Reading Analysis 1

Katie Strusiak

During the three assigned pieces: “The Birthmark”, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, and “I wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, the constant theme of beauty was apparent. Beauty is questioned throughout the three pieces, from taking the simple things in life for granted to looking deeper and beyond the surface.

In “The Birthmark” beauty is taken for granted. Aylmer cannot see past the surface, and his shallow acts lead to the ‘death’ of his wife. Just like in “I wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, “The Birthmark” is meant to show the unappreciated beauty. Aylmer cannot look past the imperfect to see that the one unique characteristic of his wife has, and its aspect of beauty in its own sense. Without that unique ‘birthmark’ she wouldn’t be who she is, his lack of appreciation for her true beauty represents the his shallow personality. In “I wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, the speaker is the only ‘lonely’ person to see the simple things in life and not take them for granted. In both pieces of literature, the author wants to make the audience appreciate what they have, and find the little bit of beauty in what they see. Like in society today, the authors of both pieces want the audience to see the positive things in life, and take them for what they are, judgments aside.

In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator starts of with a negative view of the wall paper, but as the story develops she evaluates the paper she begins to see its true beauty. Just like in society today, people prejudge and see the negative and imperfections first. The end allows the audience to see what the appreciation for the beauty in the little things in life.

Overall these three pieces: “The Birthmark”, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, and “I wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, are meant to teach the audience about beauty. Don’t look past the ‘daffodils’ of life and allow yourself to see the true beauty in everything in around you.