How do these texts represent choice making? In considering this question, you might want to discuss how much autonomy the narrator feels she/he has, what constraints the narrator feels impinge on his or her choices; what knowledge or other resources the narrator can turn to in choice-making?
The attached file is an answer that my friend has writte. DO NOT USE OR COPY any word from it because the Prof. has read it. You may use ideas, yet the qouestion got the grade of 70%. please consentrate on the required from the qouestion.
Huda, question two is a better answer so why don’t you rewrite question one to pull up the grade? The main problem with your answer to question one is that even in the first paragraph, it is really difficult to have a clear sense of what you are arguing about choice making. Please state your thesis as clearly as you can. The paragraphs that follow often seem to veer off topic, and in the end, I’m not sure what you actually are arguing about Kaysen’s choice-making. Are you trying to say that it was good that she couldn;t make her own choice because she was sick? What do you think Kaysen herself is trying to say about her choice-making? That is really my question here.
The Jacobs section is stronger but there too, you would need to really focus and be clear about the choice-making issue. I think you may have been struggling with wanting to say many things, not all of which were related t the issue presented by the question.
How do these texts represent choice making? In considering this question, you might want to discuss how much autonomy the narrator feels she/he has, what constraints the narrator feels impinge on his or her choices; what knowledge or other resources the narrator can turn to in choice-making?
In both stories, “Incidents of a Slave Girl” by Harriet Jacobs and “Girl, Interrupted” by Susanna Kaysen the issue of choice making is strongly manifested through almost all of their scenes. In the first mentioned text, Harriet who hides behind a fake name “Linda”, making a decision is barely seen especially in front of her master. She actually a decision maker but behind the scenes, and not before the commander’s eyes. Whereas in the other story, Susana, who is the narrator of the story, seems to be non free because she can not actually take any decision in her life due to the mental documented circumstances she is experiencing.
In “Girl, Interrupted”, Susanna Kaysen, who is 18 years old, agrees and signes to enter the mental hospital in order to get a genuine rest as the doctor claims. Even though she is the one who made the decision to go into the institution, she hadn’t the right to go out claiming that the medical reports declare her as an insane person who shouldn’t be given the right to make any choice in her life. Because of the fact that she is denying of attempting to commit a suicide, she shouldn’t be free and the doctors should make the decision for her. The mentioned claim is uttered by the doctor who met her for only 20 minutes, forcing her to get the medical treatment in ClayMoore. He made the decision according to what he sees is convenient and that choice is in Kaysen’s eyes is based on nothing.
It is worth mentioning that Susana Felt blue not only before she got the aspirin and vodka to kill herself, but also when she felt that is a victim of circumstances, feeling ashamed of the consequences she ought to. Her feelings of shame are obviously displayed in the scene where she wanted to shave her legs in the jog but the black assistant Falury insisted to watch her. Shaving under a supervision brings about an uncomfortable feeling of shame and perhaps slavery. The feeling of shame is presented also when the girls wents to a walk with the assistants and there, Kaysen saw her mother’s friend with her daughter. I think that she was thinking about her life compared to the mentioned daughter who learns in a collage. What made it worst is when the lady wished Susana to stay in the mental institution forever. These were the reasons for sorrow and agony that led her to regret and curse the moment she has made a naive choice of entering the hospital.
It is possible to say that even her parents had not the right to make a decision and take her home. They are manifested as a high class couple who only think about norms and how should they appear in front of the surroundings, They came to the hospital in order to take their daughter because christmas is coming yet the doctor refuses. This shows how Susana is the slave of the reports written by her doctors who take quick and inconvenient decision.
In the other story “Incidents of a Slave Girl” the tone shows how Harriet doesn’t have the right to make any decision. The tone seems to be full of fear and hesitation. Especially when the author tries to hide behind a false name “Linda”, because she had made a very dangerous decision of writing her memoir. She made that choice because she felt the necessity to do that in addition to her feelings of moral obligation to tell her story. She took that challenge and spoke about things that should not be spoken. Her choice of hiding behind a fake name shows how she wants to maintain safety, perhaps she also wants to separate herself from the past self. This decision shows the difference between the narrated I who was under slavery and the narrating I who set free with the past nodes on her soul.
Harriet Jacob, declares that slaves should be abolished and slaves should make their choices since they have actually wider and deeper feelings than white people. Masters Claim that black people don’t have the same kind of feelings that they have and they don’t register to those feeling. That is why they should be enslaved. Other myths, white people believe are: Firt, they say that black people are children, helpless and can’t occur by themselves. Second, they have no limitation to their sexual choices. Third. They are deceptive as they indulge in the acts of theft and they cant tell the difference between right and wrong. White people claim that these reasons are enough to strip slaves from the right to choose. Yet Harriet and I think that bad traits can also describe white people.
It is possible to say that Jacobs seems to be so hesitant at times and determined at other times. Even though she loved the black free man who was so determined with her choice to marry him, she took a step back and persuaded him to leave and go north after Dr. Flint promised he will shoot him like a dog if he sees them together again. Making that decision shows her genuine love to him and how she cares about his safety. That shows also how slaves or black people can make a legitimate choices even though they do not like.
In addition to that, Harriet Jacobs seems so determined to have a physical relationship with Mr. Sands. At the age of 15 she is balancing her choice trying to find the reasons why should she do that. She claims that he is so kind, helps her a lot. She argues also that he is unmarried and not her master. She can make the choice and no one will force her to do anything she doesn’t want. Jacobs says that the most important reason of having a sexual relationship with him is that he is unmarried as if she considered marriage as a sacrament that she shouldn’t break up. The narrator makes that choice and delivers two children from Mr. Sands. She does not think that she is guilty with the fact of living under slavery. She sees that is is impossible to live morally in that world that encouraged slavery at that time.
