Module 3 - #1 - How Background Shapes Writing

2/8/2014

Edwidge Danticat. Photo: David Shankbone, Creative Commons.

James Joyce. Photo: C. Ruf, Zurich, ca 1918, Creative Commons.

Initial Post: Choose one of the short stories, "Between the Pool and the Gardenias" or "Eveline," from this module. Re-read the biography information about the author of the short story (either Edwidge Danticat or James Joyce). In a well-organized response, discuss how the author’s background shaped his/her writing. Be sure to use textual reference to support your ideas.

Response: Choose one (1) student to respond to regarding his/her post.

12 Comments

Kasey Gallagher

2/7/2014 07:16:53 am

I chose to discuss the story "Eveline" by James Joyce.

I think Joyce's background influenced the story because growing up, his father was never able to provide a stable household for his family. His father liked to drink and there was never enough money. In the story Eveline, she tells us "He said she used to squander... had she any intention of buying Sunday's dinner." I think his childhood helped create an idea for Eveline's childhood, since they both had mothers who died and fathers who could not fully care for them.

In his biography it says that he had to keep the family above water. In his story, Eveline says "She knew the air... as long as she could." Both Joyce and Eveline become providers for their families. Joyce had to provide for his family (a wife and two children) as a teacher. Eveline had to provide for her family (her father and two younger siblings) after their mother died and their father become sort of useless. Eveline also had a brother who died and a brother who was a church decorator, so he was always on the road. Joyce himself had a fairly large family and I think that's why Eveline did too. I think Joyce caring for his two children can be seen in his story as Eveline caring for her two younger siblings.

Joyce moved several times in his life as an author. He was originally from Ireland and we can interpret that Eveline was set in Ireland. I think Eveline expressed some of the fears Joyce had about leaving his home for a new place. He originally left for Paris but returned when his mother died. He then met a woman who would become his wife, and they moved away together (symbolic to Eveline almost leaving with Frank, but she was held back by the love of her home).

Devin Blattner

2/13/2014 08:44:16 am

Kasey, I liked the way you compared so many things from the story to Joyce's life. You made a lot of good connections between Eveline and Joyce. I also thought it was very clever of you for thinking about where the setting of the story took place. I never even thought about that when reading the story.

Devin Blattner

2/13/2014 08:44:32 am

Cole

2/13/2014 09:00:26 am

This was a very good analysis of the relation between the main character and the author of the story. I agree with everything you said. The only real difference that I could see of their lives is the size of the family. Joyce had 10 siblings, but Eveline only had 4 siblings. That was also pretty good that you picked up that the 2 children that Eveline cares for are her siblings. I thought that they were one of her brothers kids. We had completely different interpretations on that aspect of the story.

Cole

2/10/2014 05:55:27 am

James Joyce had a tough life growing up. His father drank a lot and his family never had much. They struggled to survive. This transferred over into "Eveline" because her family also struggled to survive. Also, even though it doesn't actually say it, her father might have also been an alcoholic which could be why he was mean to her. Also, Joyce's mother died, like Eveline's did in the story. The life of Eveline closely resembles the author's life.

Kasey Gallagher

2/14/2014 04:29:05 pm

We noticed a lot of the same things! I like that you inferred Eveline's father was an alcoholic. I didn't really think of that until you said it!

Devin Blattner

2/10/2014 06:02:29 am

Module 3: Blog Response 1

In 'Between the Pool and Gardenias', Edwidge Danticat is writing about a lady who is of Haitian decent and resides in the upper parts of Haiti. In the short story it talks about Port-au-Prince which was where the dead baby was found. Danticat grew up in Port-au-Price, Haiti and it showed in her writing because she seemed to know a lot about that certain place. The authors background shaped her writing because she writes about what she has seen or heard in Haiti when she was growing up. From what I noticed, all of her stories somehow relate back to Haiti and their cultures or traditions.

Alyson Picione

2/14/2014 01:13:32 pm

I also realized that the author writes about Haiti and the struggles of a Haitian woman which is interesting to me because I would otherwise not be able to hear about any of that. I think it took a lot of courage for her to come out and write about some of the horrible things that women in her culture have to endure because they are seen as lesser than men.

Brian Burke

2/11/2014 08:18:29 am

The story "Eveline" can tell much about Joyce. The story is about a girl named Eveline who is revisiting her past. Assuming that the cretonne smell was from her bed sheets, one may believe that the narrator was on her deathbed in the story. Eveline revisits her past in the story. During this, Eveline reveals much about herself through the stories she tells of her family. She mostly speaks of her father. The narrator describes him as a very angry or hostile man. She proceeds to explain that he has not always acted in such a way. Eveline describes select occasions that she remembers him being somewhat happy and funny. This may represent Joyce's life with life's hardships outweighing the little good things. Or, it may relate to how he envisioned his own father. According to biographies; John Joyce, his father, had drinking problems and bad spending habits due to his lack of employment. Also, the mother dies in the story. Joyce had also experienced the death of his mother with the issue of then having a single father. The challenges faced in Joyce’s life have shaped his literature greatly. That can vary from the tone of the stories he writes to the style of writing. His literature can reveal much about himself. Another example relating Joyce’s life to “Eveline” is the lack of money both Joyce and Eveline shared. Joyce had needed help financially from siblings during his life and also dealt with his family and their withering wealth.

Alyson Picione

2/11/2014 09:10:38 am

I picked the story "Between the Pool and Gardenias" by Edwidge Danticat. The story reflects Danticat's backround because the main character is struggling to live within the confines of the social norms of her culture. Danticat was a Haitian immigrant and needed to get used to the norms of her new society. In the story, the main character struggles with the constant pressure to have a baby and her husband's cheating. This is shown when she tells Rosey, "Next thing I know, it's ten years with him. I'm old like hell at twenty-seven and he's got ten babies with ten different women." The only was she knows to deal with his cheating is to run away. Her culture is shown because in a normal society the woman would just ask for a divorce, but she had to run away from her husband to escape him. Another example of how Danicat's backround influences the story is the constant reference to praying and religion. The main character often prays for the baby. She views the baby as a prize even though the baby is dead.

Tori McCaslin

2/11/2014 10:18:28 am

I chose to talk about the short story “Eveline” by James Joyce. I think that Joyce’s background influenced her writing a big way. Joyce had to grow up with a father who couldn’t support his family. Joyce had to step up and support his family, much like Eveline. In Joyce’s background and Eveline’s, the father’s where both drunks who were too unstable to take care of their family. Joyce had to step in a take care of his family. Eveline had to take her mother’s place and raise her younger siblings. I think Joyce decided to giver Eveline a larger family because he too had a fairly large family. In Joyce’s biography, It shows him moving around the world a lot. He is from Ireland and then moved to Paris. But he then returned to Ireland when his mother died. Joyce met a young women who later became his wife. Eveline almost ran away with a man and I think this is in the story because Joyce went through the same kind of events.

Devin Blattner

2/13/2014 08:45:27 am

Kasey, I liked the way you compared so many things from the story to Joyce's life. You've made a lot of good connections between Eveline and Joyce. I also thought it was very clever of you for thinking about where the setting of the story took place. I never even thought about that when reading the story!

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Module 3 - #1 - How Background Shapes Writing

Leave a Reply.

Mrs. Erdman

Archives

Categories

Writer

Proudly Powered