Katherine Anne Porter

Katherine Anne Porter has a very unique style of writing, but goes very well with the other southern writers we have read this year. All the writers seems to write about the same ideas or underlining themes like race relations, tradtiton and gender roles.

In "The Old Order" by Katherine Ann Porter depicts different aspects of race relations though the relationship between the Grandmother(Miss Sophia Jane) and Nannie. It is a very interesting relationship from the beginning till the end, it starting when they were both young and Miss Sophia Jane's father bought Nannie and her parents as slaves. It describes the big differences between Sophia Jane and Nannie, creating a clear picture that Sophia Jane was quite wealthy, well taken care of, and spoiled. In the beginning when the two girls meet it describes Sophia Jane in a little dress and hair curled just so, and Nannie with a bot belly and skinny arms from being malnourished. It is interesting how Porter puts this descitption in her because as the story progresses to be there seems to be only little difference between the two girls, except for the color of their skin. Even though Nannie was a slave it seems like Sophia Jane didn't treat her that way. Both women through their there lives had a lot of children, each child only a few months apart. At one point Nannie was too sick after her child to nurse it so Sophia Jane nursed both her child and Nannie's. This to me did not seem like a typical relationship for two people of different races at this time. "She sat nursing her child and her foster child, with a sensual warm pleasure she had not dreamed of, translating her natural physical relief into something holy, God-sent, amends from heaven for what she had suffered in childbed" Also very interesting to me is how she treated the child she helped nurse when Nannie was ill. "Charlie remained her special favorite among the Negro children. "I understand now," she said to her older sister Keziah, "why the black mammies love their foster children. I love mine." So Charlie was brought up in the house as playmate for her son Stephen, and exempted from hard work all his life." This seems interesting to me, and for this time very new treatment for the people of race. Also since Sophia Jane was so much against the "new women".

Dry September

It is interesting that through this story, and the characters, you can see the story both ways, as Minnie Cooper being attacked or making it up for the attention. Even in this short story you get so many different kinds of characters, like the barber and McLendon. It seems to me that the barber is a character who is with the times, who accepts that blacks are not slaves anymore and that they should be given a chance. It seems like the other men are stubborn and set in their ways, not willing to change. Even though the barber doesn't succeed in changing the guy's mind he tries even though he knows that he is going to be made fun of and name called by other people in the town.
What makes me curious is that you don't know how it ends, you don't know if it true or not. Myself, I am undecided but more leaning towards it being a lie. The way he describes Minnie makes me think that she felt like people forgot about her, and she wanted some attention. Which in some way I can understand (wanting some attention, but not in this way) because to me the stereotype of southern ladies seems hard. Just because she wasn't the prettiest or smallest lady no one liked her or payed attention to her, including the boys. It makes me feel like this is today's high school, and even some colleges, where for the most part you are judged on your looks and sometimes on your class. Like the "popular girls" and the clicks within the school. Like in the story "Do you feel strong enough to go out?" they said, their eyes bright too, with a dark glitter. "When you have had time to get over the shock, you must tell us what happened. What he said and did; everything." I feel like these girls aren't really her friends and just want to know the gossip so they can spread it around town first. So thinking about it in a non-racial sense like the story is, Minnie herself and her life seem to be the same of some people today, and in which I know that both would wish to change it.

Kate C

What I found interesting about all of the Kate Choplin's pieces that we read was that they seemed to be more love stories, or had a romantic side compared to all the other stories we have read this semester.
What I found interesting is in "the storm" how even though she had an affair, she seemed to have no feelings of remorse of what she did, along with the man she had the affair with. Also what I don't understand is why she doesn't feel anything, especially since when her husband and son came back they were worried about being late, and brought her a can of sh rip, knowing that she likes them.
Opposite of "the storm" was "Desirre's Baby" with the complete different problem. In "the storm" she was unhappy with her life. But in "Desiree's baby" she was happy, so happy that she felt blessed when her husband just smiled. Then it was her husband who wasn't happy with their marriage because of their baby. I think that since her husband who she loved so much, didn't want her there anymore, that when she left and didn't go to the farm to her mother's house, that she went the other way to kill herself. Possibly thinking that she didn't want to live anymore if she couldn't live with her husband, because of the shame she put on him. Also the possibility that the word would get out about her and her baby, that they wouldn't be looked highly upon the rest of her life.

Frederick Douglass

When reading this section, even though he was depicting his life, at some parts it seemed that he was almost repeating himself, writing about the same thing over and over again. Through the middle at points I got confused of where he was, who his master was, and what plantation he was on.
Although some of the stories seemed to be the same many did stand out, and for good reason. The story that most stuck out to me was when he was describing watching for the first time, someone receive a whipping, which also happens to be his aunt. There is so much description in this, that even though there seems not to be too much emotion, you as reader feel emotion because of the description. Although there is some debate whether he wrote this all himself and if he made some of it up or added to it, I and not sure what I believe. I think certain things like the story of his aunt being whipped isn't something you can forget, especially since it was his first time seeing this painful part of slavery. But I think that some for the parts like where he was , and everything very descriptive isn't something you can remember that clearly for so long. If you think about it, usually people can't remember most things they did in their childhood, only certain things, maybe good or bad.