Nick Harrison

English

2

The Out Side World

To live life inside of bubble of false truths like so many people do is a ridicules thing. The animal in “Emulation: A life Fable” lived his life behind bars. He lived in a cage. He had every thing given to him and did not have to work for any thing. He thought life could not be any better. But what he knew as life was nothing but captivity. In the “Awakening” Edna was the animal that did not see life for all its value. She did not see the world out side of her cage. She only knew the world through her eyes witch has never set foot out side her cage. She took life for face value. She was not unhappy but did not know what true happiness was.

Edna had her cage opened by a friend that introduced her to art. Art is Edna’s out side world. She sees the world through art and it opened her up to what life could really be. She found out what true happiness is. It also helped that she started to experiment in different aspects of her life. She found true happiness through not only art but in her love life. Edna was a married woman with a family. She never really spent any time with her kids though. She was basically a bad mother. She never paid any attention to her kids. That’s the impression I got from the story. I do not know why she did not spend time with them that is the impression I got from the story. That is not the only bad part of her family. For some reason she was happy having an affair on her husband. She longed to be with a different man then her husband. I think the reason she longed so much for a different man is because her husband is apart of her old life. The life that she is bored with and is caging her in that she wanted to escape from.

The two stories are vary similar in the idea that there was a character that was in caged and never knew it until on day when that cage was opened and they were let free in to the real world. What I found was kind of funny was how Edna rushed into the world after the cage was opened. Yet the animal in the cage was hesitant and kept coming back to the cage knowing that it would be safe inside. Edna never came back to her safe house. She went out and found out what the world was like with out any safety lines or backing. The animal when out and tested the new things in the outside world, it tested the water the air. It did not go to the out side world with out a sense of security.

Both stories have a lot in common and a lot of differences. Both the stories get the same point across. The point being that they both lived in a cage that protected them form the real out side world. Both stories that cage was opened up and the animal inside got to see the real world. The differences being how the cage was opened, and how the animal acted in the real world. Edna went out and jumped in not testing any thing. The animal tested things, it made sure that what was getting into was the right thing were Edna knew that having an affair is wrong and yet she still did it.

These readings relate to Thoreau, Emerson, and Whitman because they all believed in the power of your self. They talked about how you should live your life the way you want to and not have any one tell you what to do. You decide what is right for you and you learn from your experiences.