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A jury of her peers susan glaspell summary paper
The role of women in literature
The role of women in literature
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During Mr. Hale’s recollection of the crime scene, he describes Mrs. Minnie Wright as “dull,” “queer,” and “scared” (545-546). Later, in a conversation between Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Foster, Minnie Wright’s maiden name, is described oppositely as “lively,” wearing “pretty clothes,” and singing in the choir (550). Through this conversation examining the differences between Mrs. Wright before and after being married to Mr. Wright, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale begin to see why Minnie would have killed her husband. It
The story “A Jury of Her Peers” takes place at Minnie Wright farm in Iowa. Minnie is under investigation because she is a suspect for having killed her husband Mr. Wright. Mr. Perter the sheriff, the county persecutor Mr. Henderson and Mr. Hale who is the victim’s neighbor gather at the scene of the crime to investigate what happened there. Two women accompany the man the sheriff wife and Martha Hales. When the group get to the farmhouse they go to the kitchen and Mr. Peters ask Hales to describe what he had saw at the farm house the previous day.
The most gripping element of Susan Glaspell's “A Jury of Her Peers” is the use of verbal dialogue and dramatic irony to show that women’s intuitive powers and sensitivity can be superior to men’s analytical skills that can overlook the most important details. Glaspell also tied in foreshadowing with dramatic irony with the title, “Jury of Her Peers” by the use of the common phrase pulled together with the literal judging of Minnie by women, her “peers”, while searching her home for clues after John Wright’s death. The utilization of these creates intrigue when it comes to the conclusion of this story The story begins when Martha Hale is asked by Sheriff Peters to help his wife with gathering personal belongings for Minnie Wright, whom he has
Nicholas Titone Professor Flynn ENG 102-N01 02 March 2017 MWA 2 Susan Glaspell’s one act play “Trifles” as well as it’s counterpart in the form of a short story entitled “A Jury of Her Peers” were both loosely based on the Hossack murder case and its subsequent trial, both of which were covered by Glaspell during her time as a reporter for the Des Moines Daily News. While she pulled several thematic elements from her original work on the case and worked them into her adaptations, Glaspell made a myriad of changes in order to appeal to her audience, make each adaptation more appropriate for it’s genre, and convey her message effectively. In the original Hossack case a prominent farmer, John Hossack, was killed in his sleep after being struck
Gender roles played a heavy role in colonial society, and the women who did not conform to these roles were easy targets for witchcraft accusations. Women who were post-menopausal, widowed, unmarried were not fulling their “duty” to society of bearing children and thus could come under fire (Lecture.) Those who were aggressive, out spoken, or did not do as another wished could also bring cries of “witch!” (Lecture.) This is highlighted in Cotton Mather’s Accounts of the Salem Witchcraft Trials, one of these accused women Susana Martin stands trial with many of the testifiers being men who had been wronged by Martin in some way or another.
By stating that friendships and long-term relationships should be disregarded, Hale is an epitome of a character affected by the witch hunt hysteria. He does not particularly fear being accused and does not seek to accuse others, but the mass hysteria in Salem and the “frightful proofs” produced by it has
Hale, the wife of Lewis Hale, is a farm wife just like a woman named Minnie. In the story, there is no real direct description of Mrs. Hale, but what shows who she really is by her behaviors that throw some clues of what she experiences in her life. Through her outspoken opinions and how vocal she is with her opinions, you can sense how she feels about her husband, Lewis Hale, being the man who is a farmer who was the only one to witness the aftermath of the murder of John Wright. It is obvious that Mrs. Hale is he husbands “right hand”, and just like Emilia, is very obedient to her husband when he asks her to collect all of Minnie’s belongings. Compared to Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Hale is the women who the one to feel free to express her feelings, though she is looked to be less “sophisticated” than the others.
Hale and Mrs. Peters, but Lewis Hale, the sheriff George Peters, and the County Attorney George Henderson play an important role in serving as the male attitude during the time period. When paying attention to particular .mannerisms and attitudes of the County Attorney the reader can truly gauge how sexist the environment was in the 1920s. One of the first signs of sexism appears from the County Attorney’s remarks towards the two ladies about the housekeeping. He notes that Mrs. Wright was not much of a housekeeper and turns to the ladies for their opinion because in the setting this was one of their common roles. Hale even states that, “women are used to worrying over trifles” (965).
Even if we argued, Mrs. Lincoln was my friend. At Christmas time, she made cookies, candies, and always gave us fruits along with a ham. We made her tamales, she loved them.” A smile covered his suntanned face, as he talked about her, but an anguish look quickly replaced the smile when he mentioned somebody murdered her. “Let’s go over there,” the detective said, walking over and sat down on Mrs. Lincoln’s front porch.”
Throughout “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell a noticeable power struggle between the women and the men occurs. “A Jury of Her Peers” exposes the social injustices that women faced during the turn of the century. In the story Mrs. Wright lashes out against her husband as result of built up anger and societies social pressure. In the essays “from Silent Justice in a Different Key: Glaspell’s ‘Trifles’” by Suzy Clarkson Holstein and “from The Case of the Battered Wife: Susan Glaspell’s Trifles and ‘A Jury of Her Peers’” by Lillian Schanfield embody the theme of social injustices among women. The social gaps between men and women in “A Jury of Her Peers” and “Trifles” helped drive the plot and allowed a unique outcome to be achieved.
Mother suffocation is mentioned and that instead of blaming it more on the men, the girls blamed it on their mothers since they played a larger role in child rearing. During this time, we also see the emergence of the feminist approach to the trials and how looking deeper into how women were treated during this time could play an important role in determining why the trials occurred. In 1987, Carol F. Karlsen, a historian
Mr. Hale, who is a witness, his wife, Mrs. Hale and Mr. Peters wife Mrs. Peter who are also introduced to the audience as they were gathering belongings to bring to Mrs. Wright to jail. During this investigation the prime and only suspect is John Wright’s wife, who claims she did not kill her husband. As soon as the characters are introduced in the play it is noticeable both the male and female gender have a role, the men must go find evidence and the females need to make themselves at home and keep to themselves. As the play moves along the males find evidence based on what seems evident and
In both Crime and Punishment and Pride and Prejudice, the reader is afforded a glimpse of the darker side of human nature. Raskolnikov’s shocking coldblooded murder of Alyona Ivanovna, an elderly pawnbroker, and her sister Lizeveta, reflect a degree of brutality almost unimaginable in a human being. Likewise, Miss Caroline Bingley, while certainly not guilty of crimes as grievous or horrific as Raskolnikov’s, betrays a similar sentiment of heartlessness in her treatment of the Bennet sisters throughout the plot of Pride and Prejudice. However, the nature of each character’s cruel actions remain remarkably different. Raskolnikov seeks to transcend the ethical conventions binding society and act as a conscience-free moral agent, whereas Caroline Bingley’s behavior is very much a product of institutionalized classism, and she acts wholly within the parameters which Victorian England’s strict
Literary critic Janet Grose says, “Glaspell does not give these women first names, the lack of which emphasizes their subordinate roles to their husbands; the women seemingly have no identity apart from their spouses.” Women did not have many rights and furthermore did not have an opinion in a murder trial. Mr. Hale, the neighbor, Mr. Peters, the sheriff, and Mr. Henderson, the county attorney begin to investigate the murder. As they talk and search in the kitchen they come to the conclusion Mrs. Wright was not a good housekeeper. Mr. Henderson, the county attorney says, “Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies” (Glaspell).
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there has been a total of 1,434 executions since year of 1978. The death penalty is the penalization of execution, administered to a person who legally convicted of a capital crime. According to DPIC, there are five ways to do the execution process (Part). Lethal injection (1977), electric chair (1888), gas chamber (1924), hanging (1890), and the firing squad (2010) all have a history of their own (Part I). These different methods are used to kill the convicted criminal all in a different way.
