1. Mr. Ryder states the following: "Self preservation is the first law of nature” (), which he uses
to justify his life choices. Stop to think about what "self-preservation" means first. Then,
○ Is self-preservation beneficial to the individual if one must give up all they know
to be accepted? (What does such acceptance mean if one must reinvent the self to
achieve acceptance and/or happiness)....Take a stance.
2. In "The Two Offers" the narrator contrasts Laura and Jeanette character to examine the role of
womanhood. Using one of the characters as evidence, what does the story suggest about the
expectations of women? (Yes, there are many expectations, but choose 1 expectation that you
can explore in one paragraph and use the character as evidence to prove your ideas about these
expectations).
Sample Answer
In both Charles Chesnutt’s "The Wife of His Youth" and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s "The Two Offers," characters grapple with the tension between individual desires and the rigid laws of societal survival. Below is an exploration of these themes as they relate to your questions.
1. Mr. Ryder and the Paradox of Self-Preservation
In Charles Chesnutt's "The Wife of His Youth," Mr. Ryder uses the maxim "Self-preservation is the first law of nature" to justify his assimilation into the light-skinned "Blue Vein Society" and his distance from his past as a slave.
Stance: Self-preservation is not ultimately beneficial to the individual if it requires the total erasure of one's history. While reinventing oneself can provide immediate safety, social status, and economic "acceptance," it creates a fractured identity that prevents true happiness.
The Cost of Acceptance: For Mr. Ryder, acceptance into the Blue Vein Society means adopting the prejudices of the oppressor (colorism) against his own people. This "acceptance" is conditional; it is based on the performance of a self that is sanitized of its "servile origin."