Pablo Picasso Chrysanthemums

1. In "The Chrysanthemums," the interaction between Elisa and the traveling repairman helps develop the story's theme about taking risks. Describe their interaction and explain how it helps to develop the story's theme. Be sure to use specific details from the text to support your ideas. (10 points)

Everything is everything in the world of short stories. Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums is full of thick rhetoric that raises questions and stirs the mind and imagination. Everything from the title, to the last line needs to be thought about more than once. The story isn't just about a farmer's wife who likes pretty flowers. Not in the least! The Chrysanthemums is a story about how Elisa Allen is forced to a life that she feels is trapping her. The story is set in the early twentieth century and these times don't allow for just any woman to leave her ordinary, socially and politically correct life. Feminism is a large part of the story, and main character Elisa Allen's language, actions, and even the way she is described play a large

In the early 20th century, a male author, John Steinbeck, wrote about women’s oppression in the short story, “The Chrysanthemums”. It was different than other stories about women’s oppression because it was in the male point-of-view rather than a female’s point-of-view. This brilliant short story is narrated by a third-person narrator and has some interesting characters such as Elisa, Henry and the traveling salesperson. In John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”, the juxtaposition between female and male norms and the symbolism throughout the story illustrates how women were perceived as simplistic and weak people reflected by the gender expectations in the early 20th century.

The novel The Sign Of The Chrysanthemum takes place in Japan during the 12th century. This novel is about a boy named Muna, meaning “no name”, that has moved from a rural part of Japan to the city, Kyoto. He was told that his father had a Chrysanthemum tattooed on his arm. Muna sets out to find his father after only knowing this little information about him. Muna was also told that his father was a Heike warrior, which brings up this conflict between two feuding clans. During this time period in Japan there was a conflict between the Heike and the Genji clans. The reason behind their fighting is because of the conflict over political power of Japan. Muna embarks on his journey

The Painting I chose is called “Mixtec Culture.” And it was painted by Diego Rivera in 1942, Mexico. It’s a Fresco style painting, which is “a wall painting technique that has been used for large scale murals since ancient times” (Getlein 159). This entire painting is an homage to the culture of Mexico, specifically the Mixtec people, and that’s what I love about it. The Mixtec people were renowned for their artwork so it’s fitting that Rivera depicts a peaceful community of artists such as mask and jewelry makers. This painting celebrates the artistic culture of the Mixtec people and that theme is directly linked to the political influences of the time, “Mexican government commissioned artists to create murals about Mexico itself- the glories

The composition I chose was Dorothea Tanning’s painting Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. This painting depicts two girls alone in the hallway of a rundown hotel, playing with the larger than life sunflower which lays in the middle of the hallway, reaching which the stairwell. What intrigued me first about this painting was its use of color. The color scheme that Tanning employs is complimentary. As we know, a complementary color scheme means that two colors that are directly across from each other on the color wheel are primarily used. In this case, the complementary colors represented in the painting are red and green. Tanning shows a rich, blood-red color in the carpeting as well as on the shirt of the girl leaning against the frame of on of the doors. Those deep reds complement the ivy green color of the hallway walls, the leaves on the large sunflower, and the vines from the flower as well. Another aspect of color in the painting that pulled me in was the balance of color temperature that is featured. There are many warm colors featured in this painting which makes the slight pop of cool colors stand out against each other. Of course, the warm colors Tanning uses in this painting are the deep reds in the carpeting and shirt, the dark brown of the doors, and the wooden stair flooring that run down the hall, as well as the eerie yellows featured in the sunflower and mysterious lighting leaking out into the hall from a slightly cracked door. Meanwhile, the warm colors are met with the cool whites in the young girls’ dresses and skirts. Plus, the frigid greens popping out from the walls along with the enormous vines and leaves. The greens stand out against the sunny yellows in the flower and three petals that have fallen from the sunflower, coupled with the deep warm reds that line the floor.

John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”, is a story about a woman struggling with strong inner feelings of loneliness and isolation. Elisa Allen is initially portrayed as a woman who overcompensates and whose tasks are far exceeded by her abilities. She appears content with her life and adores tending to her garden. However, a tinker briefly enters her life and through his power of persuasion and manipulation provides Elisa with hopes of change and excitement. He gives her the much needed attention she is so desperately looking for. As the story continues we learn that these hopes are crushed as we unravel the betrayal the tinker has bestowed upon Elisa. He exploits her and takes advantage of her hunger for company, aspirations, and

John Steinbeck’s short story, “The Chrysanthemums” features many themes: themes of gender suppression, love, passion, and betrayal. This short story revolves around the character Elisa Allen who has a strong love and a great passion for her flowers, for her beloved chrysanthemums. However, when a mysterious man arrives towards the end of the text Elisa’s love and passion for the chrysanthemums weakens and she feels betrayed by one of the things she loves most. Steinbeck uses the unlikely encounter between the Tinker and Elisa, as well as, the encounter between Elisa and her husband as a way to express the theme of love and betrayal.

For example, the first painting that stood out to me was, “The Earth Matters”, by Lisa Jennings. The woman in the painting is holding the world in her hand, as she’s stands in a field of tall grass. There is filled space in the field from the tall grass, and empty space in the sky, because of it being clear and blue. The woman has no face, therefore she cannot see her future, but as she gazes down the earth must be important, as she holds it in the palms of her hands. Another painting that stood out to me

John Steinbeck’s, The Chrysanthemums, was published in 1938 in a book of short stories, entitled The Long Valley. The Chrysanthemums has been a rather powerful draw for scholars because of its wide gap for interpretations and analysis of its main protagonist character, Elisa Allen and also the unique descriptions used to portray the deeper meaning behind the setting of the story. Themes of sexuality, oppression of women, as well as other numerous types of conflict portrayed in this rather somber short story have made it a popular study among scholars and students alike. Steinbeck also uses literary elements including a dramatic tone, rich symbolism, and personification which increase the stories feeling and value exponentially. Steinbeck

“Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck was written in 1937 when the transition of women from typical housewife standards to the working world was occurring. Steinbeck’s feature character, Elisa, an atypical woman with a love for gardening, embodies the pressures that women face from society when they attempt to express themselves in ways that go against societal standards. In “Chrysanthemums,” Steinbeck uses symbolism to reveal how societal standards cause women to miss out on opportunities and become frustrated because of their inability to express themselves.

The short story "The Chrysanthemums" gives insight into the life of its author. John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. The locale of the story is of key resemblance to the Salinas in which Steinbeck was born and bread. "Salinas was a typical American small town, [differing] only in location and a few distinctive features" (McCarthy 3). The protagonist of this story, Elisa Allen, also resembles Steinbeck's first wife. "Steinbeck probably based the character of Elisa Allen on his own first wife, Carol Henning Steinbeck. Like Elisa, Carol was a woman of considerable talent and energy who wore 'masculine clothes' and was 'strong, large-boned' and 'handsome rather than

The piece I chose is Pablo Picasso’s “Nude combing her hair”. I first saw it at the Kimbell Art Museum and remember admiring it. It was finished in 1906 and is oil paint on canvas. The main (only) figure in this painting is a nude woman, standing, who appears to be combing through her hair with her fingers after bathing. Although abstract, Picasso creates a very elegant, raw, and naturalistic form using color, space, and his depiction of figure.

Toulouse’s art inspires me to paint in a similar fashion, how he can get so much across with such a simple painting. The reason for choosing him was that La Toilette captured me, it is such a beautiful painting but it so simple. It doesn’t show the face of the model and only use blue as its main colour but it still gets something across the viewer. That is what inspires me, that even though he painted in such a simple way, he still communicated his messages and meanings easily.

"A picture can paint a thousand words." I found the one picture in my mind that does paint a thousand words and more. It was a couple of weeks ago when I saw this picture in the writing center; the writing center is part of State College. The beautiful colors caught my eye. I was so enchanted by the painting, I lost the group I was with. When I heard about the observation essay, where we have to write about a person or thing in the city that catches your eye. I knew right away that I wanted to write about the painting. I don’t know why, but I felt that the painting was describing the way I felt at that moment.