I chose The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman for a couple of reasons. One of these reasons is because of the very evident feminist undertones highlighted throughout Gilman’s iconic story. Even though this piece of literature was written and takes place in the late nineteenth century, the inferences and messages are still incredibly relevant to today’s world. The past few years have been a very dark time in America and make you wonder just how much progress we have made in terms of human rights and free will. When I read this story, I found myself walking in the narrator’s shoes. Too often, women are marginalized in society and viewed as less than or incapable of taking care of themselves. This story does an exceptional job at showing what it can be like (and was like) in the female experience. It is quite a tale of horror to see just how oppressed the narrator is in the hands of her husband, John and it is depressing to think just how many women either had that experience or are currently having that experience in their lives. The Yellow Wallpaper serves as a cautionary and historic tale of the struggles of womanhood in the past and in modern times.
I believe there is hope though because the sooner we realize that all experiences are human experiences, we begin to have more empathy towards one another. I hope that in the near future this begins to take place and we can have faith that humans will start to have more respect for one another and see the bigger picture. Awareness of domestic violence and human rights are key in making this happen and I believe change will come with proper education on these issues.
In terms of framing this project, I was very anxious about ePortfolio in general. I have never been a tech person therefore creating an entire forum made me want to pass out but wow! I had no idea how easy it is to get creative and make artistic choices online! To be frank, I thought that could only really be a photoshop thing but clearly I was wrong! Even though I played it relatively safe because I was very hesitant in terms of menus and themes, I feel as though everything went fairly smoothly.
Now at the end of my annotated digital edition project, I am very thankful for the set of skills that I feel I have obtained. I feel that this project and class overall have really helped me improve the process of my writing, my critical analysis skills, and my technology skills. I’m very thankful for all of these assets especially because they are practical in my major (elementary education). During these times of uncertainty, I believe it is essential that teachers learn to adapt to this online world. I am so thankful for my professors going the extra mile both in terms of classes and teaching us how to use technological skills in the field. I feel much more confident in my tech abilities and actually enjoyed learning how to grow from this experience. Thank you, truly!
