Journal #23 Sarah Orne Jewett

Shirly Ong
English 48B
28 February, 2008
Journal #23 Sarah Orne Jewett

Quote:
“All day long he did not once make her troubled or afraid except when he brought down some unsuspecting singing creature from its bough. Sylvia would have liked him vastly better without his gun; she could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much.”

Summary:
When Sylvia first met the young sportsman, she was afraid of him. This quote illustrates how Sylvia felt about the young man when they were walking in the woods the next day.

Response:
This quote depicts the change in Sylvia’s feelings towards the young sportsman. Sylvia found herself likes the young man, which is a contrast to her fear towards him when she met him in the woods the evening before. Sylvia also worried that he would bring her trouble if she let him go to her home. Therefore, Sarah Orne Jewett asserts that the young man did not once make Sylvia troubled or afraid. Yet, Sylvia does not like him killing the birds. In this quote, “brought down” means shooting the birds and making them fall down onto the ground. The phrase “unsuspecting singing creature” represents the birds. The word “unsuspecting” infers that the birds were neither attacking nor disturbing Sylvia and the young man. To Sylvia, they were simply innocent “singing creatures”. This demonstrates the fact that Sylvia does not understand why he was killing the birds. She thinks it’s cruel and unreasonable to do so. Thus, she would have liked the young man “vastly better” if he was not shooting the birds. To me, I do not understand why the young man hunts for birds collection netiher. I believe many people are interesting in observing birds and doing research on birds because they love birds. Therefore, they would not harm birds. Yet, the young man in Sarah Orne Jewett’s story is a cold-blooded bird collector, who aims to own bird collection. I think the young man, as a collector of birds, is showing a kind of masculine dominance. The young sportsman and his gun refer to masculinity. He seemed to like birds but he would kill birds for collection. His act of killing was a cruel way to fulfill his strong desire for collection of birds. This might be implying the masculine dominance in the past society.