Monday, October 12, 2015
wk8 - In-Class Writing: REVISED copy: Ada and Ruby
Writing Prompt: (courtesy of Callie) ^_^
According Frazier, what are some distinctive characteristics of Ada and Ruby's relationship in Cold Mountain?
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Amanda McMahon
ReplyDeleteProf. Kirk
ENGL 3303
13 October 2015
Ada and Ruby
In Charles Frazier's novel Cold Mountain, Ruby and Ada form a relationship of give and take in which they each have knowledge to offer to the other and they each have knowledge they need from the other. Ruby comes from a home where she never knew her mother and her father was mentally, emotionally, and, eventually, physically absent. Ruby was forced to learn to fend for herself form an early age. Ruby can offer "knowledge of how the world runs. Farming, cookery, wild lore..." (106). Ada was raised by her devoted father and was well cared for almost to a fault. Ada learned all that she knew through literature, scholars, and her father. Ada can offer scholarly knowledge, as well as, emotional knowledge. Ada is essentially helpless without the knowledge Ruby has to offer her and Ruby knows that. Ada understands that she specifically needs Ruby because "Ruby would not let her fail" (81). Ruby is living a life of only survival without the knowledge Ada has to offer. Ada understands that Ruby lived only in neglect and uses each evening as an opportunity to hear all of Ruby's stories and to read literary stories to her. Ada taps into Ruby's emotions through asking to hear her stories and becomes a mother figure to her, despite Ruby being the one capable of caring for the two of them. Through their unique relationship, each woman comes to depend on the other as both Ruby and Ada have different types of knowledge to offer.
Callie Brothers
ReplyDeleteProf. Kirk
ENGL 3353
13 October 2015
Ada and Ruby
Charles Frazier describes Ada as a Charlestonian. A wealthy, well-educated woman. He also describes Ruby as this Mountaineer, roughneck, trying to consider herself equal with a woman she hardly knows. As Ruby comes to Black Cove, she realizes a lot of things. One, Ada couldn’t survive on her own, she doesn’t know how to work a farm. Two, Ada is an educated woman who knows nothing about Black Cove. And three, no matter how “smart” Ada is, Ruby will not let her fail. “The force that Ruby used to drive Ada on was this: somewhere Ada knew that anyone else she might hire would grow weary and walk away and let her fail. Ruby would not let her fail.” (105) Frazier describes Ada’s childhood as “pretty well off”, all though she did not know her mother, her father took great care of her and made sure that she was capable of an education. Ruby grew up with similarities like, Ada. Ruby grew up motherless, just like Ada, except, her father was a “notorious local ne’er-do-well and scofflaw.”
Because of this education Ada had, this was a connection mechanism, allowing her to “figure out” Ruby and to truly understand her story. Ada would read to dear Ruby, book of great content. Ada started from the beginning, teaching Ruby the beginning of literature, starting with the Greeks. When it became too late in the evening to read books, Ruby would tell Ada stories too. Stories of her life, what she went through, the adventures she achieved. Ada became intrigued and humbled, she understood the importance of what being a friend meant, and that education is nothing more than a privilege, not a benefit.
Sadie Wyant
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
ENGL 3353
13 October 2015
The Relationship between Ada and Ruby
In Charles Frazier’s novel Cold Mountain, Ada and Ruby have a mutually beneficial relationship. To start off, Ruby comes in to Ada’s life at a time of great need. Ruby is asked to offer Ada help, and Ada agrees. They come to a sort of agreement, and Ada comments, “Something on the order of equality, was Ruby’s demand” (end of “the ground beneath her hands”). However, if there had to be an authority figure identified in their relationship, it would not be Ada, despite the many years of education she has received. Though Ada has a formal education and Ruby has not received any, Ruby has learned on her own to function as an adult. Ada is unable to function as a working adult, and therefore becomes like a child learning under her teacher, Ruby. As she learns how to work the farm, Ada complains about all the manual labor and tasks that must be done. She says, “So much to do, for apparently Ruby planned to require every yard of land do its duty” (beginning of “verbs, all of them tiring”). Instead of having a master-servant relationship, as it may seem, the two become like companions. They work together to revive the farm that Ada had no idea how to take care of. Ada provides a place for Ruby to stay and even becomes like a sister, while Ruby sets Ada straight and gives her new skills to survive.
Mikkaela Bailey
ReplyDeleteProf. Kirk
ENGL 3353
14 October 2015
Ada and Ruby
It is evident from early on in Charles Frazier's novel, Cold Mountain, that Ada and Ruby have a codependent relationship that is characterized by one filling the greatest need in the other's life. Ada cannot take care of herself because she simply does not know how to survive on her own, nor does she have the ability to just figure it out. But, when Ruby comes along, Ada learns many useful things from her, especially basic skills that will help her to survive on her own. Rather than acting as a simple farm hand, Ruby helps Ada's spirit, and her emotional recovery: "Just as importantly, as they talked, Ada found she was enormously cheered by Ruby" (67). Ruby is completely self-sufficient, driven, and generally everything Ada is not (95). She pushes Ada to survive: "To Ada, Ruby's monologues seemed composed mainly of verbs, all of them tiring" (104). While Ada seems to benefit most from this arrangement, Ruby also has great needs when it comes to a female presence and sense of family. Being abandoned at a young age by an uncaring father, she was missing this love and companionship she can find with Ada because Ada is incapable of abandoning Ruby. Ada sees this need in Ruby and attempts to bridge the gap between them to create a friendship: "Ada imagined her as a lonely and abandoned child wandering the countryside to braid the tails of old solitary plow horses out if the need for proximity to something live and warm" (242). Though they are dependent on one another, it is more of a kinship than an alliance necessary for survival.
Kelsey Wheatle
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
Engl 3353
October 25, 2015
Ada and Ruby
Ada and Ruby's relationship in Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain is one that is mutually beneficial and co-dependent. Ada's educational background had "shaped her into a type of monster a creature not entirely fit for the society of men and women"(65). Ruby is characterized as a survivor and a roughneck individual who had to learn to fend for herself as a young child. Ruby "convincingly depicted herself as capable of any and all farm tasks"(67). Ruby has taught herself everything necessary in order to survive, and she is able to pass her survival knowledge to Ada and care for her. Although Ada is at first unable to care for herself, or the farm, she is able to educate Ruby and give her some emotional care that Ruby did not receive as a young child. Ada played the role of a mother and nurturer to Ruby. Ruby came into Ada's life at a crucial time. Ada was barely surviving on food, and the farm was in horrible condition. However, after Ruby showed Ada the importance of the upkeep of the farm "all the actual facts and processes connected with food and clothing and selter were unpleasantly concrete, falling immediately and directly to hand, and every one of them calling for exertion"(104). Ada finally realizes the importance of work and independence thanks to Ruby. Although Ada's effect on Ruby isn't as great as Ruby's on Ada, Ada is able to educate Ruby, give her shelter, and show her the fun side of life.