Eh 200 Spring 2011: Week Three Class One
1: Journal: (Suggested: 10 minutes)
Review your draft of the précis. What changed between your first and second draft? Describe in detail how and why this draft is an improvement over the last draft?
2: Group Discussion: (Suggested: 10 minutes)
Go over your changes. Why changed and why? Where are the current problems? How might you address them?
3: Class Discussion: (Suggested: 5 minutes)
Turn in précis
Mini-Lecture:
Writing in this class
Journal: (Suggested: 10 Minutes)
What does the word class mean to you? Using examples from your own life, identify and describe examples of low-, middle-, and upper-class.
Group Discussion: (Suggested: 5-7 Minutes)
Class Discussion: (Suggested: 5-7 Minutes)
Homework:
Re-read “The Untold Lie” and annotate for details that relate to class. Identify four examples and explain them in a one page blog post.
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An example of class in “ The Untold Lie” would be “ Ray was a quite, rather nervous man of perhaps fifty with a brown beard and shoulders rounded by too much and too hard labor.” This would imply that Ray has to works very hard and is expected to be quite while doing it. It could be implied that he was in the lower to middle class because he has had to work very hard over the years for money. The author does not paint Ray as a man living a lavished life, he paints him as a somber hard- working farmer who provides for his family. This also gives him an amount of respect towards Hal. Hal being younger and respecting Ray as an older more established man, respects his opinion when asking what to do about Nell.
Another example would be “ although everyone in our town said that the old man would go straight to hell and that the community was better off without him.” This refers to Hal’s father. Hal was portrayed as a ruffian who was also an extreme tail chaser. Himself along with his father and two brothers had little respect in the community because of their wild ways. Hal was also portrayed as a thief, once steeling boards from his father’s mill in order to sell them to buy some flashy clothes. People like this were typically looked down on by society and were considered bottom of the barrel or trash.
A third example that shows class is ‘ “ Well, old daddy,” he said awkwardly. “ come on, advise me. I’ve got Nell in trouble. Perhaps you’ve been in the same fix yourself. I know what every one would say is the right thing to do, but what do you say?… Whatever you say, Ray, I’ll do.”’ This sentence shows the respect that Ray has developed over his lifetime. At the beginning of the question it hints that perhaps Ray was once a ruffian, but had settled down and become a respected person. Ray had after all achieved what most men wanted, a family and a wife. However, for Hal to be thinking about changing his ruffian ways, is a big step for some one that was always considered the worst of the crowed.
One last example would be ‘ “ Nell ain’t no fool,” he said. “ She didn’t ask me to marry her. I want to marry her. I want to settle down and have kids.”’ This shows that Hal is ready to be done with his wild ways and wants to move up in the world. He wants to become a father and a man that can hold his head high by supporting his family the best he can. Hal was once considered the worst, but due to certain circumstances, Hal is ready to step up and become a better man, looked upon well by society.
Comment by Kristy Benner — February 2, 2011 @ 3:08 pm |
Class is defined as how you represent yourself in the society that you’re in. Society tells us the social norms and how to view other people. This is how you get labeled as being classy or not as to whether you fit the social norms or not. In the Untold lie there are a couple of examples that the characters Hal and Ray show class or lack thereof.
The first example that comes up is actually with Hal’s father. This scene is the night of Windpeter Winter’s accident. He was drunk one evening and went into town and started to drive back home. While he was driving home he caused a big scene “They said that old Windpeter stood up on the seat of his wagon, raving and swearing at the onrushing locomotive, and that he fairly screamed with delight when the team, maddened by his incessant slashing at them, rushed straight ahead to certain death”(page 51). This would be considered not classy. The way he represented himself was tasteless and obnoxious. Of course people are going to think this isn’t classy. Why would you want people to see you act like this?
Another example of not being classy comes from Hal. He once stole boards from his father’s mill and then sold them so he could buy himself flashy clothes. Not only is it wrong to steal, and then go and sell what you’ve stolen, but it shows who you really are and your true intentions. This definitely isn’t a classy thing to do.
It says that Hal only went to work on the farm because there was a country school teacher out that way who had taken his fancy. This just shows that he doesn’t really care about people’s true feelings. He’s a pig when it comes to women. This is not classy because back then, people didn’t act like this. Everyone knew he was a trouble maker and that was because society told them to think that because he likes chasing women and that wasn’t the norm for that time.
The last example shows class. This is when Ray was living with his father he would walk in the woods and gather nuts, hunt rabbits, and smoke his pipe. This shows class because back then this was the norm. Smoking pipes was something that older, sophisticated men took part in, and they are usually seen as classy, so anyone smoking a pipe, minding his own business, not being a disturbance to other people is definitely viewed as being classy.
Comment by Allison DeFilipp — February 2, 2011 @ 3:56 pm |
Charlie Osborne
In the Untold Lie Hal and Ray seem to be people of different classes. Hal is a young man who has stolen from his father and had a fist fight with him as well. The author writes, “ He once stole a load of boards from his father’s mill and sold them in Winesburg. With the money he bought himself a suit of cheap, flashy clothes. Then he got drunk and when his father came raving into town to find him, they met and fought with their fists on Main street and were arrested and put into jail together.” (Pg.52). Hal would have bad class in this situation and to me would be looked at as a person with very low class. Hal was also known for taking advantage of a few women around Winesburg. Anderson writes, “ He was only twenty-two then but had already been iin two or three of what were spoken of in Winesburg as “ ‘Women Scrapes.’ ” (Pg.52). This would also be considered low class, clearly Hal is making mistakes in his life by doing these type of acts.
Ray Pearson seems to have a lot better class in this story. He doesn’t like to start problems and he keeps to himself. The author writes, “Ray, who was the more sensitive and always minded things more.” (Pg.52). Ray was a more relaxed guy who did activities that were not against the law like Hal. “How on such days he had wandered away to the woods to gather nuts, hunt rabbits, or just to loaf about and smoke his pipe.” (Pg.52). All of these activities and just the way the author explains his personality makes him a person with great class. He may not have a lot of money, but to me that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have class. He presents himself well, gives people respect and minds his own business.
Comment by Charlie Osborne — February 2, 2011 @ 6:11 pm |
In “The Untold Lie” Ray Pearson is described as a man who works hard and because of this I think that he is of middle class. I think middle class people work hard for what they have and work to support their family. Ray was a caring and sensitive person, which also proves that he is middle class. “Ray was a quiet, rather nervous man of perhaps fifty with a brown beard and shoulders rounded by too much and too hard labor” (page 50).
When Hal Winters is explained they first describe Ned Winters who portrayed as a respectable man. The author doesn’t speak much of this man but I think he would be a middle class person because he is respectable. It was said that Hal Winters’ father was Windpeter Winters and he was known as an old troublemaker. So it seems to me that Hal, his father, and his brothers were all of low class because they liked to get into trouble and were known as up to no good. “He was not of the Net Winters family, who were very respectable people in Winesburg, but was one of the three sons of the old man called Windpeter Winters who had a sawmill near Unionville, six miles away, and who was looked upon by everyone in Winesburg, as a confirmed old reprobate”(page 51).
Hal also had been known as a fighter and a woman chaser. He once stole boards from his fathers mill and sold them for cheap clothes, then went and got drunk. When his father came into town to try to find him they got into a fist fight. “Hal was a bad one. Everyone said that. There were three of the Winter boys in that family, John, Hal, and Edward, all broad shouldered big fellows like old Windpeter himself and all fighters and woman-chasers and generally all-around bad ones. Hal was the worst of the lot and always up to some devilment. He once stole a load of boards from his father’s mill and sold them in Winesburg. With the money he bought himself a suit of cheap, flashy clothes. Then he got drunk and when his father came raving into town to find him, they met and fought with their fists on Main Street and were arrested and put into fail together”(pages 51-52).
Comment by Alyssa Howell — February 2, 2011 @ 7:55 pm |
Heidi Grant
Eh200 Home work
Adam Crowley
Old man Windpeter Winter was a person I would consider in the low class because of the drinking, and the way he acts like the fighting and the raving he does. But could be in the upper class where he owns a saw mill. But people in town has a very low opinion of him these are some words they use to describes the kind of person he was and they are reprobate who had no respect for people or what they had to say so this is why Winters is lapel as a low class person.
Ray Pearson would be in the middle class because he is respected by others and he works hard to support his family. Even though he doesn’t have a lot off money to show he’s middle class, but his character places him in a middle class level. You also could place him in the lower class because he lives in a tumble down house and wears torn coat.
Nell who’s a school teacher would be in the middle class because she has a well respected job and seen in the community as an honest person and a person who is give back to the community. She’s respected and treats others with respect because of the job she has. Nell isn’t a person who gets into trouble or a drinker and works hard for what money she gets.
Hal Winters is in the lower class because he likes to fight, drink, and chase the women. He is also up to devilment and people have a low opinion of him because of this. Hal is seen as having no respect for women and a person that don’t care about any thing. But he does have some money and if it wasn’t for his personality and character he could be consider and upper class or middle. By considering what he does and how he acts people put him in the lower class because they feel he has no respect for himself or anything else.
Comment by Heidi Grant — February 3, 2011 @ 2:06 am |
Douglass Xavior Haley. Eh 200. Adam Crowley. Due: February 2, 2011
“The Untold Lie” Class
There is a way that I relate class to a direct meaning in my eyes. I relate it to the amount of money that one individual has to the social order that you are applicable to be in. I believe that the low class you would be in the standers of people that do not have the ability to do extra things that are not in the direct necessary aspects of life. The middle class people that are in a middle level of the social society can get all the essentials and then have some extra that will make it able to have some play or fun. The upper class is able to have all the essentials and than have the extra finances to go out and get every thing with no need to be worried about it they can pay for it and then have numerous amount of money left to have a lot of fun.
With the two different characters there is a very big social and enviermental situations sounding them and their class variations. With Ray he lives in a shack like house that has many children and his wife that he has to provide for. Hew also has to work many amounts of hours to make the low amount of money and not do many things with it. He doesn’t have many things that he can do because he has to work to provide because he doesn’t have a lot of money.
With Hal he is in a different story he is in the higher class he has all the essentials and can also have more fun and party. He has less worry and has more time for him self as such as drinking and having to work less hours and can do more for relaxing. He had no worries such as how Ray did and could be also looked at as middle class or even higher class with how you look at it.
I believe that I am middle class and that I will stay middle class in the future.
Comment by Douglass Haley — February 3, 2011 @ 2:49 am |
In “The Untold Lie,” there are numerous examples of situations relating to the concept of class. Two of these examples are given back-to-back as if the author meant to contrast them with each other. This occurs on page 51 in the first full paragraph, when the author Sherwood Anderson tells us about Hal Winters: “He was not of the Ned Winters family, who were very respectable people in Winesburg, but was one of the three sons of the old man called Windpeter Winters who had a sawmill near Unionville, six miles away, and who was looked upon by everyone in Winesburg as a confirmed old reprobate.” Since this is the only time in the whole story that the Ned Winters family is mentioned, it’s sole purpose must be to give a comparison to Windpeter Winters and his family, including Hal Winters; although Windpeter Winters had a sawmill, he was a sinful person who had low morals (“reprobate”), while the Ned Winters family was respected.
Throughout “The Untold Lie,” we are reminded of Hal Winter’s lack of class. After being told his father was “a confirmed old reprobate,” we are told that while Hal and his two brothers are “all fighters and woman-chasers and generally all-around bad ones,” that Hal “was the worst of the lot and [was] always up to some devilment” (Anderson 51-2). Hal does not even show respect for his own father as “he once stole a load of boards from his father’s mill and sold them in Winesburg,” and after using the money from the boards to buy himself some clothes, “he got drunk and met [his father] and [they] fought with their fists on Main Street,” which led to their arrests and mutual jail time (Anderson 52).
Another example that shows low class in the form of a failure to take responsibility for past actions is when Ray Pearson is telling himself that he is not responsible for his children and that “they are the accidents of life” (Anderson 55). Ray follows this thought up by telling himself that his children are not his and that he had nothing to do with them, which is clearly not true. In Ray’s mind, children are put into his life as a punishment, and he wonders to himself, “Why should I pay? Why should anyone pay?” (Anderson 55). Ray’s negative view of children and his inability to accept responsibility for his own actions shows his lack of class in this respect.
Comment by Tyler Smith — February 3, 2011 @ 5:40 am |
After re-reading and annotating “The Untold Lie” I found four details that relate to “class”. When I think of the word “class” I think of a generalization people give to others based on their actions. In “The Untold Lie” I came across a lot that had to do with Hal. The first detail I cam across was when Anderson was explaining Hal’s father. The second one was when Hal was being described as the “bad” one of the family. Another one I came across was when Hal stole from his father. The last one was the conversion between Ray and Hal.
When Anderson starts to describe the character Hal, he goes into a little family history. In this description, Anderson includes the communities view on Hal’s father. He writes “Windpeter winters… was looked upon by everyone in Winesburg as a confirmed old reprobate”.(Anderson,52) Anderson writes that he is not one of the respected Winters in Winesburg. The Winesburg community apparently has very little respect for Hal’s father, which rubs off on H. By the action of his father, Hal is not respected and has a “low class” behavior that’s expected of him.
Another example I found was in the continuation of Hal. Hal was labeled the “bad one” by the community. He was the worst out his three brothers. The community labels their family “all around bad”. Their status in Winesburg isn’t that good. To the community, the Winters have no class what so ever. They’re all labeled as “women chaser” and “fighters”. All of these actions are looked upon by the community as “classless”. As the saying goes “action speaks louder than words” and this is what has seemed to happen to Hal and his family.
Stealing could be described as a classless act. In the story Hal stole wood from his father’s business. It’s one thing to steal, but another thing is to steal from your father. Hal did this for money for clothes, which I see as being selfish. This ended up in a finder between Hal and his father in front of the town. They got arrested and went to jail.
The last detail I saw that reflects actually reflects some good class, is when Hal is speaking to Ray. Hal ask Ray for advice about getting married. Apparently Hal has respect for Ray to care about his opinion. When I read the story it seems to me that Ray is a very willing person to help anyone out. He respects seems to have respect for other people. He also takes care of his family to the best of his abilities.
Throughout the story Hal exemplifies to me what low class is. “Low class” is someone who acts in a way that not many people like or respect. There isn’t that much “high class” actions going on in this story. Ray in a way though, is kind of middle class based on his actions towards others. Class to me is on bases of peoples actions and how they carry themselves. In this story you can clearly see a difference between Ray and Hal’s actions and by this you can kind of place them in a “class”.
Comment by Briana Shields — February 3, 2011 @ 2:35 pm |
While reading “The Untold Lie” and taking notes on points related to class, I realized the best examples are mostly displayed by Hal. Class is the behavior, grace, and dignity a person exhibits in any situation. It can also be described as how the members of the community surrounding that person think of them and can be attributed to how they dress or present themselves. In this story, the four examples I have chosen follow Hal as a character and show how his level of class changes.
The first example of class related to Hal describes how he was raised and the personality traits he exhibited in his younger years. In the beginning of the story Hal, his brothers, and his father are described as fighters, woman chasers, and all around bad ones. They get drunk in public and act like fools on a regular basis. In one more specific example of this, Hal and his dad are arrested for fighting in the street. It is easy to see how these examples affect how the rest of the people in the community view him and why.
The second example takes place when Ray is faced with a dilemma. He is forced to choose whether he should take care of his new girl, who he has gotten pregnant, or leave her and keep living his free willed life. This question and how Hal reacts to it is a perfect example of Hal’s class. In the story, he asks his friend and fellow farmhand Ray what he should do. As Ray reflects on his own life and thinks to himself how to answer, Ray knows what the people he knew would approve of him saying and what he wants to say to Hal but at first can’t make a decision either way. This can also be an example of Ray’s class as well.
My final example of Hal’s class comes at the end of the story. When Ray finally meets him in the field Hal is dressed in fancy clothes smoking a pipe. Just on his appearance alone in this part of the story, it is easy to tell that his class has changed. This is confirmed when Hal tells Ray that he wants to marry her, settle down, and raise a family. This sudden change of heart shows how Hal’s dignity and respect has changed and how it has therefore changed his class also.
Comment by Kylene Johnson — February 3, 2011 @ 2:57 pm |
Katherine Morissette
The Untold Lie written by Sherwood Anderson makes many relations to class. In some of the first paragraphs of the story class is referenced. Anderson refers to one of the farm hands as, “Hal Winters, his fellow employee, was a young fellow. He was not of the Ned Winters family, who were very respectable people in Winesburg (51).” Anderson is saying that Hal Winters comes from a background that was known as less than respectable to his fellow townsmen. When the reader reads something like this at the beginning of the story it makes them automatically think of Hal in a different light then if they knew nothing about his background.
The story later elaborates on Hal’s less than perfect background, “He once stole a load of boards from his father’s mill and sold them in Winesburg. With the money he bought himself a suit of cheap, flashy clothes (52).” This makes another reference about Hal’s class. Someone who will steal from their own father to buy themselves a suit to go out and get drunk in would not be considered, by society’s standards, as having very much class. Not only would the person be stealing but stealing from their father.
Based on this story Hal could be described as young, immature and also very blunt. Anderson illustrates this when Hal is talking to Ray about getting married, “Has a fellow got to do it? Has he got to be harnessed up and driven through life like a horse? (53)” Hal was extremely blunt in this statement. Although he may not personally agree with marriage, many people do and this comment could be offensive. People of high class have tact and this comment could be construed as quite tactless.
Anderson showed the level of class that Ray exhibited when he discussed Ray’s work habits, “He had already done the evening chores and had seen Hal, dressed and ready for a roistering night in town, come out of the farmhouse and go into the road (54).” Ray made sure that the evening chores were completed before he left the farm to return to his family and life. Hal was more concerned with his night on the town rather than making sure his duties from his job were completed. Somebody who works hard for their money and makes an honest living can be described as having class.
Comment by kmorissette16 — February 3, 2011 @ 3:01 pm |
Robyn Gray
EH 200
February 3, 2011
The Untold Lie annotation
In class we discussed class, our answers to what makes someone one class or the other were difficult to come by. I believe that class depends on the ethical decisions people make in life’s different situations. There are many examples of class in The Untold Lie such as on page 51 in the second paragraph we learn that the Ned Winter’s family was well respected. This could be considered to be high class. However, Windpeter Winters is known as an “old reprobate” which means he was low class and looked down on by others because he was an alcoholic.
Later on page 52 we learn of Hal Winters who is a thief who wears flashy clothes, fights drunkenly with his father, and chases women. All of these actions would be considered low class because they are rude and in most cases harm others. On page 54 Ray Pearson is struggling with an ethical decision having to do with Hal’s situation with the school teacher. In is confusion and frustration he thinks of hitting his wife. Taking that action would be considered low class because it harms his wife. However he didn’t do anything like that, this could be considered middle class because he still thought about it even if he didn’t do it.
At the end of the story on the last page, Hal makes the decision to marry the school teacher he impregnated. This could be considered high class for his time period. Society at that time wanted a man to take responsibility for his reproduction, that it was the most ethical thing to do at the time.
Comment by Robyn Gray — February 3, 2011 @ 4:01 pm |
Class can be expressed in a number of ways. As explained in class, the level of class you have can be viewed by what morals and mannerisms someone consists of. This could range from opening the door for someone to helping people out of a burning building. However it can be viewed differently when someone is considered selfish and having ignorance. This means that if you have good manners you are meant to be within the upper class category. By having some morals you are in the middle class. If someone has no morals or manners they are lower class. Within The Untold Lie there are characters that can be described with what is said in the book and how it is interpreted.
One character within The Untold Lie is Windpeter Winters. He is the father of Hal Winters. There is description of Windpeter and how he is seen in the town that he lived in. He was a, “confirmed old reprobate” (51). Taking this into consideration makes you think that he is a person with a very low amount of morals. People like Windpeter will find it hard to receive trust from members of the town and have a small minority of friends. Furthermore you would not expect him to open the door for you when you enter a building as he would more than likely shut the door in your face. These types of people are viewed negatively in society and considered to be a parasite.
This trait seems to be consistent with his son Hal Winters. The entire family is seen as having similar traits to each other. An example is when Hal, “once stole a loaf of boards from his father’s mill and sold them in Winesburg” (52). With Hal committing this crime shows that the entire family do not have a positive effect upon society. This puts the family in a low class. This is not something that anyone would be proud to be categorised under. However this does not seem to bother Hal at all.
His friend Ray Pearson has a higher amount of morals than Hal. This is seen in a few points of the story. An example is when it talks about Ray loafing about and smoking his pipe. This shows how Ray is relaxing after his work after a hard days work. By not committing anything bad onto society has Ray considered at least a middle class man. Another example is when Ray runs over to Hal to tell him what to do with himself and his girlfriend. With someone doing this for someone else is showing that he is a really good friend and has a good level of morals. It is clear to see that even best friends can have a completely different level of class, even with the income and play activities varying.
Comment by James Crockford — February 3, 2011 @ 4:26 pm |
In “The Untold Lie,” I believe there is only one type of class shown: low-class. Ray is a man who works for a living, supporting his wife and 6 children, whereas Hal only supports himself, and chose his job based on the location. Although Ray’s work ethic may seem middle-class, he does putter about too much, which upsets his wife. Ray and his family live in a run-down shack, beside a field, which shows just how little money they really have. Hal’s father owned a sawmill and Hal would steal things from him, to sell, and buy flashy clothes with. Neither man could be considered middle or upper-class, to be honest.
Another example of class in this story is Hal’s occasional “women scrapes.” Hal’s character is notorious for being a woman-chaser and the people in town say that all he does is get women into trouble. Hal admits this himself when he says to Ray, “I’ve got Nell Gunther in trouble. I’m telling you, but you keep your mouth shut.” It’s pretty low-class of Hal to go around getting into things with random women, and then leaving them.
A third example of class is Ray’s secret fantasies of punching and screaming at his wife. He ponders doing this, while walking behind her, gazing at the scenery. This is a good example of low-class, because battery and assault is certainly not classy. Ray also thinks about up and leaving his wife and children to run away, claiming that he had nothing to do with any of them, and that his children weren’t his responsibility.
A final example of class in “The Untold Lie” is when the author describes Ray as he is about to go into town to buy dinner for his family. Ray puts on an old, worn-out overcoat that is torn around the pockets and has a shiny collar. The author states, “His wife went into the bedroom and presently came out with a soiled cloth in one hand and three silver dollars in the other.” A person who is considered middle-class or upper-class would probably have a wallet to carry their money in, and have more than 3 dollars to buy supper for 8 people.
Comment by Cayley Light — February 3, 2011 @ 4:34 pm |
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Aaron Weinstein
February 3, 2011
Professor Crowley
Homework week 3 class 1
In The Untold Lie there are a lot of examples of class. One example of class is Old Man Windpeter Winter, Hals dad. He showed a person of low class. Hals dad can be considered upper class because he owns a mill, but there are far more reasons for him to be judged as a low class person. He likes fighting and raving. People around town talk down about him and he has little respect. These are reasons he would be considered a low class person.
Nell was the school teacher that Hal wants to marry. I consider her to be an upper class person. She is well respected among the community by everyone. She also holds a well respected job teaching little kids. Nell is not one to drink and fight and she treats people the way she would like to be treated. Nell works hard for the money that she makes.
Hal is someone I would consider to be a low class person. I think this because the town thinks of him to be nothing but trouble. Hal stole from his dad and all he likes to do is get drunk and chase after girls. If Hals personality and character wasn’t judged to be so low he would be a middle class person, but all he does is think about him.
Ray to me would be a middle class person. I think this because he is well respected and works hard to provide for his family. Ray may not have a lot of money to show but he is a person of good character and is respected. He could also be put in as a low class person because of his house and clothes but his personality makes up for it.
Comment by Aaron Weinstein — February 3, 2011 @ 5:22 pm |
Keyleigh Bennett
Adam Crowley
EH 200
February 3, 2011
Class
There are many examples in “The Untold Lie,” that shows how class relates to the story. In class we came up with many definitions for class. We all believed that class is an image or a status that society and the individual puts on a person. The first example is Ray and his living situation. In the story it explained that Ray lived in a tumble down frame house behind a farm. This shows that maybe Ray doesn’t have a lot of money. He also had a large family so that could affect his financial status as well. This may divide Ray into a class section according to society.
Hal Winters was considered the “bad” brother our of all three of the Winter sons. Another example of class is when Hal stole a load of boards from his father’s mill and then sold them. Some people would assume that this would be an example of low class, because he is putting a bad image on himself. This is an example of class because it shows how Hal represents himself. Another example in this same category would be when Hal and his father got into a fist fight in the middle of town. This would not be a good representation of Hal and his father. Hals class does change at the end of the story. Hal decides that the best decision would be to marry the woman that he impregnated. This was a responsible and classy decision. So this shows that Hal does have class somewhere.
A personal example would be Ray and his personality. Ray is a very reserved and quiet man. He just works and takes care of his family to the best of his ability. He does not have luxuries but that doesn’t matter to him. Even though he does not make a lot of money, I would consider this middle class because he is getting by and he is happy with his marriage and kids.
Comment by Keyleigh Bennett — February 3, 2011 @ 5:53 pm |
In “The Untold Lie” class is represented mostly from the lower-class, Ray and Hal are both hard workers but their actions and appearance occasionally reflect very little class towards those around them. There are some examples of this present in the story regarding both characters, and even though they lead very different lives they are both low-class at times. Also members of their community see themselves as low class and most do not expect to accomplish anything spectacular. Ones actions and the way which they present themselves contribute to the class which they are perceived to have.
Close to the beginning of the story the death of Hals father is discussed, he was a manic drunk and lead his carriage straight into an oncoming train to produce a successful suicide. At the end of this part of the story it is stated that, “Most boys have seasons of wishing they could die gloriously instead of just being grocery clerks and going on with their humdrum lives”, this contributes to the idea that much of the community wishes they could be someone better and more accomplished. A general low self-esteem is present among those with low-class, instead of believing they can do the impossible they believe that they are worth nothing and will never amount to anything doing the same old things in the same old boring town.
Hal had many displays of low class explained in the story, he was a thief towards his own father and used to money to get new flashy outfit and get drunk at the bar. When his father had learned that his own son had cheated him he marched to town, found him, and they began to brawl in the street. They were, “arrested and put into jail together”, which was not something to brag about. Hal had learned many low-class actions from his father directly, which he carried on with throughout his life along with his brothers.
Ray’s class is reflected in his appearance because he allows himself to get run-down and overworked and has little money to spend on making himself visually pleasing. He wears a jacked that is, “torn about the pockets”, leading one to believe that Ray has no preference as to what others think of him when he goes to the store or into town. Chances are he would have a new jacket if he could afford one, but since he cannot he wears his torn jacket proudly. He may appear to be low in class but deep down Ray believes he could be something better if his life were different.
Being in an outrage is seen as low-class, someone who is screaming and frantically running around protesting life is not typically perceived as high-class. At the end of “The Untold Lie”, Ray runs in Hals direction through the woods shouting, “a protest against his life, against all life, against everything that makes life ugly”. He has truly gone over the edge of sanity in this portion of the story, going insane is not often seen as a high-class activity. However, I am sure it happens to everyone at some point in their lives.
Class can be assessed and determined in many ways among individuals and one may not think the same as another person based on their personal experiences and values. Class has been defined by society as a categorization of some sort whether it be economically based, or based on behavior or appearance. Class is often misunderstood within our society, and I believe I still have somewhat of a misunderstanding myself.
Comment by Kailtyn-Jade Dingley — February 3, 2011 @ 7:25 pm |
One page blog post
In the story the “Untold Lie” by Sherwood Anderson there were a handful
Of relations within the EH 200 class. I have noticed the majority of relations were
found in Hal. This is because of the physicality’s he displays. The four details
found are as follows, first would be when the story begins to delve into Hals
past experiences, especially with the views of his father. Hal’s father wasn’t
respected or well liked. The story shows that because of the upbringing he had,
as well as being judged due to his fathers past, Hal isn’t well liked in the
community. This shows they have “low class” views of him.
Another example of Hal being “ high class” “ Nell ain’t no fool, he said. “ She
didn’t ask me to marry her. I want to marry her. I want to settle down and have
Kids.” This really exerts a sense of responsibility that sparks within Hal. He wants
to be finished with his prior persona/ ways and settle down. He wants to be
genuine to his future wife and child, as well as support them, since this was an
era where that was the thing to do.
The third example is shown within Ray being “middle or high class” He did this
by always having such a strong work ethic. He was more concerned with his
family and home life than going out on a night on the town like Hal did very
Often. I believe that a strong work ethic shows a person to be having class.
My last example would be Hal yet again. This example is another bad one.
He exerts “low class” by being a drunkard, woman chaser, and plain old
Troublemaker. Such as one time when he was younger he had stolen wooden
boards from drunk old Windpeter to buy cheap and flashy clothing and other
unnecessary items. He proceeded to get drunk , met up with his father in town
and they both got arrested and hauled off to jail. This shows he has no class
due to causing a negative scene in the middle of town.
Comment by bliss benson — February 3, 2011 @ 8:04 pm |
I feel as though the word class can have many different meanings depending on the situation you are relating it to. This makes it hard to pinpoint where class may be expressed in a story. I view class as being a form of status or a way to categorize. I think it is used to represent whether or not you have respect for yourself and for you environment. One example of class in “The Untold Lie” could be when the author first introduced Ray and Hal as farm hands. This automatically puts an image in your head. I begin to view the characters as men who worked under someone else but were rugged and have a connection with the earth. The details used in describing who Ray is can show class by emotionally relating to his personality and appearance. How Ray acts and reacts to his environment shows what kind of person he is. You can then use a sense of class in his society to recognize Ray’s position and truly understand and relate to his character. In this sense I believe as a human being we go through the same tests in life and depending on personal strength will determine the effects of the outcome. We are never presented with something we cannot handle. One must personally achieve a comfortable state of mind. These different points of view on what we feel is true happiness, can cause the separation of classes. As simple minded creatures we seek easy answers to complicated situations. Another example of class in the story would be when the author uses family names. Everyone in the town of Winesburg knows the Winters family are very respectable people. This is not necessarily true but widely accepted.
Comment by Nicole — February 3, 2011 @ 8:14 pm |