The Discussion Post Feature on Blackboard was used to engage the course content with my peers.

Content Section

Professor Alyssa Yankwitt

Connections between Freud, “A Country Doctor,” and “The Sick Rose”

The first similarity between the poem and the story is the name “Rose.” In the poem, Rose is the name of an individual since it is capitalized in the poem (The Sick Rose). This would connect that name to Rose, the maid in “A Country Doctor” (A Country Doctor). Another similarity here is that the narrator of the poem describes the ‘invisible worm’ destroying Rose’s life (The Sick Rose), and the doctor in the story is unhinged in knowing Rose could’ve been raped by the groom he was away (A Country Doctor). Lastly, there is the sorrowful tone that the poem takes, and the doctor saying “but that I should have to sacrifice Rose… the pretty girl who had lived in my house …without my noticing her…” and that he has to “restore Rose to [himself]” (A Country Doctor). Both of these examples show a sense of care, though the quote from the story is suggestive as well, in the sense that the doctor may actually have feelings for Rose. 

The Relationship in “The Yellow Wallpaper” & What Freud would say about it.

At surface level, this couple belongs in a classical novel such as the Great Gatsby. In the first and second pages, the narrator is introduced as a cheery and imaginative character, marveling at the haunted vibe of the mansion, and the beauty of the nearby village, whereas her husband is stern and practical, away at work throughout the day and sometimes into the night.The relationship between the protagonist and her husband appears to be well meant and loving, but beneath the surface there are significant issues that can be recognized. 

There are a couple of instances in the text where it is clear that this story deals with a loving couple. For example, in page two, the narrator says about her husband, John: “He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction.” On the same page, the narrator says that the couple moved into the house just for the wife’s recovery, and this shows that John does indeed care for his wife.The narrator also means well for her husband and recognizes he is well meant, as seen in the third page when the narrator says she wants to help him and be a rest, instead of a burden, which she feels she has been. Furthermore, on the same page she says she doesn’t want to “ make him uncomfortable just for a whim” to move downstairs instead of staying upstairs, presumably by why she means sleeping upstairs.

However, things get problematic as the story develops. Throughout her writing, the narrator comes down on herself in favor of herself too many times and settles for essentially being told “no”, which can develop tensions between the couple. For example, John does not agree to her wanting to be downstairs instead of the room she dislikes. He also refuses to let her visit cousin Henry and Julia. It may be argued that she should just plead more, however, that does not take into account that she is in pain and may not have the spirit to plead further. It’s also clear that the couple does not see eye to eye on several things, as in the fifth page, the narrator describes what a relief it is to “say what [she] feel[s] and think[s] in some way” through her writing. Of the things that the narrator and John do not see eye-to-eye on is their location, as early in the book we see her ask to leave, and later on page seven she writes “I wish John would take me away from here!”. They also do not see eye-to-eye on her illness as John does not see a reason for her to be ill, and in page six he does not allow her to say that she does not feel well mentally.

Writing Section

Professor Elisabeth von Uhl

Why Peer Review is Important for “Knowledge-Making”

There is a connection of Freud’s concept of ‘Displacement’ in the first two examples mentioned, displacement being a transfer of emotion to something less important (Five Lectures On Psycho-Analysis 2223). The poem illustrates, indirectly, the grief that the doctor has of Rose being raped, by describing it as an “invisible worm” that destroys her life. Further, the third similarity, that sense of caring, gives us a bigger picture. Two themes are being tackled in both texts, the sense of care and distress for “Rose,” and the awareness that “Rose” is being raped. These two themes being bunched together act as a “condensation,” which Freud considers to be more than one idea being represented by idea or object (Five Lectures on Psycho-Analysis 2223). As such, the poem is a condensation of the story as the poem hosts at least two displacements of events that take place in the story. 

One way Language was Weaponized during the 2016 Elections

During his presidential campaign, one of the muslim’s community’s greivances against Trump was his use of the phrase “Radical Islamic Terrorism”. This phrase was very problematic in that it associated the acts of terrorists, like the Orlando bar shooter in 2016, with the religion of Islam. Anyone who has interacted with Muslims or studied Islamic religious texts, ie the Quran and Hadith, knows that there is no correlation between the acts of terrorists and Islam- and to do so necessitates accepting that the acts of the KKK are endorsed by Christianity, which simply isn’t true. To quote former President Barack Obama, “If you had an organization that was going around killing and blowing people up and said, ‘We’re on the vanguard of Christianity.’ As a Christian, I’m not going to let them claim my religion and say, ‘you’re killing for Christ.’ I would say, that’s ridiculous.”

That aside, an example of a time Trump used the concept of “Radical Islam” was in his speech in response to the Orlando shooting. 

“This is not just a national security issue. It’s a quality of life issue. If we want to protect the quality of life for all Americans — women and children, gay and straight, Jews and Christians and all people then we need to tell the truth about radical Islam and we need to do it now.”

By associating terrorism with Islam, Trump is utilizing Synecdoche, making the acts of terrorists representative of a group of 1.6 billion people. Islam is also the mob at the gate in this case, and the implication he is quite clear. However, it’s inconsistent with all the issues each of these groups face, the Charlottesville protests against Jews for example, which Trump himself was criticized for his response to. Lastly, the president’s words have certainly had an impact on the Muslim community in America during his presidency, as Muslim communities across the country have had to deal with a spike in Islamophobic incidents from vandalism at mosques to attacks on Muslims.