On Frederick Douglas

Frederick Douglass’ escape from freedom, rise as an abolitionist or his woman’s rights activism was surely ignited by his passion and his talents as both writer and speaker. In his “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” the author goes to great lengths to explain the “social system” of slavery and educate his readers as to what an authentic slave experience is like, of which he seems to be the symbol. Douglass draws distinctions between cruel masters and kind masters, city-slaves and plantation slaves, the Northerners and Southerners as well as true Christians and slaveholder Christians. Douglass crafted his narrative with the purpose of presenting the people with an authentic view of the slave experience, not with-holding heart wrenching and violent scenes as well as his carefully made distinctions in order to promote abolition and freedom.

Douglas expresses to his readers the reality of slavery by setting the tone in the midst of the abused and broken slave. Douglas tells several bloody accounts of men, women and himself getting beaten, whipped, or raped. He is proves himself as authority by expressing the fact he was a slave. He tells them about the condition of mulatto slaves; most of whom, he writes, have been fathered by their white masters (Douglass 3). These slaves are often sold to avoid issues with the slaveholder’s white wife or with a slaveholder showing partiality that could potentially damage his position as slaveholder (Douglass 4). Douglas warns his readers that there will be “multitudes of this class of slaves” (Douglass 3). Douglas continues on to explain the hierarchy of the plantation from Colonel Lloyd, to the overseers, to Mr. Covey who did not own slaves at all but was a “farm-renter” who had reputation for “breaking young slaves”( Douglass 50). Mr. Covey in addition is a “class-leader” with the Methodist Church whom we learn once bought a slave with the full intent of purpose of breeding, not something one might expect from a Christian (Douglass 50).

Probably most important to Douglass, was making clear the day and night difference between true Christians and slaveholder Christians. One slaveholder, Thomas Auld, attending a Methodist camp and returned converted only to embrace a more cruel nature. Douglass believes he found “religious sanction and support for his slaveholding cruelty” and tells of stories where slaveholders quote scripture as a whipping commenced. Much to Douglass’ relief his next slaveholder is not religious because religious slave holders are “the worst” (Douglass 67). Douglass wanted to make himself clear in his appendix regarding his position and religion. He does not want to offend “good” Christians and clearly distinguishes between the two types.

While Frederick Douglass’ narrative helps us to better understand the harsh realities of slavery, it served a more functional purpose for Frederick. As a literate, free black man, he could use his writing to raise awareness about the oppression in the South to his neighbors in the North. He could make aware to the true Christians what atrocities the slaveholder Christians were committing. As early as 1841, Douglass became active in the abolitionist scene attending meetings and becoming a lecturer himself “dedicating” his life to achieving justice for all Americans (Biography of Frederick Douglass). Douglas sets the scene for his authentic portrayal by showing the world the harsh realities through his writing skills. He contrasts the city-slave with the plantation slave by placing them in their individual and very different settings and sheds light on a subject that many in the North had not had exposure to. By distinguishing and clarifying these differences, Douglass would be able to appeal to a broader spectrum of people and as a consequence crafter a very well thought out and persuasive piece of writing.

Works Cited

"Biography of Frederick Douglass." n.d. frederickdouglas.org. 18 2012 October <www.frederickdouglass.org/douglass_bio.html>.

Douglass, Frederick. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Boston, 1845.

Frederick Douglas Exhibits. n.d. 17 October 2012 <www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/douglass>.

"The Fat of the Land"

Yezierska, the author of “The Fat of the Land” contrasts the past and present to add to the meaning of her story themed after the struggles of an immigrant mother raising American children. The author uses vivid characterizations of Hanneh and setting to contrast Delancey Street Hanneh to Riverside Apartment Hanneh and to convey the personal struggles of one immigrant mother to her readers.

The author begins to build her story by setting young Hanneh’s predicament on Delancey Street. Young Hanneh complains to her wise, neighbor Mrs. Pelz about the injustice she repeatedly faced. “Woe to me” cries and ungrateful and seemingly self-centered Hanneh as she continues to rattle off her problems to Mrs. Pelz in and emotional “outburst” (American Mosaic 190). Young Hanneh complains about the rent, her children, getting cheated by the butcher, and trying to keep her children fed. Wise Mrs. Pelz assures her that her children will one day earn wages and as a result Hanneh will be living of the “fat of the land” (American Mosaic 191). Hanneh’s predicament of being a single immigrant mother of six children living in a tenement propels the author’s tale.

Twenty-years later the author brings us to Hanneh again except she is far from her life on Delancey Street and living in a brownstone on Eighty-Fourth. Mrs. Pelz enters Hanneh’s home and a “whiff of steam heated warmth” swept over her in contrast to Hanneh’s broken stove on Delancey Street (American Mosaic 190,194). Hanneh feels like a prisoner; she feels she has no freedom to be herself and “so long as there is no servant around”, Hanneh and Mrs. Pelz may eat as they like (American Mosaic).

The plot of the story becomes further complicated as we learn the resentment Hanneh feels towards her children, as well as the resentment her children feel towards her. Fanny in particular does all she can do to take the “Delancey Street” out of her mother. Hanneh “felt her heartache” when she was shut out of her children lives (American Mosaic 197). Hanneh learns that she has not been invited to Benny’s play and she pleads with them “Do I count for a person in this house?”(American Mosaic 198).

Hanneh ends up being even further removed from her children to Riverside Apartments where she tries unsuccessfully to live more free. Hanneh believes after an argument with Fanny that returning to Delancey Street will somehow help her regain what is lost. Hanneh shows up at Mrs. Pelz door and tells her “it is our choked thoughts and feelings that are flaming up in my children and making them great in America” emphasizing that they were children of immigrants not just Americans. The story subsides as Hanneh makes her way back to her Riverside Apartment and realizes she had “outgrown” Delancey Street because of the life she lives now (American Mosaic 203).

Mano, Barbara Roche Rico and Sandra. American Mosaic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.

On Silko's "Lullaby"

Silko’s short story “Lullaby” is told from the perspective of an old woman. Ayah is looking back over her life and reminiscing about events that have transpired. We learn in the first paragraph that, “She was an old woman now, and her life had become memories” (Silko). We soon learn about how her husband was taken advantage of by his white employer, how her son dies in the Army, how her husband speaks English (and how it is endangering to speak the white man’s language) and why she seemingly resents him for it. Ayah, like many other American Indians has watched as her life has endured many intrusions from white men. She offers her story of lost tradition and lost lives; loss that is associated with white America. At the end of her story, she sings her dying husband the lullaby an act of perpetuating tradition.

She begins her reminiscing trying to avoid thinking about a blanket that she is wrapped in which we later learn was a gift from her dead son Jimmie; an Army blanket. We learn that in contrast to the green army blanket with faded color and unraveling edges that her Grandmother’s blankets were soft and so tightly woven that rain ran right over them (Silko 95). Ayah’s Grandmother’s blankets are a product of tradition. Of a communal effort to create something that would provide warmth and protection from the elements. Yet the Army blanket has become tattered and faded and is something made by white men in contrast to the blankets woven traditionally by her grandmother. The blankets are an example of the vast differences between the traditions of the American Indian and the intrusive ways of the white man.

Class Question:

Why was Ayah’s relationship with her husband so distant? Does you feel she supports his decisions?

Silko, Leslie Marmon. "Lullaby." Barbara Roche Rico, Sandra Mano. American Mosaic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001. 95-98.

Lazarus VS Bruchac

Emma Lazarus and Joseph Bruchac are two authors with very different backgrounds who have in common a symbolic message about the Statue of Liberty and what she, Ellis Island, and America meant for them. Their poems convey the different perspectives of different cultures and the impact that the time they wrote about had on their subjects. Bruchac’s poem brings forward the dualism of his heritage identifying with both his immigrant, Slovak heritage and his Abenaki heritage and how he the ideals of “Liberty” affected his respective grandparents.(http://www.scholastic.com/browse/media.jsp?id=249). Bruchac is a man who is active in a variety paths perhaps most importantly his work with Native American tribes and publishing of Native American literature (josephbruchac.com).

Lazarus also shared a loved of activism but for immigrants although she was fourth or fifth generation American Jew (Leyden). Her writing abilities flourished in the no doubt well-stocked library of her wealthy father (Leyden).  Emma’s interest in immigration may have reflected her often unexpected and unpredictable point of view (Leyden). However both authors find common ground yet differing perspectives with Liberty.

The New Colossus opens with negative yet bold images of bronzed Greek statues and empires of a world-left-behind and delivers the reader into the nurturing arms of the “Mother of Exiles” in line six of the poem in our text (Mano). Lazarus is saying that Liberty is not like the Greek Statues of the empires. Liberty cries out in line nine to the old countries of the immigrants, “Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” then she tells them to give her the impoverished and immigrants who are tired of laboring on land that will never be theirs. Instead, she welcomes them to supposed opportunity with her idealistic and welcoming lamp (Lazarus. The New Colossus. 14).

Ellis Island opens in the same location not at Liberty’s feet but at Ellis Island detailing his Slovak paternal grandparents’ arrival at Ellis Island (Bruchac. Ellis Island. 1-4. P12). They too have left “the old Empires of Europe to enter meet the “tall woman” with her green patina (Bruchac. Ellis Island. 9. Pg12). Not unlike The New Colossus, Bruchac also refers to the idea that his grandparents worked land that would never be theirs and that situation would change with their coming to America ( Bruchac. Ellis Island. 10-13. Pg12). Next, in contrast to The New Colussus, Bruchac’s poem takes a turn. The speaker of the poem is at Ellis Island, ninety years later and refers to the island perhaps sarcastically as “the island of dreams” in line 17 (Bruchac. Ellis Island. Pg12). Then his duality comes to service in the next lines when he says “Another voice speaks/ of native lands/ within this nation.” (Bruchac. Ellis Island. Pg12). He is saying that inside of him is another voice, hat sharply contrasts with his Slovak grandparent’s perspective. He speaks from the perspective of his Abenaki grandfather and what immigration and land ownership meant to his people. From the American Indian’s perspective, their ways, lands and beliefs were being invaded. Bruchac conveys this dualism in Ellis Island in contrast to the hopeful ideals in The New Colossus.

 http://www.scholastic.com/browse/media.jsp?id=249. n.d. internet. 11 9 2012.

josephbruchac.com. n.d. Internet. 11 9 2012.

Leyden, Jacki. Emma Lazarus, Poet of the Huddled Masses . n.d. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6359435. 11 9 2012.

Mano, Barbara Roche Rico and Sandra. American Mosaic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.

Native American Literature: Changes and Transformations

            Just as the existence of Native Americans has transformed over time so has the literature by Native American authors. With its beginnings in oral tradition, Native American literature moved toward the autobiography, then the “Native American Renaissance” , and finally modern Native American Literature of today.

            With no written language, Native American traditions in literature sprang from oral tradition. In this course, we first examined and explored, The Iroquois Creation Story (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 17). Similar to the Book of Genesis from the bible, the creations story provides a “history” of creation for the tribal people (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 17). The story which explains good versus evil sheds light on the Iroquois tradition as well as a “general cultural outlook” (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 17). Like the Christian bible, the creation story tells “what life is and how to understand it” (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 17). In the mid-19^th century European Americans began to translate and transcribe Native American creation stories. Additionally, Native Americans began recording the legends of their people. It wouldn’t be long before removal would force their literature to change.

            As America transitioned further into the 19^th century, westward expansion heavily impacted Native literature. Rather than showcase the culture and traditions of the tribes, Native American literature of the century became “increasingly text based” and written not in the Native tongue but in English, the language of the dominant culture (Janet Gabler-Hover). Native American literature began to rest on the “struggle of Indian authors to find a voice within American culture” (Janet Gabler-Hover). Predominantly, this struggle was conveyed by way of the autobiography. However, it is important to note that some autobiographies were both translated and written by European Americans. These circumstances have resulted in discussion and debate regarding the authenticity of some of the autobiographies.

            Samson Occom’s narrative was one text not translated and transcribed by Euro-Americans. Occom’s autobiography documents his testimony of conversion to Christianity (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 206). Through Occom’s brief narrative and despite his education and conversion, he illustrates a sense of prejudice both in referring to himself as a “poor Indian” as well as in how he was treated by members of the Christian community.  In contrast, Blackhawk’s autobiography displays his “strong sense of himself, his ties to his people and his broad critique of the Americans” (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 571).

            One article on Native American Literature draws parallels with Native American literature and expansion: “The history of literature written in English by American Indians parallels the history of white migration across the continent” (Janet Gabler-Hover). As the century moved forward it became defined by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. With two separate and distinct cultures colliding it became obvious that Native “cultural beliefs” are “essentially incompatible with the white man’s” (Janet Gabler-Hover). The Removal Act was met with some resistance, in particular the Cherokee, the tribe that Blackhawk belonged too (Janet Gabler-Hover). In 1838, forced to leave by federal troops, an estimated four-thousand Native Americans die on the “Trail of Tears”. The federal government continued to implement and enforce policies with the goal of isolating and containing Native Americans on reservations. Some author’s began to write in response to the fact that the “dominant literary tradition sentimentalized and condoned the death of Indians” (Janet Gabler-Hover).

            The turn of the century for the Native Americans meant disposition of land, “nadir of population” (the worst ever), and confinement to a reservation. Writings began to reflect efforts to preserve history and culture “in the face of cultural disintegration” (Mackay). The next generations of Native American writers are considered to have been inspired by Momaday and his story House of Dawn. The story centers on themes involving tribal identity and focusing on a protagonist who is poor, “shiftless”, drinks heavily, is unemployed and sometimes incarcerated (Native American Literature). The main character, Abel, is on a “quest to find himself in the tribal community” (Native American Literature). Welch’s Winter in the Blood and Leslie Marmon Silko’s The Ceremony, share in common with the House of Dawn, an ending where the protagonist has increased self-respect through discovery of their identity and how they “belong to their tribal communities” (Native American Literature).

            Second generation Modern Native American writers turned away from life within the tribe. Often, writers explore the Native American who leaves the tribe or reservation, lives among whites yet his success makes it so he cannot return to the tribe. Having experienced loss of land, loss of culture as well as discrimination and prejudice, the solution of returning to nature made sense.

            Modern Native American literature focuses on the need for survival and the need to return to “tribal life” in some capacity. In Ceremony, Silko deals with the “dark aspects” of modern American Indian life (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 2785). The main character is in “physical and emotional straits” yet survives by “re-establishing contact with his native roots” (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 2785). The story is also an attempt to “search for a ceremony to deal with despair” (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 2785). In the case of reservation Indians today, despair is equivalent to “suicide, the alcoholism, and the violence” that happen in Native American communities (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 2785). Erdrich’s poem Dear John Wayne reflects the mixing of European American and Native American cultures set in a modern drive-in move (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 2829). In addition, the poem reflects the author’s awareness of the “historical” and continuing devastations of Native American life.

            The last author covered in our text that is Native American is Sherman Alexie. Similar to Erdrich, Alexie blends and mixes popular culture or American culture with the culture of reservation Indians. Alexie’s works balance between his portrayal of the reservation community and how it fits into popular culture (or vice versa). In short, Alexie’s writing covers the “contemporary Native American experience” (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 2851).

            Beginning with oral traditions, Native American literature has certainly been transformed. Native authors quickly learned the power of language and the written word to record, and convey the transformations of a culture and to express their human condition. Native American literature has been my favorite genre this term.

Janet Gabler-Hover, Robert S. Helmeyer. "Native American Literature." American History Through Literature. n.d.

Mackay, K.L. Native American Literature. n.d. 18 November 2012 <www.faculty.weber.edu/kmackay/native-american-literature.htm>.

Native American Literature. n.d. 18 November 2012 <www.nativeamericanlit.com>.

The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York, 2008.

My Version of the Eliot's Hollow Men

My version of “The Hollow Men” TS

We are the empty souls

Filled with nothing-ness

Herded together

Their minds filled with dirt. Indeed!

Dusty throats, still breathe

Whispering herd

Inaudible and devoid

As dust upon mantle

Or ashes below coals

There is structure with no substance, hue with no depth

Frozen motion, movement with no progress

The Ones who have passed

Their eyes set on Hell

Not remembered as the unrighteous

Sinful men, simply

As the empty souls

Full of nothing-ness

Not to even dream of these Hell-men

In their fateful fire-land

But it isn’t those we see

In my dreams they look

To Sunlight on the broken past

The bird sings in the tree

And the voices sing

And float through air

Far away and so serious

As a sentinel

Don’t bring me closer

In this dreamy slumber

And hide with deliberation

Like a rat, a raven or a scarecrow

At harvest

Acting as the breeze acts

No closer

Don’t bring me closer

To the fire-land

This is the fire-land

Repeatedly burned

By the groping flames

They grower higher, are welcomed

Of a dead man’s hand

Under this dying sun

Is heaven like this?

In the chosen land

Alone walking

In times of need

When we feel love

But could not kiss

Our prayers without answer

In this last place we meet

We grip to each other

And do not speak

By the swollen river we wait

Still blind

Less grace is given

As forever-life

And Dante’s Rose

For the righteous

That empty souls

Only long for

Ring around the rosy

A pocket full of posies

Ashes, Ashes,

We all fall DOWN!

Not the idea or the reality

Not the motion or the act

They appear in grey

Between the generation

And the harvest

Between the fear

And the response

They appear in grey

There is wanting,

And outbursts

Between the strength

And the being

Between the very thing

And its demise

They appear in grey

God is the way

God is

He is

It will go quietly

The world, not end

With a bang.

-Rachael Haines

American Literature: From Native American Oral Tradition to Modernist

American Literature has changed in many ways since America’s beginnings and the Colonial Period. Each era is marked by unforgettable literature and authors whose writings reflect the eras in which they lived sometimes expressing the very social and cultural contexts in which the author lived. The periods of American Literature begin with the Colonial period and are followed by the writers of the Revolutionary period, The Romantics, the Realists, Naturalists and Modernists.

We first encounter Early American literature with a piece of Native American writing which was transcribed from oral tradition. The Iroquois Creation Story gives a vivid look into Native American Creation Stories and the values and beliefs of Native Americans (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 17). Much like the story of Genesis in the Christian Bible, the story serves as an explanation for creation and the dualism of good versus bad. All too soon, the white man came some would say and notable Englishmen named John Smith comes to mind and his colony of Jamestown.

John Smith’s writings supply some of our earliest American literature and detail Smith’s perspective, and perhaps his fancies of his explorations and encounters. As a result, Smith’s writings become Jamestown’s main record (American Literature-1991). Although once accepted as factual history, it is widely agreed upon that Smith romanticized many of his encounters and explorations in his accounts.

During the Colonial period, much of our American literature was written from the Puritan perspective. These authors focused their writing on a “full awareness of the importance of Worshipping God” and “the dangers” a soul faces on earth (American Literature-1991). The authors of this time include William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, Cotton Mather and John Winthrop. John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity” was a sermon given on board a ship to the new world; it gave detailed instruction to the passengers on board in how they should behave themselves as Christian models (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 76).

The eighteenth century brought with it enormous change. America was changing economically, socially and philosophically. With an emphasis on the “intellectual”, people began looking at the world more scientifically as well as exploring psychology (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 151). We get a glimpse into these changing times through writer’s like Sarah Kemble Knight and her journey from Boston to New York detailing provincial America (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 162). In addition, the eighteenth century brought with it the beginning of the destruction of the cultural traditions of Native Americans.  Many become unsuccessfully assimilated or convert to Christianity as in Samson Occom: A Short Narrative of My Life ( The Norton Anthology of American Literature 210). At age seventeen Occom was “enabl’d to put my trust in him alone for Life and Salvation” referring to the Christian God in his autobiography (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 210).

Next American literature moves towards Realism and Mark Twain entertains us with his “regional” flavor. America moved quickly from an agricultural nation to an industrial nation and with the change came new problems and issues. As more work was created, cities grew, immigration began and urban issues such as overcrowding, unsanitary conditions among poor labor conditions influenced American perspective (American Literature-1991). From this era, come the likes of Mark Twain, Jack London and Davis. Davis’ piece “Life in the Iron Mills” shows us the gritty side of industrialization through the eyes of a female author. Davis writes, “The idiosyncrasy of this town is smoke. It rolls sullenly in slow folds from the great chimneys of the iron foundries” bringing us to the very scene in her story (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 1227).

As our literary choices in America grew, new perspectives entered as diverse as the people who wrote them yet most speak of the human condition in some way. Realism and Naturalism flourished as the country grew and more people became “aware of the importance of large economic and social forces” (American Literature-1991).

Modernism is the latest literary wave we have reached this term. For me, no writer exemplifies this wave of Modernism better than Gertrude Stein. A first read through Stein’s “Tender Buttons” left me confused but after applying Stein’s “abstract meanings” and understanding her technique her poems became and interesting and exploratory read (American Literature-1991). Her writing affirmed literature as an art form. So far, American literature has followed along with America as it has grown from Colonial times to Modernization. Through this literature a better understanding of the American culture is gained.

Works Cited

American Literature-1991. 1991. 13 October 2012 <www.let.rug.nl/usa/outlines/literature-1991>.

The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York, 2008.

William Shakespeare (1563-1616)

William Shakespeare was baptized on April, 26, 1964 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Much of his youth remains as mystery but from Church documents and other records some conclusions can be drawn. It is assumed he was the son of a yeoman and an heiress of land and that he worked as an apprentice at some trade when he was young (Bio.com). It is also assumed that he attended school and received free tuition because of his father’s involvement in town positions.

Perhaps surprising to some, Shakespeare married Ann Hathaway, who was eight years his elder at the age of eighteen. The couple had three children together; Susana and a set of twins, Hamnet and Judith. Again, much mystery remains about events leading up to William’s participation in the theater. However, by around 1954 he was a key player in Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which changed to the King’s Men in 1603.

By 1957, Shakespeare had published 15 of his 37 plays and for his family he purchased the second largest house in Stratford for his family. He most likely spent his time in London, four days away from his home. Two years later, he and his partners built their own theater, the Globe on the Thames River. He increased his wealth by investing in real estate. William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616 and left a legacy of literature that is World-famous and whose themes seem timeless.

Sonnet 55

As I began reading Sonnet 55 I thought of the unstable times in which Shakespeare lived. In his time, the throne was erratic; from King Henry’s Reformation, to “Bloody Mary’s” backslide to Roman-Catholicism, followed by her Protestant Sister Elizabeth’s respected rule (Norton). The sonnet stirs images of the throne in the very first line, or at least an allusion to a King when he wrote “gilded monuments / Of princes” (Shakespeare. 55. 1).  He says not even those things will outlive this poem. I sense confidence on the speaker’s part and wonder if W was feeling a bit big-headed. The speaker says that stones and monuments will get dirty and war will overturn them (Shakespeare.55.5). He says that the battle will take care of old Masonry. I wondered at one point if Shakespeare was alluding to idol-worship. He says not even fire from war will get rid of this sonnet. The speaker seems to be saying, “Don’t worry my friend, you will be remembered in these lines. He says the poem will live on and “Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room”. Until of course he sees him on Judgment Day.

http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323

Two Unlikely Woman in British Literature

Allison, the Wife of Bath in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, are two bold women in literature who abandon the expectations of society on women of the time and instead use manipulation to gain power and control.

            These two women, Allison and Lady Macbeth are significant female characters because they represent upheaval in their respective societies both in their behavior and in their expected societal roles. Allison, a cloth-maker, lives in a time following the Norman Invasion. The Anglo-Saxon ways including the more even playing field between sexes gave way to “frenchified”, male-dominant way of life. Women were expected to serve their husbands yet Allison expects her men to serve her.

            Lady Macbeth also acts unexpectedly when she takes things into her own hands and doesn’t act as a submissive and noble woman should. Following the delivery of the three witches’ message to Macbeth regarding his fate, Lady Macbeth instantly realized what is being threatened and desperately wants to change his fate. Instead of acting honorably and as a servant to her husband, she devises a plan in which she will commit regicide and kill Duncan herself. She instead decides to convince Macbeth to commit the murder himself.

            At first glance, the Wife of Bath may seem to be in support of feminism yet Chaucer describes her in explicit ways when he writes about her headdress, her scarlet dress, her hips and particularly her gapped teeth which were commonly associated with lust during her time. Allison comes off as experienced and knowledgeable about men because she has had five husbands. Unlike the women of her time, Allison is dominant. She uses her body and sexuality to manipulate and gain control over her men. During her fifth marriage even a traumatic blow to the head at the hands of her husband doesn’t stop her controlling behavior and she lies on the floor as if she is dead. She dramatically pretends to be dead from the blow in order to incite concern with her husband.

            Lady Macbeth quickly jumps into the thick of things when she learns about her husband’s predicted fate. She and her husband both want the wealth and power. Lady Macbeth devises a plan to murder the king so that fulfillment of the witches’ message might not be met. Lady Macbeth is desperate. She feels her husband is too loyal and not ruthless enough; too weak. Lady Macbeth, although bold and ambitious recognizes that she isn’t really capable in her current state of carrying out murder. Instead she asks for the supernatural ability to be unsexed; to rid herself of feminine qualities so that she can murder the king. Instead of gaining supernatural power, Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to commit the murder…freeing her from the burden of actually committing the crime. Lady Macbeth becomes merely the catalyst for her husband’s out of control murderous behavior.

            Both women use manipulation to get what they want and both women live outside the societal norms of their time. However, Allison ultimately is a much more durable character. Allison presents herself as a promoter of sexual freedom and not a promoter of feminism. She uses her sexual skill and her body to gain what she purports that women want most; sovereignty over their husbands at a time when servitude by the woman was expected. For Allison, her sexuality was her biggest shock factor.

            At first meet, Lady Macbeth paints an image of herself as a villainous queen; both strong and ambitious to retain her power. Yet it isn’t long before we realize that Lady Macbeth cannot handle the guilt associated with being a murder and committing regicide even though her hands didn’t actually commit the murder, she pushed and supported her husband in completing the acts. Before long, the power hungry spree begins to take its toll on the ambitious Lady Macbeth. The audience witnesses her deteriorating health and mental stability as she fruitlessly tries to wash her hands of the guilt.

            In this comparison, I find that while both women were women outside of the norms of society they did convey an upheaval. They may have represented the frustration that women and men might have felt over the ever-changing society that both writers endured. However, regarding our leading ladies, Allison is a much stronger character who is able to endure the ill effects of her manipulation, while Lady Macbeth falls victim to them in her quick demise. Neither of these bold, unforgettable ladies were typical ladies of their time.