Bell Jar 2

To avoid taking chemistry, Esther has a very elaborate plan. First she petitions the college to not take it. She says she's not a science major, and she would rather take an english class. Also since she got an A in physics she was confident she'd get an A in the class. She didn't want to take the course because it wasn't challenging enough and she'd rather have a course going towards her major. The really tricky thing was even though she didn't wanna do the work, she still said she'd go to the class to watch to "learn." She then uses the chemistry class as a study hall for english. The teacher is happy because she's not taking the class for the easy A and still "takes notes" and Esther is happy because she skips a science class and adds english. I don't think Esther finds science overwhelming. I just think she's smarter than everyone and is embarrassed by it. It also may be the uniformity of science she doesn't like. She doesn't fit in, and in science there isn't room for things that don't "fit" exactly how they're supposed to. In English there is more room for people like her, that can express herself without being right or wrong. Even though that could be one reason why she likes science I still believe the main reason is because she doesn't want to feel like an outcast because of her A while the others fail.

Bell Jar 1

“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenberg’s, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.”

Above is the opening sentence from the novel. I'm not gonna lie, the discussion in class the other day has helped me understand it better. This sentence does a few things. The first thing is that it foreshadows what will happen. She feels like it is a "queer, sultry summer" that makes the reader think that it wasn't a normal summer or a clean summer. A lot of things were happening at the time. Then it says "they electrocuted the Rosenberg's," which shows that she feels distant from society. Like we discussed, when things happen in the US, people usually say "we" did this, like "we" won WWII. This clearly shows a feeling of separation from her with everyone else. The last sentence summarizes how she feels. She doesn't know why she's there and clearly is unhappy. This sentence greatly foreshadows what will later happen.

Mona Lisa 2

Betty reflects the values of the 1950s through her getting married. She becomes married to a man that she has no real feelings for. The important things to her are marriage, raising a family, and being the ‘norm.’ Not only does Betty get married, she ridicules her friend for getting accepted into Harvard Law School, then writes another nasty article over Julia Roberts. To me Betty’s ideas are clouded by the values of that time. Instead of having a truly happy life, she has a generic ‘happy’ life. She has a husband, a house, and a washer and dryer! That is what all women wanted in that time, but they want it because that’s what’s advertised, and that’s what’s taught. Betty Warren’s actions during this movie aren’t only annoying, but I have a sense of pity for her. Maybe if she wasn’t influenced so strongly by her B of a mother, then she would turn out differently.

Mona Lisa 1

In the beginning of the movie we are introduced to all the main characters. Julia Roberts starts her first day teaching the history of art. The school has very strict rules and very high expectations for both the students and teachers. So far the values of that time period seem to be about good morals and commitment to excellence. The scene with Roberts teaching introduces all the main characters. All of the students are very smart and already knew everything she was teaching. They made her feel inadequate on her first day. Even though it was the first day all the students had already read the text, which shows their commitment to learning. The girls seem to be quite confident with themselves and education is very important to them, so at first they seem independent. This time period shows the importance of women being the 'housewife' but it seems that for the women here, their goals are different. It will be interesting to see how the movie develops.