Somewhere over "The Rainbow"

Part I
In The Rainbow, D.H. Lawrence employs artful diction, vivid imagery and the central symbol of the home as a place of security the woman desires to flee from to characterize the woman as curious and longing for opportunity while trying to find her place in the chain of being.

The woman is initially envious of the engagement the men are able to have with the world around them. Vivid imagery describes the "wet wheat" and "young ears of corn" that the men are able to explore and experience in their daily lives (3). While she speaks positively about this, the woman sees the home and area around the home as something only "enough for the men," while she desires to see beyond the confines of her own home and comfort zone (1). She expresses her curiosity about the world and affairs not of "blood-intimacy" (16).

The woman remarks of seeing the "menfolk" as she "looks outward" from her house (45). "She strains to see" and hear the accomplishments of man in his domination (33), illustrating the tension created within this passage. She desires to witness events outside of her place in the home which parallels the historical time period as in America, women were fighting for suffrage. She expresses that the men lack a "range of motion" although "native to the earth" (46-47). And perhaps in her womanhood she will be able to see further if she can be removed from her domestic affairs.

Furthermore, the woman's increasing "craving" to explore the world and make "better use" of it is evident. Lawrence employs parallel structure in stating, "She craved to know. She craved to achieve..." in order to emphasize the importance and the constancy of the woman's desires (56-57). She is certain of the power of the vicar and of her knowledge of her husband in relation. She asks herself what makes a man strong and powerful, and with the repetition of the word "power" to make her conclusion. She finds herself analyzing the power of dominance of the man and why she cannot leave her confines to satisfy her cravings, in turn questioning where she fits in this chain of being.

As the woman begins to reflect of her own curiosity and desire to see beyond domestic affairs, she also begins to come to terms with her place in relation to man and beast on the chain. She concludes simply that what separates beings of this chain is a mere "question of knowledge" (65).

Part II

1.
The initial score this essay received was a 7. Megan Than Win gave me this score because I did analyze how the literary devices help lend meaning and clarify the woman's situation. I exemplified clarity and control but perhaps did not develop the argument as well as I could have, missing many critical literary devices. Overall, I presented a developed analysis with command of the prose, but did not address the complexity as clearly as I could have. I agree with this scoring because looking at the rubric, I would have graded myself the same way.

2.
I would further analyze the contrast between the men and the woman and the differences clearly exemplified in the passage of the men looking inward and the affairs of the working class being enough for them while the woman looks outward and towards the city in desire. Furthering this contrast would also address the complexity of this passage more clearly. I would probably discard the portion of my essay with the historical context with the women's suffrage because this movement was in America and is really not significant to what was happening in England at the time.

I would also address more literary devices and explain them in greater detail than I had originally done. I forgot to mention the specific effect of the parallelism, that it mirrors the complacency and monotonous tone of events in the men's lives. I should have mentioned "anaphora" as a literary device. I should have dug more deeply into the significance behind the words "knowledge" and "blood" and how they relate to D.H. Lawrence. I could have mentioned the tone of the passage as that was very important in characterization.

Furthermore, I should have addressed the juxtaposition evident in the passage, and the significance of the order of events.The woman is at first, dissatisfied with her situation but as she ponders and considers her place in relation to the vicar, the man, and beast, she comes to recognize that knowledge sets these beings apart. Now knowing D.H. Lawrence's view on women and their relation to men in life and affairs, I can more effectively analyze the woman's situation.