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Essay / Review of the story of Susan Glaspell, A Jury of Her Peers
A Jury of Her PeersIn her short story, A Jury of Her Peers, author Susan Glaspell writes about the investigation into a murder that occurred on a farm in the country. The story takes place in the early 1900s, before women could serve on juries. Therefore, whenever a woman was put on trial, it was not really a jury of her peers judging her. As the story begins, Martha Hale and her husband are taken by Sheriff Peters along with his wife and the county attorney to the secluded Wright home. Mr. Hale told the sheriff and county attorney that the previous morning he found Mr. Wright strangled to death. He also tells them that Ms. Wright claimed she didn't know who killed him. As a result, Ms Wright was arrested and was awaiting charges. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Upon entering the house, they came across the kitchen, which would become the central location of the story. As the men searched for clues, they continually made jokes about the things that worried the women. Additionally, they demean women at every opportunity. What they didn't realize was that the kitchen contained many clues to the life of abuse and violence that Ms. Wright had been forced to endure. However, the signs that the men had ignored were clearly seen and understood by the women. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters had to gather clothes and see if they could find any clues while the men turned to their more serious work of finding a motive. Although the men joked about whether the women would know a clue if they saw one. What they didn't realize was that the women would not only find a clue, but they would find the clues that would make or break the case. In a basket filled with coins that appeared to be intended for a blanket, the women found a strangled canary. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters piece together the difficult life of the third wife, Mrs. Wright, and decide to cover up evidence that could incriminate her. Thus, a jury of her peers was effectively judging Ms. Wright. It was very evident that men interpreted a number of cues differently from how women saw them. For example, when men found tasks incomplete in the kitchen, they made jokes about them and called them signs of an incompetent housekeeper. However, for women these were clear signs of an unstable consciousness. Ms. Wright's incomplete kitchen chores revealed to the women that she had acted very soon after Mr. Wright had strangled the bird. The most important clue the women found was the bird. The bird, from what they could see, served as a substitute for the child Mrs. Wright never had. Moreover, it helped to replace the silence of her cold and demanding husband. The bird also helped them understand that when Mr. Wright killed the canary, he seemed to kill its spirit as well. The different meanings of the word knot seem to fit the storyline quite well, however, it also seems to leave an image of Mr. Wright with a rope around his neck. Although, for both women, this means they won't tell their secret to anyone. What had happened was obvious to Ms. Hale and Ms. Peters. However, without even discussing it, they knew that if they let the men find the bird, they would get the pattern they were so anxiously searching for in the house. They both understood what Ms. Wright had been through and clearly felt that shehad already served a sentence equal to the crime. So the reason for the title, A Jury of Her Peers, was visible in the way Ms. Hale and Ms. Peters decided to try to cover up the evidence that would most likely have led to a guilty verdict for Ms. Wright. So, Ms. Hale put the dead bird in her pocket where it would never be found, and hoping that Ms. Wright would be found not guilty, due to lack of motive. A jury of her peers opens with Mrs. Hale leaving her house with her bread all ready to be mixed, half the flour sifted and half unsifted (1; numbers in parentheses indicate paragraph). Mrs. Hale wasn't planning on going to the Wright house by Mrs. Peters, the sheriff's wife wished Mrs. Hale would come too... The sheriff guessed she was getting scary and wanted another woman to accompanied. The Machiavellianism of the gentlemen is oppressive. The county attorney, Mr. Henderson, when he asked Ms. Peters to look for clues, caused Mr. Hale to wonder aloud. Would women know a clue if they encountered it? The women, however, were able to identify clues and determine the motivation and justification for the crime. In A Jury of Her Peers, the jury, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, exonerate Mrs. Wright. The exoneration was based on evidence that Ms. Wright had been a good housewife, her acceptance of her situation, and Mr. Wright's ultimate cruelty. Wright was a good housewife. They were too myopic to see anything other than the superficial. Dirty dishes, groceries not put away and when Mr. Henderson found the dirty towels in the towel rack he said she wasn't much of a housekeeper... Martha Hale knew those towels got dirty quickly. Mr. Henderson's condescending attitude shone through when he laughed. Ah, true to your gender, I see. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters felt a deeper unease than the fact that a murder had been committed in the house. Several times, the two women had come closer. The prosecutor looked around the kitchen. Mr. Peters laughed a little at the insignificance of things in the kitchen. The cupboards were of poor quality and unsightly. Mr. Henderson opened one as if its oddity attracted him. Inside were the shattered remains of Mrs. Wright's stashes. Mrs. Peters remembered it. She had worried about it when it was so cold last night. A poor housekeeper who had just murdered her husband wouldn't have cared too much about her potted fruit. There were half-row races. Mrs. Hale was outraged to leave her kitchen in such disarray. It was no ordinary thing that had called her back... Mrs. Hale had noticed... a bucket of sugar on a low shelf. The lid was removed from the wooden bucket and next to it was a half-full paper bag. Mrs. Wright was a good housekeeper. No ordinary thing could have forced Mrs. Wright from her kitchen like this. Mrs. Peters had come to the Wright house to gather some of Mrs. Wright's personal belongings. His belongings were somewhat shabby and worn. A rather particular item was requested. Mrs. Wright wanted her apron. Ms. Peters determined that she just wanted it to feel more natural. If you are used to wearing an apron... An inadequate housewife would not feel natural in an apron. Mrs. Wright had also asked for her shawl. Mrs. Peters knew exactly where to find the shawl according to Mrs. Wright's instructions. A woman who doesn't keep a tidy house doesn't know exactly where things are. and Mrs. Wright had been married twenty years. Mr. and Mrs. Hale were neighbors of the Wrights. Mr. Wright had gone to ask Mr. Wright how to install telephone service when he.