Rachel Lesch
Bio
New England Native; lover of traveling, history, fashion, and culture. Student at Salem State University and an aspiring historical fiction writer.
Stories (62/0)
Gender, Age, and Rationing
The traditional family structure in its idealized form has the father working and earning money to support his wife and children, the wife running the home, and the children going to school and playing, blissfully innocent and carefree. In the best case scenario, the father is able to provide for his family and they benefit from his labor, but the best case scenario very rarely reflects reality. In times of war, the traditional workers and breadwinners are sent off to fight and the civilians at home must step out of their usual roles. Women take on jobs outside the home to help the war effort and to support themselves and their children. A child’s innocence is threatened by the harsh and brutal realities of war. Both have to do without the pleasures they had previously enjoyed and often suffer from outright deprivation. The experiences of civilians during the First and Second World Wars, especially in rationing and the efforts to keep them fed, illustrate how war reverses society’s roles: In peacetime, men work to support women and children while in wartime, women and children must fend for themselves.
By Rachel Lesch7 years ago in Feast
Retribution: Chapter 28
To a child who is afraid of the dark, a familiar place can be filled with hidden terrors when night falls and the lights are turned off. The child tosses and turns and hides under the covers. When the lights are turned back on, reality seems a gaudy imitation of itself and the child has a hard time keeping his eyes open.
By Rachel Lesch7 years ago in Humans
Retribution: Chapter 27
Catharine finished up a letter in reply to one she had received from Agnès, who had sent it from Cairo, where they had arrived last week. They had taken the long way to Egypt, traveling through Italy and Greece. Along with her previous letters and postcards, Agnès had sent her mother a Fortuny silk scarf from Venice and a medal blessed by Pope Pius XI from the Vatican. In this most recent letter, she described how she and Kit were going to take a camel ride into the desert to look at the pyramids. Catharine reminded her in her own letter that she should not go out into the sun without a hat or parasol and that she should drink plenty of water; too much sun and dehydration were the worst things possible for the complexion.
By Rachel Lesch7 years ago in Humans
Retribution: Chapter 25
January into February 1934 had given the people who came into La Première Etoile plenty to talk about. There had been Stavinsky's supposed suicide (or assassination as many were calling it). They were all repeating Le Canard Enchaîné's quip about Stavinsky having a "long arm" if he could have shot himself from the distance that the bullet which killed him came from.
By Rachel Lesch7 years ago in Humans
Bermuda Cruise Part 2
This morning was our first sighting of land. After sleeping in and having breakfast in the Garden Cafe, we went out on deck to get our first glimpse of Bermuda. Since we would not be able to get off the ship until one o’clock, Mom and I looked for something to do until then. We decided to go to the Aqua Dining Room for an art auction. Since we were there early, we checked out the art and sipped on mimosa. We did not bid on anything during the auction because most of the lots were too expensive, but there plenty of pieces that we liked. My favorites were the paintings by an artist named Linda Le Kinff, whose elongated forms and bright, vivid colors were compared to Matisse and Modigliani. For attending the auction, we received a free print.
By Rachel Lesch7 years ago in Wander