I just recently watched the movie "Up" for the ten millionth time. And even though it is a Disney movie mostly aimed at entertaining children, the movie also fit pretty well into the definition of postmodernism. The main character of the movie, Carl Fredricksen, is a grumpy old man who is sick of everyone else in the world and wants to go off and live where no one will ever bother him again. This fits into postmodernism because Carl sees every one else assimilating into modern society, and he does not like that. When his wife died, Carl became very closed off and started to deeply dislike not just the younger generations, but pretty much everyone else that gave him even the slightest bit of trouble.
One big factor of postmodernism is fear, which this movie exhibits as well. Even though "Up" is a Disney movie, there are still some minor elements of fear. It is obvious that Carl fears what the world has become and misses his wife, and fear is also shown in the scenes where Carl and the other main character, Russell, are trying to escape from a crazy old man in a blimp later on in the movie. They are scared of something bad happening to each other and try to protect each other and get away safely.
Computers even have a part in this movie, although it is a more comical aspect. The dogs in the movie had talk thanks to fancy little computer invention thing in their collars. So while the movie "Up" was definitely intended to just be a nice entertaining little movie that is good for families to watch, it still holds many characteristics that are a part of the postmodernism movement.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Modernism Project
Works Cited
"Introduction to Modernism and Postmodernism." Walters State Virtual Campus. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.
http://vc.ws.edu/engl2265/unit4/Modernism/all.htm
Langley, John. "Introduction to Modernism." Mr. Langley's Digital Classroom. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
http://sites.google.com/site/mrlangleysroom/english332/introduction-to-modernism
Lorcher, Trent. "Modernism in Literature." Brighthub. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.
http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/29453.aspx
Lowell, Amy. "Red Slippers - Poem by Amy Lowell." Famous Poets and Poems. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/amy_lowell/poems/20008
Scropos, Lee. "Chapters 22-29." Lecture. Advanced Placement U.S. History Class. Room 33, PPHS, Pleasant Plains, IL. Mar.-Apr. 2011. Web.
Wheeler, Dr. K. "Literary Terms and Definitions M." Carson-Newman: Literary Terms and Definitions. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_m.html
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Realism vs. Modernism
The change from the Realism writing style to the Modernism writing style is a pretty significant part of the history and development of American Literature and writing. While these two literary genres are completely separate from each other, they still share many common characteristics. Both of these literary movements were shaped by what was going on in that country at the time, like World War I during the Modernism movement (Anderson). Realism also had connections with war and current events of the time period. The fact that the writing of both Modernism and Realism was so largely impacted by the good and bad parts of the time period is probably one of the biggest characters the two movements share, although not the only one. Both of these genres were shaped by the time periods they took place in, but also left an impact on that part of history as well. During the time period that Realism took place, there was a lot going on in the history of our country. The country was expanding westward all the way to the Pacific Ocean, the economy was at a high point- mostly because of new industries forming and developing, and social changes were happening as well. This topics were new and exciting, so writers took advantage to write about things that American people were interested in and would be able to relate to very easily. Mark Twain the most famous realism writer that I know off, and pretty much the only one I think people could name off the tops of their heads. He was focused mainly on the Regionalism branch of Realism, and brought local dialect and traditions of places like Missouri into his stories. He was known for writing about the things around him, and did not place as much emphasis on things like western expansion but more on descriptions and a lot of details. Being extremely detailed is a very distinctive part of Realism (Werlock) and can be found in Modernism works as well. Werlock describes Realism very simply as "the attempt to depict life as it actually exists". She goes on to say that is description is not of the past or the future (or your interpretation of the past or the future), but of what is going on in the present time. Realism is all about right here and right now, and what is really happening. The situations described in the works of the Realism movement are displayed very accurately and are a good portrayal of actual events (Wherlock). While both Modernism and Realism share some common qualities, there are of course some differences as well. Realism is much more accurate than Realism, because Modernism writers tended to manipulate and edit the things that were going on during the time period, and Realism writers were very accurate of the events going on around them during the time that they were writing. One very famous Modernism writer is John Steinbeck. His most famous novel, "The Grapes of Wrath" told about the effects of the Great Depression on the people of the United States, but he gave his characters a little more hope at the end of the novel than people actually had throughout the Great Depression. Even as Roosevelt became President and the New Deal began, many people were still very downtrodden, without hope and without any prospects as well. Steinbeck's ending of "The Grapes of Wrath" was a little disturbing as well as uplifting for the characters of the novel, which probably wasn't the most accurate thing. I kind of find it hard to believe that women during the Great Depression were willing to breastfeed random strangers to keep them from starving- but what do I know? I wasn't alive then and I have never experieneced anything like that. However, I know that I personally would not be breastfeeding a stranger no matter how close to dying he was. Works Cited Anderson, George Parker. "modernism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. April 6, 2011. Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. April 6, 2011.
Journal #43: Coltrane Instrumental
The song "Blue Train" by John Coltrane is very jazzy and uplifting. As I am listening to the first four minutes of the song, I immediately picture either a dark little club in the mid 1900s late at night or a modern-day Holiday Inn. The club because this song is jazz music which was pretty popular back in the day, and the Holiday Inn because this song also seems a little bit like elevator music. It does not seem like elevator music because it is bad (because it is not bad) but because it has a kind of calming factor as well as being peppy and uplifting. I feel as if I am in the middle of a club of ill repute during the prohibition, even though I'm pretty sure this song was not popular during that time period. Or maybe it was not even made up yet- I do not know.
I do not have much musical prowess, but I think there are a lot of instruments making up this song. I hear drums, saxophone, piano, and some other jazzy sorts of instruments going on there. The blend of these many instruments is rather nice and provides a calming quality although, as I said before, the music is still rather peppy and fun. I like it, but it definitely is not my favorite style of music.
This being said, usually I am not a big fan of jazz music, but this song was very nice. That being said, I will not be downloading this song onto my iPod or anything, even though I think it is a nice cute little song. It demonstrates modernism because it was a new kind of music back in the day, and probably came out of the Harlem Renaissance where African American music styles heavily influenced the music of the time and made a pretty big impact.
I do not have much musical prowess, but I think there are a lot of instruments making up this song. I hear drums, saxophone, piano, and some other jazzy sorts of instruments going on there. The blend of these many instruments is rather nice and provides a calming quality although, as I said before, the music is still rather peppy and fun. I like it, but it definitely is not my favorite style of music.
This being said, usually I am not a big fan of jazz music, but this song was very nice. That being said, I will not be downloading this song onto my iPod or anything, even though I think it is a nice cute little song. It demonstrates modernism because it was a new kind of music back in the day, and probably came out of the Harlem Renaissance where African American music styles heavily influenced the music of the time and made a pretty big impact.
Journal #42: Whitman vs. Dickinson
When choosing between reading/analyzing a poem by Emily Dickinson or Walt Whitman, I would have to say that I definitely prefer Emily Dickinson to Walt Whitman, without any doubt. Although some of Dickinson's poems can be a little boring and seem to have little significance, I like how they are so simple and contain little parts of everyday life from broken hearts to frogs and insects. Dickinson's writing style is much more appealing to me because everything is laid out so that you can relate to the meaning of the poem. Even though there were hidden meanings in Dickinson's poems like there were in Walt Whitman's poems, I think it is a lot easier to figure out what Dickinson is saying. One major reason I dislike Walt Whitman is his focus on "self". Honestly, if I never hear anything about Walt Whitman's "self" ever again in my life, I will probably be very happy. I prefer Dickinson's less egotistical approach to poetry and I also think that Whitman was too concerned with his idea of self. The way that all of his poems were drawn back to that idea just really bothered me. I think one very interesting part of poetry, or writing in general, is to see the similarities and the differences between one authors various pieces of work. Whitman's constant message of self-importance and "If God is everything and everything is God, I'm God too" approach. This idea was present is basically every single one of Whitman's poems that I read and it started to get old really fast. Dickinson's simplicity is the main reason that I enjoyed her poems the most. Although there were implications and hidden meanings in her poems, for the most part everything was out in the open and fairly easy to understand and relate too. Even though I do not agree with some of Dickinson's beliefs (like that everyone else in the world is shallow and not worth her time), I think a lot of poetry readers are able to find some connection with her through her writing because she wrote about such simple and common things.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Job Shadowing Experience
When I was informed that all juniors would have to participate in job shadowing, I was not a happy camper. Mainly because I have no idea what I would like to do with the rest of my life and therefore it was pretty difficult to pick three places I would like to job shadow. Then my mother met someone during jury duty who works in radiology and she decided that I should job shadow someone in radiology. I was not feeling very motivated at that point, but figured that it couldn't hurt to learn more about a field I knew nothing about.
So after navigating the perilous streets of Springfield, I found Memorial Hospital and reported for duty. I had to park in parking lot 10, meaning I had to cross the street two times. It was rather dangerous but I found my way. After being assigned to my department, radiology, I was introduced to some rather nice nurses in doctors who showed me what was going to go down. It was all rather pleasant and I was learning quite a bit. The most interesting part was when the technician was going me how they prepare patients for biopsies. And that is when I started feeling unwell. About fifteen minutes later that doctor came in from doing the biopsy and he started talking about needing a bigger needle to chip through the patients sacrum and there was blood on his hands- that is when the experience went south and I had to go into the bathroom and vomit.
And then the nurse "suggested" that I leave because I was sick. Meaning she told me to leave because I was sick. I had made it about three hours into the experience at that point, and was still feeling rather ill. So I went home (after calling my mom and making sure it was okay) and that was it for me and my job shadowing experience at Memorial Medical Center.
All in all, I did not get to learn very much. But what I did learn was pretty interesting and was definitely new information. However, after that experience I have decided it would be best if I didn't go into the medical field. And on top of the whole vomiting thing, I found the information interesting but still do not think I would like to make a career out of it. After going on a college visit, I have actually been able to narrow down what I would like to do in the future and it definitely does not have anything to do with the medical field and definitely not radiology- I am leaning more towards business or something along those lines. While I did not get a lot of information and I did not get to stay very long, one thing I definitely learned is that I am not going to go into radiology or anything else in the medical field, so that is one useful thing that came out of the whole experience.
So after navigating the perilous streets of Springfield, I found Memorial Hospital and reported for duty. I had to park in parking lot 10, meaning I had to cross the street two times. It was rather dangerous but I found my way. After being assigned to my department, radiology, I was introduced to some rather nice nurses in doctors who showed me what was going to go down. It was all rather pleasant and I was learning quite a bit. The most interesting part was when the technician was going me how they prepare patients for biopsies. And that is when I started feeling unwell. About fifteen minutes later that doctor came in from doing the biopsy and he started talking about needing a bigger needle to chip through the patients sacrum and there was blood on his hands- that is when the experience went south and I had to go into the bathroom and vomit.
And then the nurse "suggested" that I leave because I was sick. Meaning she told me to leave because I was sick. I had made it about three hours into the experience at that point, and was still feeling rather ill. So I went home (after calling my mom and making sure it was okay) and that was it for me and my job shadowing experience at Memorial Medical Center.
All in all, I did not get to learn very much. But what I did learn was pretty interesting and was definitely new information. However, after that experience I have decided it would be best if I didn't go into the medical field. And on top of the whole vomiting thing, I found the information interesting but still do not think I would like to make a career out of it. After going on a college visit, I have actually been able to narrow down what I would like to do in the future and it definitely does not have anything to do with the medical field and definitely not radiology- I am leaning more towards business or something along those lines. While I did not get a lot of information and I did not get to stay very long, one thing I definitely learned is that I am not going to go into radiology or anything else in the medical field, so that is one useful thing that came out of the whole experience.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Dickinson Analysis
For my analysis of an Emily Dickinson poem, I chose "Poor Little Heart!", which is found under Part Two: Love in her book of complete works. The first time I read through the poem, it was pretty obvious to me what was going on, although I had to draw some of my own conclusions about the events. In the first stanza the speaker, who I am assuming is Dickinson herself because of her use of first person, is talking to a friend who has just had their heart broken. She is feeling pity for her friend, and basically asking her what happened, what went wrong, and if this person had been forgotten by their love. Dickinson then says that they must not have cared about her friend and his or her heart to do such a thing and break it to pieces (Dickinson). The second stanza follows a very similar direction as Dickinson and her friend continue to talk. Dickinson tells her friend to be proud and brave, and to be carefree as well, at least for a little while (Dickinson). Her friend's heart has been forsaken, so Dickinson is trying to give him or her some encouragement to still be active and to be a go-getter. I find this a little ironic because Dickinson was not the most outgoing lady around and was not much of a go-getter herself. But Dickinson could obviously be making up a cute little story for her poem or something logical like that. The third stanza continues in a fashion very similar to the first and second, and Dickinson tells her friend that she would do nothing to hurt him or her. She also asks her friend to believe her and trust her (Dickinson). In the last stanza, Dickinson is basically telling her friend that broken hearts are a way of life, and it is going to happen no matter what. She tells her friend to be happy and strong like a beautiful morning glory flower. All together, I think that this poem has a good message. It's about people believing in love and giving love more chances even after having their hearts broken, as well as showing how important and meaningful being comforted by a friend is. The speaker is very strong in this poem, giving the friend a lot of encouragement. Dickinson believed that women could take care of themselves, and this shows in the poem (Snodgrass). Although the friend is encouraged to give love another chance even if it means getting hurt all over again, it seems like the speaker is also saying that her friend does not need love to be happy with his or her life. Because Dickinson is a feminist (Snodgrass), she has very strong opinions about love. I am assuming that the person is a woman, and Dickinson is pretty much telling her that she does not need that man that broke her heart, and to get over it and move on. All in all, I quite enjoyed this poem and thought the meaning behind it is easy to relate to in any time period or circumstance, and I also enjoyed the straight forward simplicity. Works Cited: Dickinson, Emily. "Poor little heart!" Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. . Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Dickinson, Emily." Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EFL136&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 22, 2011).
Monday, March 21, 2011
Journal #41: Dickinson Poem
The poem "My Country Need Not Change her Gown" by Emily Dickinson is very simple and to the point.
The literal interpretation of this poem does not make a lot of sense, because countries do not wear gowns. But the more symbolic interpretation makes much more sense and seems to convey a message with more depth and meaning behind it. Dickinson is saying that the ways of the country should not change too much, because ever since the colonies began winning the war against British oppression, things had been working out fairly well. She also says that Great Britain does not approve of this, and that they are a little bitter about the thirteen colonies breaking away from the British empire and becoming the United States of America. The success and patriotic feel of America taunted the British, showing them that they could prosper and become a great country on their own.
Basically, the poem says that America has become a great country by its own means and that should not change for any reason. The British were defeated at Lexington and that was when America first started to show how strong they were. This poem does not have a lot of connections to religion or to nature, but was more about patriotism. Because of the patriotic tones of the poem, it can also relate to some of Walt Whitman's works as well. He was very devoted to President Lincoln and to the United States of America, and Dickinson seems very loyal to the country as well when she says that the United States is great and she doesn't want it to change.
The literal interpretation of this poem does not make a lot of sense, because countries do not wear gowns. But the more symbolic interpretation makes much more sense and seems to convey a message with more depth and meaning behind it. Dickinson is saying that the ways of the country should not change too much, because ever since the colonies began winning the war against British oppression, things had been working out fairly well. She also says that Great Britain does not approve of this, and that they are a little bitter about the thirteen colonies breaking away from the British empire and becoming the United States of America. The success and patriotic feel of America taunted the British, showing them that they could prosper and become a great country on their own.
Basically, the poem says that America has become a great country by its own means and that should not change for any reason. The British were defeated at Lexington and that was when America first started to show how strong they were. This poem does not have a lot of connections to religion or to nature, but was more about patriotism. Because of the patriotic tones of the poem, it can also relate to some of Walt Whitman's works as well. He was very devoted to President Lincoln and to the United States of America, and Dickinson seems very loyal to the country as well when she says that the United States is great and she doesn't want it to change.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Journal #40: Interpretation of "Self"
Because I still not totally sure what Walt Whitman's idea of "Self" really is, I think it is a little difficult to give my own interpretation of it. I am not a fan of Walt Whitman, and because of this I find his ideas a little ridiculous and pretty self-centered. Basically, Whitman is trying to tie religion, sexuality, and a whole bunch of other ideas into his poems by fitting them into his philosophy of true self. He takes the phrase "God is everything and everything is God" a bit too literally and thinks that because of this, he is God in a way. And I do not agree with this. Walt Whitman is not God. No one else is God, except for God himself. That's just the way it goes; at least that's how I see it. I also do not understand how Whitman can try and relate all of these poems back to God, especially the sexual ones. Although I personally do not have a problem with Walt Whitman's sexual orientation, homosexuality is not exactly accepted in the Bible and in a lot of religions.
Basically, I think that "Self" is something that started out as a simple idea and then became way too complicated and egotistical. It is about seeing yourself as who you really are, not just the perception of yourself that other people see. You cannot be totally sure which side of you is the real one, and which side is the one that you have adapted or changed to meet other people's standards or even your own standards. In my opinion, it is also about making realizations about your own religion and beliefs regarding God and applying those beliefs and ideas to your life in
every way that you realistically can.
I think that to understand "Self", it has to be interpreted in a way that you can understand. I do not think that you can understand the idea if you are trying to go through someone else's interpretation, and you really do have to see it in your own way to have any idea what is going on. Therefore, I do not think that there is really any correct definition of "Self", because it can change for every person.
Basically, I think that "Self" is something that started out as a simple idea and then became way too complicated and egotistical. It is about seeing yourself as who you really are, not just the perception of yourself that other people see. You cannot be totally sure which side of you is the real one, and which side is the one that you have adapted or changed to meet other people's standards or even your own standards. In my opinion, it is also about making realizations about your own religion and beliefs regarding God and applying those beliefs and ideas to your life in
every way that you realistically can.
I think that to understand "Self", it has to be interpreted in a way that you can understand. I do not think that you can understand the idea if you are trying to go through someone else's interpretation, and you really do have to see it in your own way to have any idea what is going on. Therefore, I do not think that there is really any correct definition of "Self", because it can change for every person.
Journal #39: Bardic Symbols
"Bardic Symbols" by Walt Whitman is another poem that exhibits Whitman's idea of "Self" and ties this philosophy into other things. America, Spirituality and Religion, and the Everyman are all a part of this idea of "Self". Spirituality seems to be a big part of this particular poem, because Whitman is talking about the ocean and currents and how they inspire him. He holds the power of the ocean in very high regard, like it is God or some other higher power. It influences Whitman and shapes his actions and ideas. He is paying homage to the ocean for this, and talks of the great inspiration he has been given.
For the most part, the poem is mostly a spiritual one, and is especially a spiritual experience for Whitman as well. This sense of self discovery that Whitman writes about is very inspirational as well. He speaks of the shoreline and seeks eternal self, thinking about the seaside as both an escape and as a prison at the same time. One one hand, the ocean is beautiful and Whitman loves to use it is an escape and a source for great and beautiful inspiration. But on the other hand, Whitman also sees the ocean as something that is keeping him prisoner by pulling him back in again and again, never letting him go because Whitman wants to continue to return; he loves the ocean. Whitman is also searching for himself while looking out at the ocean, and thinks the ocean is keeping things elusive and mysterious to continue to draw him in.
This is not really a traditional poem, and because of this I find it a little difficult to enjoy, especially because I do not like poetry very much in general. But the lack of a rhyme scheme in his poems is not something that I can really get through when trying to read through the poems, and I find some of the pauses in the poem hard to understand as well because they do not seem very well placed to me. However, Whitman is the poetry genius so I think I will have to trust his judgement with the placement of comma's and hyphens.
For the most part, the poem is mostly a spiritual one, and is especially a spiritual experience for Whitman as well. This sense of self discovery that Whitman writes about is very inspirational as well. He speaks of the shoreline and seeks eternal self, thinking about the seaside as both an escape and as a prison at the same time. One one hand, the ocean is beautiful and Whitman loves to use it is an escape and a source for great and beautiful inspiration. But on the other hand, Whitman also sees the ocean as something that is keeping him prisoner by pulling him back in again and again, never letting him go because Whitman wants to continue to return; he loves the ocean. Whitman is also searching for himself while looking out at the ocean, and thinks the ocean is keeping things elusive and mysterious to continue to draw him in.
This is not really a traditional poem, and because of this I find it a little difficult to enjoy, especially because I do not like poetry very much in general. But the lack of a rhyme scheme in his poems is not something that I can really get through when trying to read through the poems, and I find some of the pauses in the poem hard to understand as well because they do not seem very well placed to me. However, Whitman is the poetry genius so I think I will have to trust his judgement with the placement of comma's and hyphens.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Walt Whitman "City of Ships"
I chose to analyze the poem "City of Ships" from the Drum-Taps section of "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman. This poem exhibits many of the traits that are common in Whitman's many poems, including mentions of Abraham Lincoln, loyalty and patriotism towards the United States of America, and other aspects of life back in the time of Walt Whitman. In the beginning of the poem, Whitman says that he loves all of the different ships in the wharf, which is located somewhere in New York. He explains his love for these various ships, and especially appreciates the distinct diversity between all of them. He talks about black ships, fierce ships, and beautiful sharp-bow'd steam ships and sail ships (Whitman). Whitman states physical differences, but none really having to do with the performance or standard of the ships. He also appreciates the diverstiy between the American ships and ships of the other countries- because Whitman is pretty interested in culture. According to Oliver, Whitman really enjoyed the thought of all tese ships from powerful countries around the world being together in one place in America (Oliver).
The poem goes on and Whitman begins to talk about the Civil War, which is pretty typical of Whitman's poems. He is very supportive of the war effort and patriotic- believing that the Union should follow President Lincoln and support the war that needed to be fought (Whitman). Working as a medic during the Civil War, Whitman saw a lot of the gruesome and horrifying aspects of fighting in a war. His good thoughts about the war were crushed by the things that he saw on the battlefield, but he still remained loyal to President Lincoln (Oliver).
In the last stanza of the poem, Whitman says that he wants peace, but still thought that there was an important meaning behind the war. In the terrible times of the Civil War, the ships that Whitman spoke about loving earlier in the poem were damaged and went through the war as well. The effects of the war on the country did not cause Whitman to be any less patriotic, especially towards President Lincoln, and he still loves the country and the President.
The main point of this poem is for Whitman to talk about how much he appreciates hs country and how he will be loyal to it through both hard times and easy times. He is also a big fan of the diversity going on in America, and not just in the city in New York that he is talking about in the beginning of the poem. Whitman uses this poem to describe something that seems very simple and he turns it into something that is much larger, both physically and hypothetically. The turmoil of the civil war was something very important that went on in our country, and Whitman is turning the war into a bigger picture view of his subtle mentions of diversity in the country.
As a whole, this poem seems to be another of Whitman's writing describing of a seemingly simple thing or occurrence truly representing something much more important such as the turmoil of the Civil War on America or the growing diversity of America.
Works Cited
Oliver, Charles M. "'City of Ships'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW093&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 7, 2011).
Whitman, Walt. "City of Ships." The Walt Whitman Archive. 2011. Web. 7 Mar. 2011.
The poem goes on and Whitman begins to talk about the Civil War, which is pretty typical of Whitman's poems. He is very supportive of the war effort and patriotic- believing that the Union should follow President Lincoln and support the war that needed to be fought (Whitman). Working as a medic during the Civil War, Whitman saw a lot of the gruesome and horrifying aspects of fighting in a war. His good thoughts about the war were crushed by the things that he saw on the battlefield, but he still remained loyal to President Lincoln (Oliver).
In the last stanza of the poem, Whitman says that he wants peace, but still thought that there was an important meaning behind the war. In the terrible times of the Civil War, the ships that Whitman spoke about loving earlier in the poem were damaged and went through the war as well. The effects of the war on the country did not cause Whitman to be any less patriotic, especially towards President Lincoln, and he still loves the country and the President.
The main point of this poem is for Whitman to talk about how much he appreciates hs country and how he will be loyal to it through both hard times and easy times. He is also a big fan of the diversity going on in America, and not just in the city in New York that he is talking about in the beginning of the poem. Whitman uses this poem to describe something that seems very simple and he turns it into something that is much larger, both physically and hypothetically. The turmoil of the civil war was something very important that went on in our country, and Whitman is turning the war into a bigger picture view of his subtle mentions of diversity in the country.
As a whole, this poem seems to be another of Whitman's writing describing of a seemingly simple thing or occurrence truly representing something much more important such as the turmoil of the Civil War on America or the growing diversity of America.
Works Cited
Oliver, Charles M. "'City of Ships'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW093&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 7, 2011).
Whitman, Walt. "City of Ships." The Walt Whitman Archive. 2011. Web. 7 Mar. 2011.
Monday, March 7, 2011
"I Heard You Solemn-Sweet Pipes of the Organ"
"I Heard You Solemn-Sweet Pipes of the Organ" is yet another poem by Walt Whitman that has more than one meaning- one that is very simple and literal and more that are more submerged and subtle, and harder to see when you first read the poem. The literal meaning, however, can be grasped very quickly and seems simple and easy to understand.
There is a man walking, and he passes by a church. Hearing the choir singing and organ/music playing, the man begins to think about love and other similar emotions that go along with it. The pulse of the music stayed in the man's ear as he walked away, just as the reminder of his love stayed with him always as well, no matter how subtle or hidden. Many parts of the music going on in the church reminds the man of this romance of his, and he is caught up in remembering everything and reflecting on his love.
There is also a very obvious theme of religion in the poem, like in most of Whitman's other poems, because the man is walking past a church and hears religious songs, as well as because the man could be thinking of his life for Christ and God instead of his love for a man or for a woman. Love is another obvious theme; the man is thinking about love when he hears the music from the church and this causes him to think of more things that remind him of love. Nature plays a small part in one line of the poem, which kind of describes a little bit of the scene but it's necessarily very important. The poem holds some good imagery, but not in excessive amount, and there is a nice amount of detail as well. Because this is a short poem, I am glad that it was more overpowered with emotions than with a lot of detail that does not have as much meaning. I did not notice that much about "self" or the "everyman" in this poem, but it kind of fits in. Anybody could be walking by a church on a Sunday morning and be reminded of love by hearing a song, and anybody can be in love. However, I do not see any other evidence of those two things anywhere else in the poem. "Self", especially, is not really touched upon in the poem. The reflection done by the man in the poem exhibits some qualities of self, but Whitman does not go into deeper into the subject and seems to just leave it at that. In this poem, Whitman is basically tying love and music together and saying that you can find memories or thoughts of love in anything if you look hard enough and really have those feelings for someone or even something.
The analysis I found about this poem was by Charles Oliver. Oliver addresses Whitman's sexuality, wondering if the love mentioned by the man in the poem is a man or a woman (Oliver). He also alludes that other people knew about Whitman's homosexuality, and I did not realize that people knew about Whitman's sexuality back around the time that his poems were being published. I did not think this would be common knowledge because Whitman's poems have a lot to do with religion and Christianity, which generally goes against homosexuality. Also, people were not very accepting at all of homosexuality back when Whitman was alive so I did not realize it was a known fact.
Oliver, Charles M. "'I Heard You Solemn-Sweet Pipes of the Organ'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW198&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 6, 2011).
Whitman, Walt. "I HEARD YOU SOLEMN-SWEET PIPES OF THE ORGAN. (Leaves of Grass [1891-1892])." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .
There is a man walking, and he passes by a church. Hearing the choir singing and organ/music playing, the man begins to think about love and other similar emotions that go along with it. The pulse of the music stayed in the man's ear as he walked away, just as the reminder of his love stayed with him always as well, no matter how subtle or hidden. Many parts of the music going on in the church reminds the man of this romance of his, and he is caught up in remembering everything and reflecting on his love.
There is also a very obvious theme of religion in the poem, like in most of Whitman's other poems, because the man is walking past a church and hears religious songs, as well as because the man could be thinking of his life for Christ and God instead of his love for a man or for a woman. Love is another obvious theme; the man is thinking about love when he hears the music from the church and this causes him to think of more things that remind him of love. Nature plays a small part in one line of the poem, which kind of describes a little bit of the scene but it's necessarily very important. The poem holds some good imagery, but not in excessive amount, and there is a nice amount of detail as well. Because this is a short poem, I am glad that it was more overpowered with emotions than with a lot of detail that does not have as much meaning. I did not notice that much about "self" or the "everyman" in this poem, but it kind of fits in. Anybody could be walking by a church on a Sunday morning and be reminded of love by hearing a song, and anybody can be in love. However, I do not see any other evidence of those two things anywhere else in the poem. "Self", especially, is not really touched upon in the poem. The reflection done by the man in the poem exhibits some qualities of self, but Whitman does not go into deeper into the subject and seems to just leave it at that. In this poem, Whitman is basically tying love and music together and saying that you can find memories or thoughts of love in anything if you look hard enough and really have those feelings for someone or even something.
The analysis I found about this poem was by Charles Oliver. Oliver addresses Whitman's sexuality, wondering if the love mentioned by the man in the poem is a man or a woman (Oliver). He also alludes that other people knew about Whitman's homosexuality, and I did not realize that people knew about Whitman's sexuality back around the time that his poems were being published. I did not think this would be common knowledge because Whitman's poems have a lot to do with religion and Christianity, which generally goes against homosexuality. Also, people were not very accepting at all of homosexuality back when Whitman was alive so I did not realize it was a known fact.
Oliver, Charles M. "'I Heard You Solemn-Sweet Pipes of the Organ'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW198&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 6, 2011).
Whitman, Walt. "I HEARD YOU SOLEMN-SWEET PIPES OF THE ORGAN. (Leaves of Grass [1891-1892])." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .
Thursday, March 3, 2011
"To You."
This poem, "To You", is another one of Walt Whitman's poems that is extremely short.
"If you passing meet me, and desire to speak to me, why
should you not speak to me?
And why should I not speak to you?"
The meaning of the poem is very simple. Whitman is questioning the way that people treat each other, especially strangers. He is wondering why people do not address others when they see each other unexpectedly, and why they prefer to stick to themselves and not interact with each other. People still do this today in our society, so it is not just a thing of the past. In current times, most people still do not say hello to strangers (probably mostly because we live in a pretty scary, messed up world) and even if we see someone that we actually know, there is a good chance they will not really interact with each other very much. It is a lot easier to just say hello and then walk away and sometimes it's not convenient to say nothing at all.
In "Review of 'Leaves of Grass", Observer says that the poems in Whitman's book are highly critiqued but still remarkable (Observer). The author also makes remarks on Whitman's idea of "Self", something that Whitman brings up a lot in his poems and ties a lot of things back to (Observer). In "To You", there was no real mention of "Self", but I think that was only because the poem is so short and so simple. There was no focus on God or anything like that because it is a little poem that is just about the nature of humans and they way that they interact with each other, or more specifically, the way that they do not interact with each other. The author also notes how "Self" seems to be missing from just a few of the poems, and I am assuming that "To You" is one of those peoms he is referring to. This critic seemed to be a big fan of Whitman, which is a pleasant change. Although I am not very fond of his writing, I also think that some people were too harsh with their opinions of him and his works, mostly because he addresses topics that are pretty touchy, like homosexuality and sex. Observer focused more on Whitman's style than the issues that were addressed, and I think that was needed. Although I do not like Whitman's style at all, I think that it is important for critics to focus on style of writing instead of just the contact.
Observer. "[Review of Leaves of Grass (1867)]." Massachusetts Weekly Spy (2 November 1866): 1.
Whitman, Walt. "TO YOU. (Leaves of Grass [1891-1892])." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 01 Mar. 2011..
"If you passing meet me, and desire to speak to me, why
should you not speak to me?
And why should I not speak to you?"
The meaning of the poem is very simple. Whitman is questioning the way that people treat each other, especially strangers. He is wondering why people do not address others when they see each other unexpectedly, and why they prefer to stick to themselves and not interact with each other. People still do this today in our society, so it is not just a thing of the past. In current times, most people still do not say hello to strangers (probably mostly because we live in a pretty scary, messed up world) and even if we see someone that we actually know, there is a good chance they will not really interact with each other very much. It is a lot easier to just say hello and then walk away and sometimes it's not convenient to say nothing at all.
In "Review of 'Leaves of Grass", Observer says that the poems in Whitman's book are highly critiqued but still remarkable (Observer). The author also makes remarks on Whitman's idea of "Self", something that Whitman brings up a lot in his poems and ties a lot of things back to (Observer). In "To You", there was no real mention of "Self", but I think that was only because the poem is so short and so simple. There was no focus on God or anything like that because it is a little poem that is just about the nature of humans and they way that they interact with each other, or more specifically, the way that they do not interact with each other. The author also notes how "Self" seems to be missing from just a few of the poems, and I am assuming that "To You" is one of those peoms he is referring to. This critic seemed to be a big fan of Whitman, which is a pleasant change. Although I am not very fond of his writing, I also think that some people were too harsh with their opinions of him and his works, mostly because he addresses topics that are pretty touchy, like homosexuality and sex. Observer focused more on Whitman's style than the issues that were addressed, and I think that was needed. Although I do not like Whitman's style at all, I think that it is important for critics to focus on style of writing instead of just the contact.
Observer. "[Review of Leaves of Grass (1867)]." Massachusetts Weekly Spy (2 November 1866): 1.
Whitman, Walt. "TO YOU. (Leaves of Grass [1891-1892])." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 01 Mar. 2011.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
"Self"
I am not very sure of what Whitman is trying to convey in his idea of “Self”. At first, it comes off as a totally egotistical and vain. Even when you look further into and see the Christianity that is brought into and weaved into the rest of the Self philosophy, it still feels like Whitman is a little too centered on himself. It seems like he takes the phrase “God is everywhere and everything” and applied that a little too literally to his own life. He thinks that is God is everything, and everything is God. This interpretation of the idea itself seems much too literal to be applied to literature, especially Whitman’s poems, which go against social protocol and were seem as unacceptable by many readers and critics of the time.
This philosophy of Self seems way to complicated, and is a little hard to understand. There are a lot of different ideas behind it, and therefore it is kind of hard to apply to things, even Whitman’s own writings. It’s pretty obvious that Self exists in his own work, mostly because he ties so many things back to religion in very obscure ways that the reader can only truly understand if they are knowledgeable in the philosophy of Whitman’s self. But it kind of seems too time consuming to learn everything you can about Whitman and Self just to analyze a poem and see what is behind it. That doesn’t mean that this analyzing and interpreting is pointless, but just that Self seems too complicated for what it is. Everyone has a different interpretation of things, and the nice thing about poetry and literature in general is that everyone can look at it in a different way and apply their own ideas to it. Everyone can see so many things differently, so Self is complicated in that sense as well.
Because Whitman wrote about pretty controversial topics, it’s weird to see how often he relates back to religion and Christianity. Whitman’s presumed homosexuality and other aspects of his life go against some the teachings of the Bible, even though this is much more acceptable in society today. Self was unusual for the time period, but also a little odd for this time period. People are still pretty focused around themselves, although I don’t think there are that many people who have such a God complex these days even though there are probably some that do.
There are a lot of parts of life that tie back into Whitman’s idea of Self- personalities, characteristics, ego, and religion. All the emotions and feelings of life are entangled in the idea, which contributes the complicated part of the philosophy as well. Self is about finding the “real person” behind people and not the person that is just on display to the world.
Works Cited
Bauerlein, Mark. "Whitman's Language of the Self." American Imago 44, no. 2 (Summer 1987). Quoted as "Whitman's Language of the Self" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Song of Myself, Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=MCISOM004&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 20, 2010).
This philosophy of Self seems way to complicated, and is a little hard to understand. There are a lot of different ideas behind it, and therefore it is kind of hard to apply to things, even Whitman’s own writings. It’s pretty obvious that Self exists in his own work, mostly because he ties so many things back to religion in very obscure ways that the reader can only truly understand if they are knowledgeable in the philosophy of Whitman’s self. But it kind of seems too time consuming to learn everything you can about Whitman and Self just to analyze a poem and see what is behind it. That doesn’t mean that this analyzing and interpreting is pointless, but just that Self seems too complicated for what it is. Everyone has a different interpretation of things, and the nice thing about poetry and literature in general is that everyone can look at it in a different way and apply their own ideas to it. Everyone can see so many things differently, so Self is complicated in that sense as well.
Because Whitman wrote about pretty controversial topics, it’s weird to see how often he relates back to religion and Christianity. Whitman’s presumed homosexuality and other aspects of his life go against some the teachings of the Bible, even though this is much more acceptable in society today. Self was unusual for the time period, but also a little odd for this time period. People are still pretty focused around themselves, although I don’t think there are that many people who have such a God complex these days even though there are probably some that do.
There are a lot of parts of life that tie back into Whitman’s idea of Self- personalities, characteristics, ego, and religion. All the emotions and feelings of life are entangled in the idea, which contributes the complicated part of the philosophy as well. Self is about finding the “real person” behind people and not the person that is just on display to the world.
Works Cited
Bauerlein, Mark. "Whitman's Language of the Self." American Imago 44, no. 2 (Summer 1987). Quoted as "Whitman's Language of the Self" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Song of Myself, Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=MCISOM004&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 20, 2010).
Journal #38: "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing"
This poem by Walt Whitman is an extremely short one. Seriously, it's only four lines long.
"As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing,
or the sower sowing in the fields- or the harvester harvesting
I saw there too, O life and death, your analogies:
(Life, life is the tillage, and Death is the harvest according.)"
At first glance, it seems like Whitman is simply alluding to the circle of life, because of his mention of Death being the harvester and the analogies of life and death. Whitman sees life as tillage, meaning that life is overturned and broken up, and does not always go smoothly. This poem seems fairly simple at first, because it just seems like Whitman is describing the way he sees the circle of life and is relating it to common aspects of the every day life of the time period.
When you go deeper into the poem to analyze it, more things come forward and sort of change the meaning and the purpose of the poem. Christianity can be brought into it when you think of the ploughman, sower, and harvester as the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The way I see it, Jesus could be the ploughman, getting people ready to receive the word of God. And then God could be the sower, giving people His word. The Holy Spirit would then be the harvester, because most Christians believe that after you die, your soul is taken up to heaven by the Holy Spirit (unless you're going in the other direction, of course- but that's really your problem if that's so).
Personally, I think that Whitman really was relating the poem back to Christianity and God when he wrote "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing", because of the way he ties every single thing he writes about back to "Self" and to religion as well. Basically, I think the main point of this poem was for Whitman to show people how God and religion connects back to the mundane aspects of everyday life.
"As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing,
or the sower sowing in the fields- or the harvester harvesting
I saw there too, O life and death, your analogies:
(Life, life is the tillage, and Death is the harvest according.)"
At first glance, it seems like Whitman is simply alluding to the circle of life, because of his mention of Death being the harvester and the analogies of life and death. Whitman sees life as tillage, meaning that life is overturned and broken up, and does not always go smoothly. This poem seems fairly simple at first, because it just seems like Whitman is describing the way he sees the circle of life and is relating it to common aspects of the every day life of the time period.
When you go deeper into the poem to analyze it, more things come forward and sort of change the meaning and the purpose of the poem. Christianity can be brought into it when you think of the ploughman, sower, and harvester as the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The way I see it, Jesus could be the ploughman, getting people ready to receive the word of God. And then God could be the sower, giving people His word. The Holy Spirit would then be the harvester, because most Christians believe that after you die, your soul is taken up to heaven by the Holy Spirit (unless you're going in the other direction, of course- but that's really your problem if that's so).
Personally, I think that Whitman really was relating the poem back to Christianity and God when he wrote "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing", because of the way he ties every single thing he writes about back to "Self" and to religion as well. Basically, I think the main point of this poem was for Whitman to show people how God and religion connects back to the mundane aspects of everyday life.
Journal #37: Whitman Article
"Whitman's Image of the Self" was pretty interesting. It what nice to see another person's perspective of Whitman's writing style in his poetry, particularly because I am not a very big fan of his writing. Whitman's writing technique's are also explained very well, although I still do not like some of the things Whitman addressed and the manner in which he does so. The author of the article, Bauerlein, says that Whitman is basically egotistical and self-centered, which I agree with for the most part. Some of Whitman's writing serves the purpose to entertain and to teach, but I think the majority of Whitman's writing strays too far away from those purposes because he really does come across self-centered in my eyes.
On one hand, Whitman is very focused on portraying his idea of "self" in an extensive manner, and this accounts for some of the arrogance in Whitman's writing. It was necessary to explain his idea of "self" because it is something that he was very passionate about the idea. However, this still seems very egotistical for some reason. It might just be because I am already not a big fan of Whitman and I like that Bauerlein seems to have some of the same opinions about Whitman and his writing style as I do. Bauerlein also points out the harsher aspects of Whitman's poetry and how it related to the events of Whitman's life. There were a lot of things that I did not know about Walt Whitman (mostly because I never cared to learn anything about him) and I was surprised to learn about some of the things that happened to him. His homosexuality and abusive father were definitely obstacles in his life- his sexual orientation was not really accepted in society at the time and he was harmed by his father, the man who was supposed to take care of him. These harsh events are reflected in Whitman's writing through some of the darker tones that are present.
It is pretty important, I think, to know a little bit about the background of an author's life before you can analyze their poetry, novels, and etc. and fully understand them. This helps with interpreting the message that is meant to be conveyed and Bauerlein provided some of this background on Whitman's life.
On one hand, Whitman is very focused on portraying his idea of "self" in an extensive manner, and this accounts for some of the arrogance in Whitman's writing. It was necessary to explain his idea of "self" because it is something that he was very passionate about the idea. However, this still seems very egotistical for some reason. It might just be because I am already not a big fan of Whitman and I like that Bauerlein seems to have some of the same opinions about Whitman and his writing style as I do. Bauerlein also points out the harsher aspects of Whitman's poetry and how it related to the events of Whitman's life. There were a lot of things that I did not know about Walt Whitman (mostly because I never cared to learn anything about him) and I was surprised to learn about some of the things that happened to him. His homosexuality and abusive father were definitely obstacles in his life- his sexual orientation was not really accepted in society at the time and he was harmed by his father, the man who was supposed to take care of him. These harsh events are reflected in Whitman's writing through some of the darker tones that are present.
It is pretty important, I think, to know a little bit about the background of an author's life before you can analyze their poetry, novels, and etc. and fully understand them. This helps with interpreting the message that is meant to be conveyed and Bauerlein provided some of this background on Whitman's life.
Journal #36: Favorite Meal
My favorite meal is very delicious. Steak, corn, and mashed potatoes.
I prefer to have my steak cooked on the grill, medium, with a light dusting of seasoning and spices for a flavor explosion when you bite into it. My preferred size for a steak is eleven ounces, so that I have just a little bit left over for a snack, and I do not feel so bad about eating an entire steak. Typically, my steak comes from County Market or from Sam's, but there have also been times when my farmer cousin gives us fresh steak from her cow farm- I would prefer not to think about that any further. The steak I like is pretty typical- brownish on the outside with a pinkish inside (because it's cooked medium) and no blood dripping from it. That is very unappealing to me to cut into my delicious steak dinner and see that my meal is still bleeding a light pink, watery substances.
In my favorite meal, I like my corn to come from a can, and my favorite is of the Green Giant variety. I do not like eating corn fresh of the farm, which is what my grandparents always try and get me to eat. The corn is pale and I think it tastes like grass, which is why I enjoy store bought a lot more. The kernels are a beautiful shade of golden yellow and roughly the size of my pinky nail. My favorite way to eat these kernels is to stab the fleshy, light yellow bottom part with a prong of my fork, pick up three or four kernels, and eat them like that. And I also add a little flavoring to my canned corn with a pat of County Crock butter (about a teaspoon), and a sprinkling of salt. I usually eat the corn out of a itty bitty little casserole dish, and then put the leftovers in the fridge so I can have them the next day for breakfast, lunch, or a delicious little snack.
Mashed potatoes are the last element of this wonderful meal. My mom is very good at making them non-lumpy, so sometimes I have to take over. The mashed potatoes I like are fairly simple- you cut up a couple of nicely sized potatoes, after peeling and washing them, and then put them in a mixing bowl with some milk. I usually just splash some Prairie Farms Skim Milk (the kind with the pink label) in there, but I suppose that would amount to about a cup. Probably a little less. And then I turn on my white Pampered Chef mixer and go to town, trying to ensure that there are no lumps left in the potatoes when I am done. But you have to be careful because while lumpy mashed potatoes are not appetizing, neither are mashed potatoes that are practically liquid. I do not like my potatoes too lumpy or too smooth- it's more of a happy medium. After dishing the mashed potatoes onto my plate, I add some Country Crock butter (a little more than a spoonful), and some salt. And then I mix it all up and eat it and it is delicious.
I prefer to have my steak cooked on the grill, medium, with a light dusting of seasoning and spices for a flavor explosion when you bite into it. My preferred size for a steak is eleven ounces, so that I have just a little bit left over for a snack, and I do not feel so bad about eating an entire steak. Typically, my steak comes from County Market or from Sam's, but there have also been times when my farmer cousin gives us fresh steak from her cow farm- I would prefer not to think about that any further. The steak I like is pretty typical- brownish on the outside with a pinkish inside (because it's cooked medium) and no blood dripping from it. That is very unappealing to me to cut into my delicious steak dinner and see that my meal is still bleeding a light pink, watery substances.
In my favorite meal, I like my corn to come from a can, and my favorite is of the Green Giant variety. I do not like eating corn fresh of the farm, which is what my grandparents always try and get me to eat. The corn is pale and I think it tastes like grass, which is why I enjoy store bought a lot more. The kernels are a beautiful shade of golden yellow and roughly the size of my pinky nail. My favorite way to eat these kernels is to stab the fleshy, light yellow bottom part with a prong of my fork, pick up three or four kernels, and eat them like that. And I also add a little flavoring to my canned corn with a pat of County Crock butter (about a teaspoon), and a sprinkling of salt. I usually eat the corn out of a itty bitty little casserole dish, and then put the leftovers in the fridge so I can have them the next day for breakfast, lunch, or a delicious little snack.
Mashed potatoes are the last element of this wonderful meal. My mom is very good at making them non-lumpy, so sometimes I have to take over. The mashed potatoes I like are fairly simple- you cut up a couple of nicely sized potatoes, after peeling and washing them, and then put them in a mixing bowl with some milk. I usually just splash some Prairie Farms Skim Milk (the kind with the pink label) in there, but I suppose that would amount to about a cup. Probably a little less. And then I turn on my white Pampered Chef mixer and go to town, trying to ensure that there are no lumps left in the potatoes when I am done. But you have to be careful because while lumpy mashed potatoes are not appetizing, neither are mashed potatoes that are practically liquid. I do not like my potatoes too lumpy or too smooth- it's more of a happy medium. After dishing the mashed potatoes onto my plate, I add some Country Crock butter (a little more than a spoonful), and some salt. And then I mix it all up and eat it and it is delicious.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Journal #35: War Reporter
If I was a reporter, I do not think that I would want to be in the trenches with the troops during a war. I know that truly dedicated reporters/journalists get involved in the thing they are reporting in someway, but because I do not have any desire to be a reporter or journalist, this holds no appeal to me. I do not want to be in the middle of a riot in Egypt (like the wonderful and allusive Anderson Cooper) or in the trenches during WWII. Because there's a really good chance that I would get hurt or killed and really, I do not think it's worth it. Anderson Cooper got punched in the face when he was reporting about the riots in Egypt, and then he had to go into hiding for awhile. That does not sound at all appealing to me, thank you very much.
I do respect the journalists that risk their lives to bring people in America an important story about what is going on in the world, because they are so passionate about what they do. But I do not think I would be able to put myself in that position, especially because there are even more bad things happening in recent times. There are reporters going to Egypt, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, and other very dangerous places to cover news stories for newspapers and news stations. They are willing to do this and are probably excited to do it as well, but I could not put myself in that position just to bring an interesting story to life.
However, live reporting really does bring a better story to the table in spite of the danger also involved. It is more interesting to hear firsthand accounts of things than just research or quotes and such. And I think that one of the reasons reporters are so dedicated to the story is that they know people will be more interested and want to learn more and maybe even get involved with things like Haiti and other devastating disasters.
I do respect the journalists that risk their lives to bring people in America an important story about what is going on in the world, because they are so passionate about what they do. But I do not think I would be able to put myself in that position, especially because there are even more bad things happening in recent times. There are reporters going to Egypt, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, and other very dangerous places to cover news stories for newspapers and news stations. They are willing to do this and are probably excited to do it as well, but I could not put myself in that position just to bring an interesting story to life.
However, live reporting really does bring a better story to the table in spite of the danger also involved. It is more interesting to hear firsthand accounts of things than just research or quotes and such. And I think that one of the reasons reporters are so dedicated to the story is that they know people will be more interested and want to learn more and maybe even get involved with things like Haiti and other devastating disasters.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Robinson's Works
The two poems written by Edwin Arlington Robinson titled "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy" both display the common characteristics that come along with Realism. The characters in the poems are fairly average and are really nothing special or amazing, which is a large part of Realism (Campbell "Realism"). The writing styles of the poems are also very simple and the thoughts conveyed are very to the point and easy to understand.
The hero in "Richard Cory" is the typical and definitely average person that is usually in Realism works. He is not an extraordinary person but rather simple and easy to relate to, because a lot of people reading these poems are like that, too (Robinson "Richard"). However, Richard Cory is not middle class person but is actually fairly wealthy. However, his financial gains do not really translate into the rest of his life because he is average in most other aspects (Robinson "Richard"). The main character of "Miniver Cheevy" is also an average person, so both of the works displayed that part of Realism (Campbell "Realism"). Even though Richard Cory is pretty average, the other characters in the story seem to think he is destined for much more than that, and that he could have anything he wanted. And then all of a sudden, Richard Cory kills himself by shooting himself in the head (Robinson). This was how the author proved that he was not a perfect person in the slightest, and that he obviously had a lot of problems.
In "Miniver Cheevy", the main character, Miniver, with fantasies about King Arthur and the Round Table (Robinson "Miniver"). He is very average, but uses his little fantasy as a way to add a little excitement to his normal life. Miniver feels like he is missing out on something that he will never really be able to get in his life. Despite his day dreaming and fantasies, Miniver realizes that he is just a normal boy and there was nothing he could do about it However, these day dreams start to consume Miniver and he is desperate to have something that he never could. Again, this story is very realistic because sadly, people really do kill themselves for reasons that seem silly to others that simply may not understand (Robinson "Miniver").
Despite having a lot to do with the Realism period, neither of these two poems have much of a connection with the Naturalism part of Realism. There is nothing to do with science and analytical thinking or philosophy in the poems. Regionalism is definitely not a big presence in the poems either. There is nothing to do with the setting or the region the stories take place in. Society is a presence in the stories, however. Society plays a big part on how both Richard and Miniver feel about themselves (Robinson). Human nature is brought into the poems because of what Miniver and Richard think and feel and how they handle their emotions.There are no substantial mentions of religion or government in the poems, and nothing about nature either. For Richard and Miniver, the American Dream to have something that is simply unattainable to either of them. There is no figurative, flowery language to soften up the story, nor are their happy heroes who get everything they want.
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Richard Cory." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 575.
Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Miniver Cheevy." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 576.
The hero in "Richard Cory" is the typical and definitely average person that is usually in Realism works. He is not an extraordinary person but rather simple and easy to relate to, because a lot of people reading these poems are like that, too (Robinson "Richard"). However, Richard Cory is not middle class person but is actually fairly wealthy. However, his financial gains do not really translate into the rest of his life because he is average in most other aspects (Robinson "Richard"). The main character of "Miniver Cheevy" is also an average person, so both of the works displayed that part of Realism (Campbell "Realism"). Even though Richard Cory is pretty average, the other characters in the story seem to think he is destined for much more than that, and that he could have anything he wanted. And then all of a sudden, Richard Cory kills himself by shooting himself in the head (Robinson). This was how the author proved that he was not a perfect person in the slightest, and that he obviously had a lot of problems.
In "Miniver Cheevy", the main character, Miniver, with fantasies about King Arthur and the Round Table (Robinson "Miniver"). He is very average, but uses his little fantasy as a way to add a little excitement to his normal life. Miniver feels like he is missing out on something that he will never really be able to get in his life. Despite his day dreaming and fantasies, Miniver realizes that he is just a normal boy and there was nothing he could do about it However, these day dreams start to consume Miniver and he is desperate to have something that he never could. Again, this story is very realistic because sadly, people really do kill themselves for reasons that seem silly to others that simply may not understand (Robinson "Miniver").
Despite having a lot to do with the Realism period, neither of these two poems have much of a connection with the Naturalism part of Realism. There is nothing to do with science and analytical thinking or philosophy in the poems. Regionalism is definitely not a big presence in the poems either. There is nothing to do with the setting or the region the stories take place in. Society is a presence in the stories, however. Society plays a big part on how both Richard and Miniver feel about themselves (Robinson). Human nature is brought into the poems because of what Miniver and Richard think and feel and how they handle their emotions.There are no substantial mentions of religion or government in the poems, and nothing about nature either. For Richard and Miniver, the American Dream to have something that is simply unattainable to either of them. There is no figurative, flowery language to soften up the story, nor are their happy heroes who get everything they want.
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Richard Cory." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 575.
Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Miniver Cheevy." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 576.
Dunbar's Works
"Douglass" and "We Wear the Mask" are both written by Paul Laurence Dunbar and also both demonstrate many of the traits of Realism, as well as some from Regionalism and Naturalism. These are both poems and they both have a sad edge to them. In "We Wear the Mask", Dunbar talks about the "masks" that people wear in the world to conceal what they are really feeling (Dunbar "We Wear"). Because of this, "We Wear the Mask" immediately seems like it will exhibit a lot of Realism, simply because everyone in the world knows what it is like to hide their feelings, thoughts, and emotions from people around them. "Douglass" also conveys Realism because Dunbar talks about how people used Douglass as a reassurance and as someone to look up to during the abolitionist movement of the mid eighteen hundreds (Dunbar "Douglass"). This is also relative to Realism because the people are looking for some kind of hero to look up to (Campbell "Realism"). Douglass resumes the role of the hero, in a way, and gives the people what they want (Dunbar "Douglass").
In "We Wear the Mask", Dunbar says that no one really shows the world who they really are, because they hide behind masks so that the world will see them in a certain way, and that people do not want the rest of the world to catch them with their guard down (Dunbar "We Wear"). Because of this, no one can really tell what a person is really like underneath the facade they present to the world and all the people in it. People can form opinions about each other, but they will never really know the truth. This is a very sad fact that could very well be true. There are plenty of people who never reveal themselves for who they really are, whether it be a good or bad thing. The emotions in the poem and the reality of how people present themselves make this very realistic (Campbell "Realism"). "Douglass" is part of Realism as well because, like I said before, Douglass was a sort of hero to people in the abolitionist movement while he was still a real, hardworking person (Dunbar "Douglass"). Douglass was the hero in Dunbar's poem, and probably rightfully so due to all of his work for women's rights and equality, as well as abolitionism.
Along with being pretty realistic, the poems both also have a tone of sadness. While they are very much a part of Realism, I do not think they can really be classified as Naturalism poems. There is no real scientific or analytical thinking involved, but there is also not a lot of emphasis on God or the idea of religion in general. They are both also emotional and they are in the moment, not looking toward the past or the future. Society plays a part in the two works, because they are portrayed in a couple of different ways. In "We Wear the Mask", society is not really reliable because everyone is apparently being fake in someway and not to be trusted(Dunbar "We Wear"). There was also no real connection to Regionalism, because Dunbar does not talk about specific places or settings, which is actually pretty common in poems like "We Wear the Mask" and "Douglass". The author does not place any significance on the setting, so the reader can infer that it is not important. Religion and government do not play a real part in the works either, except for a couple of mentions in "Douglass" because of the political part of abolitionism and women's rights.
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Dunbar, Paul L. ""Douglass"/"We Wear the Mask"" American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 568-71. Print.
In "We Wear the Mask", Dunbar says that no one really shows the world who they really are, because they hide behind masks so that the world will see them in a certain way, and that people do not want the rest of the world to catch them with their guard down (Dunbar "We Wear"). Because of this, no one can really tell what a person is really like underneath the facade they present to the world and all the people in it. People can form opinions about each other, but they will never really know the truth. This is a very sad fact that could very well be true. There are plenty of people who never reveal themselves for who they really are, whether it be a good or bad thing. The emotions in the poem and the reality of how people present themselves make this very realistic (Campbell "Realism"). "Douglass" is part of Realism as well because, like I said before, Douglass was a sort of hero to people in the abolitionist movement while he was still a real, hardworking person (Dunbar "Douglass"). Douglass was the hero in Dunbar's poem, and probably rightfully so due to all of his work for women's rights and equality, as well as abolitionism.
Along with being pretty realistic, the poems both also have a tone of sadness. While they are very much a part of Realism, I do not think they can really be classified as Naturalism poems. There is no real scientific or analytical thinking involved, but there is also not a lot of emphasis on God or the idea of religion in general. They are both also emotional and they are in the moment, not looking toward the past or the future. Society plays a part in the two works, because they are portrayed in a couple of different ways. In "We Wear the Mask", society is not really reliable because everyone is apparently being fake in someway and not to be trusted(Dunbar "We Wear"). There was also no real connection to Regionalism, because Dunbar does not talk about specific places or settings, which is actually pretty common in poems like "We Wear the Mask" and "Douglass". The author does not place any significance on the setting, so the reader can infer that it is not important. Religion and government do not play a real part in the works either, except for a couple of mentions in "Douglass" because of the political part of abolitionism and women's rights.
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Dunbar, Paul L. ""Douglass"/"We Wear the Mask"" American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 568-71. Print.
"Two Views of the River"
In "Two Views of the River", the author, Mark Twain, talks about the years that he worked on a steamboat. It is a more serious story than some of Mark Twain's other works, and it cannot really be classified as a real story. It was more like a lesson about having too much of a good thing and why this can have negative effects on your life (Twain).
The story begins with Mark Twain marveling at the beauty of the river and the sunsets and the nature surrounding him while he worked on the steamboat. However, over time, Twain kind of lost sight of enjoying the more simple things in life and no longer enjoyed the view of the river as much because it was old news. He could no longer see the vast beauty of the river as he had seen it before, simply because of how often he saw it (Twain). When the newness wore off, Twain no longer appreciated the beauty of nature for what it is because he was focused more on other things, such as his job. The beauty of the river became a day to day experience for Mark Twain, and therefore it lost some of its intrigue and mysterious aspects. Eventually Twain realizes what a shame it is that he no longer appreciates the wonder of the nature around him, and because he's already been "exploited" in a way, he will never see the river with the same awed reverence and innocence as he was able to before (Twain).
This story captures parts of Realism in a view different ways. Twain kind of becomes hardened by his work on the boat, which is something that is very common. People really do not appreciate all that they have until they realize they do not have it anymore. This practical loss makes the story seem easier to relate to and more plausible (Campbell "Realism"). Twain is upset about what he is missing out on, and that is something that happens to everyone at some point in their lives. We all lose litte parts of ourselves along the way, but those losses make us what we are today. This story can be classified as a piece of Realism simply because it documents the very common loss of youthful innocence that people go through in life (Campbell "Realism").
The descriptions of the river and the nature surrounding it give the story a touch of Naturalism in it as well, but there are no real philosophical roots or anything like that (Campbell "Naturalism"). However, because there is no real mention of God in the story, it can be perceived as Naturalism in that sense as well, along with some of Twain's more analytical style of writing in this story (Campbell "Naturalism").
Even though Twain is noted for what he does with Regionalism in his stories, there was not a log of Regionalism present in "Two Views of a River". He does talk a little bit about the setting and give some descriptions, but there is still not a lot of influence from the region (Twain). The dialect in the story could actually promote Regionalism a bit, but not substantially. Instead of talking about the traditions, customs, and way of life in the area, Twain talks more about the nature surronding the area.Religion and government are not at play in this story, but focused more on nature and what the main character was feeling (Twain). There is also not much to do with human nature and the American Dream, although you could make the arguement that Twain's dedication to his work on the steamboat could show that he was trying to live up to his own idea of the American Dream.
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River" American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 504-05. Print.
The story begins with Mark Twain marveling at the beauty of the river and the sunsets and the nature surrounding him while he worked on the steamboat. However, over time, Twain kind of lost sight of enjoying the more simple things in life and no longer enjoyed the view of the river as much because it was old news. He could no longer see the vast beauty of the river as he had seen it before, simply because of how often he saw it (Twain). When the newness wore off, Twain no longer appreciated the beauty of nature for what it is because he was focused more on other things, such as his job. The beauty of the river became a day to day experience for Mark Twain, and therefore it lost some of its intrigue and mysterious aspects. Eventually Twain realizes what a shame it is that he no longer appreciates the wonder of the nature around him, and because he's already been "exploited" in a way, he will never see the river with the same awed reverence and innocence as he was able to before (Twain).
This story captures parts of Realism in a view different ways. Twain kind of becomes hardened by his work on the boat, which is something that is very common. People really do not appreciate all that they have until they realize they do not have it anymore. This practical loss makes the story seem easier to relate to and more plausible (Campbell "Realism"). Twain is upset about what he is missing out on, and that is something that happens to everyone at some point in their lives. We all lose litte parts of ourselves along the way, but those losses make us what we are today. This story can be classified as a piece of Realism simply because it documents the very common loss of youthful innocence that people go through in life (Campbell "Realism").
The descriptions of the river and the nature surrounding it give the story a touch of Naturalism in it as well, but there are no real philosophical roots or anything like that (Campbell "Naturalism"). However, because there is no real mention of God in the story, it can be perceived as Naturalism in that sense as well, along with some of Twain's more analytical style of writing in this story (Campbell "Naturalism").
Even though Twain is noted for what he does with Regionalism in his stories, there was not a log of Regionalism present in "Two Views of a River". He does talk a little bit about the setting and give some descriptions, but there is still not a lot of influence from the region (Twain). The dialect in the story could actually promote Regionalism a bit, but not substantially. Instead of talking about the traditions, customs, and way of life in the area, Twain talks more about the nature surronding the area.Religion and government are not at play in this story, but focused more on nature and what the main character was feeling (Twain). There is also not much to do with human nature and the American Dream, although you could make the arguement that Twain's dedication to his work on the steamboat could show that he was trying to live up to his own idea of the American Dream.
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River" American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 504-05. Print.
"I Will Fight No More"
"I Will Fight No More Forever" was written by Joseph, the chief of the Nez Perce tribe. Even though the tribe is described as typically being a violent one involved in many battles, this speech in particular is about how Chief Joseph's desire to give up fighting, because he wants more time with his tribe and his family. The main reason this speech is a part of Realism is because the events in the speech are historically accurate and really did happen. Despite having some characteristics of Realism in it, the speech does not have much to do with Naturalism or Regionalism. There was a bit of Regionalism because it is a speech and Chief Joseph would obviously be talking in his own common speech and everyday vernacular. However, that is the only large part of Regionalism involved in the speech. There is also not very much Naturalism apparent in the story. Again, the only thing tying this speech into Realism is the historical accuracy and the events being talked about actually did happen in history. This is probably true for all speeches though, because if you talk about something in a speech you usually are talking about something you know a lot about from either firsthand accounts of something you have detailed greatly.
There is a little bit of government mentioned in the speech because of the conflicts going on between the American government and the Native Americans during this time period (Joseph). There were a lot of troubles and because of the government and their wrong doings against the Native American tribes. In his speech Chief Joseph talks about these things about how those events are causing a great deal of emotional problems as well as physical ones (Joseph). Again, Naturalism is not a part of the speech and there is little do with nature except for when Chief Joseph talks about the very cold weather and how it is effecting the tribe. However there is human nature involved in the speech because of the natural fight or flight instinct that all humans posses. Chief Joseph is losing his will to fight and is more occupied with the flight aspect of the scenario (Joseph). The American Dream also comes into play in the speech. Although the Native Americans have a different view of the dream than people in the cities do, they still had their own dream. They wanted to have a place of their own where they could safely raise their families and continue to thrive as a community (Joseph).
I do not like this speech was a very good representation of all of the categories of Realism. While there are little parts of Naturalism, Regionalism, and Realism, they are not hugely represented in the story and cannot be considered a very important part of the speech, and therefore the speech is not really a part of the Realism movement. The relocation of the Indians played a very important yet sad part of American History, and therefore there is a lot of historical accuracy especially because the speech was actually given by a Native American experiencing the hardships and confusion of the relocation and mistreatment of Indians.
Joseph, Chief. "I Will Fight No More." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 533. Print.
There is a little bit of government mentioned in the speech because of the conflicts going on between the American government and the Native Americans during this time period (Joseph). There were a lot of troubles and because of the government and their wrong doings against the Native American tribes. In his speech Chief Joseph talks about these things about how those events are causing a great deal of emotional problems as well as physical ones (Joseph). Again, Naturalism is not a part of the speech and there is little do with nature except for when Chief Joseph talks about the very cold weather and how it is effecting the tribe. However there is human nature involved in the speech because of the natural fight or flight instinct that all humans posses. Chief Joseph is losing his will to fight and is more occupied with the flight aspect of the scenario (Joseph). The American Dream also comes into play in the speech. Although the Native Americans have a different view of the dream than people in the cities do, they still had their own dream. They wanted to have a place of their own where they could safely raise their families and continue to thrive as a community (Joseph).
I do not like this speech was a very good representation of all of the categories of Realism. While there are little parts of Naturalism, Regionalism, and Realism, they are not hugely represented in the story and cannot be considered a very important part of the speech, and therefore the speech is not really a part of the Realism movement. The relocation of the Indians played a very important yet sad part of American History, and therefore there is a lot of historical accuracy especially because the speech was actually given by a Native American experiencing the hardships and confusion of the relocation and mistreatment of Indians.
Joseph, Chief. "I Will Fight No More." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 533. Print.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
"Spoon River Anthology"
"Spoon River Anthology" by Edgar Lee Masters definitely does demonstrate characteristics of both Realism and Regionalism, but not so much with Naturalism. The cemetery in Spoon River, which just so happens to be in the delightful state of Illinois, is the entire setting for the story and the very thorough description of the setting instantly gives the story parts of Regionalism. The story is really made up of a lot of different monologues, but the setting is still the same for each one and therefore gets quite a few descriptions even though there is not too much. And the setting is the only real tie between the different people giving the monologues for the story (Masters). There are probably some other same similarities between all of them, but the setting is definitely the biggest and most important one. More Regionalism is exhibited through the various dialect and characters that tell the story, although all of them do come from the Midwest their dialect and background differ slightly from tale to tale (Campbell "Regionalism"). Masters gives the story a lot of description but the cemetery is still not described in excessive detail; it mostly just seems that way because it is the setting for the entire story. The setting of a story is the main part of Regionalism, and something that makes "Spoon River Anthology" a part of the genre. The characters all share a pretty similar way of talking, most likely because they come from the Midwest and have a very neutral accent (Masters). The many different point of views that come into play in the story are a little hard to follow, but the writing and story and basically simple and to the point so it is not hard to catch up and realize what is happening.
This simple writing makes the story display Realism, because this is a major indicator of the genre (Campbell "Realism"). The characters are also pretty average, so this displays parts of Realism as well. If there really is a main hero in the story, which I do not really see, he or she would be completely average like most of the other characters in the story. The many viewpoints of the story also give a more realistic side as well because if the stories within the story happen to coincide together, then they can immediately be seen as more accurate because there is more than one person backing up the story line.
Despite displaying a lot of Realism and Regionalism, there is not a lot of Naturalism there, nor is there a lot of mention of government and religion or psychological influences. Naturalism does not play a key part in the story, but "Spoon River Anthology" is still definitely a work of Realism and Regionalism. The American Dream of the time period is briefly brought into the story because the people in the story are very real and there are things in their lives that they are working hard towards, and I think working hard to achieve what you want is a big part of the American Dream.
This simple writing makes the story display Realism, because this is a major indicator of the genre (Campbell "Realism"). The characters are also pretty average, so this displays parts of Realism as well. If there really is a main hero in the story, which I do not really see, he or she would be completely average like most of the other characters in the story. The many viewpoints of the story also give a more realistic side as well because if the stories within the story happen to coincide together, then they can immediately be seen as more accurate because there is more than one person backing up the story line.
Despite displaying a lot of Realism and Regionalism, there is not a lot of Naturalism there, nor is there a lot of mention of government and religion or psychological influences. Naturalism does not play a key part in the story, but "Spoon River Anthology" is still definitely a work of Realism and Regionalism. The American Dream of the time period is briefly brought into the story because the people in the story are very real and there are things in their lives that they are working hard towards, and I think working hard to achieve what you want is a big part of the American Dream.
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. 11 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Masters, Edgar Lee. "Spoon Rivers Anthology." Bartleby: Great Books Online. 2011. Online. Feb 13 2011.
http://www.bartleby.com/84/index.htm
"The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County"
"The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County" its written by the famous Mark Twain, who, let's face it, is basically the posterboy for Regionalism. He was a key author of the Regionalism movement, and is probably the most famous and recognized as well. He was very good at writing the local dialect for a story and keeping with the vernacular of the area (Campbell "Regionalism"). The characters in "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County" speak with a Southern drawl, and do the stereotypical thing where they do not modify their verbs into the proper tense (Twain). Which, honestly, was often true in the real world, especially during Mark Twain's time. And people still do it now, which is actually really sad. There is a lot of this "local dialect", but that is a part of Regionalism that I definitely do not like, because it can be pretty diffucult to read things written by Mark Twain simply because the dialogue between the characters and because we are not used to that kind of speech (Twain).
Other elements of Realism are definitely present as well because events that happen in real life or that could easily happen are depicted, like jumping frog contests and the goofing off that the characters do. Jim Smiley took the form of the hero in this hero, at least in the terms of Realism, because he was very ordinary with both good traits and bad (Campbell "Realism").
But while Realism and Regionalism both play a large part in the story, Naturalism seems to be missing apart from descriptions of some nature that surronds the events of the story. There is also no substantial mention of God or any other kind supernatural or divine power, which honestly gives the story a more easy going quality because I think that stories that don't drag religion out into the open are more universal and often more entertaining and enjoyable for the reader.
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 498-502. Print.
Other elements of Realism are definitely present as well because events that happen in real life or that could easily happen are depicted, like jumping frog contests and the goofing off that the characters do. Jim Smiley took the form of the hero in this hero, at least in the terms of Realism, because he was very ordinary with both good traits and bad (Campbell "Realism").
But while Realism and Regionalism both play a large part in the story, Naturalism seems to be missing apart from descriptions of some nature that surronds the events of the story. There is also no substantial mention of God or any other kind supernatural or divine power, which honestly gives the story a more easy going quality because I think that stories that don't drag religion out into the open are more universal and often more entertaining and enjoyable for the reader.
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 498-502. Print.
"The Red Badge of Courage"
When I read over the list of stories that we would need to read for this project, "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane was one that caught my eye and that I immediately recognized. He is very well known for "The Red Badge of Courage" and is a very recognizable Realism author. The excerpt of the story focuses on the main character and his feelings of overall inadequacy as he begins to feel overburdened and overwhelmed (Crane). Reading the full story would be a lot of help in trying to understand what is going on in this small excerpt, but unfortunately it has been four years since I have read "The Red Badge of Courage" and I can honestly tell you that I do not remember what happens, not in the slightest. However, thanks to a little summary of the story, it is a lot easier to put the story into terms of Realism and the two other branches that we are focusing on.
This work fits in the Realism period, because it is accurate and historical, and shows how the main character is actually handling what is happening around him and how he is feeling in the very stressful situation (Campbell "Realism"). There is also a tone of Naturalism in the excerpt because the main character compares to parts of scientific studies and displays some analytical thinking (Crane). There are not really many parts of Regionalism in the story, because there is not a lot of emphasis on the setting and certain places in the story. It also does not promote any places or regions because there is not a lot of that involved in the story. Society does not seem to be a large part of the story either, except for society's interest in science and the workings of the human brain (Crane). Still, there is no mention of government, current events of the time period, political or social issues, or other issues of society (Crane). There is also nothing to do with religion or God, and does not show how people felt or thought, but rather how frustrated they were with the way they lived and with their imperfections.
The American Dream is present, but I do not think that it plays a very large part at all because the main character is not really achieving many goals or getting where he wants to be. There is also no real hero in the story, which is actually a welcome change from some of the stories we have read in class that have that stereotypical Realism leader that is flawed yet still looks flawless at times.
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 21 Mar. 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. .
Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 493. Print.
This work fits in the Realism period, because it is accurate and historical, and shows how the main character is actually handling what is happening around him and how he is feeling in the very stressful situation (Campbell "Realism"). There is also a tone of Naturalism in the excerpt because the main character compares to parts of scientific studies and displays some analytical thinking (Crane). There are not really many parts of Regionalism in the story, because there is not a lot of emphasis on the setting and certain places in the story. It also does not promote any places or regions because there is not a lot of that involved in the story. Society does not seem to be a large part of the story either, except for society's interest in science and the workings of the human brain (Crane). Still, there is no mention of government, current events of the time period, political or social issues, or other issues of society (Crane). There is also nothing to do with religion or God, and does not show how people felt or thought, but rather how frustrated they were with the way they lived and with their imperfections.
The American Dream is present, but I do not think that it plays a very large part at all because the main character is not really achieving many goals or getting where he wants to be. There is also no real hero in the story, which is actually a welcome change from some of the stories we have read in class that have that stereotypical Realism leader that is flawed yet still looks flawless at times.
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 21 Mar. 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. .
Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 493. Print.
Kate Chopin's Works
In "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin sounds like it sound be a very sad story- a woman learns that her husband was in an accident, and the reader immediately expects a lot of predictable sadness and angst. Instead, there is immediately a twist in the story, and the woman is actually relieved that her husband died. She is not really sad at all, but is thankful that he will no longer be able to control her life however he pleases and manipulate her every move (Chopin "The Story"). This immediately strikes me as Realism because a man controlling his wife in this way seems to be pretty accurate to the time period (Campbell "Realism"). Before the women's rights movement actually made any sort of impact on the country, men really were in charge of their wives and families and could technically exercise complete control over women. The woman in the story is rejoicing about finally being free of her husband...until there is yet another twist. Her husband comes back home, the woman is gripped with immense sadness, and she then dies (Chopin "The Story").
Along with being an example of Realism, the story has some bits of Naturalism in it as well. There are a lot of sad emotions in "The Story of an Hour" that tend to tie in with the ideas of Naturalism and the philosophical and psychological aspects of it (Campbell "Naturalism"). The woman in the story is actually going through a very difficult time and after she finally finds freedom, it is all taken away from her again and she dies (Chopin "The Story"). This story is very descriptive as well, detailing facial expressions, the settings, and other little details. Regionalism does not seem to have much of a presence in this story apart from the fact that common language is used.
In the excerpt from "The Awakening", also by Kate Chopin, the main character is also a woman, albeit a much more emotional one. She is sobbing uncontrollably, but she does not really know why other than the fact that she just needs to good cry. Eventually the reader realizes that the story is another work from the Women's Rights Movement because the woman in the story is simply overwhelmed by oppression from both her husband and from society, and although her husband is very kind to her, she is stifled by his kindness for some reason. Just like "The Story of an Hour", this story carries obvious traits of Naturalism in it because all of the emotions that are being conveyed to the reader from the main characters, who are pretty similar if you look at the big picture. And again, human nature and psychological aspects of the story fit into the Naturalism spectrum as well (Campbell "Naturalism"). "Fate" is also present in the story, because the woman accepts what has come her way (Chopin "Awakening"). Regionalism does not seem to play a part in this story either, just like "The Story of an Hour".
Realism is, however, obvious in "The Awakening" as much as it is in "The Story of an Hour". The time period is accurate for what is happening with women's rights and this is obviously an issue in the story (Chopin "Awakening"). Again, this is very realistic and plausible and therefore fits in with the basic principles of Realism (Campbell "Realism").
Both of these stories could have happened in real life, which is a ringing endorsement for Realism. Women cry to themselves all the time. Many have good reason to. Also, people's husband's could be mistakenly reported dead, it's happened often enough. Society at the time was very realistically portrayed in both of these stories. Government, religion, and nature are not very prominent in these stories. The American Dream is present in the form of the Women's American Dream. Both of the main women want to be free from the oppression of the men in order for there to be "no one to live for her... she would live for herself." (Chopin "Story" 555). The heroines of these stories would, in my opinion, be able to live such a life quite comfortably. It sounds like they have already been through so much, so they deserve to have their American Dream come true.
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. 11 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 491. Print.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 554-555. Print.
Along with being an example of Realism, the story has some bits of Naturalism in it as well. There are a lot of sad emotions in "The Story of an Hour" that tend to tie in with the ideas of Naturalism and the philosophical and psychological aspects of it (Campbell "Naturalism"). The woman in the story is actually going through a very difficult time and after she finally finds freedom, it is all taken away from her again and she dies (Chopin "The Story"). This story is very descriptive as well, detailing facial expressions, the settings, and other little details. Regionalism does not seem to have much of a presence in this story apart from the fact that common language is used.
In the excerpt from "The Awakening", also by Kate Chopin, the main character is also a woman, albeit a much more emotional one. She is sobbing uncontrollably, but she does not really know why other than the fact that she just needs to good cry. Eventually the reader realizes that the story is another work from the Women's Rights Movement because the woman in the story is simply overwhelmed by oppression from both her husband and from society, and although her husband is very kind to her, she is stifled by his kindness for some reason. Just like "The Story of an Hour", this story carries obvious traits of Naturalism in it because all of the emotions that are being conveyed to the reader from the main characters, who are pretty similar if you look at the big picture. And again, human nature and psychological aspects of the story fit into the Naturalism spectrum as well (Campbell "Naturalism"). "Fate" is also present in the story, because the woman accepts what has come her way (Chopin "Awakening"). Regionalism does not seem to play a part in this story either, just like "The Story of an Hour".
Realism is, however, obvious in "The Awakening" as much as it is in "The Story of an Hour". The time period is accurate for what is happening with women's rights and this is obviously an issue in the story (Chopin "Awakening"). Again, this is very realistic and plausible and therefore fits in with the basic principles of Realism (Campbell "Realism").
Both of these stories could have happened in real life, which is a ringing endorsement for Realism. Women cry to themselves all the time. Many have good reason to. Also, people's husband's could be mistakenly reported dead, it's happened often enough. Society at the time was very realistically portrayed in both of these stories. Government, religion, and nature are not very prominent in these stories. The American Dream is present in the form of the Women's American Dream. Both of the main women want to be free from the oppression of the men in order for there to be "no one to live for her... she would live for herself." (Chopin "Story" 555). The heroines of these stories would, in my opinion, be able to live such a life quite comfortably. It sounds like they have already been through so much, so they deserve to have their American Dream come true.
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. 11 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 491. Print.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 554-555. Print.
Willa Cather's Works
"O Pioneers!" and "A Wagner Matinee" were both written by Willa Cather. And both also posses qualities of Regionalism, Naturalism, and Realism. In "O Pioneers!", the life of the Bergson brothers is depicted like it is some kind of biography. In plain and simplistic writing, the lives of two people are depicted in detail, giving information about things that are unimportant but still relate to the story as a whole. These insignificant and most likely unimportant details are common coming from authors of Realism, and Cather is certainly no exception to this (Campbell "Realism"). Also, the events that are depicted in "O Pioneers!" are interesting but could also happen in real life, especially in the past. These events are not really heard of now because our country has already reached the Western boarders, but events like these are still talked about by many people. But in the time period, the events were pretty common because Westward expansion really was a way of American life at the time due to manifest destiny and the quest for more land and influence (Cather "O Pioneers").
Regionalism is depicted in "O Pioneers!" because of the dialect and speech used to describe things that seem like they were a part of the past, and not the language we are used to now (Campbell "Regionalism"). The very detailed descriptions of many things also apply to Regionalism, and "O Pioneers!" definitely had a lot of that present in the story (Cather "O Pioneers").
Naturalism is present as well but not as much as Regionalism and Realism. There are a few mentions of human nature and the Bergson brother's nature, but that is basically the extent of that (Cather "O Pioneers"). Keeping in tune with the theme of Naturalism, there is also no emphasis placed on religion, God, or any other higher power (Campbell "Naturalism"). There is also not a lot of philosophical matters so Naturalism does not seem to have a lot of influence in the story.
"A Wagner Matinee", which is also by Willa Cather, is extremely straight foward. It is about a matinee during a concert performance featuring various works by Wagner. This involves Realism immediately because people actually do attend permformances like this. It has happened in the past, it happens today, and it will most likely occur in the future as well.
The main characters are fairly straightforward as well, and they are the narrator and Georgiana, who is the narrator's aunt (Cather). Georgiana is visiting the narrator is Boston and because they apparently do not get to see enough of each other as they would like, they both are trying to make the most of their evening and enjoy each other's company while listening to Wagner. I, personally, do not see how anyone could enjoy anything while listening to Wagner. He has not seen her in a while, so he is happy to spend time with her while she is in Boston. Like I said, the narrator lives in Boston and his aunt is visiting him from somewhere out in Nebraska (Cather). Despire living in very different places in the country, they are both middle class, like many characters of realism are (Campbell "Realism"). The writing style of this story is also very descriptive so that also helps it fit into the Realism category. Just like in "O Pioneer!", unimportant details are described very thoroughlly so that they actually begin to seem like a very important part of the story instead (Cather "Wagner").
Regionalism plays a small part in this simply because of the main characters different states of residence and because of all the detail of the setting (Campbell "Regionalism"). The dialect seems to be affected by where the character is from, but there is also a lot of figurative language that makes that dialect seem less important. Naturalism definitely does not play a part in the story either. Nature is not mentioned and the story is so straightforward that not a lot of attention is paid to philosophical meanings and human nature (Cather "Wagner").
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. 11 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Cather, Willa. "A Wagner Matinée." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 521-526. Print.
Cather, Willa. "O Pioneers!" Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 489. Print.
Regionalism is depicted in "O Pioneers!" because of the dialect and speech used to describe things that seem like they were a part of the past, and not the language we are used to now (Campbell "Regionalism"). The very detailed descriptions of many things also apply to Regionalism, and "O Pioneers!" definitely had a lot of that present in the story (Cather "O Pioneers").
Naturalism is present as well but not as much as Regionalism and Realism. There are a few mentions of human nature and the Bergson brother's nature, but that is basically the extent of that (Cather "O Pioneers"). Keeping in tune with the theme of Naturalism, there is also no emphasis placed on religion, God, or any other higher power (Campbell "Naturalism"). There is also not a lot of philosophical matters so Naturalism does not seem to have a lot of influence in the story.
"A Wagner Matinee", which is also by Willa Cather, is extremely straight foward. It is about a matinee during a concert performance featuring various works by Wagner. This involves Realism immediately because people actually do attend permformances like this. It has happened in the past, it happens today, and it will most likely occur in the future as well.
The main characters are fairly straightforward as well, and they are the narrator and Georgiana, who is the narrator's aunt (Cather). Georgiana is visiting the narrator is Boston and because they apparently do not get to see enough of each other as they would like, they both are trying to make the most of their evening and enjoy each other's company while listening to Wagner. I, personally, do not see how anyone could enjoy anything while listening to Wagner. He has not seen her in a while, so he is happy to spend time with her while she is in Boston. Like I said, the narrator lives in Boston and his aunt is visiting him from somewhere out in Nebraska (Cather). Despire living in very different places in the country, they are both middle class, like many characters of realism are (Campbell "Realism"). The writing style of this story is also very descriptive so that also helps it fit into the Realism category. Just like in "O Pioneer!", unimportant details are described very thoroughlly so that they actually begin to seem like a very important part of the story instead (Cather "Wagner").
Regionalism plays a small part in this simply because of the main characters different states of residence and because of all the detail of the setting (Campbell "Regionalism"). The dialect seems to be affected by where the character is from, but there is also a lot of figurative language that makes that dialect seem less important. Naturalism definitely does not play a part in the story either. Nature is not mentioned and the story is so straightforward that not a lot of attention is paid to philosophical meanings and human nature (Cather "Wagner").
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. 11 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Cather, Willa. "A Wagner Matinée." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 521-526. Print.
Cather, Willa. "O Pioneers!" Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 489. Print.
"Letter To His Family"
The General of the Confederate Army in the Civil War, Robert E. Lee, is the author of what we call "Letter to his Family". Even though a lot people today see Lee as being the enemy because of his role in the Civil War, he was actually quite a respectable name, and was also rather intelligent as well. A part of Realism is realizing the "American Dream" and trying to carry it out as realistically as is possible. In his letter, Robert E. Lee sees what is happening the country and is very upset about what was going on. The division of the country was a very large emotional burden as well as a physical one, and many people had to carry that burden. Robert E. Lee was just like any other person in the sense that he too was shaken by the division of the country even though he was on the side that left the union (Lee). Because this letter was written before the Civil War, Robert E. Lee obviously did not know the outcome, but he still thought that the most important thing was the American Dream, and a part of that was for the country to be united (Lee).
Like many of the stories, speeches, and songs we have read for this project, there were subtle connections to Naturalism, Realism, and Regionalism in the letter written by Robert E. Lee to his family. First off, the letter had evidence of Naturalism because of the implications Lee makes about human nature and how he thought that the inevitable (war) would happen no matter (Campbell "Naturalism"). And although there is some mention of religion, it was definitely not a large part of the letter and did not have a lot of emphasis so that did not really impact the Naturalism aspect of the Robert E. Lee's letter. There was also not any actual nature mention, but that is not really to be expected in a letter, especially a letter a man is sending home to his family.
Regionalism was a part of the letter to Lee's family as well because he talks about his "native state" and how he will return to it no matter what (Lee). This depiction of an area gives further connection the genre and shows his dedication to the Confederacy, and there is also common speech in this because Lee is simply writing a letter to his family and is not very concerned with things like having common speech or not (Campbell "Regionalism").
A large amount of Realism is also evident in the letter from Lee to his family. Since this a letter written by Robert E. Lee himself, it is obviously pretty realistic and accurate because he was a very prominent political figure with the possibility of a bright future ahead of him. This means that the things he talked about in his letter were real issues that were of interest to him, making it extremely relevant to Realism (Campbell "Realism"). Although he would be a leader of the Confederate Army and would be a hero for awhile, Lee was also a very real person who cared about his family, their safety, and what happened in the world (Lee).
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. 11 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Lee, Robert E. "Letter to his Son." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 385. Print.
Like many of the stories, speeches, and songs we have read for this project, there were subtle connections to Naturalism, Realism, and Regionalism in the letter written by Robert E. Lee to his family. First off, the letter had evidence of Naturalism because of the implications Lee makes about human nature and how he thought that the inevitable (war) would happen no matter (Campbell "Naturalism"). And although there is some mention of religion, it was definitely not a large part of the letter and did not have a lot of emphasis so that did not really impact the Naturalism aspect of the Robert E. Lee's letter. There was also not any actual nature mention, but that is not really to be expected in a letter, especially a letter a man is sending home to his family.
Regionalism was a part of the letter to Lee's family as well because he talks about his "native state" and how he will return to it no matter what (Lee). This depiction of an area gives further connection the genre and shows his dedication to the Confederacy, and there is also common speech in this because Lee is simply writing a letter to his family and is not very concerned with things like having common speech or not (Campbell "Regionalism").
A large amount of Realism is also evident in the letter from Lee to his family. Since this a letter written by Robert E. Lee himself, it is obviously pretty realistic and accurate because he was a very prominent political figure with the possibility of a bright future ahead of him. This means that the things he talked about in his letter were real issues that were of interest to him, making it extremely relevant to Realism (Campbell "Realism"). Although he would be a leader of the Confederate Army and would be a hero for awhile, Lee was also a very real person who cared about his family, their safety, and what happened in the world (Lee).
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. 11 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Lee, Robert E. "Letter to his Son." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 385. Print.
"Ain't I A Woman?"
The famous speech "And Ain't I a Woman" by Sojourner Truth was delivered to the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in 1851. She was an extremely important focused activist for women's rights, as well as the rights for slaves. Because of the changes that were going on during the time period, Truth was able to convey a deep meaning through her speech while fitting into all of the categories of Realism, Naturalism, and Regionalism.
Regionalism is very evident in her speech, probably more so than either Naturalism or Realism in general. Truth used the dialect of her region and this showed her upbringing as well because, as a black woman, she would not have received much education. Her message is very clear to the reader or to someone listening to the speech, but it is also obvious that Truth speaks in a different way than we do today (Truth). This is mostly because we have more opportunities for education but also because of where we live in America and specifically us in Illinois. The most obvious sign that Truth speaks differently than most people do today was immediately clear in the title; her use of the word "ain't", which is quite improper to use today. However, for a black woman in 1851, that was totally normal and therefore was a part of Regionalism by keeping with the common speech (Campbell "Regionalism"). Truth is also pretty relaxed in her dialogue and speaks rather freely to her audience (Truth).
The speech related pretty closely with Realism because Truth was giving depictions of things that had happened to her specifically and things that she had witnessed in her life and complaints she had against people, particularly white men. One of the most notable quotes from the speech is one that I remember from way back in fourth grade:
"...says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman?" (Truth).
This is probably the most famous line and probably also made the most impact on people. Truth really was treated extremely differently because she was a black woman. She was always looked down on because of things that she cannot help, but she still wants to make a difference for herself and for others in her same situation. This is very realistic because Truth has experienced all of the things she speaks about (Campbell "Realism").
Despite having connections with both Regionalism and Realism, there are less connections to Naturalism. Because this is a speech, there was no human nature involved and there was not really a common hero apart from from Truth herself (Campbell "Naturalism").
Because of the power of her speech, Truth gained a lot of respect in my book. The times were very difficult in the mid eighteen hundreds, and she found it very important to try and make a difference in things that she was dealing with, and that a lot of other people in the country were dealing with as well. Truth was not afraid to try and get equality. She had a very Realist attitude towards these issues and that helped her cause greatly.
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. 11 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman?" Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 370. Print.
Regionalism is very evident in her speech, probably more so than either Naturalism or Realism in general. Truth used the dialect of her region and this showed her upbringing as well because, as a black woman, she would not have received much education. Her message is very clear to the reader or to someone listening to the speech, but it is also obvious that Truth speaks in a different way than we do today (Truth). This is mostly because we have more opportunities for education but also because of where we live in America and specifically us in Illinois. The most obvious sign that Truth speaks differently than most people do today was immediately clear in the title; her use of the word "ain't", which is quite improper to use today. However, for a black woman in 1851, that was totally normal and therefore was a part of Regionalism by keeping with the common speech (Campbell "Regionalism"). Truth is also pretty relaxed in her dialogue and speaks rather freely to her audience (Truth).
The speech related pretty closely with Realism because Truth was giving depictions of things that had happened to her specifically and things that she had witnessed in her life and complaints she had against people, particularly white men. One of the most notable quotes from the speech is one that I remember from way back in fourth grade:
"...says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman?" (Truth).
This is probably the most famous line and probably also made the most impact on people. Truth really was treated extremely differently because she was a black woman. She was always looked down on because of things that she cannot help, but she still wants to make a difference for herself and for others in her same situation. This is very realistic because Truth has experienced all of the things she speaks about (Campbell "Realism").
Despite having connections with both Regionalism and Realism, there are less connections to Naturalism. Because this is a speech, there was no human nature involved and there was not really a common hero apart from from Truth herself (Campbell "Naturalism").
Because of the power of her speech, Truth gained a lot of respect in my book. The times were very difficult in the mid eighteen hundreds, and she found it very important to try and make a difference in things that she was dealing with, and that a lot of other people in the country were dealing with as well. Truth was not afraid to try and get equality. She had a very Realist attitude towards these issues and that helped her cause greatly.
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. 11 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman?" Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 370. Print.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", "Go Down, Moses", and "Keep Your Hand on the Plow"
As I read "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", "Go Down, Moses", and "Keep Your Hand On The Plow", all by anonymous authors, I immediately wondered how in the world any of them had any real connections to the literary genre of Realism or its subcategories of Regionalism and Naturalism. All of these are fairly spiritual works and not necessarily accurate either ("Go Down", "Keep", "Swing"). Because the author is anonymous for all the works, I think it would be impossible to verify any type of accuracy in a historical sense (Campbell "Realism").
The mention of God or any other higher power in these works also goes against Naturalism, which is, as I have said before, a rejection of God and religion in general (Campbell "Naturalism"). These works are really songs, and the only connection I can really see between them and Realism is that slaves made them up because they had nothing else to do and did not like their masters.
Another small connection between these works and Realism would be through Regionalism. The songs are in fairly common language and are fairly simplistic (Campbell "Regionalism"). Because they also probably originated from slaves in the South, you could make the argument that they portray part of the region. The songs were pretty much region specific because slaves did not have many opportunities to leave their master's plantation unless they were sold, bought their freedom somehow, or ran away.
The songs were basically all just ways for slaves to entertain themselves in a simple way that they enjoyed. They communicated their troubles and their beliefs into the songs and I think that they found some release through the songs as well because of the difficulties of their lives.
Religion is, as I pointed out before, a part of all of these works. Government is not much of an issue, but human nature is in a way. The slaves came up with these songs simply for entertainment, and it was also a way for them to escape the troubles of everyday life. The American Dream plays a part in these works very subtlety, only because it is obvious that the American Dream for the slaves would be to be freed and given equal treatment in the country so that they could make an honorable life for themselves.
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. 11 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
"Go Down, Moses." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 346. Print.
"Keep Your Hand on the Plow." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 347. Print.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 348. Print.
The mention of God or any other higher power in these works also goes against Naturalism, which is, as I have said before, a rejection of God and religion in general (Campbell "Naturalism"). These works are really songs, and the only connection I can really see between them and Realism is that slaves made them up because they had nothing else to do and did not like their masters.
Another small connection between these works and Realism would be through Regionalism. The songs are in fairly common language and are fairly simplistic (Campbell "Regionalism"). Because they also probably originated from slaves in the South, you could make the argument that they portray part of the region. The songs were pretty much region specific because slaves did not have many opportunities to leave their master's plantation unless they were sold, bought their freedom somehow, or ran away.
The songs were basically all just ways for slaves to entertain themselves in a simple way that they enjoyed. They communicated their troubles and their beliefs into the songs and I think that they found some release through the songs as well because of the difficulties of their lives.
Religion is, as I pointed out before, a part of all of these works. Government is not much of an issue, but human nature is in a way. The slaves came up with these songs simply for entertainment, and it was also a way for them to escape the troubles of everyday life. The American Dream plays a part in these works very subtlety, only because it is obvious that the American Dream for the slaves would be to be freed and given equal treatment in the country so that they could make an honorable life for themselves.
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. 11 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
"Go Down, Moses." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 346. Print.
"Keep Your Hand on the Plow." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 347. Print.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 348. Print.
Lincoln's Second Inaugural and Gettysburg Address
Lincoln gave his Second Inaugural Address in 1865 in the midst of the Civil War. He assured the nation that they were nearing the end of the war that tore apart families and caused utter destruction in the country (Lincoln "Second"). Lincoln says that the Civil War became a way of life for the people in the country, but because the war was coming to an end, that way of life could finally change for the better. The end of the war would run its own course, and that things would be justified if that was the way it was meant to be. Due to the troubling state of the nation, Lincoln uses God and religion as a method of raising spirits, because the turmoil of the war would not end overnight. The country was still staring Reconstruction in the face, and a plan for the nation to be put back together still had to be found (Lincoln "Second").
Lincoln had the courage to lead the nation during extremely difficult times, and he tried to uplift their spirits by telling them that things could eventually be fixed, if people worked together and made a plan for the future (Lincoln "Second"). I think that while Abraham Lincoln's speech was obviously historically accurate, just like Frederick Douglass's speech was, but there were still not a lot of real connections to Realism, Regionalism, or Naturalism in his Second Inaugural Address. First of all, the many mentions of God in the address go against Naturalism, which is basically the rejection of all religion (Campbell "Naturalism"). There was a little more of a connection to Realism because Lincoln talks about the pain and sadness of the war (Campbell "Realism"). Lincoln does have connections to Regionalism because he is talking about the country, but there are no other real ties to any of the genres studied in this unit.
In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln is very clear in what his message is. He speaks passionately about the men that died out on the battlefield trying to bring the nation back together, and does not want their deaths to be in vain (Lincoln "Gettysburg"). Lincoln always wants to insure that generations in the future will realize the great sacrifice that was made for the safety and unity of the country (Lincoln "Gettysburg"). The dedication of the battlefield was a way for Lincoln to honor the men that died in order to help him reunite the country.
Unlike Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, the Gettysburg address did have many ties to the genre of Realism and its' subcategories of Regionalism and Naturalism. To support Realism, Lincoln talks about the deaths on the battlefield and the sadness associated with the deaths of the soldiers at Gettysburg (Campbell "Realism"). There was also Regionalism present in the Gettysburg Address because Lincoln talks about what happened at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and details small things that would not usually be seen as important (Campbell "Regionalism"). Lincoln also communicated a sense of Naturalism with the speech by talking about the purpose of the battle and how it all connected to the big picture, focusing a little more of the philosophical side of things (Campbell "Naturalism"). Overall, I think that Lincoln's skill as a great speaker gave him prestige but the way his speeches connected with the literacy period also added more authenticity to what he was saying and made his words easier to relate to.
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 9 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 9 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 9 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 402. Print.
Lincoln, Abraham. "The Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 339. Print.
Lincoln had the courage to lead the nation during extremely difficult times, and he tried to uplift their spirits by telling them that things could eventually be fixed, if people worked together and made a plan for the future (Lincoln "Second"). I think that while Abraham Lincoln's speech was obviously historically accurate, just like Frederick Douglass's speech was, but there were still not a lot of real connections to Realism, Regionalism, or Naturalism in his Second Inaugural Address. First of all, the many mentions of God in the address go against Naturalism, which is basically the rejection of all religion (Campbell "Naturalism"). There was a little more of a connection to Realism because Lincoln talks about the pain and sadness of the war (Campbell "Realism"). Lincoln does have connections to Regionalism because he is talking about the country, but there are no other real ties to any of the genres studied in this unit.
In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln is very clear in what his message is. He speaks passionately about the men that died out on the battlefield trying to bring the nation back together, and does not want their deaths to be in vain (Lincoln "Gettysburg"). Lincoln always wants to insure that generations in the future will realize the great sacrifice that was made for the safety and unity of the country (Lincoln "Gettysburg"). The dedication of the battlefield was a way for Lincoln to honor the men that died in order to help him reunite the country.
Unlike Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, the Gettysburg address did have many ties to the genre of Realism and its' subcategories of Regionalism and Naturalism. To support Realism, Lincoln talks about the deaths on the battlefield and the sadness associated with the deaths of the soldiers at Gettysburg (Campbell "Realism"). There was also Regionalism present in the Gettysburg Address because Lincoln talks about what happened at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and details small things that would not usually be seen as important (Campbell "Regionalism"). Lincoln also communicated a sense of Naturalism with the speech by talking about the purpose of the battle and how it all connected to the big picture, focusing a little more of the philosophical side of things (Campbell "Naturalism"). Overall, I think that Lincoln's skill as a great speaker gave him prestige but the way his speeches connected with the literacy period also added more authenticity to what he was saying and made his words easier to relate to.
Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature. " Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 9 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 9 Feb 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 9 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 402. Print.
Lincoln, Abraham. "The Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 339. Print.
Monday, February 14, 2011
"The Meaning of July Fourth for a Negro"
This speech given by the famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass is basically him telling Americans (mainly white Americans) that they are hypocrites. He says that the way that they celebrate is insensitive to the times and to what is going on in the country (Douglass). On Independence Day, people are celebrating about equality and independence, but at the same time, these people are enslaving other people and treating them very unfairly.
The speaker then goes on to say that during the Fourth of July, freedom of all kinds, including freedom of religion, but slaves are looked down upon for the way that they practice their own religions and customs (Douglass). Throughout the speech, Frederick Douglass also points on the sheer and utter ignorance of the white Americans as they have large celebrations for holidays such as the Fourth of July, which is a holiday about freedom and equality, and do not allow their slaves to celebrate as well. Because the slaves are not free, the Fourth of July seems like scornful holiday instead of happy, as it is meant to be. Instead of celebrating, the slaves apparently find the holiday completely repulsive because they are not allowed to have the same liberties as the white Americans that exercise complete control over the slaves.
Frederick Douglass was extremely familiar with the terrible shortcomings of being a slave. He was born into slavery in the early eighteen hundreds, and then suffered through years of torment until he was able to escape from the awful enslavement he endured at the age of 20 by pretending to be a sailor and running away from his masters home ("Biography"). Douglass then made a home for himself and his family in New Bedford, Massachusetts and began to attend abolitionist meetings and anti-slavery conventions ("Biography").
Due to the fact that he attended all of these conventions and abolitionist meetings ("Biography"), I think that Douglass had a very unique insight into the way that slaves felt about issues that many people did not even think about. As a former slave and as a highly dedicated abolitionist, Douglass saw it as his responsibility to tell people how slaves really felt about seemingly simple issues such as the Fourth of July. People listening to his speech, especially white people, were probably totally shocked to hear what Douglass was saying. Before the period leading up to the Civil War, there were very few people who actually cared about the treatment of slaves. And then for Douglass to tell them that slaves were offended simply by them celebrating a great holiday was probably not easy to hear. However, it was simply the truth and Douglass was trying to get his point across. It really was unfair that slaves could not celebrate a major holiday because they were not granted the same rights as white people (Douglass).
Other than historical accuracy, I do not think that the story represents Realism, Regionalism, or Naturalism in many ways. Frederick probably spoke in an accurate dialect, which would represent Regionalism (Campbell), that was not exactly conveyed in writing. As I said before, the historical accuracy of the speech goes along with Realism, but there was no real concrete connection to any of the movements.
"Biography of Frederick Douglass-Champion of Civil and Women's Rights." Frederick Douglass. Web. Feb 9 2011.
http://www.frederickdouglass.org/douglass_bio.html
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 9 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
The speaker then goes on to say that during the Fourth of July, freedom of all kinds, including freedom of religion, but slaves are looked down upon for the way that they practice their own religions and customs (Douglass). Throughout the speech, Frederick Douglass also points on the sheer and utter ignorance of the white Americans as they have large celebrations for holidays such as the Fourth of July, which is a holiday about freedom and equality, and do not allow their slaves to celebrate as well. Because the slaves are not free, the Fourth of July seems like scornful holiday instead of happy, as it is meant to be. Instead of celebrating, the slaves apparently find the holiday completely repulsive because they are not allowed to have the same liberties as the white Americans that exercise complete control over the slaves.
Frederick Douglass was extremely familiar with the terrible shortcomings of being a slave. He was born into slavery in the early eighteen hundreds, and then suffered through years of torment until he was able to escape from the awful enslavement he endured at the age of 20 by pretending to be a sailor and running away from his masters home ("Biography"). Douglass then made a home for himself and his family in New Bedford, Massachusetts and began to attend abolitionist meetings and anti-slavery conventions ("Biography").
Due to the fact that he attended all of these conventions and abolitionist meetings ("Biography"), I think that Douglass had a very unique insight into the way that slaves felt about issues that many people did not even think about. As a former slave and as a highly dedicated abolitionist, Douglass saw it as his responsibility to tell people how slaves really felt about seemingly simple issues such as the Fourth of July. People listening to his speech, especially white people, were probably totally shocked to hear what Douglass was saying. Before the period leading up to the Civil War, there were very few people who actually cared about the treatment of slaves. And then for Douglass to tell them that slaves were offended simply by them celebrating a great holiday was probably not easy to hear. However, it was simply the truth and Douglass was trying to get his point across. It really was unfair that slaves could not celebrate a major holiday because they were not granted the same rights as white people (Douglass).
Other than historical accuracy, I do not think that the story represents Realism, Regionalism, or Naturalism in many ways. Frederick probably spoke in an accurate dialect, which would represent Regionalism (Campbell), that was not exactly conveyed in writing. As I said before, the historical accuracy of the speech goes along with Realism, but there was no real concrete connection to any of the movements.
"Biography of Frederick Douglass-Champion of Civil and Women's Rights." Frederick Douglass. Web. Feb 9 2011.
http://www.frederickdouglass.org/douglass_bio.html
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 9 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
Regionalism Definition
Regionalism, also known as local color, is yet another branch of the Realism genre (Campbell). It focuses on the traditions, dialect, characters, geographical features, and general way of life in a certain area (Campbell). Much like Realism and Naturalism, Regionalism also places a lot of focus on being realistic and accurate. In the case of Regionalism, the most important aspect is to accurately depict the setting of a story. This is a way of making sure that an area of the country (because this is American Regionalism) is accurately and fully represented in a realistic fashion.
While Regionalism really is a branch of Realism, it also has certain aspects of Romanticism as well, because there is a more of an idyllic but still realistic quality to the characteristics of the story (Campbell). Many authors today still use Regionalism, but in a less obvious fashion. But often times, it is easy to gather a lot of details about the setting of these stories because of the attention to detail regarding the surroundings. As well as being used in present times, Regionalism was also used quite often in the past. In the South, writers such as James Lane Allen, Kate Chopin, and Joel Chandler Harris used Regionalism (Campbell). Other regions of America have also been represented through Harriett Beecher Stowe in New England and Mark Twain in the West (Campbell).
It is recommended that authors "write what they know". Using Regionalism, authors can write about the places they know with great detail, or write about places that they long to visit with the same details, as long as they learn accurate details beforehand. It is easy for readers to get absorbed in another time or place in a story, especially if it is a place they do not know, and if the author supplies sufficient detail about the area.
Authors can accomplish the technique of Regionalism by simply using dialect and language to establish the setting and its' authenticity, giving very detailed descriptions of details that would usually be deemed insignificant, and by giving the setting of the story a lot of attention and emphasis (Campbell).
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
While Regionalism really is a branch of Realism, it also has certain aspects of Romanticism as well, because there is a more of an idyllic but still realistic quality to the characteristics of the story (Campbell). Many authors today still use Regionalism, but in a less obvious fashion. But often times, it is easy to gather a lot of details about the setting of these stories because of the attention to detail regarding the surroundings. As well as being used in present times, Regionalism was also used quite often in the past. In the South, writers such as James Lane Allen, Kate Chopin, and Joel Chandler Harris used Regionalism (Campbell). Other regions of America have also been represented through Harriett Beecher Stowe in New England and Mark Twain in the West (Campbell).
It is recommended that authors "write what they know". Using Regionalism, authors can write about the places they know with great detail, or write about places that they long to visit with the same details, as long as they learn accurate details beforehand. It is easy for readers to get absorbed in another time or place in a story, especially if it is a place they do not know, and if the author supplies sufficient detail about the area.
Authors can accomplish the technique of Regionalism by simply using dialect and language to establish the setting and its' authenticity, giving very detailed descriptions of details that would usually be deemed insignificant, and by giving the setting of the story a lot of attention and emphasis (Campbell).
Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html
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