain an obligatory force of tradition.It is this compliance, â€Å"a generally accepted political practice, usually with a record of successful applications or precedents†,[3] that limits any prerogative powers disturbing political or legal activities. It would be very unlikely for a person not to consider themselves bound by a convention However, constitutional laws in the UK are neither entrenched nor supreme, as the basis of the UK constitution is a doctrine of Parliamentary Sovereignty, thus allowing any government in power with its overwhelming majority to effectively alter the constitution by repealing any past statutes and implementing new legislation. The doctrine was described as ‘the very keystone of the constitution’[4] by A. V. Dicey. It is generally recognised that these conventions are vital to ensuring that those responsible for the administration of the country will conduct themselves in an appropriate manner without taking advantage of the flexibility of a convention to suit their own political aims and that they adhere to practiced political conduct. In the words of Sir Ivor Jennings, they ‘provide the flesh which clothes the dry bones of the law’. [5]Some might argue that with the UK’s doctrine of Parliamentary sovereignty, Parliament possesses an incomparable measure of power. This is in some way unconstitutional. However there are numerous restraints present in conventions that Parliament is forced to observe. â€Å"The practical operation of the government of the United Kingdom rests in the hands of elected ministers and their officials, acting under a mixture of law and a residue of the royal prerogative. †[6] The UK constitution is in no doubt a unitary one, with power ultim ately residing with the central government. Yet these powers are fused between separate branches of the government, with each one acting as a check on the other thus ensuring full political and constitutional accountability. The doctrine of the separation of powers according to Montesquieu is to â€Å"avoid the risk of too much power being accumulated in one person or institution†[7] The idea is to keep the judiciary, the legislature and the executive altogether separate from one another to prevent an overlap and ultimately an extension of their respective powers.One such example of this is that the judiciary abstain from divulging in political activities whatsoever and under Schedule 1 of the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 are subsequently forbidden from holding office as a Member of the House of Commons. Lord Mustill stated that â€Å"It is a feature of the peculiarly British conception of the separation of powers that Parliament, the Executive and the Courts have each their distinct and largely exclusive domain. Parliament has a largely unchallengeable right to make whatever laws it thinks right.The Executive carries on the administration of the country in accordance with the powers conferred on it by law. The Courts interpret the laws and see that they are obeyed. †[8] Within the various institutions of the government, rules set in place by the prime minister can be found to ensure the constitutional conformity of the cabinet’s ministers within each area of the government. For example the Ministerial Code of Conduct outlines the responsibility of Members of Parliament to â€Å"maintain the high standards the British people have a right to expect†[9] of them.The Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949 also sought to prevent an abuse of power by the Lords in legislature and shifted the base of power to the House of Commons thus establishing a direct line of accountability to the electorate. The general constitutional philosophy as influenced by A. V Dicey suggests that British citizens are â€Å"without benefit of positive and fundamental constitutional rights giving legal protection to the individual against the public authorities of the state†. 10] It can be argued that this is a fairly accurate outlook of the modern const itution as there is no â€Å"fundamental† constitutional law that takes precedence over legislation. However, this rigid theory does not allocate for the present principles of democracy, for example the freedoms of the individual established by the Human Rights Act 1998. When doubts or disputes arise over particular political policies there are a number of committees in place that Ministers are obligated to consult.Such proposals are debated within these committees, opposing points of view are argued and therefore a safeguard from an abuse of prerogative powers is brought about. There is also a convention introduced under the Bill of Rights Act 1689 that initiated further checks on the government which requires Parliament to convene ‘frequently’. This was determined under the Meeting of Parliament Act 1694 which stated that they ought to do so at least once every three years. There are many arguments for conventional rules to be codified to ensure certainty in order that they may be easily interpreted thus reducing potential political conflict.If they were to be made law they would also entail legal consequences for those not following them. On the other hand lays the considerable trouble of determining which conventions to codify as th ey are a substantial number of them in practice and should they become law an unavoidable overlap of the separation of powers would arise whereby the judiciary would find themselves interpreting political matters and inadvertently bringing about constitutional change. Constitutional conventions are altogether separate from regular legislation. They are formed and fashioned by politicians using alternative means to common law or legislation.A practice which is traditionally honoured by those that it impinges upon and rely on its enforcement on political rather than legal sanctions. These opposing approaches are summed up by Lord Halisham’s comparison between the conventions of the UK constitution with those of the codified American constitution: â€Å"It is the acceptance of convention, which seems to make the British a nation of cricketers, and the Americans a nation of litigants. †[11] He goes on to discuss the limitations of the power of the UK government as a result of these conventions in his ‘Elective Dictatorship’ report: â€Å"The limitations on it, are only political and moral.They are found in the consciences of members, in the necessity for periodical elections, and in the so called checks and balances†¦ †[12] He concludes that the UK is under an elective dictatorship in which Parliament is controlled by the government by way of ministers seeking re-election and that a ‘whip’ convention has come about whereby members are influenced through fear of removal from office. Another commonly regarded political practice of Ministers is that should they oppose certain policies, by convention they are obliged to resign their office. For example; the Defence Secretary, Michael Heseltine, resigned during the Westland Affair 1986. It is widely recognised that because constitutional conventions are unenforceable through a court of law, the government may alter or ignore specific conventions as and when they see fit. One significant case is that of Madzimbamuto v Lardner-Burke[13] when the doctrine of collective responsibility was overlooked as the Privy Council dismissed arguments that the Southern Rhodesia Act 1965 was not applicable as it conflicted with the convention.Lord Reid stated that â€Å"It is often said that it would be unconstitutional for United Kingdom Parliament to do such things†¦But that does not mean it is beyond the power of Parliament to do such things. If Parliament chose to do any of them the Courts could not hold the Act of Parliament invalid. †[14] Such an example strongly indicates that conventions do not hold any restraints over the powers of the executive. However, these views can be compared with the case of Attorney General v Jonathon Cape Ltd. [15] Richard Crossman, a Cabinet Minister wrote his political memoirs and upon his death they were to be published.As a result of the nature of political insinuations described within them, the Cabinet via the Attorney-General applied for an injunction to prevent them from becoming available to the public. It was held that they would not be published bas the doctrine of collective responsibility would be harmed upon their release and that the convention should be protected. Therefore, if there is more than one statutory interpretation, the one that conforms to the convention is preferred. However the House of Lords have stressed on occasion that such an interpretation does not necessarily have to be applied.This contention of the Attorney-General in Attorney General v Jonathon Cape Ltd is supported by the views of Lord Salmon in Reg v Lewes Justices: â€Å"When it is in the public interest that confidentiality shall be safeguarded, then the party from whom the confidential document or the confidential information being sought may lawfully refuse it. In such a case the Crown may also intervene to prevent production or disclosure of that which in the public interest ought to be protected. †[16] It may be seen that it is important in some situations to have such flexibility although it could also be argued that this is both unreliable and erratic.This case does however represent that conventions are both recognised and upheld and therefore enforces the argument that constitutional conventions do indeed protect against misuse of executive power. Contrary to this perception are the statements of Professor Jowell, QC: Ministerial executive powers do not require, either by law or convention parliamentary approval before or after they are used. Parliament does not even have to be told that they have been exercised. Indeed, Ministers have said that no record is kept of their use and that it would not be practicable to do so. †[17]The demise of the Royal prerogative powers to the ascendency of Parliamentary sovereignty have undoubtedly contributed to an increased requirement for ministerial accountability. Although the Queen has the fundamental power to dissolve Parliament and its ministers, for the most part it is Parliament who exercises the utmost power. â€Å"The Sovereign is he who decides the exception, and the veracity of a political and legal system can only be assessed with regard to who makes this decision, and how effective it is. Political authority, ultimately, lies with those who can enforce legal decisions. [18] Upon weighing up the opinions and arguments presented it is apparent that there is evidence to support both sides as to whether or not constitutional conventions are capable of constraining those who hold public office. One of the most valid implications is that the true nature of the problem presented in Parliament being able to constrain its Ministers from an abuse of lies in the ‘hazy nature of the British Constitution’. Obvious reasons exist for the comprisal with conventions although there are substantial grounds for the introduction of codified conventions.The conventions appear to be met with much perplexity and suppositions on the obligations, rather than enforceable laws, they impose on the executive such as A. V Dicey’s interpretations mentioned earlier. However we can certainly appraise their flexibility in allowing the constitution to adapt to an ever-changing society without much difficulty. Of course this has its drawbacks in allowing Ministers an excessive amount of freedom to change the rules to allocate their own political agenda as demonstrated in Attorney General v Jonathon Cape Ltd.

Yellow Wallpaper A descriptive descent into madnes Essay Example For Students

Yellow Wallpaper A descriptive descent into madnes Essay sThe Yellow Wallpaper- A Descriptive Descent Into Madness in the Nineteenth CenturyWomen in literature have often been portrayed as submissive to men. Literature of the nineteenth century often characterized women as oppressed by society, as well as by the male influences in their lives (Dock 52). Charlotte Perkins Gilmans short story The Yellow Wallpaper presents a descriptive journalistic/clinical account of a womans gradual descent into madness at the hands of her domineering husband (Bak 39). Gilman once wrote, Womens subordination will only end when women lead the struggle for their own autonomy, thereby freeing man as well as themselves, because man suffers from the distortions that come from dominance, just as women are scarred by the subjugation imposed upon them (qdt. in Gardarowski 2). The Yellow Wallpaper brilliantly illustrates this philosophy. The narrators declining mental health is reflected through the characteristics of the house she is trapped in and her husband, while trying to protect her, is actually destroying her. We will write a custom essay on Yellow Wallpaper A descriptive descent into madnes specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The narrator of the story goes with her doctor/husband to stay in a colonial mansion for the summer. The house is supposed to be a place where she can recover from severe postpartum depression. She loves her baby, but because of her depression she is not able to take care of him. It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear boy! And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous (Gilman, The Yellow 107). From the outset, the reader is given a sense of the domineering tendencies from the narrators husband, John (Dock 61). The narrator tells the reader: John is a physician, and perhaps (I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind) perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster (Gilman, The Yellow 105). It is painfully obvious that she feels trapped and unable to express her fears to her husband:You see, he does not believe I am sick. And what can one do?If a physician of high standing and ones own husband ass urefriends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression a slight hysterical tendency what is one to do? (105)Her husband is not the only male figure who dominates and oppresses her. Her brother, also a doctor, says the same thing about her illness (105). Since the story is written in diary format, the reader feels especially close to the narrator (Dock 53). Gilman uses her dramatic pictorial to connect the reader to the narrators innermost thoughts. The dominance of the narrators husband, and her reaction to it, is reflected throughout the story. The narrator is continually submissive, bowing to her husbands wishes, even though she is unhappy and depressed. Her husband has adopted the idea that she must have complete rest if she is to recover. This is a direct parallel to Gilmans life. Charlotte Gilman was prescribed this exact therapy by a neurologist named S. Weir Mitchell. By Gilman mentioning Mitchell by name in her short story, she is showing her disgust in his malpractice (Gilman, Why I Wrote 1). She was instructed to live a domestic life, told to only engage in intellectual activities two hours a day, and never to touch a pen, brush, or pencil again as long as she lived (1). In the story, the narrators husband, John, does not want her to work. So I . . . am absolutely forbidden to work until I am well again (Gilman, The Yellow 105). Then narrator of the story knows that writing and socializing would help her recover faster. But because she allows the male figures in her life to dominate and control her treatment, she does not: I sometimes fancy that in my condition, if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes meIt is also a direct allusion to Gilmans personal experience that the narrator is experiencing severe postpartum depression. Gilman suffered from the same malady after the birth of her own daughter (Pringle 132). The symbolism utilized by Gilman is somewhat askew from the conventional. A house usually symbolizes security. In the story the opposite is true. The protagonist, whose name we never truly learn, feels trapped by the walls of the house; just as she is trapped by her mental illness (Gilman, Why I Wrote 1). The windows of her room, which normally would symbolize a sense of freedom, are barred, holding her in (Bak 40). .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 , .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 .postImageUrl , .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 , .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981:hover , .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981:visited , .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981:active { border:0!important; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981:active , .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981 .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc48e60c1eb9010d879b1becfdb832981:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: WW II EssayIt is interesting that the room the husband chooses for the narrator, the room she hates, is a nursery (Coffey). The narrator describes the nursery as being atrocious (Gilman, The Yellow 106). The narrators response to the room is a further example of her submissive behavior: I dont like our room a bit. I wanted one downstairs that opened onto the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old fashioned chintz hangings! But John would not hear of it. (106)It is clear that the narrators husband loves her very much. He is tender with her and speaks to her in a loving, sometimes child-like manner. However, he obviously does not want anyone knowing t he extent of his wifes mental illness, referring to it as a temporary nervous depression a slight hysterical tendency (105). This is also a reflection of the way women and mental illnesses were perceived in the nineteenth century (Kasmer 7). Women were supposed to let the men take care of them, and mental illness was often swept under the carpet. The husband, John, did not want the stigma of mental illness tied to his family (Coffey). He says that no one but myself can help me out of it, that I must use my will and self-control and not let any silly fancies run away with me (Gilman, The Yellow 110). In reading the story, the readers must remind themselves that society today treats mental illness differently and that the story was written from a nineteenth century perspective. The narrator continues to repress her own needs and allow her husband to dominate. Seeing the wallpaper in the bedroom, she writes: I never saw a worse paper in my life one of those sprawling, flamboyant patter ns committing every artistic sin (106). It is also interesting to note that the bed in the room is a great immovable bed which is nailed down (109). This quite possibly is a metaphoric reference to her husbands attitude about her illness. As the narrator looks out a window, she can see a garden. She describes flowers, paths, and arbors. All that she sees outside is beautiful. Just as Gilman uses the room as a metaphor for her mental illness, she uses the beautiful garden as a metaphor for the mental health the woman craves. The more time the narrator spends in the room, the more obsessed with the wallpaper she becomes. In her mind, the wallpaper becomes more than just wallpaper. It takes on human characteristics. This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had (107)!When the story begins, the narrator refers to the house as haunted. This theme is again brought to the forefront when she begins to describe the wallpaper. There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down (107). Gilmans sensory descriptions are intense and detailed. They make the reader a part of the story, increase suspense, and help the readers perception of the particular kind of insanity that afflicts the narrator (Cunningham par. 1). The story not only provides detailed visual images, but vivid olfactory descriptions as well. Such descriptions are:But there is something else about the paper- the smell! I noticedit the moment we came into the room, . . . It gets into my hair. . . . most enduring odor I ever met. . . . The only thing I can think of that it is like is the color of the paper! A yellow smell. (qdt. in The combination of Gilmans words, and the short choppy sentence structure, combine to allow the reader to grasp the depths of the narrators insanity. In addition to the sense of smell, the reader is also captured by the sense of touch. The narrator tells us: The faint figure behind seemed to shake the pattern, Just as if she wanted to get out. I got up softly and went to feel and see if the paper did move and when I came back John was awake (Gilman 110). She further tells us: The front pattern does move and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it! (113). It is through these compelling descriptions, utilizing the readers senses, that Gilman is pulling the reader into the narrators world . . . these descriptions nearly perfectly encapsulate what we might all imagine it is like to be insane (Cunningham par. 5). It is as if t he haunting images of the wallpaper mirror the haunting feelings inside the narrators mind. The heroine, unable to openly express her feelings to anyone, begins to see herself through the wallpaper. She imagines a woman trapped behind the wallpaper, just as she is trapped in the room and in her mind (Coffey). The wallpaper, and the barrier it poses to the woman behind it, as imagined by the narrator, mirror the narrators own thoughts about being confined in a room with barred windows. At night in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, it becomes bars! The outside pattern, I mean, and the woman behind it is as plain as can be (Gilman, The Yellow 111). The heroine is also behind bars. I am getting angry . . . but the bars are too strong . . . (115). The behavior of the woman behind the wallpaper mirrors the narrators behavior. By daylight she is subdued, quiet. I fancy it is the pattern that keeps her so still. It is so puzzling. It keeps me quiet by the hour (111). The narrator is also subdued in the daytime. I dont sleep much at night, for it is so interesting to watch developments; but I sleep a good deal during the daytime (112). Another parallel between the actions of the narrator and the woman behind the wallpaper is reflected when the narrator looks out the window and sees her in that long shaded lane, creeping up and down.. . . creeping around the garden.. . . I see her on that long road under the trees, creeping along, and when a carriage comes she hides . . . . I dont blame her a bit. It must be very humiliating to be caught creeping by daylight (113)! The narrator is expressing her own humiliation in having to sneak around. I always lock the door when I creep by daylight. I cant do it at night, for I know John would suspect something at once (113). Similarly, while her husband is away, the narrator sometimes will walk a little in the garden or down the lovely lane, sit on the porch under the roses, . . . (109). As the narrator realizes the meaning of the wallpaper, her life begins to change. Lif e is much more exciting now than it used to be. You see, I have something more to expect, to look forward to, to watch. I really do eat better, and am more quiet than I was (112). It is apparent that she is still feeling imprisoned by her husband. I suppose I shall have to get back behind the pattern when it comes night, and that is hard (115)! However, she has decided to rebel and break free. Ive got out at last, said I, in spite of you and Jane. And Ive pulled off most of the paper so you cant put me back (115)! Because the story is somewhat autobiographical, Gilman is able to vividly portray a womans descent into madness. She wrote the story to effect change in the treatment of depressive women (Gilman, Why I wrote 2). She once stated It was not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people for being driven crazy (2). The story brilliantly depicts a woman in the nineteenth century whose opinions and feelings have never been acknowledged or recognized as valid in the real wor ld her voice. The narrator of the story realizes that the woman in the wallpaper is herself, and she is finally able to break free. Perhaps it can all be summed up in this exchange: John is so pleased to see me improve! He laughed a little the other day, and said I seemed to be flourishing in spite of my wallpaper. I turned it off with a laugh. I had not intention of telling him it was because of the wallpaper . . . 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Escaping the Jaundiced Eye: Foucauldian Panopticism in Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper. Studies in Short Fiction 31. 1 (Winter 1994):Coffey, Sandra. Class Lecture. English 102. Vincennes University: Fort Benning, GA. Cunningham, Iain and Holmes, Douglass. Sensory Descriptions in The Yellow Wallpaper. (1977): 6 pars. 23 Aug. 2000. *http://www.english.ucla.edu/individuals/mcgraw/wallpaper/senses.htm*Dock, Julie Bates. But One Expects That: Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper and the Shifting Light of Scholarship. Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 111. 1 (Jan. 1996): 52-65. Gadarowski, Brenda A. The Yellow Wallpaper: How We Perceive the Husband. 2 pp. 23 Aug. 2000. *http://webster.commnet.edu/HP/pages/ connect/brenda.htm* Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. Literature and the Writing Process. Eds. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day, and Robert Funk. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1996. 105-115. -. Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper. The Forerunner (Oct. 1913): 2 pp. 19 Aug. 2000. *http://www.media.mit.edu/people/davet/yp/whyiwrote.html*Kasmer, Lisa. Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper: A Symptomatic Reading. Literature and Psychology 36. 3 (1990): 1-15. Bibliography: