“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman and “I wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth all share a common
theme of disconnection and aloneness, something I have experienced at times,
and I assume the kids at Tunbridge experience as well.
I
can’t speak for the kids at Tunbridge or even give an observation since I have
not been able to attend yet. I would imagine that they could relate to “The
Yellow Wallpaper” the best. This short story was about a woman who had “nervousness”
and felt mentally isolated from her family and loved ones. She constantly wrote
about feeling alone and misunderstood. No matter how hard she tried to explain
her feelings and desires, she was shot down and ultimately pushed even farther
into isolation. Her doctor husband, John, always thought keeping her life as
mundane as possible is the way to fix her even though she craves just a little
activity and socialization. Some of the kids at Tunbridge are at the age where
they are starting to feel confined and misunderstood. They might think they
deserve more freedom and say in their lives because they think they are older
and “not little kids anymore”, but people like their parents, teacher, administrators,
and even volunteers like myself might hold them back from doing what they want because
we see the situation from a different and more mature perspective than they
can.
Just
because the kids don’t have the final say on how they run their lives yet, and
we do, doesn’t mean that the people in authority shouldn’t listen and try to
work with the kids. Making sure they are happy and understood is important,
otherwise they might grow up angry and unable to communicate, even resentful
towards their parents. I think that in “The
Yellow Wallpaper” John could have been more receptive to Charlotte’s wants. She
definitely needed certain boundaries and some sort of routine, but why couldn’t
she visit her cousin, or have more interaction with people besides her husband
and housekeeper? Why couldn’t she have a little fun and joy in her life?
During
my information session on Tunbridge, a point was made to warn us of not getting
too involved with the kids or making promises that you know you can’t keep.
Doing things like this would lead to the kids being disappointed, or disrupting
their schedule, which I understand, but I still hope I can do something or
listen to the kids in a way that maybe they don’t get from their parents or
teachers, since I am younger and can understand what it feels like to not be
understood and frustrated, having already been through that phase in my life, but
I am not as far away from that point in life as the teachers and parents. Even
if all I can do is let them know I understand, I think it the fact that someone
acknowledge their opinion can make a difference.
Although
Gilman showed a negative side of loneliness, William Wadsworth was able to show
a happy and blissful side of being in solitude in his poem “I Wandered Lonely
as a Cloud”. He made a point of connecting solitude with nature and being appreciate
it. I get a sense that there is no time or worry when you try to be yourself in
nature, you are simply being. It is a nice poem to reflect on and I think if
kids could comprehend it, it would be good for them to read because maybe it
can help them understand that being themselves and finding bliss in that is
okay, and even necessary to stay happy and sane when you live in a world where
you can only control so much.
I
think it is impossible to never feel alone at some point in your life, since we
are all so different and susceptible to change, it is bound to happen. But what
you can learn from that is that it’s okay to be alone sometimes, but it is also
important that you learn how to communicate your feelings and wants to others so
you don’t end up feeling disconnected from everyone. A life all by yourself is
no fun, but a life completely dependent on others, in my opinion, is no fun
either.
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