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).

Realism Project: Realism Itself

"Realism is the attempt to depict life as it actually exists, not as the author wants it to be in the present or the future, or imagines it was in the past" (Werlock). It is a literary period that came after the Romantic literary period, during the mid nineteenth century and focused on the historical aspect of literature. Realism, like the name implies, is literary works that represent something real happening in the world, which is why many of the works used settings and events from the current American history to portray characters or to develop their plot. "It is generally seen as having two distinct strands: social realism (the recording of observable experiences of individual characters within distinct social classes) and psychological realism (the exploration of the hidden and complex workings of the conscious minds of individual characters)" (Giles).

The point of realism was to see what was happening in the world, or with American literature, what was happening in America. Realist writers focused on life events previously considered unimportant by the world of art, adopting human suffering as a topic eschewed by those with delicate tastes" (Brackett). The settings of the stories and the plots were actual places and events that had occurred. For example, in Ambrose Bierce's piece, "The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," the story takes place during the Civil War, something that is a major part of American history.

The characters of realist works were quite different from the characters of the romanticist novels. "In place of the noble hero or heroine, exponents of realism tended toward average, middle-class characters; instead of depicting remarkable events and exotic locales, they focused on everyday actions close to home" (Barney). In certain romanticist novels where the hero or heroine does not die, but rather saves the day, realists did not portray their characters that way, because in every day life, not everyone was hero or heroine. The realistic type of writing can be compared to that of historical fiction, "'nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material'" (Barney).

How did this change come about? The realism literary period was the effect of the development of the American society during the mid and late nineteenth century. The new technology coming in with industrialization and the expansion of the American society gave people a new outlook on what was happening, and their observations were then put into word and paper. Their observations of the historical events put into an interesting story that people could relate to sparked the Realism literary period.

Works Cited

Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "realism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, 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= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 27, 2011).

Brackett, Virginia. "realism." Facts On File Companion to the British Novel: Beginnings through the 19th Century, vol. 1. 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= GCBNI333&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 27, 2011).


Giles, James R. "realism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1326&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 27, 2011).


Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 26, 2011).

Journal #34: ACT Writing

The ACT is a major part of schooling, because it can determine the studies you go into, the college you get into, and the amount of money you can earn through scholarships. Any junior enrolled in high school must take the ACT, and it becomes a high light of their year. The ACT is split into four parts and also includes a writing portion. The four parts are English, Math, Reading, and Science. I could talk about these parts in detail, but my blog topic is to talk about the ACT Writing portion of the national test, so I will not go into detail of that section of the test. So now onto the writing portion of the ACT.

This is the part of the test where you write an essay based on a question provided by the ACT committee test makers. For example, they might have a question that says "Should schools go by a pass-fail grading system, or should they use a five letter scale grading system? Why or why not?" Then you have half an hour to write a response to that question. You can either choose the pass-fail side or the five letter scale, or you can also choose your own response to it besides the two sides they give you. However, it is suggested that you choose one of the sides they give you. Things your essay should have are listed below:

*Needs a introduction paragraph with a thesis statement.
*Needs a concluding paragraph with a clincher statement or a conclusion statement
*Needs a body with detailed support.
*Needs to include both sides' opinions but telling why the one side is more correct than the other.
*Needs to have very good transitions that smoothly connect the paragraphs. Simple ones such as "First off" or "Also" or "Secondly" are weak transitions and will not score a 6 on the writing portion.
*Needs to have few grammatical errors that change the meaning or take an element away from the essay.
*Needs to clearly present the argument, making it easy for the reader to know what side the writer sides with.
*Needs to have good support, that effectively supports the chosen side, and that is related to the essay.

Along with this, you need to proofread your essay, reread it, and fix any grammatical errors, any run-on sentences, any punctuation errors, or any misuse of wording that might hurt your essay. The essays are ranked from one to six, six being the best, and one being the worst. These points are doubled to give you a score ranging from two to twelve. It is very important to proofread your essay, because finding some grammatical errors and fixing them could be the difference between a five and a six or a three and a four.

So with these requirements and helpful hints, I hope that whoever reads this and takes the ACT Writing portion of the test does well!

Journal #33: Drive Through Windows

Springfield. The capital of Illinois. And the start of many things. For example the horse shoe sandwich. This is a sandwich famous to central Illinois, consisting of a piece of bread on the bottom, a hamburger on top of that, fries on top of the hamburger, and melted cheese on top of it all. Another thing that Springfield is famous for, besides the residence of Abraham Lincoln and other famous parks and homes, is their chili. Doesn't this sound like such a great beginning!!! However there is one more thing that allegedly started here that has swept the nation.

Picture yourself driving down main street, and you are just craving a burger and fries. You come to the nearest burger shop, but you are feeling exceedingly lazy at the moment, and have no intention of getting out of your car. If only there was some way that you could obtain a burger from here without getting out of your car! Hmmmmm............. As this problem was not solved yet, you drive away still hungry and feeling lazier than ever.

How was this problem fixed? THE DRIVE THROUGH WINDOW!!!!!!!!!!!! And who was the first town to have an operational drive through window??????? SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How cool is that? Now you would not even have to get out of your car to get food. You order, drive up, and through the window, the person gives you your food. Just like that!

Think about it. Fast food restaurants are more popular than ever! McDonald's, Wendy's, Culver's, Sonic, Dairy Queen, Arby's, and many others. And what do they all haven common besides food that can one day give you a heart attack??????? They all have drive through windows!!!!!!!! Fast food is popular because it is fast, hence the name fast food. Duh. People have gotten so busy that they no longer have time to sit down and eat. But because of the drive through window, they can now take it on the go, and they can eat as they go to their next event.

The drive through window, gateway to fast food and laziness... And it all started right here in Springfield, Illinois!!! How cool is that?

Journal #32: Epiphany

Memoirs, something we are learning about in English, often end with a epiphany. An epiphany in lamans terms basically means that the light bulb shows up over someones head and they realize something that they had never realized before. So now, I will write about an epiphany that I had over winter break.

Well, over winter break, my family decided that we would go and visit NASA, because that would be really cool, to see where they launched the spaceships and everything. Really cool right? Right! So we drove down to Texas, longest drive of my life, and finally we arrived at NASA. Everyone was soooooo excited. Especially my dad, because he loves that space stuff. I like it too, just not as much as him. So we check in and schedule a tour for the next day, because obviously we cannot just walk into a major space station and dilly dally around. I mean, that is some classy stuff. Once we get our visit in order, we head back to our hotel. It was not the nicest hotel, but hey, it had a swimming pool, and that is pretty much all that mattered. We arrived at our hotel at 4:30 pm, and we swam for approximately two hours (6:30 pm). Then we ate dinner at this amazing restaurant, where I had one of the most deliscious steaks ever. It was amazingly good.

The next day we visited NASA. We had to go through all that security stuff, which was annoying, but it is whatever. Our tour began. Apparently it was some kind of Texas holiday, and everyone was staying home enjoying it, so we were the only ones on the tour. My mom, dad, brother, sister, me, and my dog. Just kidding, dogs are not allowed there, so he did not come with. As we walked through NASA, we saw where they worked on the equipment, the trial runs, the area where they run the launch, and many more rooms of neat stuff. Since we were the only ones on the tour, we got to do all the trial stuff that prepares the astronauts.

So what does all of this have to do with an epiphany? Well, at the end of the day, I had an epiphany that I wanted to become an astronaut. Well, I started training immediately and I became an amazing astronaut!!!!

Actually none of this happened. We never went to Texas, or NASA, and I never became an amazing astronaut. This is just creative writing gone extreme. That is all.

Realism and Ambrose Bierce

"Realism in literature is a worldwide movement that had its most profound effects in fiction and drama in the late 1800s. Born out of the ideas of the romantic novel but infused with concrete details and accurate descriptions of society, the characters of realist fiction are drawn from the events and contexts of modern life and face everyday obstacles" (Diamond). This is a common definition of Realism. Realism followed the Romanticism Period, and just like any other literary period compared with another, it was quite a bit different. Romanticism liked to use metaphors and allusions with nature to describe things that come to the mind of the author. Realism uses common day experiences and common obstacles that would delay the characters. Realism, like its name implies, uses real life experiences and characters that people could relate to to interest the reader.

One such short story during the Realism Period is Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." This is the story that takes place during the Civil War. A man tries to convince Confederate soldiers to burn the bridge at Owl Creek. It almost works, but they figure his scheme out and attempt to execute him. They prepare to hang him off the bridge, but as they hang him, the rope snaps, and he is freed. He swims down the river and runs into the woods, where he meets his family. However, as he goes to his wife, he feels a pain in his back and his vision fails. (Bierce) Then the reader realizes that this was all a dream, the rope snapping and escaping. Really, he dreams this just before he actually dies. (Bierce).

This shows realism because it takes place during the Civil War, something that is an enormous part of American history. Realism uses real places, real instances, and real people. This occurrence might have happened during the Civil War. It is very possible that this could have actually happened. Also, the characters in the story are real, and one can relate to the characters. The main character, a farmer, comes upon Confederate troops at a bridge. A farmer during this time period was not rare at all, and obviously, Confederate troops were present too. They were real people, with real occupations, put in real situations. Realism is almost like historical fiction, because it has many real components, it just might not have actually happened in history.

Another characteristic of realism is in the characters actions. He daydreams that he is with his family. It his escape from his death, his psychological escape from a very real death. This is another characteristic of realism. Not only did he dream back to his family, something very real and on the minds of other readers, but he also uses that as an escape from his present predicament (Diamond).

Unfortunately, his daydream was not enough to save him, and his death could be seen as an overreaction of the Confederate soldiers, and criticizing their cruelness there. This is also another common trait for realism (Diamond).

All of these are common examples of realism, showing that "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," a short story by Ambrose Bierce, is a true Realism novella.

Works Cited

Bierce, Ambrose. "An Occurrence At Owl Creek". Page By Page Books. 18 Jan 2011. http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Ambrose_Bierce/An_Occurrence_At_Owl_Creek_Bridge/II_p1.html.

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." 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= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 19, 2011).

Journal #31: Insightful Daydreams

Have you ever had one of those days where you could not concentrate on anything? For instance, it is towards the end of the year, and during class, you do not listen to one word the teacher says because you cannot concentrate. Instead, you find yourself daydreaming about summer and all the fun things you are going to do once you get out of school. However, you get in trouble because you are focused more on the future summer details of your daydream rather than the material the teacher is giving you.

Sometimes, daydreams can lead you to insightful things. They can show you how to do something or give you that sense of dejavu. This is just another amazing thing about the subconscious.

This happened to me during Christmas break a few years ago. We had two weeks off or school, which was great! Unfortunately, we had homework over Christmas break. I had to write a history paper and I had some math homework to do. Being the intelligent eighth grader that I was, I decided that the best course of action was to put it off til last minute. Procrastination: the smartest decision. Right............... Well during that wintry break, probably about halfway through, I decided that it would be a good idea to get started on my paper. Of course, deciding to do that and actually doing it, were two completely different things. Again, I completely and totally forgot about the paper. A few days before school would start, I was just sitting lazily on my bed, reading a book and going into some kind of mindless daydream.

I daydreamed that I was back in history class, and the teacher asked for our history papers. Suddenly, I freaked out, knowing that I had procrastinated and doing so, mindlessly forgot to do my paper. I looked around the room for more classmates, who had done the same thing as I did, hoping that the teacher would pardon us if the majority had forgotten. But when I looked around, everyone had finished their papers on time; I was the only careless one, sitting there distraught and paperless.

When I came back to reality, from my daydream, I immediately went to work on my paper, and making sure that I was in reality and this homework was not another daydream. When break was over, I returned to history class, with paper in hand, and on time.

This daydream helped me realize that time was running out, and it was time to do my homework. Luckily for me, the daydream came just in time to snap me back into reality. This little daydream had saved me from one, failing to complete a paper, and two, from a bad procrastination habit.

Journal #30: Uniforms or No Uniforms

School uniforms are usually a big question with schools these days. From one standpoint they create equality in dress and have neatness and order. However, from the opposite standpoint, they restrict a student's freedom to express themselves through dress, and they take away uniqueness. Usually with a student, there should be no issue; there should be no uniforms. I agree with this standpoint. Students should not be forced to wear uniforms for school because it restricts their freedom of expression, their uniqueness, and a way to be comfortable.

First off, uniforms create a restriction of freedom of dress and expression. With a uniform, you have a set shirt, set pants or skirt, set colors, and strict guidelines on the clothing. Without a uniform, students are allowed to dress how they choose (as long as it is appropriate!), and they can express themselves through that. For example, a girl who is very vibrant and likes to wear clothing that is fun, colorful, and has a loud personality to it, would be quieted if she was made to wear a uniform. Along the same lines, someone who is comfortable in sweatpants and a sweatshirt would feel awkward and uncomfortable in dress pants and a collar shirt that a uniform would enforce. Plus, everyone is different and unique. Enforcing uniforms would take that uniqueness away, because everyone would be dressed the same. High school is a chance to find out who one wants to be. School uniforms would be taking away from that chance.

In taking a small survey, eight people were asked if they were for or against school uniforms. seven out of the eight were against school uniforms, the one being against it because of inappropriate dress at school at times. True, this can be a problem, but a way to fix this is to put in guidelines for dress and rules that prohibit inappropriate attire, but not to the point of a uniform where everyone is the exact same. One should not be half dressed for school, obviously, but also one should not be made to look like someone else during the school year. Even though the survey covered a minority of students, predictions point that the majority of the student body would be against the installment of school uniforms.

Journal #29: The Biggest CD of the Year

I do not really buy compact disks (otherwise known as CD's). I usually just buy individual songs off of iTunes and put them on my iPod, rather than buying a full CD album or whole CD. Therefore, I really do not have a favorite CD album, just favorite songs. However, I am going to convince you to buy a CD that I am going to make up, seeing as I do not have a favorite one. So here goes.

Is your favorite holiday Christmas? Do you just love listening to Christmas music, but are you saddened because Christmas music does not play on the radio 24/7? Well, if that is you, then we have a great deal for you. Right now, the biggest CD of the world has come out! IT'S "CHRISTMAS YEAR ROUND," by various artists! This CD is specifically designed for those Christmas lovers who want the joy and cheer to last all year! This is a perfect present for the holidays and a great way to let the season keep going! "Christmas Year Round" has a wide selection of songs, including "Jingle Bells," "Frosty the Snowman," "Away in a Manger," "Silent Night," "Oh Christmas Tree," "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Winter Wonderland," "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow," and many more! How can we fit so many great Christmas songs on one CD, you may ask? Well we can't!!!! That is why we include a bonus disk containing all those extra songs just for you! This is the perfect opportunity to get a great deal on some great music. If you order right now, you will receive one CD that carries FIFTY Christmas songs, one BONUS CD that holds twenty Christmas tunes, and we will even throw in another CD containing all your classics in jazz style! That is right! You get three CD's!! If you order in the next minute we will throw in a decorated CD case to go along with your Christmas CD's. You must be thinking, "This will cost a fortune!" But it won't! Order now and you will get the three CD's and the decorated case all for just two payments of $15.99 plus shipping and handling.* Just call 1-800-ALL-YEAR. That's right! 1-800-ALL-YEAR!!! So order now to get "Christmas Year Round," the biggest CD of the year to keep you in the spirit of Christmas year round!

*Shipping and handling costs amount to $5.98, except in Vermont, Ohio, and Rhode Island, where it costs $5.99.

Well, I hope you are ready to buy that fantastic CD of "Christmas Year Round!"

(Also, please understand that this a fake CD, and therefore, you are unable to order it. This is simply a journal, so please do not think that this is a real sale's ad, because it is not. There is no such CD as "Christmas Year Round.")

Journal #28: Convincing Someone to Do What You Want.

Everyone has told someone to do something for them. It is almost now natural. Your parents tell you to go clean your room, and being the good, diligent, and obedient child, you tell your sibling to clean up your room. Haha! A teacher tells you to do your homework. You are told to do your chores. You tell someone to get you some food or a glass of water. Your basketball coach tells you to get on the line and run. This is just how life goes; we are told what to do, and we tell others what to do. Along with this authority comes rebellion. People do not always listen to a command; they do not do as you ask, and this is where argumentation comes into play. Most people do not take "no" as an answer. For instance, your parents tell you to take swimming lessons or some other sport, and your answer is no. Then they explain to you how it would be good for you, and eventually you are going to swim lessons. In this situation, your parents convinced you to do what they wanted you to do. This also ties into convincing someone of your opinion or getting them to agree with you.

Everyone has an opinion; they have an opinion in politics, in sports, in school, and in basically everything else. Our democratic society is based upon this. You have democrats, republicans, liberals, conservatives, and the independent party. They give their opinions and ideas on what is best for the country and try to convince the rest of the country that they are right. With this comes debates.

Debates is basically giving people a way to argue; they are solely based on arguing. A statement is given, and one side chooses one opinion, and the other side chooses an opposite opinion. Then they argue each other, giving support for their argument in order to win. They can use many different ways to convince the judges that they have the right opinion. Some of these ways are using many facts and statistics to prove a point, give reasons why the other opinion is wrong rather than argue their own, and you can argue your opinion by giving logically analyzing your opinion.

Journal #27: Persistence

Persistence is continuing with something, not quitting, keep on keeping on, finishing the race, "when the going gets tough, the tough keep going" attitude. Persistence is also similar to perseverance. This is very necessary in life in certain situations. For example, if you play any sport, you need to have persistence. Even if you are an olympic star, you must have persistence, because you do not get the play or the routine right off the bat. You are not just suddenly good without ever playing; you have to practice. Practice is tedious at times and sometimes feels like a waste of time. I play basketball, and basketball practice can seem like it takes forever and is completely pointless. However, I have to have persistence through practice, because practice makes you better. The same goes for a game. No one is in perfect shape or has perfect stamina; everyone becomes tired. In a basketball game, after playing for a while, you get winded, but you must have persistence through this so as not to quit playing and to keep going. Obviously, if you do not have any persistence or perseverance throughout the game, you give up, play badly, and disappoint your coach, teammates, and fans.

Persistence does not have to apply to sports only; it can apply to school. For instance, if you take a hard AP course, you need to have persistence because if you do not work hard or even try in the least to accomplish it, you will eventually lose an academic challenge.

Persistence is everywhere, basically, and you probably use it more every day than you realize. If you work out, you do not just quit at the first sign of a drop of sweat. No! You keep going and working out, trying to improve, a.k.a. persistence!

The bottom line is that persistence is a good quality to have in some cases, like the ones mentioned above. So with that said, "When the going gets tough, the tough keep going."