Edna St. Vincent Millay Essay

Bessie was born April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to a part time Baptist preacher, William Smith, and his wife Laura. The family was large and poor. Soon after she was born her father died. Laura lived until Bessie was only nine years old. The remaining children had to learn to take care of themselves. Her sister Viola then raised her. But it was her oldest brother,

Addams had so many significant impacts on the world with the Hull House just being one of many. But she also gave a voice for child labor, juvenile justice, workers’ rights, and discrimination. Without her speaking on these things it would be eight-year old’s working factory jobs instead of getting an education. With family incomes being low now in the U.S people probably would send their children off to work before letting them get an education to help out with the family income. Worker’s rights have improved a little since Jane discussed these conditions. We now have rights to a safe working environment. Even though we still have some discrimination in our society today Jane was also an advocate on that also. Earlier in society people especially blacks and women were discriminated against. Not just with jobs but all social aspects of the society, which were simple things that included voting and working rights. With only name a few of the lasting significant impacts you could see Ms. Addams has contributed a lot to this country.

The ending of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is both controversial and thought provoking. Many see Edna Pontellier’s suicide as the final stage of her “awakening”, and the only way that she will ever be able to truly be free. Edna’s suicide, however, is nothing more than her final attempt to escape from her life. Edna Pontellier’s life has become too much for her to handle, and by committing suicide she is simply escaping the oppression she feels from her marriage, the suppression she feels from her children, and the failure of her relationship with Robert.

One of the most influential and inspirational women of all time was Rosa Parks. By one action she helped change the lives of a majority of African Americans and more importantly society as a whole. Rosa Parks sparked the attention of America when she refused to settle for the black (lower class)standards. Not only did she help change the lives for many African Americans but she helped equality for all men and women in the United States. By one brave women our world will be forever thankful.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin ends with the death of the main character, Edna Pontellier. Stripping off her clothes, she swims out to sea until her arms can no longer support her, and she drowns. It was not necessarily a suicide, neither was it necessarily the best option for escaping her problems.

In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, two people who have the ultimate influence on Edna are Mademoiselle Reisz, and Robert Lebrun.

The Awakening written by Kate Chopin in 1899, is one of the first Feminist works in American literature. The novel recounts the story of a woman called Edna Pontellier and her strife to find the meaning of life, true happiness, and independence. This leads her to take many decisions women of her time found repulsive and forbidden. The setting of the novel plays a crucial role in the development of the story, since it takes place at the end of the 19th century, a critical time for women, since they were seen as inferior to men and had little to no rights. Thomas Carlyle in "On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History" says "the different sphere constitutes the grand origin of such distinction; that the Hero can be Poet, Prophet, King,

Singer. Born April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia. (Though many biographical sources give her birth date as 1918, her birth certificate and school records show her to have been born a year earlier.) Often referred to as the "first lady of song," Fitzgerald enjoyed a career that stretched over six decades. With her lucid intonation and a range of three octaves, she became the preeminent jazz singer of her generation, recording over 2,000 songs, selling over 40 million albums, and winning 13 Grammy Awards, including one in 1967 for Lifetime Achievement.

“The poetry of Nikki Giovanni has spurred movements and inspired songs, turned hearts and informed generations. She’s been hailed as a healer and a national treasure. ”("Nikki Giovanni, Poet, Activist, Educator." Nikki Giovanni, Poet, Activist, Educator. Web.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin introduces the reader to the life of Edna Pontellier, a woman with an independent nature searching for her true identity in a patriarchal society that expects women to be nothing more than devoted wives and nurturing mothers.

A different option would have been that Edna decides to live the life of an artist. She could

Edna Pontellier as a character is an Interesting topic amongst scholars who have read The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The topic of her suicide is the focal point of such discussion. Weather it was an act of heroism, or the downfall of an already pitiful woman. While it may be easy to characterize suicide as a “coward's” death it's not good to be so hasty. Looking at Edna as a character one can see a woman who is clearly more progressive than the time she was in. Edna had always been on a different wavelength than her peers. One that means she was different, unpredictable, and outcast. However this isn't the case, Edna should be praised for her courage and heroism towards the

Maya Angelou has inspired me in more ways than one, and I had to write about her. When Maya speaks people listen. She has this wisdom that only few have, especially when life wasn’t always great. She turned tragedy into triumph, and helped others in doing so. So, Maya has proven too many women, especially black women that you succeed, even if you have had a child in your teen years. She’s proof that with determination nothing is unattainable.

Edna St. Vincent Millay in her poem First Fig offers a grand salute to the very nature of life and it’s momentary existence. This poem is a great reminder to high school seniors as they may feel their very existence slipping away. For high school seniors this poem echo’s their feeling of mortality and vulnerability. However, the tone of this poem is one of acceptance, not despair. As Edna reminds her readers change is inevitable, she also reminds them that one must cherish what they have before it slips away.

Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29, 1832 in Germantown, Pennsylvania but, raised in Concord, Massachusetts. She lived with her three sisters, mother, and father. Money was scares in the the Alcott household but education was rich and very important to them. Her education came from her father who was a transcendentalist tutored her until age sixteen. She later studied under David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Theodore Parker who were also big in the transcendentalist movement and influencers for her to become a novelist.