Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Post Modernism Semester Final Part Two
Works Cited
The All American Rejects. "Move Along." Rec. 2004-2005. The All American Rejects. 2005. MP3.
Langley, John. "Introduction to Post Modernism." Lecture. Pleasant Plains High School, Pleasant Plains. May 14, 2010. Mr. Langley's Digital Classroom. Mr. Langley. Web. May 2011.
Quinn, Edward. "postmodernism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gfflithem0656&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 23, 2011).
Swift, Taylor. "Forever and Always." Fearless. Taylor Swift. 2008. MP3.
“Was the Song “Forever & Always” by Taylor Swift Written for Joe Jonas?” Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo! Inc., 2011. Web. 24 May 2011.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Modernism Project
Works Cited
Grimke, Angelina W. "Trees." Old Poetry. Old Poetry. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.
Langley, John. "Introduction to Modernism." Lecture. Pleasant Plains High School, Pleasant Plains. Apr. 2010. Mr. Langley's Digital Classroom. Mr. Langley. Web. Apr. 2010.
Malamud, Bernard. "The Magic Barrel." (1958). Bernard Malamud, The Magic Barrel. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.
Quinn, Edward. "modernism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gfflithem0508&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 29, 2011).
Taylor, Karen L. "modernism." Facts On File Companion to the French Novel. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CFN346&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 29, 2011).
Werlock, Abby H. P. "modernism." 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. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS589&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 29, 2011).
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Journal #42: Jazz Music and Imagery
The Harlem Renaissance was a new literary culture by African Americans. It started in the 1920's and became very popular during that time until the 1930's. It consisted not only of poems, short stories, and books, but also music. The most popular music that came out of this was jazz music. Music alone acts like a story, but especially jazz music. Jazz music can paint a picture for the listener and the player. One can simply listen to the song, and interpret what the composer is trying to get across.
In English class, we listened to a certain jazz song and tried to picture what the song was "painting." This is my painting. This is my interpretation of the jazz song.
The song was like many solos combined into the song, along with an introduction and conclusion played by all of the instruments. It started off slowly, and I pictured people sitting at a dimmed restaurant. There is a low murmur of voices in the background. When the saxophone starts, I picture a sad person telling a story to someone. Putting in many details about their own life. Then as more instrumentalists solo, such as the piano, trumpet, and trombone, I picture more people telling their stories. The faster the solo, the happier their story seems to be. But with each happy story comes a sad story. At the end of the song, all the instruments play slowly and sadly. This makes me think of people agreeing on sad times. Consolling each other about their lives. Then the song ends with the drummer, playing lightly on a cymbol, and playing very quietly. Again, the restaurant is filled with the low murmuring of voices, just like the beginning.
There are many ways to paint a picture from a song. One may think about people dancing. One may think about a certain landscape or environment. There are many different interpretations of the song, many different paintings. However, this is my interpretation, my painting of the song.
In English class, we listened to a certain jazz song and tried to picture what the song was "painting." This is my painting. This is my interpretation of the jazz song.
The song was like many solos combined into the song, along with an introduction and conclusion played by all of the instruments. It started off slowly, and I pictured people sitting at a dimmed restaurant. There is a low murmur of voices in the background. When the saxophone starts, I picture a sad person telling a story to someone. Putting in many details about their own life. Then as more instrumentalists solo, such as the piano, trumpet, and trombone, I picture more people telling their stories. The faster the solo, the happier their story seems to be. But with each happy story comes a sad story. At the end of the song, all the instruments play slowly and sadly. This makes me think of people agreeing on sad times. Consolling each other about their lives. Then the song ends with the drummer, playing lightly on a cymbol, and playing very quietly. Again, the restaurant is filled with the low murmuring of voices, just like the beginning.
There are many ways to paint a picture from a song. One may think about people dancing. One may think about a certain landscape or environment. There are many different interpretations of the song, many different paintings. However, this is my interpretation, my painting of the song.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Realism vs. Modernism
Modernism is a literary period that happened after the Realism literary period. Both of these literary period have similarities and differences with each other. Realism dealt like the name implies with reality. Stories, poems, and songs were developed around actual events and existing types of people. The hero was the average person, a real person, with flaws and inner beauty. The literary period was mainly developed around the society at the time. Modernism is the movement away from tradition, a new form of expression. "In other words, modernism inscribed a particular sense of radical rupture with the past and a perception of cultural crisis. Modernity, as Jurgen Habermas says, "revolts against the normalizing functions of tradition: modernity lives in the experience of rebelling against all that is normative." The normative changes associated with modernity include a sense of cultural crisis brought on by World War I and the sense that the new 20th century put the world closer to the apocalypse; Western notions of progress and superiority were breaking down" (Werlock). Realism and Modernism have similarities and differences.
The hero in realism and modernism are quite similar. In realism, the hero was the average person, and the average person was not perfect in any way. In modernism, the hero is not perfect either. In modernism, the hero had obvious flaws, but his character did not make him the hero. It was his ability to act calmly and gracefully in a difficult situation. That is what made him the hero. In realism, the hero was not always the "superman" or "batman" of the day. They were just a plain person in a situation. Like modernism, the actions and composure in a difficult situation or problem made the hero. This is how modernism and realism are similar.
However, modernism and realism differ in how they portrayed society. Modernism basically showed a society that was rebelling against tradition, while realism simply showed how society dealt with the normalities of life. Realism talked about the traditions of characters, how they lived, and what they dealt with. Modernism was rebelling against traditions of the realism generation. "Well-held precepts and norms for religion, sexuality, gender, and the family of the past Victorian world were also collapsing. Conflicts over racial, gender, class, religious, and colonial systems of oppression were moving to the fore. Large-scale migrations from rural areas into overcrowded urban centers and technological change also were causing cultural dislocation, and a preeminent modernist figure became the alienated and nihilistic self in a usually urban world" (Werlock).
The last thing that makes realism and modernism similar yet different is the themes. Realism showed life how it was with much detail, and sometimes, this depiction came off as sad, disappointing, and depressing. Modernism also has this theme, because of the effect World War I played on the literary period. People lost hope and heart, and this made the literature from this period depressing and hopeless. However, in modernism there was always a glimmer of hope at the end of the poem or story. Realism did not always have this. Modernism had hope, even if it was only a very small shred, at the end of the story differing it from realism.
Works Cited
Werlock, Abby H. P. "modernism." 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. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS589&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 25, 2011).
The hero in realism and modernism are quite similar. In realism, the hero was the average person, and the average person was not perfect in any way. In modernism, the hero is not perfect either. In modernism, the hero had obvious flaws, but his character did not make him the hero. It was his ability to act calmly and gracefully in a difficult situation. That is what made him the hero. In realism, the hero was not always the "superman" or "batman" of the day. They were just a plain person in a situation. Like modernism, the actions and composure in a difficult situation or problem made the hero. This is how modernism and realism are similar.
However, modernism and realism differ in how they portrayed society. Modernism basically showed a society that was rebelling against tradition, while realism simply showed how society dealt with the normalities of life. Realism talked about the traditions of characters, how they lived, and what they dealt with. Modernism was rebelling against traditions of the realism generation. "Well-held precepts and norms for religion, sexuality, gender, and the family of the past Victorian world were also collapsing. Conflicts over racial, gender, class, religious, and colonial systems of oppression were moving to the fore. Large-scale migrations from rural areas into overcrowded urban centers and technological change also were causing cultural dislocation, and a preeminent modernist figure became the alienated and nihilistic self in a usually urban world" (Werlock).
The last thing that makes realism and modernism similar yet different is the themes. Realism showed life how it was with much detail, and sometimes, this depiction came off as sad, disappointing, and depressing. Modernism also has this theme, because of the effect World War I played on the literary period. People lost hope and heart, and this made the literature from this period depressing and hopeless. However, in modernism there was always a glimmer of hope at the end of the poem or story. Realism did not always have this. Modernism had hope, even if it was only a very small shred, at the end of the story differing it from realism.
Works Cited
Werlock, Abby H. P. "modernism." 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. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS589&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 25, 2011).
Friday, April 1, 2011
Job Shadowing Experience
On March 31, 2011, Pleasant Plains High School juniors did job shadowing. I happened to job shadow an engineering firm: Crawford, Murphy, & Tilly Inc. This is a civil engineering firm, and their main areas of specialty are highways and bridges, aviation, water and waste water, and land development. Because of the job shadowing experience, I know more about what I do and do not want to do later on in life.
Some of my family members are civil engineers, which means I knew the basics of what people do with that job. Civil engineers deal mainly with construction of roads, construction or buildings, constructions of sidewalks, bridges, and parking lots. They also design runways for airplanes and jets. Civil engineering is probably one of the more common forms of engineering, because it is used for everyday life. Even though it is one of the more common types of engineering, it is not exactly the most interesting forms of engineering, in my opinion. At CMT, we were able to talk to engineers who dealt with highways, bridges, water plants, and computer designing the structures. We also were given a summary of the civil engineering field. I already knew some of this information, so I was not "wowed" by all of this. Also, because I knew the basics of the field, I pretty much knew what to expect. In this way, the job shadowing did meet my expectations.
From this experience, I know for certain that civil engineering is not a possible career for me. I find this field somewhat boring and uninteresting; and I do not want to do something that I do not enjoy and find boring for the rest of my life. That would be a waste of time, quite frankly. This job experience did help me to eliminate one field of engineering that I do not want to major in.
I really did not gain much from this experience except for a confirmation. I confirmed that I do not want to be a civil engineer. That is about it.
To make this perfectly clear, Crawford, Murphy, & Tilly Inc. is a very good engineering firm. I think they do their jobs well. All I am saying is that civil engineering is not for me. Just to make things clear by my blog.
Some of my family members are civil engineers, which means I knew the basics of what people do with that job. Civil engineers deal mainly with construction of roads, construction or buildings, constructions of sidewalks, bridges, and parking lots. They also design runways for airplanes and jets. Civil engineering is probably one of the more common forms of engineering, because it is used for everyday life. Even though it is one of the more common types of engineering, it is not exactly the most interesting forms of engineering, in my opinion. At CMT, we were able to talk to engineers who dealt with highways, bridges, water plants, and computer designing the structures. We also were given a summary of the civil engineering field. I already knew some of this information, so I was not "wowed" by all of this. Also, because I knew the basics of the field, I pretty much knew what to expect. In this way, the job shadowing did meet my expectations.
From this experience, I know for certain that civil engineering is not a possible career for me. I find this field somewhat boring and uninteresting; and I do not want to do something that I do not enjoy and find boring for the rest of my life. That would be a waste of time, quite frankly. This job experience did help me to eliminate one field of engineering that I do not want to major in.
I really did not gain much from this experience except for a confirmation. I confirmed that I do not want to be a civil engineer. That is about it.
To make this perfectly clear, Crawford, Murphy, & Tilly Inc. is a very good engineering firm. I think they do their jobs well. All I am saying is that civil engineering is not for me. Just to make things clear by my blog.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Journal #42: Emily Dickinson vs. Walt Whitman
Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman wrote poetry during the time period between Realism and Modernism. Walt Whitman's poetry focused on Self, while Emily Dickinson's poetry focused on life and had a connection to her life in particular. If I had been a reader during their time period, I would rather read Emily Dickinson's poetry over Walt Whitman's poetry. There are some very simple reasons for this, which I will now explain in the following paragraphs.
First off, Emily Dickinson's poetry is much easier to understand. Her poems have a literal meaning that is comprehensible when one first reads the poem. Then, the metaphorical meaning is easily tied to the literal meaning, and it is obvious what Emily Dickinson is talking about and trying to accomplish through her poetry. Walt Whitman's poetry is much more complicated than it needs to be. His literal meaning comes out as narcissistic and egotistical rather than informative or entertaining. He talks about his life, but in a self-absorbed way, that is not enjoyable to read. His Everyman idea complicates his poems and though it seems to relate everyone, it only relates his own life to something of the material world. His poems do not include the cheery aspects of life as Emily Dickinson's poetry does. When she talks about heart break, she speaks of it gently and almost brightly, while Whitman mentions it in a dark way, which is more depressing than it is re-healing or relieving.
Also, I dislike the topics of Walt Whitman's poetry. He talks a lot about sexual relationships between him, men, and women. Some of his metaphors discussing this topic do not seem to actually connect to the topic at hand. This makes his poetry confusing and not entertaining in the least. Emily Dickinson talks of love, heart breaks, and men, but in a way that is not so dark and confusing. She talks of how she dealt with these things; how she felt through these situations, not that she constantly longs for these things and obsesses over them, as Walt Whitman does. Because of these things, I dislike Whitman, and would much rather read Emily Dickinson's poetry any day than I would Walt Whitman's poetry. That is all I have to say about that.
First off, Emily Dickinson's poetry is much easier to understand. Her poems have a literal meaning that is comprehensible when one first reads the poem. Then, the metaphorical meaning is easily tied to the literal meaning, and it is obvious what Emily Dickinson is talking about and trying to accomplish through her poetry. Walt Whitman's poetry is much more complicated than it needs to be. His literal meaning comes out as narcissistic and egotistical rather than informative or entertaining. He talks about his life, but in a self-absorbed way, that is not enjoyable to read. His Everyman idea complicates his poems and though it seems to relate everyone, it only relates his own life to something of the material world. His poems do not include the cheery aspects of life as Emily Dickinson's poetry does. When she talks about heart break, she speaks of it gently and almost brightly, while Whitman mentions it in a dark way, which is more depressing than it is re-healing or relieving.
Also, I dislike the topics of Walt Whitman's poetry. He talks a lot about sexual relationships between him, men, and women. Some of his metaphors discussing this topic do not seem to actually connect to the topic at hand. This makes his poetry confusing and not entertaining in the least. Emily Dickinson talks of love, heart breaks, and men, but in a way that is not so dark and confusing. She talks of how she dealt with these things; how she felt through these situations, not that she constantly longs for these things and obsesses over them, as Walt Whitman does. Because of these things, I dislike Whitman, and would much rather read Emily Dickinson's poetry any day than I would Walt Whitman's poetry. That is all I have to say about that.
Emily Dickinson
"POOR little heart! Did they forget thee?
Then dinna care! Then dinna care!
Proud little heart! Did they forsake thee? 5
Be debonair! Be debonair!
Frail little heart! I would not break thee:
Could’st credit me? Could’st credit me?
Gay little heart! 10 Like morning glory
Thou’ll wilted be; thou’ll wilted be" (Dickinson).
This poem by Emily Dickinson relates to her feelings and her life. Supposedly, Emily Dickinson's heart was broken by a someone who did not love her in the same way that she loved him. Because of her embarrassment and shame, she secluded herself in her house. I believe that this poem conveys her feelings on this tragic experience. In the first stanza, Dickinson states the problem. "POOR little heart! Did they forget thee?
Then dinna care! Then dinna care" (Dickinson)! This translates to "poor little heart, did they forget about you? Then do not care. Be care free!" This is Emily's way of telling herself to forget about the heart break. Do not worry over it. Do not stress herself about it. Do not care that it happened. In the next stanza, she says "Proud little heart! Did they forsake thee? 5
Be debonair! Be debonair" (Dickinson)! This translates to "Proud little heart, did they leave you? Then do not show your sadness. Be prideful. Act as if nothing happened. Be debonair!" Though her heart was broken, Dickinson is trying to forget about it. She is trying to hide it, to show people that she is perfectly fine. She is pretending not to care. The next stanza states, "Frail little heart! I would not break thee:
Could’st credit me? Could’st credit me" (Dickinson)? This translates to "Frail little heart, I would not break you or hurt you. Can you credit me to this?" Emily Dickinson is then saying that she would not hurt herself. She knows what she wants and needs, and she would not do anything to hurt herself. Basically, up to this point, Emily Dickinson has confronted her broken heart, convinced herself to let it go and be strong and prideful. And she has put confidence into herself to guard herself. The next stanza says, " Gay little heart! 10 Like morning glory
Thou’ll wilted be; thou’ll wilted be" (Dickinson). This translates to "Happy little heart, like temporary morning glory, you will be wilted." This last stanza brings the poem back around in a circle. She says here that it is still wilted from the event; as much as she tried to forget about it and not be affected by it, she cannot, and she is still hurt by the heart break. The words that really give this poem the meaning it has and tells a story are the adjectives describing her heart. She starts with poor, then goes to proud, then goes to frail, then goes to gay, meaning happy. Her poor heart is hurt by the heart break. She tries to hide it and show that she has a proud heart. This does not heal it, so it is a frail heart still in danger of being broken again. The last one, gay heart, seems to be good for her, but the ending lines show that it is only a charade. In the end, Emily Dickinson is still hurt and affected by her tragic heart break.
Works Cited
Dickinson, Emily. "Poor Little Heart" Bartleby.com. Bartleby.com, 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2011.
Then dinna care! Then dinna care!
Proud little heart! Did they forsake thee? 5
Be debonair! Be debonair!
Frail little heart! I would not break thee:
Could’st credit me? Could’st credit me?
Gay little heart! 10 Like morning glory
Thou’ll wilted be; thou’ll wilted be" (Dickinson).
This poem by Emily Dickinson relates to her feelings and her life. Supposedly, Emily Dickinson's heart was broken by a someone who did not love her in the same way that she loved him. Because of her embarrassment and shame, she secluded herself in her house. I believe that this poem conveys her feelings on this tragic experience. In the first stanza, Dickinson states the problem. "POOR little heart! Did they forget thee?
Then dinna care! Then dinna care" (Dickinson)! This translates to "poor little heart, did they forget about you? Then do not care. Be care free!" This is Emily's way of telling herself to forget about the heart break. Do not worry over it. Do not stress herself about it. Do not care that it happened. In the next stanza, she says "Proud little heart! Did they forsake thee? 5
Be debonair! Be debonair" (Dickinson)! This translates to "Proud little heart, did they leave you? Then do not show your sadness. Be prideful. Act as if nothing happened. Be debonair!" Though her heart was broken, Dickinson is trying to forget about it. She is trying to hide it, to show people that she is perfectly fine. She is pretending not to care. The next stanza states, "Frail little heart! I would not break thee:
Could’st credit me? Could’st credit me" (Dickinson)? This translates to "Frail little heart, I would not break you or hurt you. Can you credit me to this?" Emily Dickinson is then saying that she would not hurt herself. She knows what she wants and needs, and she would not do anything to hurt herself. Basically, up to this point, Emily Dickinson has confronted her broken heart, convinced herself to let it go and be strong and prideful. And she has put confidence into herself to guard herself. The next stanza says, " Gay little heart! 10 Like morning glory
Thou’ll wilted be; thou’ll wilted be" (Dickinson). This translates to "Happy little heart, like temporary morning glory, you will be wilted." This last stanza brings the poem back around in a circle. She says here that it is still wilted from the event; as much as she tried to forget about it and not be affected by it, she cannot, and she is still hurt by the heart break. The words that really give this poem the meaning it has and tells a story are the adjectives describing her heart. She starts with poor, then goes to proud, then goes to frail, then goes to gay, meaning happy. Her poor heart is hurt by the heart break. She tries to hide it and show that she has a proud heart. This does not heal it, so it is a frail heart still in danger of being broken again. The last one, gay heart, seems to be good for her, but the ending lines show that it is only a charade. In the end, Emily Dickinson is still hurt and affected by her tragic heart break.
Works Cited
Dickinson, Emily. "Poor Little Heart" Bartleby.com. Bartleby.com, 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2011.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Journal #41: Emily Dikinson
Emily Dickinson was another poet, similar to Walt Whitman, who falls into the time period between Romanticism and Modernism. During her lifetime, she went into exile in her own house. Some people believe this is because of a traumatic love experience. She became heart broken and because of her embarrassment and brokenness, she locked herself in her house and wrote poetry the rest of her life, but she never came out. One of her poems in her book of poetry, Part One: Life, explains this feeling of being exiled, of being trapped in her house, by herself. This poem, "I never hear the word 'escape,'" also known as poem number thirty six discusses in a metaphor that feeling of being trapped that I am sure Emily Dickinson felt. Let us analyze this poem.
"I NEVER hear the word “escape”
Without a quicker blood,
A sudden expectation,
A flying attitude.
I never hear of prisons broad
By soldiers battered down,
But I tug childish at my bars,—
Only to fail again" (Dickinson)!
This poem is in reference to Emily Dickinson's feelings of her life, in my opinion. She was kept in isolation in her house, and this describes how she felt about this. The first stanza translates to "I never hear the word 'escape' without being excited, without suddenly wanting to break free." In my interpretation of this, Emily is in prison, but not in a regular criminal prison. She is in her own prison, herself, her isolation. She wishes to escape this prison, as said in the first stanza. When one is in prison, naturally escape sounds good, exciting, and a great idea, because no one enjoys or should enjoy being locked away in prison. However, in the second stanza she describes how she childishly tugs at her bars but still fails. A child is very small and weak, and would not be able to break from prison by pulling at the bars. They would still be stuck. Using this analogy, Dickinson says that she tries to escape, but she continues to fail time and time again. Overall, Emily Dickinson says that though she wishes to escape she is unable to escape her isolation.
Works Cited
Dickinson, Emily. "I Never Hear the Word 'escape'" Bartleby.com. Bartleby.com, 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
"I NEVER hear the word “escape”
Without a quicker blood,
A sudden expectation,
A flying attitude.
I never hear of prisons broad
By soldiers battered down,
But I tug childish at my bars,—
Only to fail again" (Dickinson)!
This poem is in reference to Emily Dickinson's feelings of her life, in my opinion. She was kept in isolation in her house, and this describes how she felt about this. The first stanza translates to "I never hear the word 'escape' without being excited, without suddenly wanting to break free." In my interpretation of this, Emily is in prison, but not in a regular criminal prison. She is in her own prison, herself, her isolation. She wishes to escape this prison, as said in the first stanza. When one is in prison, naturally escape sounds good, exciting, and a great idea, because no one enjoys or should enjoy being locked away in prison. However, in the second stanza she describes how she childishly tugs at her bars but still fails. A child is very small and weak, and would not be able to break from prison by pulling at the bars. They would still be stuck. Using this analogy, Dickinson says that she tries to escape, but she continues to fail time and time again. Overall, Emily Dickinson says that though she wishes to escape she is unable to escape her isolation.
Works Cited
Dickinson, Emily. "I Never Hear the Word 'escape'" Bartleby.com. Bartleby.com, 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Whitman and "Children of Adam"
Walt Whitman was an American poet who became very famous through his work. His work fits between the Realism and Modernism literary periods; however, his work does not necessarily fit into those periods characteristically. One example of the uniqueness in his work, is Whitman's writing of sex, love, and the physical relationship between man and woman. He wrote about things that most people of his time would have thought vulgar and innapropriate. "Even before these poems were published, Whitman had had difficulty with censorship. He had been forced to move publication of the second edition of Leaves of Grass (1860) to Brooklyn because Boston authorities wanted to cut some lines or whole poems from the book." (Oliver) The section of "Leaves of Grass" that directly deals with this is "Children of Adam." All of these poems in this sub-section relate to love, physical relationships, and even to Adam and Eve of the Bible (Oliver). All of these poems also deal with Self, in talking about the Everyman idea and the spiritual self as well.
One of the poems of this small collection is "I Am He That Aches With Love." This poem is very short consisting of only a few lines, but the message behind it is not as simple as the poem length.
"I AM he that aches with amorous love;
Does the earth gravitate? does not all matter, aching, attract all
matter?
So the body of me to all I meet or know" (Whitman).
At the surface of the poem, Walt Whitman is saying that he aches for love, just like everyone aches for love. This demonstrates the Everyman idea--that everyone is connected to each other and that everyone has a small piece of divinity in them, because everyone is connected to God. In saying "...does not all matter, aching, attract all matter? So the body of me to all I meet or know" (Whitman), Whitman connects everyone by saying that everything--all matter, and we are made of matter--feels, wants, and needs love. This demonstrates the Everyman idea of Self.
However, this poem also deals with Adam and Eve, the first people in the world. In the Bible, Adam and Eve were husband and wife, and from their creation by God, they helped in producing children--a new generation. If the reader then replaces Whitman with the voice of Adam, it is as if Adam is saying that he needs love. "I AM he that aches with amorous love" (Whitman). This goes hand in hand with the stories of the Bible. Adam was first created, but since he was feeling lonely--in need of a physical relationship, in need of a partner--God created Eve, so they would be husband and wife. This poem then represents Adam's need of love from Eve, from a woman, that physical relationship. Although this may have been uncommon to talk about back then, Walt Whitman makes this the topic of his poem, "I Am He That Aches With Love," defining the Everyman idea of Self and also the spiritual self.
Works Cited
Oliver, Charles M. "'Children of Adam'." 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= CCWW088&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 3, 2011).
Whitman, Walt. "I Am He That Aches With Love." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 3 Mar. 2011.
One of the poems of this small collection is "I Am He That Aches With Love." This poem is very short consisting of only a few lines, but the message behind it is not as simple as the poem length.
"I AM he that aches with amorous love;
Does the earth gravitate? does not all matter, aching, attract all
matter?
So the body of me to all I meet or know" (Whitman).
At the surface of the poem, Walt Whitman is saying that he aches for love, just like everyone aches for love. This demonstrates the Everyman idea--that everyone is connected to each other and that everyone has a small piece of divinity in them, because everyone is connected to God. In saying "...does not all matter, aching, attract all matter? So the body of me to all I meet or know" (Whitman), Whitman connects everyone by saying that everything--all matter, and we are made of matter--feels, wants, and needs love. This demonstrates the Everyman idea of Self.
However, this poem also deals with Adam and Eve, the first people in the world. In the Bible, Adam and Eve were husband and wife, and from their creation by God, they helped in producing children--a new generation. If the reader then replaces Whitman with the voice of Adam, it is as if Adam is saying that he needs love. "I AM he that aches with amorous love" (Whitman). This goes hand in hand with the stories of the Bible. Adam was first created, but since he was feeling lonely--in need of a physical relationship, in need of a partner--God created Eve, so they would be husband and wife. This poem then represents Adam's need of love from Eve, from a woman, that physical relationship. Although this may have been uncommon to talk about back then, Walt Whitman makes this the topic of his poem, "I Am He That Aches With Love," defining the Everyman idea of Self and also the spiritual self.
Works Cited
Oliver, Charles M. "'Children of Adam'." 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= CCWW088&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 3, 2011).
Whitman, Walt. "I Am He That Aches With Love." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 3 Mar. 2011.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Journal #39: Bardic Symbols and Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman was a prominent poet of the early twentieth century in America. He wrote many books of poetry one of his most famous being "Leaves of Grass." In this book, there are many separate poems that discuss one of Walt Whitman's common topics, Self. One of these poems is "Bardic Symbols." This poem is somewhat confusing to understand as William Dean Howells says. "No one, even after the fourth or fifth reading, can pretend to say what the "Bardic Symbols" symbolize" (Howells).
"You oceans both! You tangible land! Nature!
Be not too stern with me,—I submit,—I close with you,—
These little shreds shall, indeed, stand for all.
X.
You friable shore, with trails of debris!
You fish-shaped island! I take what is underfoot:
What is yours is mine, my father!
XI.
I, too, Paumanok,
I, too, have bubbled up, floated the measureless float, and been washed on your
shores.
XII.
I, too, am but a trail of drift and debris,—
I, too, leave little wrecks upon you, you fished-shaped island!
XIII.
I throw myself upon your breast, my father!
I cling to you so that you cannot unloose me,—
I hold you so firm, till you answer me something." (Whitman)
This is a little section from "Bardic Symbols." My interpretation of this poem, whether right or wrong, is that the land is a father, the ocean is a mother, and the debris is a child or children. The debris goes back and forth, from ocean to land, ocean to land. The debris never settles itself with one or the other, it is always lost between the two. Just so, the child is always lost between the father and mother; he or she does not settle between the two. This fits in with the everyman principle of Self, because many families deal with that, where the child loves the mom one minute but then loves the dad more the next. However, this is still uncertain, because the poem is hard to discern whether the poem deals with childhood and families, with Christianity, or with another part of Self. This is due to the fact that Walt Whitman uses symbolism that is hard to tell the real meaning of it. It is in fact up to the reader to discern what the poem means, or what Walt Whitman meant.
Works Cited
[Howells, William Dean]. ""Bardic Symbols"." The Daily Ohio State Journal (28 March 1860): 2.
Whitman, Walt. "Bardic Symbols." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.
"You oceans both! You tangible land! Nature!
Be not too stern with me,—I submit,—I close with you,—
These little shreds shall, indeed, stand for all.
X.
You friable shore, with trails of debris!
You fish-shaped island! I take what is underfoot:
What is yours is mine, my father!
XI.
I, too, Paumanok,
I, too, have bubbled up, floated the measureless float, and been washed on your
shores.
XII.
I, too, am but a trail of drift and debris,—
I, too, leave little wrecks upon you, you fished-shaped island!
XIII.
I throw myself upon your breast, my father!
I cling to you so that you cannot unloose me,—
I hold you so firm, till you answer me something." (Whitman)
This is a little section from "Bardic Symbols." My interpretation of this poem, whether right or wrong, is that the land is a father, the ocean is a mother, and the debris is a child or children. The debris goes back and forth, from ocean to land, ocean to land. The debris never settles itself with one or the other, it is always lost between the two. Just so, the child is always lost between the father and mother; he or she does not settle between the two. This fits in with the everyman principle of Self, because many families deal with that, where the child loves the mom one minute but then loves the dad more the next. However, this is still uncertain, because the poem is hard to discern whether the poem deals with childhood and families, with Christianity, or with another part of Self. This is due to the fact that Walt Whitman uses symbolism that is hard to tell the real meaning of it. It is in fact up to the reader to discern what the poem means, or what Walt Whitman meant.
Works Cited
[Howells, William Dean]. ""Bardic Symbols"." The Daily Ohio State Journal (28 March 1860): 2.
Whitman, Walt. "Bardic Symbols." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass
Walt Whitman, considered one of the greatest American poets of all time, wrote many forms and books of poetry. One of these books is called "Leaves of Grass," and it is consisted of many long and short poems that deal with one main topic. This topic is the Self. The Self consists of three separate parts that form the real Self of a person. These three parts are the spirital soul, the personal self (how one sees oneself), and the Everyman self (how everyone is connected and how other people see oneself). Walt Whitman explores the meaning of Self through all these poems.
The Everyman self is the idea that everyone in the world is connected, to friends, family, to everyone, even God. Whitman believed that there was a small piece of divinity in everyone (Bloom). Because of this, everyone was connected to each other, and were able to share in each other's lives and understand each other's lives. This idea of the Everyman is present in one of Walt Whitman's poems, "To A Certain Cantatrice," part of the book, "Leaves of Grass." This poem is listed below.
"HERE, take this gift,
I was reserving it for some hero, speaker, or general,
One who should serve the good old cause, the great idea, the prog-
ress and freedom of the race,
Some brave confronter of despots, some daring rebel;
But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as
to any" (Whitman).
When looking into one of Walt Whitman's poems, one has to go line by line, word by word, to get a deeper meaning than what merely surfaces. First, we look at the title, "To A Certain Cantatrice." A cantatrice is a professional female singer (Random). The title could merely imply that he is talking about the common person in entertainment, showing a form of the Everyman self, however, Whitman goes deeper into this throughout the poem. In the first lines, Whitman says that he is giving someone, perhaps the cantatrice, a gift that he was originally saving for a person of authority. The gift is not the main topic or theme; it does not necessarily represent something of value or something specific. It is just an object mentioned in his poem. The last lines are the lines that lend themselves to the definition of Everyman and Self.
"...One who should serve the good old cause, the great idea, the prog-
ress and freedom of the race,
Some brave confronter of despots, some daring rebel;
But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as
to any" (Whitman).
In these lines, Walt Whitman says that he was going to give his gift to someone great--maybe a rebel, a military personel, someone who relates to the American people and their want of freedom "...the progress and freedom of the race..." (Whitman). This reference to America shows that he is using the Everyman idea to relate all of America and the people in it to each other. "...But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as to any" (Whitman). This demonstrates Whitman's Everyman idea because, even though he was saving his gift for someone special, he gave it away; but it was not lost to just anyone. He was still giving it to that special person, because that special person is apart of everyone, including the receiver of his gift. While giving it away to a common person, perhaps the cantatrice, he gives it away to the general, the rebel, the hero, or the speaker. Everyone is connected and has similar qualities that connect them, so giving a gift to one is similar to giving a gift to another. That is why this poem shows Walt Whitman's idea of Self, including the idea of the Everyman belief.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold, ed. "Bloom on Walt Whitman." Walt Whitman, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1999. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BMPWW01&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 1, 2011).
Random House Dictionary, comp. "Cantatrice." Def. 1. Random House, Inc. 2011. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC., 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.
Whitman, Walt. "To A Certain Cantatrice." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.
The Everyman self is the idea that everyone in the world is connected, to friends, family, to everyone, even God. Whitman believed that there was a small piece of divinity in everyone (Bloom). Because of this, everyone was connected to each other, and were able to share in each other's lives and understand each other's lives. This idea of the Everyman is present in one of Walt Whitman's poems, "To A Certain Cantatrice," part of the book, "Leaves of Grass." This poem is listed below.
"HERE, take this gift,
I was reserving it for some hero, speaker, or general,
One who should serve the good old cause, the great idea, the prog-
ress and freedom of the race,
Some brave confronter of despots, some daring rebel;
But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as
to any" (Whitman).
When looking into one of Walt Whitman's poems, one has to go line by line, word by word, to get a deeper meaning than what merely surfaces. First, we look at the title, "To A Certain Cantatrice." A cantatrice is a professional female singer (Random). The title could merely imply that he is talking about the common person in entertainment, showing a form of the Everyman self, however, Whitman goes deeper into this throughout the poem. In the first lines, Whitman says that he is giving someone, perhaps the cantatrice, a gift that he was originally saving for a person of authority. The gift is not the main topic or theme; it does not necessarily represent something of value or something specific. It is just an object mentioned in his poem. The last lines are the lines that lend themselves to the definition of Everyman and Self.
"...One who should serve the good old cause, the great idea, the prog-
ress and freedom of the race,
Some brave confronter of despots, some daring rebel;
But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as
to any" (Whitman).
In these lines, Walt Whitman says that he was going to give his gift to someone great--maybe a rebel, a military personel, someone who relates to the American people and their want of freedom "...the progress and freedom of the race..." (Whitman). This reference to America shows that he is using the Everyman idea to relate all of America and the people in it to each other. "...But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as to any" (Whitman). This demonstrates Whitman's Everyman idea because, even though he was saving his gift for someone special, he gave it away; but it was not lost to just anyone. He was still giving it to that special person, because that special person is apart of everyone, including the receiver of his gift. While giving it away to a common person, perhaps the cantatrice, he gives it away to the general, the rebel, the hero, or the speaker. Everyone is connected and has similar qualities that connect them, so giving a gift to one is similar to giving a gift to another. That is why this poem shows Walt Whitman's idea of Self, including the idea of the Everyman belief.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold, ed. "Bloom on Walt Whitman." Walt Whitman, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1999. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BMPWW01&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 1, 2011).
Random House Dictionary, comp. "Cantatrice." Def. 1. Random House, Inc. 2011. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC., 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.
Whitman, Walt. "To A Certain Cantatrice." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Journal #38: The Ploughman and Christianity
"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.)" (Whitman)
This is Walt Whitman's poem, "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing." This is one of Whitman's poems that discusses Self, which is the true self of a person. It includes the spiritual self, the personal identifying self, and how others see oneself. This poem specifically deals with the spiritual self, and in particular Christianity.
Christianity believes that Jesus Christ came and died for everyone's sins, and three days after he died from crucifixion, he was resurrected and returned to heaven. By His life, everyone in the world is saved and can go to heaven if they truly believe in Him. Walt Whitman's poem, "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing," shows this belief in Christianity.
The life, is the life of every person. When you plant seeds, they need to be planted under the soil at the appropriate depth, with the right amount of water, and sunlight. How people lives their lives is how they plant their seeds. Their life is the growing of the plants. If they live their life according to how God wants us to live, the plants will grow big and tall and healthily. But if they do not live accordingly, their plants will not grow healthily. The harvest is death and the afterlife. A promising harvest means heaven and a wonderful afterlife. I saw there too, O life and death, your analogies:
(Life, life is the tillage, and Death is the harvest according.)" (Whitman)
Walt Whitman was a very prominent and popular poet in America, and he was very into the idea of Christianity. Because of this, Christianity played a major part in his definition of Self and in his poems. "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing," one of Walt Whitman's poems, displays this definition of Self and the idea of Christianity very well in its analogies of life, death, and farming.
Works Cited
Whitman, Walt. As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing (1900). Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
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.)" (Whitman)
This is Walt Whitman's poem, "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing." This is one of Whitman's poems that discusses Self, which is the true self of a person. It includes the spiritual self, the personal identifying self, and how others see oneself. This poem specifically deals with the spiritual self, and in particular Christianity.
Christianity believes that Jesus Christ came and died for everyone's sins, and three days after he died from crucifixion, he was resurrected and returned to heaven. By His life, everyone in the world is saved and can go to heaven if they truly believe in Him. Walt Whitman's poem, "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing," shows this belief in Christianity.
The life, is the life of every person. When you plant seeds, they need to be planted under the soil at the appropriate depth, with the right amount of water, and sunlight. How people lives their lives is how they plant their seeds. Their life is the growing of the plants. If they live their life according to how God wants us to live, the plants will grow big and tall and healthily. But if they do not live accordingly, their plants will not grow healthily. The harvest is death and the afterlife. A promising harvest means heaven and a wonderful afterlife. I saw there too, O life and death, your analogies:
(Life, life is the tillage, and Death is the harvest according.)" (Whitman)
Walt Whitman was a very prominent and popular poet in America, and he was very into the idea of Christianity. Because of this, Christianity played a major part in his definition of Self and in his poems. "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing," one of Walt Whitman's poems, displays this definition of Self and the idea of Christianity very well in its analogies of life, death, and farming.
Works Cited
Whitman, Walt. As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing (1900). Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Reflection of Whitman and Self
Walt Whitman, considered the American Bard, was a very great American poet who wrote many songs and poems during the 1800’s. His works are classified as in between the realism literary period and the modernism literary period. Some of his most famous poems are “Myself and Mine,” “One Song, America, Before I Go,” “O Captain! My Captain!,” “Excelsior,” “The Singer in the Prison,” “When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d,” and “As I Watch’d the Ploughman Ploughing.” In each of these poems, Walt Whitman’s meaning of Self is explained, especially through song.
Walt Whitman defines the Self in his poems, and one finds this Self in song. Whitman describes Self as the soul of oneself, and there are specific characteristics to this. He believes that Self is freedom of the soul, freedom to express oneself, and freedom to live how they want, and how they think is the right way to live.
“I charge you, too, forever, reject those who would expound me—for I cannot expound
myself;
I charge that there be no theory or school founded out of me;
I charge you to leave all free, as I have left all free.
After me, vista!
O, I see life is not short, but immeasurably long;
I henceforth tread the world, chaste, temperate, an early riser, a steady grower,
Every hour the semen of centuries—and still of centuries.
I will follow up these continual lessons of the air, water, earth;
I perceive I have no time to lose.” (Whitman)
One way that Whitman expresses the Self is through song. The main characters of the poems use singing to free themselves from pain, from sadness, and to embrace their full self. In “The Singer in the Prison,” the main character, a convict in prison, sings and impresses everyone with her song (Whitman). This is her way of escaping her present state of misery and to free her of this misery and express her true self. This shows how Walt Whitman thinks that song can find one’s soul and to find one’s self.
In Walt Whitman’s poems of the realism and modernism literary periods, Whitman defines Self, especially through song. The characters of his poems free themselves of bad situations by singing and finding their souls and being free. This can also be applied to society at the time. Whitman is saying that Self if not defined by the government or a nation. It is defined by the individual; and what frees their soul defines their Self.
Works Cited
Whitman, Walt. Myself and Mine (1900). Web. 23 Feb. 2011..
Whitman, Walt. The Singer in the Prison (1900). Web. 23 Feb. 2011..
Walt Whitman defines the Self in his poems, and one finds this Self in song. Whitman describes Self as the soul of oneself, and there are specific characteristics to this. He believes that Self is freedom of the soul, freedom to express oneself, and freedom to live how they want, and how they think is the right way to live.
“I charge you, too, forever, reject those who would expound me—for I cannot expound
myself;
I charge that there be no theory or school founded out of me;
I charge you to leave all free, as I have left all free.
After me, vista!
O, I see life is not short, but immeasurably long;
I henceforth tread the world, chaste, temperate, an early riser, a steady grower,
Every hour the semen of centuries—and still of centuries.
I will follow up these continual lessons of the air, water, earth;
I perceive I have no time to lose.” (Whitman)
One way that Whitman expresses the Self is through song. The main characters of the poems use singing to free themselves from pain, from sadness, and to embrace their full self. In “The Singer in the Prison,” the main character, a convict in prison, sings and impresses everyone with her song (Whitman). This is her way of escaping her present state of misery and to free her of this misery and express her true self. This shows how Walt Whitman thinks that song can find one’s soul and to find one’s self.
In Walt Whitman’s poems of the realism and modernism literary periods, Whitman defines Self, especially through song. The characters of his poems free themselves of bad situations by singing and finding their souls and being free. This can also be applied to society at the time. Whitman is saying that Self if not defined by the government or a nation. It is defined by the individual; and what frees their soul defines their Self.
Works Cited
Whitman, Walt. Myself and Mine (1900). Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
Whitman, Walt. The Singer in the Prison (1900). Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
Journal #37: Criticism of Whitman
Walt Whitman was a very esteemed poet of the realism/modernism literary period. He wrote many poems about many things, but most of them have one thing in common. They have a form of Self in them, as described by Walt Whitman. The Self included a spiritual self, a personal identifying self, and how others viewed one's self. All of these are tired together to create the true and real Self that makes up a person. All of these aspects are seen in his poems. A criticism of Walt Whitman's Self, by Mark Bauerlein, discusses the views of Whitman's poems. "To express a self. To display a 'Personality' 'uncompromisingly' with a limpid style, a transparent form that ardently renders an identity in all its plenitude and immediacy. This is the 'special desire and conviction' that incite Whitman to write 'Song of Myself,' a personal epic in which, with sustained narcissism, Whitman freely explores his ego in an original style, in a structureless narrative, in free verse form, in brazen play and naked confession." (Bauerlein)
This criticism discusses Walt Whitman's narcissism from different view points and how that played into his poems. The views are interesting, but Bauerlein presents an interesting point. "Whitman's target is his own ego-centered poetry, that which was to manifest his ego. But, it was also the only means of freeing his ego, leaving Whitman in a tragic double-bind" (Bauerlein). The ego that he talks about is the first sense that one feels when reading Whitman's poems. His definition of Self is intertwined with the poems, and because of that, they come off egotistical. However, Walt Whitman needed to do this in order to be less egotistical, which does present a double problem, because in vouching his ego, he simply regained it. This interesting point is completely valid with Walt Whitman's poem and definitions of Self. It provides a reason for the writing of Whitman in the first place, and it provides a reason of why and how Whitman wrote the way he did. The view of others is described in the egotistical aspect of Self, and the view that this was a way to end his narcissism is valid with the personal and identifying aspect of Self. All in all, Mark Bauerlein's points tie into Walt Whitman's defintion of Self and his own writing career.
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 February 27, 2011).
This criticism discusses Walt Whitman's narcissism from different view points and how that played into his poems. The views are interesting, but Bauerlein presents an interesting point. "Whitman's target is his own ego-centered poetry, that which was to manifest his ego. But, it was also the only means of freeing his ego, leaving Whitman in a tragic double-bind" (Bauerlein). The ego that he talks about is the first sense that one feels when reading Whitman's poems. His definition of Self is intertwined with the poems, and because of that, they come off egotistical. However, Walt Whitman needed to do this in order to be less egotistical, which does present a double problem, because in vouching his ego, he simply regained it. This interesting point is completely valid with Walt Whitman's poem and definitions of Self. It provides a reason for the writing of Whitman in the first place, and it provides a reason of why and how Whitman wrote the way he did. The view of others is described in the egotistical aspect of Self, and the view that this was a way to end his narcissism is valid with the personal and identifying aspect of Self. All in all, Mark Bauerlein's points tie into Walt Whitman's defintion of Self and his own writing career.
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 February 27, 2011).
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Journal #36: FAVORITE FOOD
You cannot survive without food. It is an essential part of life. There are multitude of foods. There are hamburgers, Mexican food, French food, Asian food, and noodles. There are many many other foods and many other types of food. Even though there is many foods that people like, there is usually only one of those types of food that is their favorite food.
My favorite food is steak. Steak comes from cows, and there are many different types of steak. There are T-bones, ribeyes, filet mignon, a New York strip, and many others. Not only do you have the type of steak, but you also have the choice of how they cook your steak. You can have a steak that is rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, and well. A rare steak means that it is red in the middle, and they do not cook it as much. A medium steak is one that is slightly pink and is cooked more than a rare or medium rare. A well steak is one with no pink, and is cooked more than the medium well and medium steak; it is usually very tough.
I usually get the nine or ten ounce steak--sometimes the New York strip--that is cooked to medium. I do not like my steak runny or hard as a rock, but just right in the middle. On top of my steak I like to put sauteed mushrooms and top it all off with a little bit of steak sauce. This gives the steak just that little zip of added flavor, and overall, it makes a perfectly delicious steak.
Along with my steak, I like to get a baked potato with lots of butter, and a little bit of salt and pepper. Then a buttered role, buttered brocolli with some thyme, and a lemonade completes the ensemble. The medium steak is my favorite food, and the combination of the steak, baked potato, brocolli, buttered role, and a lemonade is my favorite dinner. Very Delicious! Yum!
My favorite food is steak. Steak comes from cows, and there are many different types of steak. There are T-bones, ribeyes, filet mignon, a New York strip, and many others. Not only do you have the type of steak, but you also have the choice of how they cook your steak. You can have a steak that is rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, and well. A rare steak means that it is red in the middle, and they do not cook it as much. A medium steak is one that is slightly pink and is cooked more than a rare or medium rare. A well steak is one with no pink, and is cooked more than the medium well and medium steak; it is usually very tough.
I usually get the nine or ten ounce steak--sometimes the New York strip--that is cooked to medium. I do not like my steak runny or hard as a rock, but just right in the middle. On top of my steak I like to put sauteed mushrooms and top it all off with a little bit of steak sauce. This gives the steak just that little zip of added flavor, and overall, it makes a perfectly delicious steak.
Along with my steak, I like to get a baked potato with lots of butter, and a little bit of salt and pepper. Then a buttered role, buttered brocolli with some thyme, and a lemonade completes the ensemble. The medium steak is my favorite food, and the combination of the steak, baked potato, brocolli, buttered role, and a lemonade is my favorite dinner. Very Delicious! Yum!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Jounal #35: Reporter During a War
Many wars have occurred in the history of the world. Some of the major ones, especially to the United States of America, are the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and even the War in the Middle East. How did we learn of these wars, see pictures of these wars, see how they affected people? We learned about them through reporters; reporters took pictures of the battles; they wrote about the experiences of fighting, of being in trenches, of being in bombers and other aerial war craft. They took footage of the battles, of the soldiers, of the civilians who were present at the time. In a sense, the reporters were just as much part of the war as the soldier was. Reporters had to be at the front lines, had to be in the airplanes, had to be in the trenches, in the camps. They were in the battles, in the war.
I think that it would have been very hard and trying and terrifying to be a reporter in the trenches with the soldiers. They have the same chance that the soldiers do to be killed. They go through the same thing. They had to go through the mud and water, face the chance of hypothermia, put up with disease, bad food, dirty water, and the terrors of war. The reporters had to witness everything. They had to write about what was happening. They would witness death, witness sickness, witness gun wounds, grenade wounds, and witness the horror of war. They were not only watching soldiers fight and die; they were recording it for others to see, for others to hear about. Though they might not have regularly fought--even though some of them probably did to save their lives--they were still part of the war. They were the eyes and ears of the people back home. This responsibility must have been very trying, frustrating, a drain on their spirit and energy.
I think that it would have been very hard and trying and terrifying to be a reporter in the trenches with the soldiers. They have the same chance that the soldiers do to be killed. They go through the same thing. They had to go through the mud and water, face the chance of hypothermia, put up with disease, bad food, dirty water, and the terrors of war. The reporters had to witness everything. They had to write about what was happening. They would witness death, witness sickness, witness gun wounds, grenade wounds, and witness the horror of war. They were not only watching soldiers fight and die; they were recording it for others to see, for others to hear about. Though they might not have regularly fought--even though some of them probably did to save their lives--they were still part of the war. They were the eyes and ears of the people back home. This responsibility must have been very trying, frustrating, a drain on their spirit and energy.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Realism Project: Jack London
"Born in 1876 in San Francisco to an unstable mother and a father who refused to claim him, London was raised mainly by a family friend and a stepsister. From the age of eleven, he worked to earn money to help put food on his family's table" (Wilhelm, 601). Perhaps this is what inspired Jack London to write his short story, "To Build a Fire." Or maybe it was the middle of his life that inspired him--rather than the beginning--that inspired him to write this short story. Whether it was his childhood or his present condition, Jack London wrote a short story that dealt with man and nature, and in doing so, was put in the sub genre of realism, naturalism. Jack London had to work hard to make a living, all through out his life. He had a rough childhood, and his adulthood was only filled with more pressure, more debt, more hard work, and more emotional trauma. "In 1913, shortly before he was to move into the newly completed house, it burned down. The fire devastated London both emotionally and financially... Three years later, plagued by sever health problems and financial difficulties, london died." (Wilhelm, 601)
"To Build A Fire," is about the journey of a man through the rough conditions of nature. He is the average man, a common character to naturalism, and being so, he does not know much about nature. His task is simple in word, hard in action. That task is to survive. He goes through coldness, starvation, and many other obstacles thrown out by nature. "He held on through the level stretch of woods for several miles and dropped down a bank to the frozen bed of a small stream. This was Henderson Creek, and he knew he was ten miles form the forks... The furrow of the old sled trail was plainly visible, but a dozen inches of snow covered the marks of the last runners. In a month no man had come up or down that silent creek. The man held steadily on." (London, 605-606) This shows how the man kept going, even though it was freezing outside. The man was brave enough to challenge the weather and nature. This shows his strength and courage, something that is also common to naturalism. However, sometimes his bravery escaped him, showing how nature sometimes got the better of the main character. "Sometimes they were alternate layers of water and ice skin, so that when one broke through he kept on breaking through for a while, sometimes wetting himself to the waist. That was why he had shied in such panic. He had felt the give under his feet and heard the crackle of a snow-hidden ice skin. And to get his feet wet in such a temperature meant trouble and danger." (London, 606)
The main character in this short story does not really respect nature, which is why, according to naturalism, that he is constantly faced with the hardships of the weather and nature. Even though he keeps on going and struggles to survive, every day he is closer to freezing or running out of food or even drowning. Nature continues to backlash at him, which is a characteristic of naturalism. He continues to persevere showing that he is one of the "fittest" and is determined to survive, another characteristic of naturalism. It is a constant clashing, and the victor--nature or the main character--will prove to be the strongest, which again is another characteristic of naturalism. These are all reasons of why "To Build a Fire," by Jack London is categorized as naturalism, a sub genre of realism.
Works Cited
London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 603-614.
Wilhelm, Jeffery. "Meet Jack London."Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 601-602.
"To Build A Fire," is about the journey of a man through the rough conditions of nature. He is the average man, a common character to naturalism, and being so, he does not know much about nature. His task is simple in word, hard in action. That task is to survive. He goes through coldness, starvation, and many other obstacles thrown out by nature. "He held on through the level stretch of woods for several miles and dropped down a bank to the frozen bed of a small stream. This was Henderson Creek, and he knew he was ten miles form the forks... The furrow of the old sled trail was plainly visible, but a dozen inches of snow covered the marks of the last runners. In a month no man had come up or down that silent creek. The man held steadily on." (London, 605-606) This shows how the man kept going, even though it was freezing outside. The man was brave enough to challenge the weather and nature. This shows his strength and courage, something that is also common to naturalism. However, sometimes his bravery escaped him, showing how nature sometimes got the better of the main character. "Sometimes they were alternate layers of water and ice skin, so that when one broke through he kept on breaking through for a while, sometimes wetting himself to the waist. That was why he had shied in such panic. He had felt the give under his feet and heard the crackle of a snow-hidden ice skin. And to get his feet wet in such a temperature meant trouble and danger." (London, 606)
The main character in this short story does not really respect nature, which is why, according to naturalism, that he is constantly faced with the hardships of the weather and nature. Even though he keeps on going and struggles to survive, every day he is closer to freezing or running out of food or even drowning. Nature continues to backlash at him, which is a characteristic of naturalism. He continues to persevere showing that he is one of the "fittest" and is determined to survive, another characteristic of naturalism. It is a constant clashing, and the victor--nature or the main character--will prove to be the strongest, which again is another characteristic of naturalism. These are all reasons of why "To Build a Fire," by Jack London is categorized as naturalism, a sub genre of realism.
Works Cited
London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 603-614.
Wilhelm, Jeffery. "Meet Jack London."Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 601-602.
Realism Project: Edwin Arlington Robinson
Edwin Arlington Robinson was a poet who was definitely considered a naturalist. He did not have a grand childhood growing up, and this affected his writing style and the topics he wrote on. Many of his poems were ironic, and two of these poems are "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy." Both of these poems are about people who seem to have their lives together, whether mentally or financially, but in the end, it is shown that they do not. One of the men, a very rich man, kills himself one day, and the other man, who seems to be an intelligent, romantic man, turns out to be a hard drunk, who is unable to quit his habit. In "Richard Cory," his first poem, Edwin Arlington Robinson writes
"Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
'Good-morning,' and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich--yes, richer than a king--
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one clam summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head." (Robinson, 575)
Naturalists believed that when someone was not in sync, so to speak, or not at peace or in tune with nature, they would fail, because nature would get the best of them. In this particular poem, this is true. The main character seems to have his life together, and everyone envies him, because he is proud, sophisticated, and rich. But in the end, he dies by his own hand, and one can see how the environment, if one is not in tune with it, can and will win over the main character any day. This poem also shows the society at the time. There was a mixture of poor people and rich people, and it describes life for both the poor and the rich in this poem. The poor lacked money to buy even proper nutrition, and the rich had so much money, they could live comfortably and luxuriously for the rest of their lives. Yet, this poem also shows that being rich is not true happiness. The rich man, Richard Cory, takes his own life, and he was very rich and well set for the rest of his life. However, the poor people continued to work and did not pity themselves and ruin their own lives because they were poor. They persevered, and now they are ahead of the rich old man. This is a perfect example of naturalism, as is "Miniver Cheevy," by Edwin Arlington Robinson. These two poems portray naturalism through topic, nature, human psychology, and society. This is why they are categorized as part of the naturalism literary period.
Works Cited
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.
"Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
'Good-morning,' and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich--yes, richer than a king--
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one clam summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head." (Robinson, 575)
Naturalists believed that when someone was not in sync, so to speak, or not at peace or in tune with nature, they would fail, because nature would get the best of them. In this particular poem, this is true. The main character seems to have his life together, and everyone envies him, because he is proud, sophisticated, and rich. But in the end, he dies by his own hand, and one can see how the environment, if one is not in tune with it, can and will win over the main character any day. This poem also shows the society at the time. There was a mixture of poor people and rich people, and it describes life for both the poor and the rich in this poem. The poor lacked money to buy even proper nutrition, and the rich had so much money, they could live comfortably and luxuriously for the rest of their lives. Yet, this poem also shows that being rich is not true happiness. The rich man, Richard Cory, takes his own life, and he was very rich and well set for the rest of his life. However, the poor people continued to work and did not pity themselves and ruin their own lives because they were poor. They persevered, and now they are ahead of the rich old man. This is a perfect example of naturalism, as is "Miniver Cheevy," by Edwin Arlington Robinson. These two poems portray naturalism through topic, nature, human psychology, and society. This is why they are categorized as part of the naturalism literary period.
Works Cited
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.
Realism Project: Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first African Americans to be nationally recognized for his writing. He excelled at what he did, especially as a writer. (Wilhelm, 568) Two of his more famous poems are "Douglass" and "We Wear The Mask." Both of these are examples of naturalism, a sub genre of the realism literary. Naturalism believed that the strongest would succeed over the weak, but they also thought that while the strong prevailed, there was sometimes where the strong could not control certain things. His two poems are both pieces of literature that deal with this concept.
"Ah, Douglass, we have fall'n on evil days, Such days as thou, not even thou didst know, When thee, the eyes of that harsh long ago Saw, salient, at the cross of devious ways, And all the country heard thee with amaze. Not ended then, the passionate ebb and flow, The awful tide that battled to and from; We ride amid a tempest of dispraise" (Dunbar, 570). This goes hand in hand with the definition of naturalism, because Frederick Douglass, whom the poem is about, is not able to for see or control the events that were coming.
In this poem, the hero is Frederick Douglass, and again, this is a perfect example of naturalism. Frederick Douglass was a very amazing and inspirational abolitionist. He was a strong man and made very many speeches to encourage people to abolish slavery. He could be considered one of the "fittest," for he was very strong and intelligent. Even though he was a very strong man, he could not control everything. For example, he could not control when the people chose to abolish slavery, even though he spoke strongly of ending right then. This point ties into the poem and into the meaning of naturalism.
In the second poem, "We Wear the Mask," by Laurence Dunbar, the same characteristics as the first poem "Douglass" are present. "We Wear the Mask is still considered to be part of the naturalism sub genre of realism. The following stanzas explain why it displays naturalism. "Why should the world be overwise, In counting all our tears and sights? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask!" (Dunbar, 571)
People from the realism literary period had religion, but it was not a major part or influencer of their lives, like the Puritans. This poem shows that. Basically, this poem says that the slaves pray for being rescued from the oppression, but that is not what directly saves them. Rather, they continue on showing their strength and surviving, pretending like nothing is wrong, and all of this for the world. This agrees with naturalism, because they are still being strong and persevering, yet they cannot control the outcome. They do as much as they can, but whatever happens, happens. This is how the two poems relate to realism and naturalism.
Works Cited
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "Douglass." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 570.
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "We Wear the Mask." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 571.
Wilhelm, Jeffery. "Meet Paul Laurence Dunbar." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 568.
"Ah, Douglass, we have fall'n on evil days, Such days as thou, not even thou didst know, When thee, the eyes of that harsh long ago Saw, salient, at the cross of devious ways, And all the country heard thee with amaze. Not ended then, the passionate ebb and flow, The awful tide that battled to and from; We ride amid a tempest of dispraise" (Dunbar, 570). This goes hand in hand with the definition of naturalism, because Frederick Douglass, whom the poem is about, is not able to for see or control the events that were coming.
In this poem, the hero is Frederick Douglass, and again, this is a perfect example of naturalism. Frederick Douglass was a very amazing and inspirational abolitionist. He was a strong man and made very many speeches to encourage people to abolish slavery. He could be considered one of the "fittest," for he was very strong and intelligent. Even though he was a very strong man, he could not control everything. For example, he could not control when the people chose to abolish slavery, even though he spoke strongly of ending right then. This point ties into the poem and into the meaning of naturalism.
In the second poem, "We Wear the Mask," by Laurence Dunbar, the same characteristics as the first poem "Douglass" are present. "We Wear the Mask is still considered to be part of the naturalism sub genre of realism. The following stanzas explain why it displays naturalism. "Why should the world be overwise, In counting all our tears and sights? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask!" (Dunbar, 571)
People from the realism literary period had religion, but it was not a major part or influencer of their lives, like the Puritans. This poem shows that. Basically, this poem says that the slaves pray for being rescued from the oppression, but that is not what directly saves them. Rather, they continue on showing their strength and surviving, pretending like nothing is wrong, and all of this for the world. This agrees with naturalism, because they are still being strong and persevering, yet they cannot control the outcome. They do as much as they can, but whatever happens, happens. This is how the two poems relate to realism and naturalism.
Works Cited
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "Douglass." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 570.
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "We Wear the Mask." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 571.
Wilhelm, Jeffery. "Meet Paul Laurence Dunbar." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 568.
Realism Project: Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph was a Native American chief of the Nez Perce tribe in Northwestern Oregon who tried to flee with his tribe to Canada to avoid living on a reservation. Because of this flight, his tribe was attacked, and many were killed or beaten. Finally, after his tribe could take no more he gave a surrender speech on October 5, 1877. In this speech he gave the present state of his tribe, and said that he could not continue to fight. The speech is listed below.
"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohulhulsote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead.
It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are--perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead.
Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." (Joseph)
This is a prime example of regionalism, and does not show very many aspects or realism or naturalism. Regionalism is defined as "a literary subgenre that emphasizes the setting, history, speech, dialect, and customs of a particular geographical locale or area, not only for local color, but also for development of universal themes through the use of the local and particular" (Werlock). In this particular speech, as with nearly every regionalistic piece of literature, the dialect and writing style is what puts this in the regionalistic category. This is being said in a Native Indian dialect. The statements are simple, short, and to the point. The phrasing is also singular to their dialect. "The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead" (Joseph). This is what gives it the uniqueness and singularity, the dialect, and this is also what puts it in the category of regionalism.
The surrender speech Does not resemble the characteristics of realism that much. It is a sort and sad speech that does not talk of a hero, the American dream, government, or religion. The only connection that this has to realism is through the human nature and human psychology. Even though the sentences are simple and short, and the surrender speech is short, one can still get a clear idea of how the chief of the Nez Perce was feeling and what was going through his mind. "My heart is sick and sad" (Joseph). In just six words, Chief Joseph was able to create the whole tone of the speech, even if the topic itself could not signal the tone. This simple phrase has a much deeper meaning and background behind it. The Nez Perce had traveled one thousand and one hundred miles, so that they could have freedom (Joseph). They were tire, tired of walking, of fighting, and probably homesick. Their hope was most likely shattered from the fights and deaths along the way, and when they were trapped forty miles away from Canada (Joseph), their spirits were not necessarily lifted and their morales encouraged. They were probably feeling the weight of oppression, grief, and defeat. Being one of the chiefs, Chief Joseph felt double the burden his people felt, and he probably felt somewhat responsible for what was happening to his tribe. Human nature shows us that sooner or later everyone becomes tired, physically and mentally. No one can go on forever; that is a simple fact of life. Chief Joseph was physically and mentally tired. "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever" (Joseph). This is the tone of the speech and the connection to human nature psychology. This is why it is part of the regionalism literary period.
Works cited
Joseph, Chief. "I Will Fight No More Forever." Surrender Speech Of Chief Joseph. Mary Lou McCloskey. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.
"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohulhulsote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead.
It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are--perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead.
Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." (Joseph)
This is a prime example of regionalism, and does not show very many aspects or realism or naturalism. Regionalism is defined as "a literary subgenre that emphasizes the setting, history, speech, dialect, and customs of a particular geographical locale or area, not only for local color, but also for development of universal themes through the use of the local and particular" (Werlock). In this particular speech, as with nearly every regionalistic piece of literature, the dialect and writing style is what puts this in the regionalistic category. This is being said in a Native Indian dialect. The statements are simple, short, and to the point. The phrasing is also singular to their dialect. "The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead" (Joseph). This is what gives it the uniqueness and singularity, the dialect, and this is also what puts it in the category of regionalism.
The surrender speech Does not resemble the characteristics of realism that much. It is a sort and sad speech that does not talk of a hero, the American dream, government, or religion. The only connection that this has to realism is through the human nature and human psychology. Even though the sentences are simple and short, and the surrender speech is short, one can still get a clear idea of how the chief of the Nez Perce was feeling and what was going through his mind. "My heart is sick and sad" (Joseph). In just six words, Chief Joseph was able to create the whole tone of the speech, even if the topic itself could not signal the tone. This simple phrase has a much deeper meaning and background behind it. The Nez Perce had traveled one thousand and one hundred miles, so that they could have freedom (Joseph). They were tire, tired of walking, of fighting, and probably homesick. Their hope was most likely shattered from the fights and deaths along the way, and when they were trapped forty miles away from Canada (Joseph), their spirits were not necessarily lifted and their morales encouraged. They were probably feeling the weight of oppression, grief, and defeat. Being one of the chiefs, Chief Joseph felt double the burden his people felt, and he probably felt somewhat responsible for what was happening to his tribe. Human nature shows us that sooner or later everyone becomes tired, physically and mentally. No one can go on forever; that is a simple fact of life. Chief Joseph was physically and mentally tired. "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever" (Joseph). This is the tone of the speech and the connection to human nature psychology. This is why it is part of the regionalism literary period.
Works cited
Joseph, Chief. "I Will Fight No More Forever." Surrender Speech Of Chief Joseph. Mary Lou McCloskey. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.
Realism Project: Edgar Lee Masters
Edgar Lee Masters was born in Garnett, Kansas, on August 23, 1868, to homesteading parents ("Edgar..."). He later moved to Illinois and spent the remainder of his adult life in Chicago, Illinois ("Edgar..."). There he wrote "Spoon River Anthology," which is a series of poems that tell the stories of the dead of Illinois. This shows characteristics of regionalism because it pertains to the lives of a certain people in the midwest. Also, the writing style is like that of regionalism. The following part is the first poem of the "Spoon River Anthology," and it is called "Hill."
Where are Elmer, Herman, Bert, Tom and Charley,
The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown, the boozer, the fighter?
All, all are sleeping on the hill.
One passed in a fever,
One was burned in a mine,
One was killed in a brawl,
One died in a jail,
One fell from a bridge toiling for children and wife-
All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill.
Where are Ella, Kate, Mag, Lizzie and Edith,
The tender heart, the simple soul, the loud, the proud, the happy one?--
All, all are sleeping on the hill.
One died in shameful child-birth,
One of a thwarted love,
One at the hands of a brute in a brothel,
One of a broken pride, in the search for heart's desire;
One after life in far-away London and Paris
Was brought to her little space by Ella and Kate and Mag--
All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill.
Where are Uncle Isaac and Aunt Emily,
And old Towny Kincaid and Sevigne Houghton,
And Major Walker who had talked With venerable men of the revolution?--
All, all are sleeping on the hill.
They brought them dead sons from the war,
And daughters whom life had crushed,
And their children fatherless, crying--
All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill.
Where is Old Fiddler Jones
Who played with life all his ninety years,
Braving the sleet with bared breast,
Drinking, rioting, thinking neither of wife nor kin,
Nor gold, nor love, nor heaven?
Lo! he babbles of the fish-frys of long ago,
Of the horse-races of long ago at Clary's Grove,
Of what Abe Lincoln said
One time at Springfield.
This shows regionalism because the people of the midwest had a very simple dialect. It was not like the dialect of the south or the far west or the north east. It was simple, straight, and to the point, and that is how this first poem and introduction was written. It was written in a factual way that told the reader about the lives of the dead people of a certain town. It also had a gloomy tone because, after all, these were dead people talking about their lives and society, a characteristic of the realism literary period. One of the things that is different than usual works of literature is that this is a whole collection of poems. The name of this book of poems is different yet very appropriate for the time period. "Spoon River Anthology" was named after a river close to where Edgar Lee Masters actually grew up, Spoon River. Using this as name of the book is also considered regionalism, because the author used a familiar and specific region. These characteristics make this book of poems by Edgar Lee Masters a great addition t the regionalism and realism literary categories.
Works Cited
"Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology." Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology. Infobahn Outfitters, Inc., 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.
Masters, Edgar Leed. "Spoon River Anthology." Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology. Infobahn Outfitters, Inc., 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.
Where are Elmer, Herman, Bert, Tom and Charley,
The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown, the boozer, the fighter?
All, all are sleeping on the hill.
One passed in a fever,
One was burned in a mine,
One was killed in a brawl,
One died in a jail,
One fell from a bridge toiling for children and wife-
All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill.
Where are Ella, Kate, Mag, Lizzie and Edith,
The tender heart, the simple soul, the loud, the proud, the happy one?--
All, all are sleeping on the hill.
One died in shameful child-birth,
One of a thwarted love,
One at the hands of a brute in a brothel,
One of a broken pride, in the search for heart's desire;
One after life in far-away London and Paris
Was brought to her little space by Ella and Kate and Mag--
All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill.
Where are Uncle Isaac and Aunt Emily,
And old Towny Kincaid and Sevigne Houghton,
And Major Walker who had talked With venerable men of the revolution?--
All, all are sleeping on the hill.
They brought them dead sons from the war,
And daughters whom life had crushed,
And their children fatherless, crying--
All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill.
Where is Old Fiddler Jones
Who played with life all his ninety years,
Braving the sleet with bared breast,
Drinking, rioting, thinking neither of wife nor kin,
Nor gold, nor love, nor heaven?
Lo! he babbles of the fish-frys of long ago,
Of the horse-races of long ago at Clary's Grove,
Of what Abe Lincoln said
One time at Springfield.
This shows regionalism because the people of the midwest had a very simple dialect. It was not like the dialect of the south or the far west or the north east. It was simple, straight, and to the point, and that is how this first poem and introduction was written. It was written in a factual way that told the reader about the lives of the dead people of a certain town. It also had a gloomy tone because, after all, these were dead people talking about their lives and society, a characteristic of the realism literary period. One of the things that is different than usual works of literature is that this is a whole collection of poems. The name of this book of poems is different yet very appropriate for the time period. "Spoon River Anthology" was named after a river close to where Edgar Lee Masters actually grew up, Spoon River. Using this as name of the book is also considered regionalism, because the author used a familiar and specific region. These characteristics make this book of poems by Edgar Lee Masters a great addition t the regionalism and realism literary categories.
Works Cited
"Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology." Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology. Infobahn Outfitters, Inc., 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.
Masters, Edgar Leed. "Spoon River Anthology." Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology. Infobahn Outfitters, Inc., 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.
Realism Project: Mark Twain
Mark Twain was a very famous--and well deserved of that fame--author in the United States of America. He falls under the realism literary period, and his works can be classified into the sub genres of the realism literary period, naturalism and regionalism. One of his works that falls under naturalism, is "Two Views of the River." This is his short little journal of how the river now appears to him. Instead of a romantic appearance, the river takes on more of a scientific and logical appearance. This is why it fits so well into the realism and naturalism. It fits into realism, because it talks of Mark Twain's own experience on the river, and he uses many facts and emotions to back his experience up. This puts it into the realism literature category.
The characteristics of naturalism that are present in his journal is what really makes the excerpt interesting and wonderful. Mark Twain uses nature, describing it in a scientific way, but also in a colorful way, to make his work really come to life and poetic. "...This sun means that we are going to have wind tomorrow; that floating log means that the river is rising, small thanks to it; that slanting mark on the water refers to a bluff reef which is going to kill somebody's steamboat one of these nights, if it keeps on stretching out like that; those tumbling 'boils' show a dissolving bar and a changing channel there; the lines and circles in the slick water over yonder are a warning that that troublesome place is shoaling up dangerously; that silver streak in the shadow of the forest is the 'break' from a new snag, and he has located himself in the very best place he could have found to fish for steamboats; that tall dead tree, with a single living branch, is not going to last long, and then how is a body ever going to get through this blilnd place at night without the friendly old landmark? No, the romance and the beauty were all gone from the river." (Twain, 505) In these two sentences, Mark Twain gives detailed examples of how he sees the river. Earlier, he saw it in a majestic romantic way, but now he sees it in a majestic scientific way. However, the way he describes the river to the point that one can just imagine all of the characteristics makes his work romantic in a way, again characterizing it as realism.
The last thing that really and truly classifies it as naturalism is the fact that he admires the river, and he is awed by the river. He appreciates nature, and nature seems to appreciate him, which is another characteristic of naturalism. "Now when I had mastered the language of this water and had come to know every trifling feature that bordered the great river as familiarly as I knew the letters of the alphabet, I had mad a valuable acquisition" (Twain, 504). Mark Twain loves the river, its many bends and features that make it unique. It gives him peace and he goes on to master steam boating, and he seems at peace with nature, as nature is at peace with him. This feature of his journal is what gives this such a naturalistic feel.
Works Cited
Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 504-505.
The characteristics of naturalism that are present in his journal is what really makes the excerpt interesting and wonderful. Mark Twain uses nature, describing it in a scientific way, but also in a colorful way, to make his work really come to life and poetic. "...This sun means that we are going to have wind tomorrow; that floating log means that the river is rising, small thanks to it; that slanting mark on the water refers to a bluff reef which is going to kill somebody's steamboat one of these nights, if it keeps on stretching out like that; those tumbling 'boils' show a dissolving bar and a changing channel there; the lines and circles in the slick water over yonder are a warning that that troublesome place is shoaling up dangerously; that silver streak in the shadow of the forest is the 'break' from a new snag, and he has located himself in the very best place he could have found to fish for steamboats; that tall dead tree, with a single living branch, is not going to last long, and then how is a body ever going to get through this blilnd place at night without the friendly old landmark? No, the romance and the beauty were all gone from the river." (Twain, 505) In these two sentences, Mark Twain gives detailed examples of how he sees the river. Earlier, he saw it in a majestic romantic way, but now he sees it in a majestic scientific way. However, the way he describes the river to the point that one can just imagine all of the characteristics makes his work romantic in a way, again characterizing it as realism.
The last thing that really and truly classifies it as naturalism is the fact that he admires the river, and he is awed by the river. He appreciates nature, and nature seems to appreciate him, which is another characteristic of naturalism. "Now when I had mastered the language of this water and had come to know every trifling feature that bordered the great river as familiarly as I knew the letters of the alphabet, I had mad a valuable acquisition" (Twain, 504). Mark Twain loves the river, its many bends and features that make it unique. It gives him peace and he goes on to master steam boating, and he seems at peace with nature, as nature is at peace with him. This feature of his journal is what gives this such a naturalistic feel.
Works Cited
Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 504-505.
Realism Project: Mark Twain
Mark Twain was a very influential writer in the United States of America, and his writing fits into the realism literary time period, and one of the sub genres of the realism literary period, regionalism. Mark Twain wrote many books, poems, anecdotes, and novels. In these works of literature, he mainly wrote on the society at the time. Many times he would criticize it, and say what was wrong with it. Still, he did this in very fun and colorful novels making them very interesting to read, well loved, and very popular. One of these novels is "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County."
"The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County," by Mark Twain, is really a story inside of a story. One of the characters talks to a man who is looking for one of his friends from long ago. The man recognizes the name, Smiley, but it is not the same person. Instead, the man tells the lookout about a different man by the name of Smiley, a bizarre and interesting man who was an excessive gambler. The man narrates tales of Smiley, which is what creates the story inside of the story. (Twain, 498)This makes "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County" a very interesting story by Mark Twain, also known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
This story obviously fits into the sub genre of the realism literary period, regionalism. A key proponent of how it fits in with regionalism is the dialect of the book, and the fact that it centers around the West. "Dialect is a variation of a language spoken by a particular group, often within a specific region and tim. Dialects may differ from the standard form of a language in vocabulary pronunciation, or grammatical form." (Wilhelm, 497) The narration is what makes one feel like he or she is in the West and talking to one of the settlers, because of the dialect. "Thish-yer Smiley had a mare--the boys caller her the fifteen-minute nag, but that was only in fun, you know, because, of course, she was faster than that--and he used to win money on that horse, for all she was so slow and always had the asthma, or the distemper, or the consuption, or something of that kind. They used to giver her two or three hundred yards start, and then pass her under way; but always at the fag-end of the race she'd get excited and desperate-like, and come cavorting and straddling up, and scattering her legs around limber, sometimes in the air, and sometimes out to one side amongst the fences, and kicking up m-o-r-e racket with her coughing and sneezing and blowing her nose--and always fetch up at the stand just about a neck ahead, as near as you could cipher it down." (Twain, 499-500) When one reads this, he or she can just imagine a Westerner speaking to them, like they are right there listening to the story rather than reading it. Mark Twain does a very good job in writing like this, to where it feels like one is in the actual story. This is what places the book in the regionalism category.
Works Cited
Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 498-502.
Wilhelm, Jeffery. "Dialect." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 497.
"The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County," by Mark Twain, is really a story inside of a story. One of the characters talks to a man who is looking for one of his friends from long ago. The man recognizes the name, Smiley, but it is not the same person. Instead, the man tells the lookout about a different man by the name of Smiley, a bizarre and interesting man who was an excessive gambler. The man narrates tales of Smiley, which is what creates the story inside of the story. (Twain, 498)This makes "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County" a very interesting story by Mark Twain, also known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
This story obviously fits into the sub genre of the realism literary period, regionalism. A key proponent of how it fits in with regionalism is the dialect of the book, and the fact that it centers around the West. "Dialect is a variation of a language spoken by a particular group, often within a specific region and tim. Dialects may differ from the standard form of a language in vocabulary pronunciation, or grammatical form." (Wilhelm, 497) The narration is what makes one feel like he or she is in the West and talking to one of the settlers, because of the dialect. "Thish-yer Smiley had a mare--the boys caller her the fifteen-minute nag, but that was only in fun, you know, because, of course, she was faster than that--and he used to win money on that horse, for all she was so slow and always had the asthma, or the distemper, or the consuption, or something of that kind. They used to giver her two or three hundred yards start, and then pass her under way; but always at the fag-end of the race she'd get excited and desperate-like, and come cavorting and straddling up, and scattering her legs around limber, sometimes in the air, and sometimes out to one side amongst the fences, and kicking up m-o-r-e racket with her coughing and sneezing and blowing her nose--and always fetch up at the stand just about a neck ahead, as near as you could cipher it down." (Twain, 499-500) When one reads this, he or she can just imagine a Westerner speaking to them, like they are right there listening to the story rather than reading it. Mark Twain does a very good job in writing like this, to where it feels like one is in the actual story. This is what places the book in the regionalism category.
Works Cited
Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 498-502.
Wilhelm, Jeffery. "Dialect." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 497.
Realism Project: Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane was born six years after the Civil War ended, but he commonly used it as his story topic. Stephen Crane was a naturalist, and thought that the stronger ones would survive, and the weak would not. One of his books that demonstrates this is "The Red Badge of Courage." "The Red Badge of Courage" is about a young recruit in the Civil War, who deals with the war in a very brave and courageous manner. The next small passage describes his first battle. "Presently he began to feel the effects of the war atmospher--a blistering sweat, a sensation that his eyeballs were about to crack like hot stones. A burning roar filled his ears...He craved a power that would enable him to make a world-sweeping gesture and brush all back. His impotency appeared to him, and made his rage into that of a driven beast. Buried in the smoke of many rifles his anger was directed not so much against the men whom he knew were rushing toward him as against the swirling battle phantoms which were choking him, stuffing their smoke robes down his parched throat." (Crane, 493)
In this small excerpt of "The Red Badge of Courage," by Stepen Crane, there are many examples of both realism and naturalism. The topic of the story deals with the Civil War, a real historic event of the United States of America. Therefore, it is realism, because it uses real events to create the story. It is also considered realism, because the hero of the story is a soldier Henry Fleming, recently recruited. Heros of the realism literary period were often average people in average life experiences. In "The Red Badge of Courage," the hero is the average soldier, a recruit, and a normal person. It is not a hero like Superman or Batman or an amazingly talented super person. It is just the average person, because it was the person his or herself who made themselves better, who became the hero through their own accord. This is why it fits into the realism literary category.
However, Stephen Crane's book, "The Red Badge of Courage," can also be put into a more specific sub category of the realism liteary category. It can be classified as naturalism as well. This is because, the story is gloomy and very descriptive of the battles. Also, it shows his courage and his strength and his will to survive and to win and to keep going even when the odds are against him. The battle does not scare him; rather it infuriates him and causes him to want to dominate and to succeed. This shows naturalism, because Henry Fleming does not shy away; he shows strength and courage and bravery, and because of this survives. The "fittest" will survive, and in this novel, "The Red Badge of Courage," Henry Fleming, the hero, shows that he is the "fittest," and he will survive and prevail. This is what puts this story into the naturalism literary sub genre of the realism literary period.
Works Cited
Crane, Stephen. "The Red Badge of Courage." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 493.
In this small excerpt of "The Red Badge of Courage," by Stepen Crane, there are many examples of both realism and naturalism. The topic of the story deals with the Civil War, a real historic event of the United States of America. Therefore, it is realism, because it uses real events to create the story. It is also considered realism, because the hero of the story is a soldier Henry Fleming, recently recruited. Heros of the realism literary period were often average people in average life experiences. In "The Red Badge of Courage," the hero is the average soldier, a recruit, and a normal person. It is not a hero like Superman or Batman or an amazingly talented super person. It is just the average person, because it was the person his or herself who made themselves better, who became the hero through their own accord. This is why it fits into the realism literary category.
However, Stephen Crane's book, "The Red Badge of Courage," can also be put into a more specific sub category of the realism liteary category. It can be classified as naturalism as well. This is because, the story is gloomy and very descriptive of the battles. Also, it shows his courage and his strength and his will to survive and to win and to keep going even when the odds are against him. The battle does not scare him; rather it infuriates him and causes him to want to dominate and to succeed. This shows naturalism, because Henry Fleming does not shy away; he shows strength and courage and bravery, and because of this survives. The "fittest" will survive, and in this novel, "The Red Badge of Courage," Henry Fleming, the hero, shows that he is the "fittest," and he will survive and prevail. This is what puts this story into the naturalism literary sub genre of the realism literary period.
Works Cited
Crane, Stephen. "The Red Badge of Courage." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 493.
Realism Project: Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin is considered an author of the realism literary period, and more specifically part of the naturalism sub category of realism. Naturalism is a sub category of realism that deals with nature and the idea of Darwinism. "In particular, naturalism believes that the powerful dominate the weak, 'few can overcome the handicaps imposed upon them by inadequacies of body and mind, and that many men have instinctive needs that are not amenable to moral suasion or rational argument' (20)" (Werlock). Basically, naturalism believes that the fittest will be the survivors and successors of life. However, it is not always by their own will as it is with realism. "As humans are governed by the same laws as all of nature, literary naturalism suggests that those who attempt to question, combat, or suppress nature will find only failure" (Werlock). Two of Kate Chopin's novels display realism; however, of the two, "The Awakening" and "The Story of the Hour," only one of those displays actual naturalism. "The Story of the Hour" shows naturalism, while "The Awakening" displays realism.
"The Story of the Hour" is about a woman who has heart problems and is told that her husband died in a terrible train accident (Chopin, 554). When she is told of this, she immediately breaks down sobbing for the loss of her husband. She goes into her room tobe in private, and when she does, she opens a window. This window gives her fresh air and a sense of freedom, which helps her with her grief. However, she fights it and eventually walks away from the window to be escorted down stairs. There she sees her husband, completely alive and well, and at the sight of him, she dies abruptly. (Chopin, 555)
But how does this deal with naturalism? Simple. When Mrs. Mallard, the young suppossed widow, opens the window, she is open to nature and the goodness of that nature. "There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air...When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: 'free, free, free!'"(Chopin, 554) In this passage, Mrs. Mallard feels a sense of freedom and joy. A sensation has come over her, from her encounter with nature. However it does not last. Her sister comes to aid her. "'Go away. I am not making myself ill.' No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window" (Chopin, 555). As she walks away and sees her husband, fully alive and well, suddenly, Mrs. Mallard dies, because she has been taken away from that nature, that elixir, and this is what puts this in the naturalism sub category.
Also, Mrs. Mallard was weak to begin with, with heart problems. "Knwoing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble..." (Chopin, 554). When she died, it was a sign that she could not handle the situation at the present, a sign of weakness. Naturalists believe that the strong will prevail, and the weak will not. Likewise, Mrs. Mallard did not prevail. This is why this is a literature work of naturalism.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of the Hour." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 554-555.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "naturalism." 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. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0501&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 16, 2011).
"The Story of the Hour" is about a woman who has heart problems and is told that her husband died in a terrible train accident (Chopin, 554). When she is told of this, she immediately breaks down sobbing for the loss of her husband. She goes into her room tobe in private, and when she does, she opens a window. This window gives her fresh air and a sense of freedom, which helps her with her grief. However, she fights it and eventually walks away from the window to be escorted down stairs. There she sees her husband, completely alive and well, and at the sight of him, she dies abruptly. (Chopin, 555)
But how does this deal with naturalism? Simple. When Mrs. Mallard, the young suppossed widow, opens the window, she is open to nature and the goodness of that nature. "There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air...When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: 'free, free, free!'"(Chopin, 554) In this passage, Mrs. Mallard feels a sense of freedom and joy. A sensation has come over her, from her encounter with nature. However it does not last. Her sister comes to aid her. "'Go away. I am not making myself ill.' No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window" (Chopin, 555). As she walks away and sees her husband, fully alive and well, suddenly, Mrs. Mallard dies, because she has been taken away from that nature, that elixir, and this is what puts this in the naturalism sub category.
Also, Mrs. Mallard was weak to begin with, with heart problems. "Knwoing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble..." (Chopin, 554). When she died, it was a sign that she could not handle the situation at the present, a sign of weakness. Naturalists believe that the strong will prevail, and the weak will not. Likewise, Mrs. Mallard did not prevail. This is why this is a literature work of naturalism.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of the Hour." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 554-555.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "naturalism." 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. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0501&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 16, 2011).
Realism Project: Willa Cather
Willa Cather's two pieces of literature, "O Pioneers!" and "A Wagner Matinee," are considered works of realism. However, there are different sub-categories to realism, two of them being Regionalism and Naturalism. Willa Cather's two stories fall under the Regionalism category, because the deal with a specific region and characters from that region. The two stories deal with migration to the West. "O Pioneers!" talks about a specific family, the Bergson family, and their troubles with the migration to the West (Cather, 489). "A Wagner Matinee" talks about a woman--an aunt--who was changed by the migration to the west. She realizes this change when she visits her nephew in a more civilized town (Cather, 521).
Both of these stories show regionalism because they deal with a specific region, the West, and the influences that the West has had on them. In "O Pioneers!," Cather describes life of the pioneer. "The failure of the corn crop made labor cheap. Lou and Oscar hired two men and put in bigger crops than ever before. They lost everything they spent. The whole country was discouraged. Farmers who were already in debt had to give up their land." (Cather, 489) This could have actually happened to a family of farmers. The West was not always as promising as it was said to be, and this event is very realistic, putting it in realism and then regionalism.
The stories also fall under the realism category, because it deals with the American Dream. The American Dream then was to travel out to the romantic and wild West, start a large farm, and become very prosperous. However, this did not always happen, because the West was not as romantic and magnificent as it was portrayed. This brings in more of realism. The ideal West did not exist, and this story shows the realistic West, another example of the realism literary period.
In "A Wagner Matinee," the aunt realizes how much the migration to Nebraska had changed her (Cather, 521). She used to be a well-educated and "civilized" woman, but from the migration she had lost some of this (Cather, 526). This shows regionalism, because it shows how the aunt was changed by that certain region, how it had influenced her.
Another example of the realism and regionalism present in the two stories by Willa Cather, "O Pioneer!" and "A Wagner Matinee," is that they both deal with nature and society. The two are intertwined. Because of the nature in the West--the rough trails, the weather, the less fertile land--the people were changed; the society in the West was changed because of the nature. There were not fancy operas or sky scrapers in the west. It was the prairie and the rough terrain; therefore, the people had to deal with this and adjust to the conditions. This shows regionalism, because the people changed from the region in order to survive in that specific region. Because of all these characteristics of the two stories by Willa Cather, her stories, "O Pioneer!" and "A Wagner Matinee," fall under the literary categories of realism and regionalism.
Works Cited
Cather, Willa. "O Pioneers!" Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 489.
Cather, Willa. "A Wagner Matinee." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 521-526.
Both of these stories show regionalism because they deal with a specific region, the West, and the influences that the West has had on them. In "O Pioneers!," Cather describes life of the pioneer. "The failure of the corn crop made labor cheap. Lou and Oscar hired two men and put in bigger crops than ever before. They lost everything they spent. The whole country was discouraged. Farmers who were already in debt had to give up their land." (Cather, 489) This could have actually happened to a family of farmers. The West was not always as promising as it was said to be, and this event is very realistic, putting it in realism and then regionalism.
The stories also fall under the realism category, because it deals with the American Dream. The American Dream then was to travel out to the romantic and wild West, start a large farm, and become very prosperous. However, this did not always happen, because the West was not as romantic and magnificent as it was portrayed. This brings in more of realism. The ideal West did not exist, and this story shows the realistic West, another example of the realism literary period.
In "A Wagner Matinee," the aunt realizes how much the migration to Nebraska had changed her (Cather, 521). She used to be a well-educated and "civilized" woman, but from the migration she had lost some of this (Cather, 526). This shows regionalism, because it shows how the aunt was changed by that certain region, how it had influenced her.
Another example of the realism and regionalism present in the two stories by Willa Cather, "O Pioneer!" and "A Wagner Matinee," is that they both deal with nature and society. The two are intertwined. Because of the nature in the West--the rough trails, the weather, the less fertile land--the people were changed; the society in the West was changed because of the nature. There were not fancy operas or sky scrapers in the west. It was the prairie and the rough terrain; therefore, the people had to deal with this and adjust to the conditions. This shows regionalism, because the people changed from the region in order to survive in that specific region. Because of all these characteristics of the two stories by Willa Cather, her stories, "O Pioneer!" and "A Wagner Matinee," fall under the literary categories of realism and regionalism.
Works Cited
Cather, Willa. "O Pioneers!" Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 489.
Cather, Willa. "A Wagner Matinee." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 521-526.
Realism Project: Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee was one of the greatest Confederate generals during the Civil War in the United States--approximately 1861 to 1865. This war, fought between the North and South, split the United States of America up, because families were fighting against each other and hundreds of thousands of men died. The start of this war was predicted, and many people were expecting a terrible out break. One of these people who predicted the Civil War was in fact Robert E. Lee. The soon to be general of the Confederate Army wrote a letter to his sons, properly titled, "Letter to His Sons." This letter explained to his sons that the Civil War was soon to happen and the consequences of that war (Lee, 385).
Robert E. Lee's letter, "Letter to His Sons," falls under the category of literature known as the Realism Literary Period. In realism, authors write about real events or real settings, somewhat like historical fiction. The hero is the average person, someone who the readers can relate to. The American Dream is what the people of the time thought of the American Dream, usually succeeding in life and climbing the ladder of success, so to speak. Many authors also wrote of society--problems in society, the current state of society, and certain classes of people in society. Religion in the realism literary period was not as important as it was in the Puritan and Romantic literary periods. It was there, but it was not the defining factor of the people's lives. All of these parts of realism show up in Robert E. Lee's letter, "Letter to His Sons."
Lee talks about the state of the country at the time, and more specific, the society. Leading up to the Civil War, the North and the South had been clashing heads over slavery and land issues. Many times, the country had tried to be reunited through compromise, but it had failed because of the two sides' unwillingness to compromise. The south wanted slavery; the north did not. There was no compromise to that that would make either side happy. War was almost inevitable, and this is was Lee told his sons (Lee, 385). Talking about the present state of the country as the main topic makes Robert E. Lee's letter, "Letter to His Sons," a true realistic piece of literature.
The next thing that makes this letter part of the realism literary period is the structure of the letter, which includes both a factual part and an emotional part. Robert E. Lee gives facts on the country's present state. That is the factual part of the letter and one part of realism. Then he uses his emotions to give the letter a tone of sincerity and disappointment that the country is about to go to war with itself. That is the emotional part of the letter and the second half of realism. The facts and the emotion present in Robert E. Lee's letter, "Letter to His Sons," classify this letter as part of the realism literary period.
Works Cited
Lee, Robert E. "Letter to His Sons." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 385.
Robert E. Lee's letter, "Letter to His Sons," falls under the category of literature known as the Realism Literary Period. In realism, authors write about real events or real settings, somewhat like historical fiction. The hero is the average person, someone who the readers can relate to. The American Dream is what the people of the time thought of the American Dream, usually succeeding in life and climbing the ladder of success, so to speak. Many authors also wrote of society--problems in society, the current state of society, and certain classes of people in society. Religion in the realism literary period was not as important as it was in the Puritan and Romantic literary periods. It was there, but it was not the defining factor of the people's lives. All of these parts of realism show up in Robert E. Lee's letter, "Letter to His Sons."
Lee talks about the state of the country at the time, and more specific, the society. Leading up to the Civil War, the North and the South had been clashing heads over slavery and land issues. Many times, the country had tried to be reunited through compromise, but it had failed because of the two sides' unwillingness to compromise. The south wanted slavery; the north did not. There was no compromise to that that would make either side happy. War was almost inevitable, and this is was Lee told his sons (Lee, 385). Talking about the present state of the country as the main topic makes Robert E. Lee's letter, "Letter to His Sons," a true realistic piece of literature.
The next thing that makes this letter part of the realism literary period is the structure of the letter, which includes both a factual part and an emotional part. Robert E. Lee gives facts on the country's present state. That is the factual part of the letter and one part of realism. Then he uses his emotions to give the letter a tone of sincerity and disappointment that the country is about to go to war with itself. That is the emotional part of the letter and the second half of realism. The facts and the emotion present in Robert E. Lee's letter, "Letter to His Sons," classify this letter as part of the realism literary period.
Works Cited
Lee, Robert E. "Letter to His Sons." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 385.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Realism Project: Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth was an African American slave, who was a proponent of freedom for all the African American slaves and also for complete women's rights. Her speech, "And Ain't I a Woman" was addressed to the Ohio Women's Rights Convention, in 1851 (Truth, 370). In this speech, she gives her thoughts on not only the treatment of white women, but the treatment of African American women. "That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody every helps me into carriages, or over mud-pudddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman?" (Truth, 370) In this powerful speech, there are many characteristics of realism, especially in the topic and structure.
The topic of this speech is the rights of women in the United States of America, both white and African American. In society, women were considered inferior to men. They were acclaimed less intelligent than men, and were said that they were not as gifted as men. "They they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [Intellect, someone whispers.] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or Negroes rights?" (Truth, 370) That was the present state of society. Men were above woman, and the white American was above the African American. It was almost like a feudalist system where there were levels of social status, and unfortunately, at that time, African Americans and women were towards the bottom. The discussion of the speech about the society of that time puts the speech in the realism literary period category. Realism works of literature commonly discussed society, nature, government, and the American Dream.
Another characteristic of realism that is present in her speech to the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in 1851 was the structure of her speech . She starts out stating the problem. Then she gives facts stating that this is a real occurring problem. Then Sojourner Truth puts in her emotions to make it a very powerful and moving speech. "Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him. If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again!" (Truth, 370) The emotion behind this statement is not hidden. One can just imagine Sojourner Truth saying this with much passion. The thing that separates this statement from being classified as Romanticism is that it has facts to back it up; therefore, the speech falls under the structure of realism.
The hero in this speech is obviously the woman, of all races. Truth stated that the women, if working together, could change society and a social status for themselves (Truth, 370). It was the women who had to endure the oppression of the men and had to deal with his pompous and egotistical statements. The women who are portrayed as heros in her speech are every day women, making them every day heros. This status is very common to realism, because the hero in realism was someone who the average person could relate to--usually the average person. All of these qualities, the structure of the speech, the topic of the speech, and the heros of the speech make this excellent speech by Sojourner Truth a realism piece of literature.
Works Cited
Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 370.
The topic of this speech is the rights of women in the United States of America, both white and African American. In society, women were considered inferior to men. They were acclaimed less intelligent than men, and were said that they were not as gifted as men. "They they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [Intellect, someone whispers.] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or Negroes rights?" (Truth, 370) That was the present state of society. Men were above woman, and the white American was above the African American. It was almost like a feudalist system where there were levels of social status, and unfortunately, at that time, African Americans and women were towards the bottom. The discussion of the speech about the society of that time puts the speech in the realism literary period category. Realism works of literature commonly discussed society, nature, government, and the American Dream.
Another characteristic of realism that is present in her speech to the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in 1851 was the structure of her speech . She starts out stating the problem. Then she gives facts stating that this is a real occurring problem. Then Sojourner Truth puts in her emotions to make it a very powerful and moving speech. "Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him. If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again!" (Truth, 370) The emotion behind this statement is not hidden. One can just imagine Sojourner Truth saying this with much passion. The thing that separates this statement from being classified as Romanticism is that it has facts to back it up; therefore, the speech falls under the structure of realism.
The hero in this speech is obviously the woman, of all races. Truth stated that the women, if working together, could change society and a social status for themselves (Truth, 370). It was the women who had to endure the oppression of the men and had to deal with his pompous and egotistical statements. The women who are portrayed as heros in her speech are every day women, making them every day heros. This status is very common to realism, because the hero in realism was someone who the average person could relate to--usually the average person. All of these qualities, the structure of the speech, the topic of the speech, and the heros of the speech make this excellent speech by Sojourner Truth a realism piece of literature.
Works Cited
Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 370.
Realism Project: Gospel Songs
During the Civil War Era, approximately 1861 to 1865, a literary period called the Realism Literary Period became very popular. There are many speeches,works of art, poems, novels, and even songs that can be classified as realism works of literature. Some of these songs that can be classified as part of the realism literary period are gospel songs. These are songs, commonly sung during this time period, that were mainly sung by African American slaves. This was their escape hatch, so to speak, from slavery. And because of their predicament, the topics of their songs were often about escaping to heaven and being freed from their present oppression. Three of the more famous gospel songs are "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Go Down, Moses," and "Keep Your Hand on the Plow." All of these songs have characteristics of realism, mainly in what they talk about, not necessarily in structure.
"I looked over Jordan and what did I see,
Coming for to carry me home?
A band of angels coming after me,
Coming for to carry me home.
...
I'm sometimes up, I'm sometimes down,
Coming for to carry me home,
But still my sould feels heavenly bound;
Coming for to carry me home.
...
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home." ("Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," 346)
This song deals with religion, and how by their faith, one day, they will be saved and go to heaven. In these songs they not only put their own emotions into it--the want of being rescued and the hope of being saved--but they also used Biblical facts in their songs, showing signs of realism. This same concept is present in the other songs--the use of Biblical instances to convey their emotions, and applying the Biblical situation to their own lives.
"When Israel was in Egypt's land,
Let my people go;
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let my people go.
...
Go down, Moses,
'Way down in Egypt's land;
Tell ole Pharaoh
Let my people go." ("Go Down, Moses," 347)
In this song, they use figurative writing to portray their own predicament, something common to realism. Also, in a deeper sense, the fact that Moses, one of the people, was to lead them out of oppression, represents the common hero, which is a characteristic of realism. The use of this Biblical fact in their song shows the realistic characteristics of the writing.
"Hold on, hold on,
Keep your hand on the plow,
Hold on.
...
Paul and Silas bound in jail,
Had nobody for to go their bail,
Keep your hand on the plow,
Hold on." ("Keep your Hand on the Plow," 348)
In this song, the people use agriculture and Biblical references to represent their lives, and to give hope to others. Plowing was something that slaves would have to do on the plantations. In the song, they used this from their lives to figuratively mean perseverance. The use of all of this in the songs puts these gospel songs in the realism time period.
Works Cited
"Go Down, Moses." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 347.
"Keep Your Hand on the Plow." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 348.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 346.
"I looked over Jordan and what did I see,
Coming for to carry me home?
A band of angels coming after me,
Coming for to carry me home.
...
I'm sometimes up, I'm sometimes down,
Coming for to carry me home,
But still my sould feels heavenly bound;
Coming for to carry me home.
...
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home." ("Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," 346)
This song deals with religion, and how by their faith, one day, they will be saved and go to heaven. In these songs they not only put their own emotions into it--the want of being rescued and the hope of being saved--but they also used Biblical facts in their songs, showing signs of realism. This same concept is present in the other songs--the use of Biblical instances to convey their emotions, and applying the Biblical situation to their own lives.
"When Israel was in Egypt's land,
Let my people go;
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let my people go.
...
Go down, Moses,
'Way down in Egypt's land;
Tell ole Pharaoh
Let my people go." ("Go Down, Moses," 347)
In this song, they use figurative writing to portray their own predicament, something common to realism. Also, in a deeper sense, the fact that Moses, one of the people, was to lead them out of oppression, represents the common hero, which is a characteristic of realism. The use of this Biblical fact in their song shows the realistic characteristics of the writing.
"Hold on, hold on,
Keep your hand on the plow,
Hold on.
...
Paul and Silas bound in jail,
Had nobody for to go their bail,
Keep your hand on the plow,
Hold on." ("Keep your Hand on the Plow," 348)
In this song, the people use agriculture and Biblical references to represent their lives, and to give hope to others. Plowing was something that slaves would have to do on the plantations. In the song, they used this from their lives to figuratively mean perseverance. The use of all of this in the songs puts these gospel songs in the realism time period.
Works Cited
"Go Down, Moses." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 347.
"Keep Your Hand on the Plow." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 348.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 346.
Realism Project: Abraham Lincoln
Abraham was the sixteenth President of the United States of America, and being so, he lived during the Realism Literary time period. Two of his more famous speeches are "The Gettysburg Address" and "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865." These speeches are prime examples of realism, in both structure and topic.
"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations" (Lincoln, 339). This is a statement made by Abraham Lincoln in his "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865." In this little section, the characteristics are obvious. First off, Lincoln is talking about the state of the country and how to fix it; this is realism, because the topic is a real occurrence in history and deals with the country and government. The second reason that this work fits into the realism category is that, in structure, Lincoln presents it using facts and emotion. He tells what is going on in the country--fact. Then he says what must be done to change the present state of things to make the new nation a stronger and better nation. As he states this, Abraham Lincoln uses much emotion, showing that he truly cares what is going on in the country and about the United States of America itself.
This speech is apparent in general topic and structure that is part of the realism literary period. However, if one looks specifically into the subcategories of realism, one can see that the speech is a perfect fit. One of these categories is the American Dream, which is definitely tied into this category. When Abraham Lincoln gave this speech, the Civil War was coming to a close, and the nation was in pieces because of it. Land was destroyed, families were broken, and approximately two and a half million people had died. The spirit of America was crushed. Because of this, the American Dream at the time was to regain the previous economical status and to truly be free. African Americans wanted freedom, complete freedom. American citizens wanted freedom from sectional prejudice--North and South. The nation needed to be reunited, and it was the dream of all Americans to see it reunited. In Abraham Lincoln's speech, "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865," Lincoln told what was wrong and how to fix it, how to fix the American Dream and make it come true, a characteristic of realism.
Along the same lines, the hero of realism is usually someone that the reader can relate to. It is not a Superman or Batman. It is the grocery store owner or the common hard working citizen. In Lincoln's speech, he brings together everyone, for everyone needs to be a part of the reconstruction in order for the nation to be stitched back together, for the American Dream to become a reality. The hero in this speech is the people themselves, for it is the people who can make this happen. Using this common hero as the main character as the hero of the story is a definite characteristic of realism.
In Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," the same structure and topics apply, and they equally show the characteristics of realism. Overall, Abraham Lincoln's speeches showed apparent characteristics of realism, adding more to the Realism Literary Period.
Works Cited
Lincoln, Abraham. from "Second Inaugural Address." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 339.
"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations" (Lincoln, 339). This is a statement made by Abraham Lincoln in his "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865." In this little section, the characteristics are obvious. First off, Lincoln is talking about the state of the country and how to fix it; this is realism, because the topic is a real occurrence in history and deals with the country and government. The second reason that this work fits into the realism category is that, in structure, Lincoln presents it using facts and emotion. He tells what is going on in the country--fact. Then he says what must be done to change the present state of things to make the new nation a stronger and better nation. As he states this, Abraham Lincoln uses much emotion, showing that he truly cares what is going on in the country and about the United States of America itself.
This speech is apparent in general topic and structure that is part of the realism literary period. However, if one looks specifically into the subcategories of realism, one can see that the speech is a perfect fit. One of these categories is the American Dream, which is definitely tied into this category. When Abraham Lincoln gave this speech, the Civil War was coming to a close, and the nation was in pieces because of it. Land was destroyed, families were broken, and approximately two and a half million people had died. The spirit of America was crushed. Because of this, the American Dream at the time was to regain the previous economical status and to truly be free. African Americans wanted freedom, complete freedom. American citizens wanted freedom from sectional prejudice--North and South. The nation needed to be reunited, and it was the dream of all Americans to see it reunited. In Abraham Lincoln's speech, "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865," Lincoln told what was wrong and how to fix it, how to fix the American Dream and make it come true, a characteristic of realism.
Along the same lines, the hero of realism is usually someone that the reader can relate to. It is not a Superman or Batman. It is the grocery store owner or the common hard working citizen. In Lincoln's speech, he brings together everyone, for everyone needs to be a part of the reconstruction in order for the nation to be stitched back together, for the American Dream to become a reality. The hero in this speech is the people themselves, for it is the people who can make this happen. Using this common hero as the main character as the hero of the story is a definite characteristic of realism.
In Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," the same structure and topics apply, and they equally show the characteristics of realism. Overall, Abraham Lincoln's speeches showed apparent characteristics of realism, adding more to the Realism Literary Period.
Works Cited
Lincoln, Abraham. from "Second Inaugural Address." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 339.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Realism Project: Frederick Douglass and the Meaning of the Fourth of July
On July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, Frederick Douglass gave his speech "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" to a white audience, explaining his beliefs on the holiday (Douglass, 337). In this speech, he criticized the American holiday, the Fourth of July, saying that it is hypocritical, as it celebrates the American freedom from Britain, but mocks the slavery of African Americans. "To him [the African American slave], your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to him mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy--a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages" (Douglass, 337). This is a section from Frederick Douglass's speech on why the holiday is a terrible hypocrisy to the African slave.
Frederick Douglass made this speech in 1852, which was during the Realism literary time period. Likewise, his speech, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro," shows obvious examples of realism. One of the characteristics of realism is that it deals with real places, real history, real people, real occurrences. The Fourth of July is a major holiday in America; that is the real setting--a characteristic of realism. The next sign of realism in this speech is that it deals with a major situation that really happened in the United States of America--slavery. Slavery in the United States lasted approximately one hundred years, and throughout it, but specifically towards the end, the conflict filled the United States with much angst and concern. The topic of Frederick Douglass's speech was soaked in realism.
The next characteristic of Frederick Douglass's speech, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro," was that it combined facts and emotion, something very common to the Realism literary period. Frederick Douglass said that slavery was a problem, and he talked about what went on in slavery; this is the factual part of the speech. When Frederick Douglass goes into how it appears to the African American slave and how it feels to them, that is the emotional part of the speech. "...
your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless..." (Douglass, 337). Combining the factual and emotional parts of the speech gives it a completely realistic character.
The structure and topics of this speech are what give it that realistic quality. It was about a real event, during a real time; this speech happened. Also, the use of of facts and emotions give it the realistic quality. During the slavery movement, many abolitionist speeches arose, and they could almost all be characterized as realist literary period speech. They are considered this, because they all contain the same structure and topics that Frederick Douglass used in his speech, making them a key proponent of the Realism Literary Period.
Works Cited
Douglass, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth to the Negro." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 337. Print.
Frederick Douglass made this speech in 1852, which was during the Realism literary time period. Likewise, his speech, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro," shows obvious examples of realism. One of the characteristics of realism is that it deals with real places, real history, real people, real occurrences. The Fourth of July is a major holiday in America; that is the real setting--a characteristic of realism. The next sign of realism in this speech is that it deals with a major situation that really happened in the United States of America--slavery. Slavery in the United States lasted approximately one hundred years, and throughout it, but specifically towards the end, the conflict filled the United States with much angst and concern. The topic of Frederick Douglass's speech was soaked in realism.
The next characteristic of Frederick Douglass's speech, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro," was that it combined facts and emotion, something very common to the Realism literary period. Frederick Douglass said that slavery was a problem, and he talked about what went on in slavery; this is the factual part of the speech. When Frederick Douglass goes into how it appears to the African American slave and how it feels to them, that is the emotional part of the speech. "...
your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless..." (Douglass, 337). Combining the factual and emotional parts of the speech gives it a completely realistic character.
The structure and topics of this speech are what give it that realistic quality. It was about a real event, during a real time; this speech happened. Also, the use of of facts and emotions give it the realistic quality. During the slavery movement, many abolitionist speeches arose, and they could almost all be characterized as realist literary period speech. They are considered this, because they all contain the same structure and topics that Frederick Douglass used in his speech, making them a key proponent of the Realism Literary Period.
Works Cited
Douglass, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth to the Negro." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 337. Print.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Realism Project: Regionalism
Regionalism is defined as "a literary subgenre that emphasizes the setting, history, speech, dialect, and customs of a particular geographical locale or area, not only for local color, but also for development of universal themes through the use of the local and particular" (Werlock); however, it is more of a description of realism than a sub-category. Regionalism has the same qualities as realism, but it focuses on a certain environment or region to make the story more real and come to life. "Although the term regionalist is sometimes used to describe an author whose work has limited appeal, many of the best American writers write about specific communities that have an intrinsic interest for them—so much so that author and place cannot be conceived of apart. In this sense, the term regionalist is descriptive and not limiting" (Anderson).
Regionalist writers use a particular region to talk about, making their story more of a historical fiction novel, and very much realistic in a literary sense. The characters of these novels are relative to the characters at that time and place. For example, a western novel would be filled with western characters. "The American West embodies the American myth of the self-made man, the loner, and the adventurer heading out for new territory and exploring the frontier. The novels of Owen Wister and Zane Grey made the cowboy a staple of the American mythos" (Anderson). A New England regionalist author might write about a factory owner in New York, or a Southern regionalist writer might write about a plantation owner during the Civil War.
The regionalist American Dream is still very similar to that of realism and naturalism, to succeed by the standards set at the time. However, the hero of regionalism is different than the hero of realism or naturalism. Because different regions had different environments, different people, and different mind sets, the hero was whoever was considered a hero in that area. For example, the cowboy could be considered the hero of the West, while the high and mighty business owner of a national company would be seen as the hero of the North. Each is subject to the region or environment, hence the name regionalism.
"To Anderson, the more specific a writer was about the setting of his story, the more believable he could make his characters; for him, the particular led to the universal" (Anderson). That is what regionalism is, in a deeper sense. It is the use of a place very close to the author's heart to unlock a whole new story a whole new world.
Works Cited
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2011).
Werlock, Abby H. P. "regionalism." 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. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0581&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2011).
Regionalist writers use a particular region to talk about, making their story more of a historical fiction novel, and very much realistic in a literary sense. The characters of these novels are relative to the characters at that time and place. For example, a western novel would be filled with western characters. "The American West embodies the American myth of the self-made man, the loner, and the adventurer heading out for new territory and exploring the frontier. The novels of Owen Wister and Zane Grey made the cowboy a staple of the American mythos" (Anderson). A New England regionalist author might write about a factory owner in New York, or a Southern regionalist writer might write about a plantation owner during the Civil War.
The regionalist American Dream is still very similar to that of realism and naturalism, to succeed by the standards set at the time. However, the hero of regionalism is different than the hero of realism or naturalism. Because different regions had different environments, different people, and different mind sets, the hero was whoever was considered a hero in that area. For example, the cowboy could be considered the hero of the West, while the high and mighty business owner of a national company would be seen as the hero of the North. Each is subject to the region or environment, hence the name regionalism.
"To Anderson, the more specific a writer was about the setting of his story, the more believable he could make his characters; for him, the particular led to the universal" (Anderson). That is what regionalism is, in a deeper sense. It is the use of a place very close to the author's heart to unlock a whole new story a whole new world.
Works Cited
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2011).
Werlock, Abby H. P. "regionalism." 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. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0581&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2011).
Monday, January 31, 2011
Realism Project: Naturalism
Naturalism is a sub-genre of the Realism literary period. "A product of the late 19th century and sometimes seen as an extension of or successor to realism, naturalism was a literary movement based on the writings of the scientist Charles Darwin, author of Origin of Species (1859)" (Sommers). Charles Darwin said that evolution applied to human life--even though humans were considered "'merely higher-order animals'" (Sommers) by Darwin--, and that the "fittest" would be successful throughout their lives, whether it was in business, money, or social status. Those who would prevail would go off of their instinct, that inner gut feeling. This would enable them to succeed, however, it was still up to fate. "Under this framework, a story's character operates by compulsion and drive but cannot control his own destiny" (Sommers). In other words, those who were meant to prevail would.
This type of literature started as the American economy started to develop in the late nineteenth century. Large businesses grew around the oil, steel, and railroad industries, and this growth and competition started the idea of "survival of the fittest." With this came along the American Dream and the view of the Hero at this point in time. The American Dream was to become successful, through any means possible. When one became successful, they became part of the higher social class--which can be considered as the top class, or the "fittest"--and therefore a survivor. They had reached the top, and this meant that they were part of the "fittest" group. The Hero of this time would be one who reached the top and was successful. For example, a business owner of a famous company would be considered a hero, because they have done what they could to reach the top, and being one of the "fittest," they achieved that goal, the American Dream.
A similar literary period to Naturalism, is Rationalism, the literary period that was based on facts, science, and logic, rather than emotions, morality, and the soul. Naturalism is literature based on the science of man, which can be connected to the writing style of Rationalism. "...Zola wrote that the novelist should approach the craft of writing in the same manner as the scientist approaches the study of nature" (Diamond). With this in mind, one can better understand naturalism, and by further extent, realism.
Works Cited
Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "naturalism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW410&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2011).
Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 31, 2011).
This type of literature started as the American economy started to develop in the late nineteenth century. Large businesses grew around the oil, steel, and railroad industries, and this growth and competition started the idea of "survival of the fittest." With this came along the American Dream and the view of the Hero at this point in time. The American Dream was to become successful, through any means possible. When one became successful, they became part of the higher social class--which can be considered as the top class, or the "fittest"--and therefore a survivor. They had reached the top, and this meant that they were part of the "fittest" group. The Hero of this time would be one who reached the top and was successful. For example, a business owner of a famous company would be considered a hero, because they have done what they could to reach the top, and being one of the "fittest," they achieved that goal, the American Dream.
A similar literary period to Naturalism, is Rationalism, the literary period that was based on facts, science, and logic, rather than emotions, morality, and the soul. Naturalism is literature based on the science of man, which can be connected to the writing style of Rationalism. "...Zola wrote that the novelist should approach the craft of writing in the same manner as the scientist approaches the study of nature" (Diamond). With this in mind, one can better understand naturalism, and by further extent, realism.
Works Cited
Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "naturalism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW410&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2011).
Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 31, 2011).
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