Edwina's Writing Portfolio

To Whom It May Concern:

It is my great honor to have the opportunity to collect my one-semester papers into my study portfolio. Firstly I would like to appreciate your patience to look through all these documents. Thank you for taking time off your busy work. I am a Chinese student, now freshman in Fudan University. English is my second language and I take great interests in English study. I am enrolled in an Academic Writing class this semester, taught by Mr. Ron.

In this course, I have analyzed four celebrated novels, The Necklace written by Guy de Maupassant, The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen written by Bruno Lessing, Dead Men's Path written by Chinua Achebe and The Grass-Eaters wrriten by Krishnan Varma. With the process of reading, I have finished four reading logs. Among these novels, I choose The Necklace as my major research. This portfolio collects all my documents for The Necklace, including one reading log, three drafts and final-timed writing.

The Necklace is one of my favorite stories. When I read the novel the first time in my high school, I was deeply attracted by its dramatic arrangement of plots. After rereading the story in Ron's class, I intend to talk more about its inner connotation, with associating the novel with social backgrounds and analyzing the relationship between vanity and outcome of the central character. The effect of destiny on human is also discussed in my paper. After several revisions, I finally set my thesis statement as "it is Mathilde's vanity that results in her ten years hard work, yet it is her fate to suffer the toughness".

At first I was totally lost in writing an essay, for I had never learned about it before. Thanks to the immediate help from my instructor, Mr. Ron and the guidance book, "The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction", I gradually learned how to produce an essay. I grasped the format of a formal essay, that it should contain instruction, body and conclusion. I began to know how to write a brief plot summary and how to conclude clear and strong thesis statement. I also learned to find evidences to support my point of view and use quotations and punctuations in a proper way. The reading log and three drafts witness the improvement in my writing proficiency.

In the reading log when I was still a beginner, I wrote something about my initial feelings, where I touched upon with her amour-propre and her fate. In Draft One, I was able to abstract main ideas and conclude a plot summary. I put forward my thesis statement as "Mathilde's ten-year hard work is a reflection of her vanity". The mistaken use of "ten-year" was revised as "ten years" in my later paper. In this paper, I successfully structured my essay into three parts. I tried to say something about Mathilde's vanity and what it resulted in. However, it was a pity that my ideas wondered around. Too many quotations and too long summary was the most obvious shortcoming.

Draft Two was finished on a basis of peer reviewing. I polished my thesis as "Mathilde's vanity bore her ten-year hard work". More analysis was implemented to illustrate my thesis. It should be noticed that discussion on fate came to part of my illustration, which showed my deepening extent of thoughts and had an influence on rewording my thesis in later edition. To my pity, I talked too much in my own position using the first person pronoun. In addition, though there were many quotations, they could not be strong evidences in supportive of my ideas. As a result, this edition did not make sense to the readers.

Taking my instructor Mr. Ron's advice into account, I was glad to see a greater progress in my Draft Three, or final essay. I reworded my thesis statement and dealt with Mathilde's vanity and fate. I tried to tell the readers that it is her vanity that brings about the heavy burden, and though the truth is chilly she had to accept the grievous end because of uncontrolled fate. Associated with social background I was able to understand the intention of Maupassant. The significance of The Necklace was not only to show Mathilde's dramatic life but also to reflect on the social phenomenon of that time.

One of the most important things I have learned in this writing course is a proper use of quotation. I did not know how to quote and cite until the third paper. Quoting and documenting sources not only helps readers to make sense, but shows our respect to the original works as well. What's more, not citing resources can be regarded as an act of piracy.

My instructor Mr. Ron is the one I have to mention. I would like to sincerely appreciate Mr. Ron's adequate and conscientious help on my research paper. Without his well-prepared and responsible instruction I will not be able to start my first step, no mention of getting improvement in my writing proficiency.

Thank you for looking through my portfolio. I hope you will enjoy my essay and share my views. If you feel any doubt or have any suggestion, please feel free to contact me. All comments are welcomed.

Sincerely yours,
Edwina Zhang

Edwina Zhang
June 14, 2007
Draft Three

Fate of a Vain Lady

After the French Revolution (1789-1799), France became a republic while class distinction still remained. During that time, French people, especially in the upper-class society, valued money and favored luxuries. Dowry was expected from the future bride. Whom a man would choose depended on how much money a woman owned. Great wealth was superior to such things as good appearance, kind personalities and so on. In a word, an upper-class man preferred to choose a woman from a large family with considerable property so that the two were matched for marriage.

Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893), born in a once upper bourgeois family which was declined later, witnessed the social phenomenon in the late nineteenth century Paris. As a celebrated writer, he concentrated a lot of elements into a short yet wonderful novel, in an irony of vanity and in sympathies on fate.

In the story The Necklace, Maupassant depicted Mathilde as a vainglories wife of a little clerk, who pursues luxuries and delicacies. At a ball she lost a borrowed necklace, which brought about her ten years work to pay for debt. At the end when she had paid everything she owed, she accidentally knew the truth of a fake necklace. The news was obviously astonishing to her, which means she need not have paid so much. It is Mathilde's vanity that results in her ten years hard work, yet it is her fate to suffer the toughness.

Associated with the social background of that time, it is understandable that Mathilde is fond of luxuries. Mathilde was born in an ordinary family with a charming appearance. In a society where people overvalued money, Mathilde has no means to joining the upper class. However, she loves nothing but that. Feeling wronged to be married with a little clerk, she consider herself superior to women of the same class. Her attractive beauty endued her with born vanity, while her average income cannot meet her need for luxuries. In a word, Mathilde has no approach to knowing the rich and no capital for satisfying her pursuit.

Therefore, the invitation to a ball lit her up. She has always been waiting for such fine opportunities. And when it does come, she is endeavored to dress up elaborately. The dress for theater performance was abandoned, and she preferred to buy a new one. Natural flowers were also unsuitable for the social occasions, and she borrowed a diamond-style necklace to match her dress. All she had done was due to her idea that "there's nothing more humiliating than to look poor among other women who are rich" (40).

Vanity becomes part of her personalities, in a close relation to her behavior. Enjoying being introduced and remarked, she indulged herself with endless round of dance; wearing a modest wrap on shoulders, she escaped downstairs so as not to be looked upon; shivering in chill at midnight, she rode into a coupe in a hurry. Finally when she reached home, Mathilde found the borrowed necklace lost.

It is her vanity that makes Mathilde suffer the loss, so does she shoulder heavy burden. After the loss, she looked for the necklace everywhere, gave up hope in despair and eventually had no choice but to buy a new one. Rather than tell her friend the truth, she would like to make up for the loss by herself, which directly result in her not being informed of worthlessness of the necklace.

Vanity, to some extent, will be transformed into endurance. Both characters require a determination not to be a loser, or not to be inferior to others. No sooner had she savored the great moment of successful performance than she took the responsibility to pay for debt. "She took her part, moreover, all of a sudden, with heroism" (43). When Mathilde has to stand the toughness, she will not drawback or quit, because of her determination to excel in everything. It is also her choice to turn herself into a complete housewife.

The end was obviously out of readers' expectation. Readers cannot help but think about the unexpected arrangement of the plots. If the large sum of money was not used for debt, wouldn't Mathilde live a peaceful and joyful life? Was she deserved such joke of destiny? Was it too tough and callous? Maupassant chose to design the plot of the necklace being fake and Mathilde's knowing the chilly news rather than of the necklace being diamond or Mathilde's never hearing the cruel truth. Maupassant might consider it a punishment to her vanity that all brilliant glories in that night turned a transient dream in the memory.

A prevailing atmosphere of fatalism was created throughout the story. Born in an ordinary family, Mathilde was doomed to have a plain marriage. She made every effort to dress herself up and enjoyed the brilliance at the ball, while the loss of necklace made it a vanishing froth. The heavy burden washed up her beauty and reduced her to an impoverished housewife, and the wonderful moment of elegant dance could only be recalled occasionally in leisure time. The chilly truth gave her the heaviest hit, with which the story was ended, all in a sudden. From Mathilde's experience, a helpless tone is led, that people should hold a belief in fate, of which we human being cannot have a control.

"How life is strange and changeful! How little a thing is needed for us to be lost or to be saved!" (44) The author's personal value is conveyed in some part, that our life is changeable and unpredictable and we human being never know what may happen in next second.

In the late nineteenth century where the story was set, a lot of people in lower class like Mathilde dreamed of being rich and joining the upper one day. Someone might just have a daydreaming and then leave it alone and seldom think of the idea. Mathilde's tragedy is that her born vanity enables her feel different in her class. As a result, the fate makes a joke on her. Suffering the ten years hard work, though she becomes more courageous and more understanding, she is still returned a grievous end. Resulting from her vanity, the tragedy cannot be avoided. It is her fate to suffer the toughness.

Work Cited:

Guy de Maupassant. "The Necklace." 1884. Rpt. in The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction. Ruth Spack. New York: St: Martin’s. 1994. 38-44.

Edwina Zhang
May 21, 2007
Draft Two

The Necklace, written by Guy de Maupassant, tells a story that Mathilde lost a borrowed necklace in a ball and as a result had to pay for debt for ten years. To some extent her outcome is in a close relation to her vanity, which could have been avoided if she does not desire for such more. In other words, what she suffered could be naturally associated with what she had done. The release of truth is often regarded as a tragedy by readers. In the last part of the paper, it will be discussed whether she deserves the ten-year hard life and whether it is grievous.

During the time when Guy de Maupassant was living, France had become a republic after the French Revolution (1789-1799), but class distinctions still remained. The story was set in late nineteen-century Paris. At that time an upper-class man preferred to choose a woman from a large family with considerable property so that the two were matched for marriage.

Mathilde was "born in a family of clerks" and she has to "let herself to be married to a clerk" because of no dowry. Besides, clerk-family background was matched. However, Mathilde's beauty endued her with born vanity. Compared with other women of the same class, she felt wronged, "feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries". As a pretty and charming lady, "She had no dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made for that. She would so have liked to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after."

Mathilde borrowed a necklace so as to be remarked by everyone in the ball. And she did. "She danced with intoxication, with passion...in a sort of cloud of happiness composed of all this homage, of all this admiration, of all these awakened desires, and of that sense of complete victory which is so sweet to a woman's heart". She became the Party Princess and obviously she really enjoyed being introduced.

Unfortunately, no sooner had she savored the great moment of successful performance than she found out the loss of the necklace. All the glories in that night turned a transient dream in the memory. It cost her ten years paying for the ornament. Beauty was washed up by heavy housework. There was no difference now between Mathilde and other woman of her rank.

Details could be noticed that Mathilde has had some chance to avoid the loss. What if she didn't accept the invitation to the ball, or didn't borrow the necklace from her friend, or didn't indulge herself with the endless round of dance, what would happen? Perhaps the necklace was lost when she rapidly descent the stairs or when she exhaustedly rode in a coupe.

However, she was fond of luxuries and she felt made for that. She wouldn't miss the opportunity of attending the ball and she wouldn't be willing to attend without elaborate dressing. Wearing modest wraps, she escaped downstairs "so as not to be remarked by the other women, who were enveloping themselves in costly furs." She stayed too late, thus finding no carriage but coupe. All was caused by her vanity. To Mathilde's perspective, what could have been avoided should happen. When we kept asking what if she didn't do so, fact couldn't be neglected that her pursuit for delicacies would, to a certainty, leads to such an end.

It was her vanity that bore her the heavy burden.

Should Mathilde, however, take the blame? Her vanity was associated with her beautiful appearance yet ordinary family background. Besides, it is human nature to have a pursuit for luxuries and delicacies. Though Mathilde did desire for a bit more, did she have to suffer toughness for ten years?

For my part, the author intended to create a prevailing atmosphere of tragedy by revealing the truth. After getting rid of one burden of physical torture, she was hit by another burden of mental self-suspicion. Readers may easily reach the consensus that it was a grievous end, unmerciful for the main character. Mathilde, as well as us readers, can't help but wonder—was it worthwhile?

Though suffered a lot, Mathilde became more courageous and more understanding. Not beautiful any more, she was stronger in the inner. Through the process of earning and paying, "Mme. Loisel now knew the horrible existence of the needy. She took her part, moreover, all of a sudden, with heroism". It cannot be simply considered whether to be tragic or not.

Nevertheless, I still feel sorry for her experience. Her born vanity, I hold, needn't have cost her such more, yet her personality was elevated. "What would have happened if she had not lost that necklace? Who knows? Who knows? How life is strange and changeful! How little a thing is needed for us to be lost or to be saved!"

It may be a joke from the God. Sometimes, however, we have to believe in fate.

Edwina Zhang
May 3, 2007
Trail Draft

The Necklace, written by Guy de Maupassant, tells a story that Mathilde lost a borrowed necklace in a ball and as a result had to pay for debt for ten years. To some extent her outcome is in a close relation to her vanity, which could have avoided if she does not desire for such more. In other words, what she suffered could be naturally associated with what she had done. In the last part of the paper, it will be discussed whether she deserves the ten-year hard life and whether it is grievous.

During the time when Guy de Maupassant was living, France had become a republic after the French Revolution (1789-1799), but class distinctions still remained. The story was set in late nineteen-century Paris. At that time an upper-class man preferred to choose a woman from a large family with considerable property so that the two were matched for marriage.

Mathilde was "born in a family of clerks" and she has to "let herself to be married to a clerk" because of no dowry. Besides, clerk-family background was matched. However, Mathilde's beauty endued her with born vanity. Compared with other women of the same class, she felt wronged, "feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries". As a pretty and charming lady, "She had no dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made for that. She would so have liked to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after."

Mathilde borrowed a necklace so as to be remarked by everyone in the ball. And she did. "She danced with intoxication, with passion... in a sort of cloud of happiness composed of all this homage, of all this admiration, of all these awakened desires, and of that sense of complete victory which is so sweet to a woman's heart". She became the Party Princess and obviously she really enjoyed being introduced.

Unfortunately, no sooner had she savored the great moment of successful performance than she found out the loss of the necklace. All the glories in that night turned a transient dream in the memory. It cost her ten years paying for the ornament. Beauty was washed up by heavy housework. There was no difference now between Mathilde and other woman of her rank.

Details could be noticed that Mathilde has had some chance to avoid the loss. What if she didn't accept the invitation to the ball, or didn't borrow the necklace from her friend, or didn't indulge herself with the endless round of dance, what would happen? Perhaps the necklace was lost when she rapidly descent the stairs or when she exhaustedly rode in a coupe.

However, she was fond of luxuries and she felt made for that. She wouldn't miss the opportunity of attending the ball and she wouldn't be willing to attend without elaborate dressing. Wearing modest wraps, she escaped downstairs "so as not to be remarked by the other women, who were enveloping themselves in costly furs." She stayed too late, thus finding no carriage but coupe. All was caused by her vanity. To Mathilde's perspective, what could have been avoided should happen. When kept asking what if she didn't do so, fact couldn't be neglected that her pursuit for delicacies would, to a certainty, leads to such an end.

It was her vanity that bore her the heavy burden.

The end of the story was often regarded as a tragedy by readers. After ten-year hard work, Mathilde eventually knew the truth that the necklace was a false one that wasn't that valuable, which meant she needn't have paid so much. From my point of view, the author intended to create a prevailing atmosphere of tragedy by revealing the truth. "What would have happened if she had not lost that necklace? Who knows? Who knows? How life is strange and changeful! How little a thing is needed for us to be lost or to be saved!" By contrasting the previous and the later life of Mathilde, readers may easily reach the consensus that it was a grievous end, unmerciful for the main character.

Though Mathilde suffered a lot, it could be worthwhile, for she became more courageous and more understanding. Not beautiful any more, she was stronger in the inner. Through the process of earning and paying, "Mme. Loisel now knew the horrible existence of the needy. She took her part, moreover, all of a sudden, with heroism". It cannot be simply considered whether to be tragic or not.

It is human nature to have a pursuit for luxuries and delicacies. What we have to bear in mind is that over-hankering may result in unexpected outcomes. Vanity may cost us all we have possessed.

06301030054
Edwina Zhang
June 21, 2007
Timed Writing Three

Direction: From The Necklace, what might have been the quality of Mme. Loisel's life if she had not lost the necklace?  Is her life better of worse now?

In the story The Necklace, Guy de Maupassant tells a story of how a vain woman pursues for luxuries and how her dream vanishes.  Mathilde, the main character, was wife of a little clerk.  Her charming appearance endues her with born vanity.  She feels superior to women of the same class.

Mathilde's life was changed due to the loss of necklace.  She took her responsibility all in a sudden, never dreaming of delicacies any more.  The heavy burden of paying for debt reduced her to an impoverished housewife.

The loss of necklace is a key plot of the novel.  Readers cannot help but ask the same question: If she did not lose the necklace, what might have been the quality of Mathilde's life?  According to her personality, she will keep her pursuit for joining the upper class, endlessly.  Mahilde enjoys being introduced and remarked by others.  She feels pleased to be envied and sought after.  Her born vanity drives her to reach the goal.  At that ball in Minister's house, Mathilde indulged herself with endless round of dance.  Apparently she feels made for that.

Without the tragic lesson Mathilde will not know the horrible need of life.  If she does not lose the necklace, how can she place herself on a right position that she does not have capital for delicacies?  The loss enables her to see her life clearly.

Therefore, Mathilde's life will not be changed without the terrible incident.  She may still long for great balls and enjoy her brilliance, leading an intangible and meaningless life.

Compared with her endless pursuit, is her life better now?  What if she did not lose the necklace?  Ten years housework has washed up her beauty.  She is not that graceful Mathile any more.  It can be regarded as a tragedy, for Mathilde lost her charm and she suffered a lot only to find it meaningless.  With the money she owned for ten years, won't she lead a peaceful and joyful life?

However, Mathilde gains something more precious than her loss.  She becomes more courageous and more understandable after taking her part.  She comes to know the hard way of earning money and the horrible need of life.  Her vanity disappeared thanks to the heavy burden.  From her inner soul, she matures and never daydreams as a simple girl.  In spite of the fact she is not beautiful any more in her appearance, Mathilde develops valuable characters.  From this perspective, Mathilde is leading a better life now.

When I came to the end of The Necklace, I really felt sorry for Mathilde's experience. The central character Mathilde has deeply impressed me. In my opinion, it is her amour-propre that leads to her grievous end.

Mathilde was a charming and pretty woman. However, during her time, she couldn't marry a wealthy husband because of her birth in an ordinary family. She didn't feel satisfied with her plain life, and even wronged, unlike other women of the equal living standard. I can fully understand why she often imagined luxury occasions that did not exist.

Her life had changed since a splendid ball. Because of her vanity, she borrowed a necklace from one of her friends. At that party, Mathilde attracted all people's attention and was remarked by all men present. Feeling made for that, she did enjoy the pleasure.

Unfortunately, the loss of the necklace which was considered expensive involved her into a huge debt. She wasn't vainglorious any more and the image of an elegant party princess could only be in her memory. She did everything she could to pay for the debt, doing all the housework and living an economical life. "She had become the woman of impoverished households—strong and hard and tough." (43) The end of the story was ironic. Mathilde met with her necklace-lender ten years later after having paid everything. She told her friend the truth, and in return, a more surprising truth was revealed. Paste was the necklace lent to her.

I wonder what if the necklace wasn't missing, then what kind of life will Mathilde live. "What would have happened if she had not lost that necklace? Who knows? Who knows? How life is strange and changeful! How little a thing is needed for us to be lost or to be saved!" (44) However, I regard the tragedy as a necessity. It is her personality that makes her life go in that way. And it is also impossible that she would change without that incident.

Nevertheless, I am still in sympathy for her experience. If she was born in a large family, things might not go in this way. I do not think she is deserved her fate, yet she cannot have a control on her life. However, sometimes we have to believe in destiny.