In a well-developed paragraph, discuss Tillie Olsen’s choice to set “I Stand Here Ironing” during the era she chose. Why do you think she chose this particular historical context? How do you think it helped her get across one of her key themes – that even when life beats us down, we are valuable and worthy of a chance to rise above our circumstances? Use at least two examples from the story to support your answer.

Have you ever thought you understood a person based on a story that you have heard about them? have you ever guessed about a person's personal life because of the clothes they wore? or, have you judged a person because of their friends? although classifying people in this way is typically discouraged, authors deliberately use your preconceived ideas to you form an opinion about the character or to at least have a better understanding. can you think of a time that you made a character call about someone based on external aspects? were you correct, or incorrect? has anyone ever made an incorrect assessment of you based on external aspects? write two paragraphs about it in your journal.