Griffin Dynes

Kirschner
English II
12/18/15
Realism and Naturalism Journals
Journal 1:
In "Life in the Iron Mills", Davis directly addresses the reader using second person. Doing this,
the author transports the reader into the story, making it seem as if the narrator was speaking to
the reader in real life. Although Davis addresses the reader in second person, she uses a first
person narration to tell the story. Using this device helps to make the narrator seem like he is
telling a story through his eyes. This makes the narrator seem more realistic because the story is
only being shown through the eyes of one person.

Journal 2:
One major comparison between the two women who narrate the two works is that, they are both
treated unfairly in their communities. This indicates that during the late 1800s, women were not
able to do much for themselves. These two works of literature show that the "most popular"
gender were men. Although not all women were put down by their husbands, as seen in "The
Yellow Wallpaper". Although the depression of the woman may have been cause from something
after the birth of her child, some depression may have been put on by her husband too. However,

in "The Palace-Burner", the woman is not shown to be degraded by a certain person, but rather
by society.
Journal 3:
When viewing Mrs. Mallard after her husband's death, I feel that Mrs. Mallard is
more sympathetic. When looking over why one may see her as sympathetic being, I feel that she
is this way because I view Mrs. Mallard as being an optimist. She had her time to weep, now
Mrs. Mallard thinks now that it's time to look forward in her future. If the main character spends
too much time thinking about the past, then her end may come up quick without her being able to
do more with her wife. This is why I don't view Mrs. Mallard as cruel or selfish because, rather
than living in the past, she puts her head up and looks to what the future holds for her.
Journal 4:
I agree with Norris' quote because Realism takes everyday events and make them more dramatic
or excited. In Realism, authors try to keep the reader engaged with normal events. However,
Naturalism shows more "realistic" struggles with different genres (i.e. man v. man, man v.
nature) without going over the top. However, when comparing the two quotes given, Norris
talks more about the difference between Realism and Naturalism, whereas the quote by Wharton
shows what Naturalism is "all about". One example showing that "To Build a Fire" supports
Wharton's quote is when the main character struggles to make and find shelter while trying to
stay warm. This is a great example of going for the "tightrope", rather than a accepting the
"feather bead".