46 pages • 1 hour read
Nellie BlyTen Days In A Mad-House
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1887A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Analyze how Bly’s use of immersion journalism (See: Background). impacted both the narrative style and the credibility of her report. How did her firsthand experience affect public opinion and lead to social reform? What does this form of journalism offer that a more traditional journalistic approach would not?
Explore how gender biases are reflected in the treatment of women within the asylum. How does Bly’s portrayal of other women deemed “insane” challenge or affirm contemporary notions of female mental health?
Discuss how Ten Days in a Mad-House illuminates The Societal and Systemic Mistreatment of Mentally Ill Individuals. What does Bly’s narrative suggest about the social responsibility to protect vulnerable populations? What has changed since Bly’s investigation, and what problems remain?
Examine Blackwell’s Island as a symbol of societal neglect and isolation. How does Bly’s description of the island as a “human rat-trap” underscore the treatment of the women confined there?
Discuss Bly’s use of irony, particularly in her commentary on the supposed therapeutic effects of the asylum’s conditions. How does this device serve to critique the institution? What other literary techniques does she use?
How does social class factor into Bly’s account of the women committed to Blackwell’s Island? In what ways does poverty intersect with perceptions of “sanity”?
How does Bly’s work prompt a discussion on the ethical responsibilities of institutions and the legal rights of patients? How do her observations reflect—or challenge—the mental health laws of her time?
Discuss how Bly incorporates testimonies of other patients to substantiate her claims. Select and closely analyze one or two examples. How are these other patients characterized? How do their perspectives strengthen her narrative and add to her credibility?
How does Bly’s portrayal of the asylum’s staff contribute to her critique? Are there nuances in her depiction of nurses and doctors that complicate a simplistic reading of villainy?
