Chapter 23
The Shearing Supper and Second Proposal
EVENTIDE—A SECOND DECLARATION For the shearing-supper a long table was placed on the grass-plot beside the house, the end of the table being thrust over the sill of the wide parlour window and a foot or two into the room. Miss Everdene sat inside the window, facing down the table. She was thus at the head without mingling with the men. This evening Bathsheba was unusually excited, her red cheeks and lips contrasting lustrously with the mazy skeins of her shadowy hair. She seemed to expect assistance, and the seat at the bottom of the table was at her request…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Rewrite the Guilt Script
Think of a situation where someone used your past actions to pressure you into a current decision (like Boldwood using the valentine). Write out what they said, then rewrite how you could have responded differently. Focus on acknowledging impact without accepting ownership of their feelings.
Consider:
- •Separate your actions from their emotional response - you can own one without owning the other
- •Notice the difference between 'I understand this hurt you' and 'I am responsible for fixing your hurt'
- •Consider what you actually owe someone versus what guilt makes you think you owe
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you felt trapped by someone else's expectations based on something you did in the past. How might you handle a similar situation differently now?
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