Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “Yellow Wallpaper” Reading ...



Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “Yellow Wallpaper” Reading and Soundtrack Assignment Guidelines and Rubric

Guidelines:

In this assignment you will read Charlotte Perkins Gillman’s, “Yellow Wallpaper.” They are available online via:

The University of Virginia Library's Electronic Text Center:

Or

The Original New England Magazine version: .

Active Reading:

First, you will read Gilman's "The Yellow Wall-paper," and fill out the “Active Reading Chart.” This will help you take notes on the story, highlight characters, setting, narrative style, point-of-view, and potential symbols to examine the idea of the 19th century “cult of domesticity.” You may need to recreate this chart on another sheet of paper.

|How does the author describe: |Examples/Descriptions |Reader Interpretation |

| |from |(possible symbolic meanings, oddities in |

| |“The Yellow Wall-paper” |descriptions, etc.) |

|Her room? | | |

|Her wallpaper? | | |

|Her illness? | | |

|Her husband? | | |

|Her caretakers/other family members? | | |

|Herself? | | |

|Her journal? | | |

|Other notes/observations? | | |

Questions:

(Note the hyperlinks will brink you to the websites for images/ads from previous assignment. Access to view this handout in electronic version to access those docs):

1. How would you describe the story's setting?

2. How and why is the setting significant?

3. Using the section in which the author says, “John is a physician, and—perhaps—(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)—perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster." How would you describe the narrator's husband? What is the narrator's style of writing? What is her tone?

4. The author says, "Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good." What does the narrator believe would be the best cure for her? How does this contrast with what her husband and brother say?

5. How does Gilman's vision of work compare to the roles of the mother in the "Light of the Home" image and the representation of "keeping house" in the "I Can't Keep House without It" (1918) advertisement?

6. How does the narration mimic the narrator's mental state? Point out digressions and discuss why the narrator might digress during her account. Review the 1867 Godey's quote from the "Motherhood" essay ("About every true mother there is a sanctity of martyrdom- and when she is no more in the body, her children see her with the ring of light around her head."). Compare this description to the narrator's role of mother.

7. Gilman writes, "And dear John gathered me up in his arms, and just carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed, and sat by me and read to me till it tired my head." What does this passage suggest about the relationship between the narrator and her husband?

8. How would you characterize the husband vs. the narrator?Cite another passage from your active reading notes to support this claim. You may want to compare narrator's and John's relationship to the relationship in the "Puss in the Corner" poem.

9. The author writes, "And it is like a woman stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern. I don't like it a bit. I wonder—I begin to think—I wish John would take me away from here!" What is the significance of the woman behind the yellow wall-paper? Compare this to the narrator's feelings about the wall-paper to the tone and message of the 1890 cartoon, For the benefit of the girl about to graduate.

10. "The fact is I am getting a little afraid of John," Gilman writes. How would you describe the narrator's mental state? How has she changed? What is her tone at this point in the story?

11. At the end of the story she writes, "What is the matter?" he cried. "For God's sake, what are you doing!" I kept on creeping just the same, but I looked at him over my shoulder. "I've got out at last," said I, "in spite of you and Jane. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back! " Now why should that man have fainted? But he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him every time!"

12. What does the narrator mean by, "I got out at last?" What does the ending of this story suggest about the woman behind the wall-paper? How are this woman and the wall-paper itself symbolic? Discuss the metaphor of the window in relationship to "getting out." Compare the stopping woman to images of women doing domestic work you encountered in.

Soundtrack Rationale/Presentation Evaluation:

Using the chart and questions, find a song focused on the overall theme of the story, the tone or mood of a specific part or a character in “The Yellow Wallpaper.” This song should enhance your understanding of the story but also the ideas of the historical interpretations of 19th century women’s roles under the “cult of domesticity,” and how some women challenged those interpretations. It might help to imagine this story as a movie or even a music video and fit your music to the images this story creates in your own mind.

Once you choose your song you will need to write a rationale for your song choice which will:

▪ Describe how the song relates to the overall theme, the tone or mood of a specific part or a character in “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

▪ Explain a scene that your song would play over.

Then you will prepare to present the rationale to the class:

▪ Put the song on a CD or a MP3 player by choosing a 20 to 40 second clip from your song to share with the class.

▪ The class is going to rate your song: Buy it! (If it’s a great fit!); Burn it! (if it’s a marginally good pick); Trash it! (You are no DJ!)

Rubric:

| |5 |4 |3 |2 |1 |

|Active Reading |100% of the sheet is |100% of the sheet is |More than 70% is |More than 50% is |Less than 50% |

| |complete with clear |complete with weak |complete but all |complete but all |complete but there |

| |symbolism described. |symbolism provided. |details and symbols |details and symbols |are great details and|

| | | |provided are clearly |provided are clearly |symbols described.OR |

| | | |defined. |defined. |100-50% is complete |

| | | | | |but the details and |

| | | | | |symbols are weak. |

|Questions. |100-90% of questions |89-80% of questions |79-70% of questions |69-60% of questions |Less than 60% of |

| |completed in detail. |completed in detail. |completed in detail. |completed in detail. |questions completed |

| | | | | |in detail. |

|Soundtrack Rationale |Rationale very |Rationale clearly |Rationale somewhat |Rationale is weak and|Rationale doesn’t |

| |clearly explains the |explains the overall |explains the overall |doesn’t clearly |explain the overall |

| |overall theme of the |theme of the story, |theme of the story, |explain the overall |theme of the story, |

| |story, the tone or |the tone or mood of a|the tone or mood of a|theme of the story, |the tone or mood of a|

| |mood of a specific |specific part or a |specific part or a |the tone or mood of a|specific part or a |

| |part or a character. |character. |character. |specific part or a |character. |

| | | | |character. | |

|Presentation |Nearly 100% of the |Over 70% of the |Nearly 100% of the |Over 70% of the class|The majority of the |

|Evaluation |class voted to Buy |class voted to Buy |class voted to Burn |voted to Burn It! |class voted to Trash |

| |It! |It! |It! | |It! |

* Part of this assignment was swiped from and the other from Mr. Andujar.

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