Journal 38: Ploughman Ploughing

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.)

It was kind of an interesting poem to read and try to analyze. I was able to compare it to my faith and belief because it could be with Jesus and how hard a life it was for him. Death is the consequence of working too hard, which basically means that everyone is going to end up dying, because everyone seems to work too hard at one time or another. We can take this the literal way too by saying that the ploughman in the fields is working extremely hard and is sowing in the fields, or harvesting, but he is seeing death whether he realizes it or not. Then he is using analogies to describe what is going on. Another explanation is that the sower, ploughman, and the harvester are God, and they sow the seeds of life, which is what the Bible is trying to say.

From the perspective of the common laborers, they are working their hardest to try and get their work done to do what is the best for themselves and get to heaven eventually. Self is also analyzed because of the life and death and how you give new life through the seeds that are sown, and thus giving new life to children.

This poem was weird because it was only like four lines, and we are supposed to get the meaning from the poem and write 325 words on it. That is something I found difficult because I for one could not get the meaning from the poem until we started discussing the meaning in class, and then I was able to actually figure it out, as I talked about it above. Therefore, this poem was difficult to decipher, as it was only four lines, and I didn't know how i was going to get a Christianity meaning from it.

Walt Whitman Reflection Blog

I really liked reading “Exelsior” because it showed self confidence throughout the entire poem, and did show modernism through its writing style and message. I found that Whitman was probably trying to get his readers’ attention by saying the regardless of what you are going through, if you keep trying, you’ll make it through and eventually succeed, if you just keep trying. I found that message quite interesting because I can apply that to my life and how I would like to live it, however, given the circumstances, I cannot exactly succeed in everything I do.

Trying to excel at everything is something I strive to do in track. Although I talk about track a lot, that is just because it is a major part of my life. Walt Whitman is talking about how he is the most just, gone the farthest, been the most cautious, most happiest, lavished all, firmest, proudest, bold and true, benevolent, projected beautiful words through the longest time, received the love of the most friends, possesses a perfect and enamored body, has the amplest thoughts, and who has made hymns fit for the whole earth. Those qualities right there show that this character, whether it be Walt Whitman or not, is extremely self confident as well as somewhat cocky, which can be seen as a good thing at times. The character just basically believes in himself and what he himself can do as an individual, and no one else matters. Although that does sound conceited, it is a true statement someone will live by, as showed here. Whitman knows exactly who he is, what he has accomplished, and he makes sure everyone knows it. I personally find that entertaining as well as refreshing that someone else has a similar mind and outlook to life and everything of that nature.

Self confidence is something I have struggled with throughout my high school career. I hope that by reading this poem and being able to take in its real message and all of that, I can try to work on my self confidence and be a better person, just by being confident. Although it will not be noticeable right away, I can use what Whitman has said to better myself and try to have a better attitude about life. Instead of a negative, I can’t do this attitude; I will instead have one that will make others around me more positive and wanting to change their outlook on things as well. However, that might not work either, but one can only hope.

I found that this poem was quite interesting to read, as well as thought provoking. I was able to think more about what Walt Whitman was trying to get across to his readers and how I in turn can apply that to my life and make myself have a more positive attitude. I liked Whitman’s writing style, and did find this an entertaining read. Plus, the message actually made sense to me and I was actually able to relate to what was going on and how the reader seems to be feeling. That is just my opinion on the poem, however, and thinks it would make a very inspirational song that if turned into a church hymn or something would be quite motivating. That just might have been Whitman’s goal all along by writing this poem: to get his readers motivated and inspired.

Journal 36: Favorite Food

Well, my favorite food in the entire world is chicken pot pie, homemade, no less. The only time I ever get homemade chicken pot pie is for my birthday, which my mom makes. The best part of the pie is when the dough is still partially gooey, and the vegetables are stuck in the dough. It is definitely delicious and even though it could be somewhat bad for you, I still enjoy it immensely. Because my mom makes it so well, I do not think her recipe can be replicated at all, just because the way she makes it is just delicious.


She starts out by making the dough underneath, which is just a simple dough with flour. Then, she puts the vegetables in and mixes everything all together with extra dough that she has. On top of the vegetables goes biscuits, that if cooked just right, are still slightly gooey, which is the best way to eat them. So, that is pretty much why chicken pot pie is my favorite meal to have in the entire world.


Along with chicken pot pie, I also like stuffed crust pizza. For whatever reason, that is the best pizza in the world and I could eat it every day of my life. The best part of course is the crust because it is cheese inside of doughy bread, tasting delicious. Also, meatlovers is the only kind of pizza I will actually enjoy when we have the option for pizza hut pizza. I do not really care for any other kind of pizza, just because it does not seem to have the same taste, well obviously because it is a different kind of pizza, but meatlovers is the only kind of pizza I do really enjoy. Pizza Hut is the only kind of pizza that our family buys just because no one else has good pizza in our opinion. Also, hand tossed pizza is also the only kind of crust we will get because thin crust just does not taste the same and the crust is just flat, like the name says.

Journal 35: To Be A Reporter

First off, I would just like to say that I would never be a reporter to begin with, just because I would not want to have to deal with any war whatsoever. However, if I had to be a reporter I think it would be quite an eye opening experience and I would most definitely be scared most of the time. Having to report on these men and the risks and sacrifices they are willing to do for their country would be interesting and dangerous to report. Being down in the trenches and right up with the action would give me a greater perspective as to what to write about. Many of the reporters are not actually down near the action and up and personal with the soldiers from what I understand of it. They are near safety and can get out of harms way whenever they see fit. Therefore, if I was down in the trenches with the other soldiers, I think it would be quite a challenging and interesting experience that I would not forget ever. Therefore, I would be able to write a very good article regarding what exactly I see and how I truly feel, which would be mostly scared.

I do admire those that go and fight for our country, and therefore would find it a challenge to actually try and interpret what the soldiers are going through and how exactly they themselves feel about fighting. I would hate to write on the topic of them fighting for the wrong reasons and have them mad at me for trying to interpret what exactly their means and reasons for fighting. I would try to get the reading audience to feel as if they were actually in the battlefield and were right up with the soldiers fighting. Therefore, I think it would be difficult to try and get the readers to feel exactly what the soldiers are feeling. But, I would try my hardest to get that feeling across.

Jack London — To Build a Fire

To Build a Fire was extremely long, and took quite a while to read and digest. However, I think that the story was most likely naturalism, as I mean, the guy is trying to survive in extreme temperatures while traveling along the Yukon, with temperatures near negative 75. That seems pretty extreme to me, and also insanity on the guy's part. Plus, he brings his dog with him, which could be a good idea, but if he had seen Empire Strikes Back when the taun taun dies, I think he would know better than to go out in those majorly extreme temperatures where his dog and himself could just drop dead at any time because of the cold. Which, the man almost does, and is ready to accept his death, after failing to make a fire, and thinking about killing his dog. Lucky for the dog, the man decides against killing his dog, and instead lays down in the snow, eventually drifting to sleep and dying in his sleep because of the cold. Naturalism is at work in this short (but not really) story, because the man is battling against the forces of nature, but also against himself and his dog; he is trying to decide whether he should just keep pushing on, or just lay down and pray for death, which is what ultimately happens. He tries using nature to help him survive, but he is just not prepared well enough to battle the forces of nature, and in the end, it gets the best of him, resulting in his death (London 603-614).



One thing I did like about this story was how London gave a great background to the story, all the way to the end of the man's life. We get an insight as to what exactly the man was going through, making it seem like we could have almost been there ourselves. However, I do not know if I would actually want to be placed in those conditions, because they seemed quite brutal. The realism in the story did help me to better understand it as well, since I knew what to be looking for, and how to analyze the story given the characteristics of the story. The hero is obviously the man, although it could be argued that nature could be the hero by the end of the story. Because, even though the man is trying to survive and be the "hero" against big bad nature, he does not end up succeeding, no matter how you look at it. I mean, sure, he died sleeping so he was at rest for some of it, but at the same time, I think that he could have prevented his death in the first place by not even going out when it was so cold, or even, being prepared when he went out. So, it is not surprising that the guy ended up dying, as he was unprepared for the harshness of nature, and everything that was about to happen to him, whether it was because of fate or not. Everything happens for a reason.



Works Cited:

London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 603-614. Print.

Edwin Arlington Robinson – Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy

Well, I liked Richard Cory to begin with, as I thought it was a good poem. But then, in the last line I find out that Richard Cory has shot himself in the head, for whatever reason. What this poem raises is the continuously puzzling question any suicide causes, which is WHY? I mean, Richard Cory had it all, he was rich and adored by everyone. They all thought he was everything, but then for whatever reason he decided to end his own life. The writing style was somewhat difficult to interpret about whether it was realism, naturalism, or regionalism. However, because it was dealing with life in general and ultimately death, I think that it is probably more of realism and naturalism combined. However, that would make sense given that naturalism is a sub category of realism. But, I found the poem good until the guy shot himself, and then it just became depressing and got me to think. Because, I think that under no circumstance should a person feel that their life is so miserable that they have to end it to make it better. And the thing is, Cory had it all, and yet he chose for whatever reason to commit suicide. I did like the lines however that said, "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" (Robinson 575). That explanation right there shows that there should be no reason for Richard Cory to be miserable, however there must have been something going on that Robinson does not go into, which makes me think as the reader that there was something else going on in his life that the rest of society did not know. Because of the way he was in being in the upper class and so well thought of, he could not lead on that he was leading a bad life, cause who would believe him? He had it all, so there should not be anything in the world that would come hard to him (Robinson 575).

Miniver Cheevy was another somewhat depressing poem. Because, it is talking about how unhappy Cheevy is that he was not born in medieval times. Cheevy is going on and on about how he wishes that he had not been born in the time that he was, because he is totally miserable and wants to be in another time. Unfortunately, he has no control over when he was born, so it is not like he can really do anything about it. I think that regionalism was probably the writing style used in this poem because, Cheevy wants to be somewhere else instead of living in the now. He is not happy with what he has, and thinks that in order to be happy he needs to be living in medieval times (Robinson 576).

Both poems illustrate being unhappy and miserable, which would give the readers something to relate to, because most of them were unhappy with their lives because of the war. Therefore, by being able to relate to the poems, it gave them something to blame their troubles onto instead of just themselves.

Works Cited:

Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Miniver Cheevy" American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 576. Print.

Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Richard Cory" American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 575. Print.

Paul Laurence Dunbar – Douglass and We Wear the Mask

Douglass was an interesting poem to try and understand, because I found it challenging to try and interpret all of the meanings from the poem. Although it was a shorter poem, the meaning of the poem itself was confusing to me. However, what I was able to gather from it is that there used to be somewhat "evil" days, and now that they are into those days then the people are going to have to try and get through those times. The second stanza says,

"Now, when the waves of swift dissension swarm,
And Honour, the strong pilot, lieth stark,
Oh, for thy voice high-sounding o'er the storm,
For thy strong arm to guide the shivering bark,
The blast-defying power of thy form,
To give us comfort through the lonely dark" (Dunbar 570).

From that stanza I got the feeling of romanticism because it just seems to have that sort of feeling to it. I have noticed that is a common theme throughout these last few stories and poems. I could not really tell who exactly the hero was, but I gathered it was probably the characters and how they are trying to rise above the evil. However, because romanticism is not one of the topics we can discuss, I think that this poem shows naturalism above all, because the people are trying to fight against an evil.

Everyone, whether they realize it or not, wears a mask. Superheros such as Batman, Green Lantern, and Darth Vader even, all wear masks, but for completely different reasons. Dunbar says in his poem that, "We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes, -This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties" (Dunbar 571).

Romanticism is still displayed through this poem as well. I believe that these two poems were written at the beginning of the realism period, so realism was still a fairly new concept. However, this poem has a naturalism feel to it because Dunbar is talking about people and how they are hiding behind a mask, regardless of what is going on. The character in the story is hiding behind the mask so that people will not see their tears, or the real them. They will just know the person who wears the mask, and not the person the character actually wants them to know. Therefore, it is like the character is crying for help, because they are tired of acting like someone else, and want poeple to know the real them, not the person behind the mask.

Both of those poems show realism, but also naturalism because they deal with natural instances and occurances in life. Everyone has to deal with evils in their life, like Dunbar is talking about in the first poem, and then nearly everyone also wears a mask regardless of who they are, like in the second poem. So, people are able to relate to these poems because Dunbar seems to be able to get to his audience, and help them understand the meaning of his poems.

Works Cited:

Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "Douglass" American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 570. Print.

Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "We Wear the Mask" American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 571. Print.

Chief Joseph – I Will Fight No More Forever

Well, just by the author and then after reading, I can tell that this was written by an Indian. I do not know what exactly the Indians were fighting about, however I can assume that it was probably about land or property, and not just the fact that some Indian cheated on another Indian's wife. I would have to say that of the three categories, this short speech falls under being realism, and that would have to be it. I might be able to get naturalism into there as well, however, I believe that it is more realism. Just because, Chief Joseph is telling everyone he is done fighting and he is done with everyone else, so he is basically just giving up, which is never cool. Although, since I do not know the exact circumstances of why they started fighting, or how long the battle has been going on, I do not know which would be the correct response to this speech. Because for one, he kind of did need to give up, but at the same time, he should wait and try to win the battle, if possible. Which, that would be kind of hard with limited men and a low morale in the group. However, since Chief Joseph titled his speech, "I Will Fight No More Forever," I can assume that the war was going on for some time, because if he was saying he does not want to fight forever, then he and his men must have been fighting for quite some time then, although that is just an assumption I have made from the title given to the story.

Despite the fact that this speech was quite short, I do not blame Chief Joseph for the short speech, because for one he was tired, and second he probably was not really in the mood to give some wam bam amazing speech. One line that the chief said was, "Tell General Howard I know is heart. What he told me before, I have in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Too Hul Hul Suit is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes and no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold and we have no blankets (Joseph 533). That passage right there shows the disparity of the men and how helpless and hopeless they feel. After reading that, I kind of thought about just you know, giving up. Because if it was so easy for Chief Joseph to just say he is giving up, then why can't I. Then I got to thinking about it, and the chief actually had a reason to be giving up, which is what I think he ultimately was trying to get across to his men and then later after he passed on, to his reading audience of today.

One thing I did notice was that he made the hero sound like the enemy, which does not make too much sense, but he gave them the credit for running his men down, many to death. That is just an observation I made while reading this short speech.

Works Cited:

Joseph, Chief. "I Will Fight No More Forever." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 533. Print.

Edgar Lee Masters – Spoon River Anthology

While reading two of the poems in our book and then a couple online, I was struck at how similar the Canterbury Tales these poems seem to be. Although they are not identical to the Canterbury Tales, which is good otherwise that would be considered plagarism, they are still in a similar format to those stories and were actually fun to read. I had to read the first two in our book to get a better understanding as to what type of writing it was exactly, but eventually I was able to figure out that it was probably realism along with naturalism. The two I read, Lucinda Matlock and Fiddler Jones, were both actually fun to read. Lucinda Matlock was just telling the story of a woman and how she finds her husband, has twelve kids, loses eight of them, and then at the age of ninety-six, dies.

By showing the natural way of life in Lucinda Matlock, I was able to read a somewhat lightheartening poem about a woman and her life in a couple of stanzas. There was one line, however, that I found in that particular poem that I liked a lot. It was, "At ninety-six, I had lived enough, that is all, And passed to a sweet repose-What is this I hear of sorry and weariness, Anger discontent and drooping hopes? Degenerate sons and daughters, Life is too strong for you- It takes life to love Life" (Masters 516).

The last line was one of my favorites, because it was so thought provoking. She is saying that it takes your entire life to actually learn to love life for all that it is worth. Like right now, I cannot know exactly how to love life and what it takes for me to know everything there is to know about life. Life is too strong for us, like the poem states. This line goes on to contradict a couple of the other poems I have read which are talking about how life just does not seem to be worth it, so the characters end it, for whatever reason. Therefore, this poem was one that made me sit and think about its meaning for a while before writing in my blog.


Fiddler Jones was another lighthearted poem to read, as it seemed to have a good tone to it, along with its message. I was thinking of Little House on the Praire when I read this poem as well, and not just because it had to do with the fiddle playing. The people in the poem seemed to have almost no care in the world and just seem to take life as it comes at them, which is kind of cool in my opinion. I wish that I could be able to live life like that now. Unfortunatly, given the times, that is not exactly possible anymore. My favorite lines in this poem were, "And I never started to plow in my life That some one did not stop in the road And take me away to a dance or picnic. I ended up with forty acres; I ended up with a broken fiddle- And a broken laugh, and a thousand memories, And not a single regret" (Masters 517). I liked those lines so much just because even though they had work to do, the fiddlers would put their work aside for the pleasure of someone elses company, which I think is really cool, especially since they had no regrets about it later.


Works Cited:

Masters, Edgar Lee. "Lucinda Matlock." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 516. Print.

Masters, Edgar Lee. "Fiddler Jones." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 517. Print.

Mark Twain – Two Views of the River

Regionalism is what came to mind while reading this because Mark Twain is talking about the river and taking the reader away from their home and into the story about the river. Although everyone knows a lot about any river in general, Mark Twain goes on more about the river itself and how it seems to have a mind of its own, making it almost see like the river is the hero. Even though the river is not actually a living human being, Twain still writes as though it could possible have a mind of its own. Twain is quoted in the story saying, "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 made a valuable acquisition. But I had lost something, too. I had lost something which could never be restored to me while I lived. All the grace, the beauty, the poetry had gone out of the majestic river! I still keep in mind a certain wonderful sunset which I witnessed when steamboating was new to me" (Twain 504). Even though Twain has gained knowledge about the river, he also lost the natural feeling of it, which I find common after being around someone or something too long. I know that after a while, things seem to become routine, and not so fun anymore, as I have noticed with track. I have been running since sixth grade, and by now, the fun seems to be lost in the sport, because I do the same thing every single day. There is no variety to the workouts or the races or anything. Therefore, although I have gained more experience, I have lost what it feels like to try something new. But, do not get me wrong, each race is different, it is just that I know what to expect now, and therefore will not feel the thrill of starting something new. That is what I was able to gather from those couple of sentences by Mark Twain.

Another thing that Twain said that made me think just in general and furthered my point about nature eventually losing its charm what when he said, "I stood like one bewitched. I drank it in, in a speechless rapture. The world was new to me, and I had never seen anything like this at home. But as I have said, a day came when I began to cease from noting the glories and the charms which the moon and the sun and the twilight wrought upon the river's face; another day came when I ceased altogether to note them." "No, the romance and the beauty were all gone from the river. All the value any feature of it had for me now was the amount of usefulness it could furnish toward compassing the safe piloting of a steamboat" (Twain 505). Twain is feeling mixed emotions about the river, but still regards it as somewhat of an icon and idol, despite the fact that he is just now using it to get from point A to point B.

Works Cited:

Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River" American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 504-505. Print.

Mark Twain – The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County

While reading this short story, I was not surprised to find that this writing style was quite similar to the way he wrote Huckleberry Finn. The dialect was somewhat difficult to understand, but gave a good tone to the story, as well as gave a good background for the reader to better understand what is going on. I found this short story fun to read as well, because Mark Twain is not talking about some kind of death or a morbid topic, because sometimes, people need to read something uplifting, like about frogs racing. Although somewhat peculiar, I found that it was interesting and fun to read, as opposed to reading Red Badge of Courage, and disliking it immensely.

Even though the topic of the short story was somewhat lighthearted, realism was still demonstrated throughout the story. Back in that time period, people were trying to make ends meet, and did not have many fancy things to help them be happy. Therefore, the characters in this story seemed to rely on frog racing for their form of enjoyment. Whatever floats their boat is how the saying goes. They had to make do with what they had, regardless of the disparity of their situation and conditions.

Having just come out from a war, many people had lost almost everything. Although this war was not as severe as World War II would eventually become, it was still a hard blow to the people of the United States. Mark Twain uses realism once again to take his readers away, therefore creating regionalism, and helping the readers to forget their own problems and become absorbed into someone else's problems or issues, regardless of how silly or unimportant it may seem (Twain).

One of the lines that I liked in this story was when Mark Twain says, " He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and said he cal'klated to edercate him; and so he never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump. And you bet you he did learn him, too. He'd give him a little punch behind, and the next minute you'd see that frog whirling in the air like a doughnut see him turn one summerset, or may be a couple, if he got a good start, and come down flat-footed and all right, like a cat. He got him up so in the matter of catching flies, and kept him in practice so constant, that he'd nail a fly every time as far as he could see him. Smiley said all a frog wanted was education, and he could do most any thing and I believe him" (Twain 500-501).

That short passage illustrates and gives a background about the initial frog racing and training, which is something most people do not need knowledge about, but gave the readers something unique to read. Therefore, Twain just used his resources and unique, but fascinating imagination, and created a story that is still being read today, like many of his stories.

Works Cited:

Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 498-502. Print.

Stephen Crane – The Red Badge of Courage

The Red Badge of Courage was quite the descriptive excerpt. Crane was extremely forward and bold about his emotions and the way he felt about the war, even in a four paragraph passage. From those four paragraphs I gathered that Crane was angry, and not only at others, but at himself as well. I got the impression that this story was probably written more for the men of the generation, as opposed to the women like Kate Chopin wrote. Even from such a short little blurb, Crane definitely got his point across, and after I was done reading it, I had to stop and think about what Stephen really meant. Because, not only is Crane mad at the men he is fighting, but also at himself, which is what I was trying to figure out. Why? Then, I figured it out, or so I think. The character in the story is mad because he is having to fight the men, which is a given, but the character is being pushed and pulled every which way fighting his morals between which is right, and which is wrong. He does not know what the right thing to do is. For one, the men he is supposed to be shooting at are the "bad guys" and are trying to kill him. But at the same time, most people grow up learning that shooting and violence are not the answer, and will only cause pain, grief, and suffering. Crane says, "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). That sentence can be taken two different ways, figuratively, or literally. The literal meaning is somewhat easy to understand. Because, here is this guy on the battlefield and is surrounded by death, and all the smoke from the fires and guns could be getting stuck in his throat and lungs. That is the literal meaning. Figuratively, the meaning is quite different. When reading that sentence, I thought of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings in a sort of mix matched deathly hallows and land of the dead from Lord of the Rings. The character is having to face death, and when Crane mentions the phantoms, I automatically thought of dead green ghosts in a graveyard with the dark mark up in the sky. The guy has killed so many people, that all of those phantoms are coming back to haunt him, and he cannot quite muster what exactly he has done, so he is mad at himself. Much like Voldemort's wand showing the images of who he killed with his wand. Although Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and all that came much later, that is what came to mind while reading this short four paragraph story. I thought of fictional instances, and used them to try and explain what exactly I was thinking. Now, whether it worked or not, I have no idea.

Works Cited:

Crane, Stephen. "from The Red Badge of Courage." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 493. Print.

Kate Chopin — The Awakening and The Story of an Hour

While reading the excerpt from "The Awakening," I was struck at how similar the writing seemed to be to romanticism, instead of realism. I mean, I could tell the author was using some naturalism as well as realism, because the character was acting quite human. It was just that the excerpt had an Edgar Allan Poe feel to it, instead of a typical realism style. What I mean to provide for an example is when Kate Chopin says, "It was then past midnight. The cottages were all dark. A single faint light gleamed out from the hallway of the house. There was no sound abroad except the hooting of an old owl in the top of a water-oak, and the everlasting voice of the sea, that was not uplifted at that soft hour. It broke like a mournful lullaby upon the night" (Chopin 491). That short passage right there shows that although romanticism is no longer being used as a writing style, the way of writing occasionally pops up again every once in a while, as demonstrated above. Chopin is giving the reader insight through that very short passage, and helps set the tone for the rest of the short little story. I could tell after reading that that what I was about to read was not going to be all that pleasant, but instead sad and dreary. Come to find out, the lady is crying her heart out because of her marriage, and needs to cry by herself. I think that Chopin wrote this partially so that she would be able to get the females of the reading population, and get them to be able to sympathize with the woman, for whatever her reasons for crying might be.

I think Kate Chopin is an author of the realism time period that wanted the sympathy of the women, so she wrote about issues that woman at that time faced a lot, mainly death. In The Story of an Hour, the woman's husband has died, and she must face the grief and pain of not having a husband anymore. Although that displays realism, it more strongly demonstrates naturalism, because death is something natural in the world, same as crying. It is human nature to cry when we are feeling insecure, or upset, or just feel as if there is no other way to express our emotions. Although women tend to cry more often then men, I feel that Chopin was trying to get more of her women readers as opposed to the men. Especially because, many of the women Chopin was trying to get to read her stories had probably lost their husband, or someone close to them, in the war, therefore, they need someone or something to relate to. Here comes Chopin with her sad stories of crying and loss, and the women are happy because they finally have something to be able to relate to.

Although both of these two stories by Chopin were sad and somewhat depressing, they were still interesting to analyze to try and find out why the stories were written, and what message Kate Chopin was trying to get across.

Works Cited:

Chopin, Kate. "from The Awakening." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 491. Print.

Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 553-555. Print.

Willa Cather – O Pioneers! and A Wagner Matinée

I personally enjoyed reading the excerpt from O Pioneers! While reading the short little part, I was struck at how similar The Grapes of Wrath was to O Pioneers. The author talked of the hardships and what exactly the pioneers went through during that time. I got to thinking about how history just tends to repeat itself over and over again. The conditions upon which those pioneers lived under had not changed, even after several years of learning to adapt. The pioneers were still just getting by.

Realism was, of course, displayed in this excerpt, as well as regionalism. This excerpt takes the reader away from the comfort of their home and puts them instead into a situation that they would have most likely not have ever experienced through the course of their normal, everyday life. The reader is taken to a place where men and women are just barely getting by, the food supply is scarce, and the conditions upon which they live under are gross and dirty. One point I found interesting as well as kind of sad is when Cather says, "The settlers sat about on the wooden sidewalks in the little town and told each other that the country was never meant for men to live in; the thing to do was to get back to Iowa, to Illinois, to any place that had been proved habitable (Cather 489). That sentence right there shows the disparity with the men, and how they are truly feeling, providing the sense of realism, as well as regionalism.

A Wagner Matinée was another interesting story to read. It took me a while to read it, but I actually enjoyed this one as well. I especially like how Cather used the music references to tell of what music's effect had on each person, because that is almost exactly what I do. When I listen to music, usually from movies or classical, I tend to listen for the story that goes along with the music, which is what Aunt Georgiana seemed to be doing, which I thought was neat, as well as a good insight to what Aunt Georgiana was going through. She had not listened to music in quite some time, and yet she goes and listens to this orchestra, and seems to be left speechless. I personally thought that Cather did a good job with conveying the emotions and Aunt Georgiana's story through music and words.

Overall, both stories conveyed realism and regionalism, because the reader was taken away from the comfort of their own imagination and taken to a place far different than what they are used to. In the excerpt from O Pioneers, we were told about the different experiences that occur for actual pioneers, and how they try to survive. Then, in A Wagner Matinée, music was what took the reader away and got them to start thinking outside the box, as cliched as that statement may be. Both of the stories were interesting and definitely made the reader think afterwards.

Works Cited:

Cather, Willa. "from O Pioneers!" American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 489. Print.

Cather, Willa. "A Wagner Matinée." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 521-526. Print.

Robert E. Lee – Letter to his Family

"How his spirit would be grieved could he see the wreck of his mighty labors! I will not, however, permit myself to believe, until all ground of hope is gone, that the fruit of his noble deeds will be destroyed, and that his precious advice and virtuous example will so soon be forgotten by his countrymen. As far as I can judge by the papers, we are between a state of anarchy and civil war. May God avert both of these evils from us! I fear that mankind will not for years be sufficiently Christianized to bear the absence of restraint and force. I see that four states have declared themselves out of the Union; four more will apparently follow their example. Then, if the border states are brought into the gulf of revolution, one half of the country will be arrayed against the other. I must try and be patient and await the end, for I can do nothing to hasten or retard it" (Lee).

"A Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets, and in which strife and civil war are to take the place of brotherly love and kindness, has no charm for me. I shall mourn for my country and for the welfare and progress of mankind. If the Union is dissolved, and the government disrupted, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people; and, save in defense, will draw my sword on none" (Lee).

Lee is writing to his son either during the Civil War and is talking of the Union and their upcoming victory, or so he hopes. Lee is telling his son of what is going on with him and in the first excerpt Lee tells his son that he enjoyed reading a book that his son had sent him and by using examples and instances in the novel, he is able to give me an insight and idea as to how he feels about specific occurrences that happened in the book and how he can relate them to his own life and what he is currently experiencing in the war. Which, although Lee is not giving a play by play on the events happening in the war, I am still getting an idea as to what is going on, as I should, and he tells the readers, and more specifically his son, about his feelings toward the North and South. That demonstrates realism I believe, as well as regionalism throughout this letter. Just because, Lee is trying to tell his son of what exactly he has going on with him where he is at, and possibly get his son to better understand how his old man is doing. That way his family, and more specifically his son feel more involved with the man of the house and how exactly the war is affecting not only Lee himself, but the others around him (Lee). That is just my opinion on it, however. Lee is using realism with a sub writing style of naturalism to tell his family of his difficult and interesting experiences.

Works Cited:

Lee, Robert E. "Letter to His Son." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 384-385. Print.

Sojourner Truth – And Ain‘t I a Woman?

And ain't I a woman? Look at me, look at my arm! I have plowed and planted and gathered into barns and no man could head me. . . And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man--when I could get to it--and bear the lash as well and ain't I a woman? I have born 13 children and seen most all sold into slavery and when I cried out a mother's grief none but Jesus heard me. . .and ain't I a woman? (Truth).

This section of Sojourner Truth's speech was touching to me and also demonstrated realism. Truth is talking about how she can work just as hard as a man, and if not harder, but she is still continuing to be overlooked regardless. Truth is giving real life examples to prove her points and show the readers what exactly her life was like as a slave.

Given the time period, it is understandable as to why she would write about slavery. Truth grew up in slavery, so she would have plenty to write about. Also, I can understand that Sojourner would have a lot of emotions and feelings towards slavery because she has spent a long time being a slave, but then went on to help organize the Underground Railroad. By doing that, she was able to help harbor her emotions toward slavery and the cruelty that was bestowed on her and the rest of the slaves. She did not choose to be put into slavery, it was something she was basically born into, so she ended up retaliating by writing and organizing the Underground Railroad to help with her feelings.

She demonstrates realism through her writing so that the reader can get a better understanding as to what exactly Truth was going through and why life was so difficult for her. For starters, she is a woman, which they did not have life that good to begin with. Then, add on top of that that she is a slave, and things just are not looking up for her anytime soon.

The one thing I found interesting in her poem/speech is when she said that she was born into a family of thirteen kids. Life must have been difficult for her because she had to actually do something to make a name for herself, and then she went and got sold into slavery at the age of nine, so it is not like she was able to actually do anything before she was sold into slavery (Women in History). That just goes to further prove my hypothesis that she helped start the Underground Railroad to make a name for herself. Which, she did, as she is one of the most well known women in history.

In addition to being a big part of the Underground Railroad movement and helping to abolish slavery, she did write a very moving speech which has been adapted into a poem and read throughout the nation. I actually liked the speech, although I thought I would not. She wrote and conveyed her feelings very well and I was able to understand how angry she was.


Works Cited:

Truth, Sojourner. "Ain't I A Woman." Sojourner Truth. 14 July 1998. Web. 8 Feb. 2011. .

Women in History. Sojourner Truth biography. Feb. 8 11 . Lakewood Public Library. Date accessed 2/8/2011 . .

Anonymous – Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Go Down, Moses, & Keep Your Hand on the Plow

Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home!

I looked over Jordan and what did I see,
Comin' for to carry me home!
A band of angels comin' after me,
Comin' for to carry me home!

Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home!

If you get there before I do,
Comin' for to carry me home,
Jess tell my friends that I'm acomin' too,
Comin' for to carry me home.

Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home!

I'm sometimes up and sometimes down,
Comin' for to carry me home,
But still my soul feels heavenly bound
Comin' for to carry me home! (Sound).

That poem/song has become quite well known, and is one of my favorites. Swing low sweet chariot uses regionalism throughout because this was written during the time when the Underground Railroad was around. It is fitting with almost any time period, however, because the poem is telling of how someone just wants to get home, and they are going to be getting in the chariot to help get them home. I think that is part of the reason why this song was so popular, especially during the times where people were unhappy and just wanted to be home.


Verse 1
When Israel was in Egypt's land
Let my people go
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
Let my people go

Chorus
Go down (go down)
Moses (do down Moses)
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old, Pharoh
Let my people go!

Verse 2
Thus saith the Lord, bold Moses said
Let my people go
If not, I'll smite your first born dead
Let my people go

(repeat chorus)

Verse 3
No more shall they in bondage toil
Let my people go
Let them come out with Egypt's spoil
Let my people go (Go Down Moses Lyrics).

This song also has to do with regionalism, because I can tell by the lyrics that this song was written by an African American. He or she was probably an escaped or free slave and was mad just like all the other slaves that they had not been set free yet. Therefore, he or she wrote a song regarding their feelings and that they should be free, just like everyone else. These two songs so far have illustrated the African Americans' feelings regarding slavery and that they are just like everyone else and want to just be at home.

Keep Your Hands On The Plow was an interesting song to read. The lyrics had to deal with slaves working out in the field, and despite everything that was going on, they had to stay working. The author of the song used biblical references throughout the story, however, I picked up on the fact that the author was actually talking about people he or she knew and his or her experiences of working as a slave (Keep Your Hands On The Plow Lyrics).

All three of these songs were quite interesting in the fact that they all had the common theme of slavery. However, that is quite common for that time period, I believe, because slavery was the big issue back then. So, people were writing songs about it and trying to get rid of it. They used the songs to make themselves feel better and get through the tough times, which makes sense.

Works Cited:

"Go Down Moses Lyrics." Music-Lyrics-Gospel. RecordFly LLC. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. http://www.music-lyrics-gospel.com/gospel_music_lyrics/go_down_moses_586.asp.

"Keep Your Hands On The Plow Lyrics." GospelSongLyrics.org. 2006. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. .

Sound, Owen. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Owen Sound's Black History. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. .

Abraham Lincoln – Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865 and The Gettysburg Address

"One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union, even by war; while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war, the magnitude, or the duration, which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has his own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" If we shall suppose that American Slavery is one of those offences which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a Living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether"" (Lincoln: Second Inaugural Address).

That main excerpt is taken from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address and deals greatly with the writing style of realism. Lincoln is telling of the different experiences that occurred during the Civil War and the different emotions, thoughts, and feelings that were going on and how they might have upset God. Also, Lincoln talks greatly of how God must have been reacting to everything that was going on, and how can a nation be torn apart like this. Therefore, it was quite an interesting speech to read as it made me stop and think about everything that Lincoln was trying to say.

The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most violent, and also well known battles during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln gave a very moving, touching, and sentimental speech for the many men that had lost their lives on the battlefield during the Battle of Gettysburg. Although it was short, the Address was still very well written and used realism once again.

"But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth" (Lincoln: Gettysburg Address).

Lincoln is telling the people gathered there that the men who fought and died on the battlefield did not and should not have died in vain. Instead, they fought so that the nation would become stronger and be a better place for everyone to live in. Once again, Lincoln is using real life events to make people realize that what they have done is not really beneficial or for the better. But in the end, regardless of the many lives lost, people should mourn and not forget those who lost their lives fighting.


Works Cited:

Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address." Abraham Lincoln Online. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm.

Lincoln, Abraham. "Second Inaugural Address." Abraham Lincoln Online. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. .

Frederick Douglass: The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro

""By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yea! we wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there, they that carried us away captive, required of us a song; and they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? If I forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth"" (Douglass).

Douglass' statement near the beginning of his speech is using the writing style of realism, as well as the sub style of naturalism. Throughout his entire speech Douglass is telling of what his experiences and feelings are on the Fourth of July. He is saying in the above passage that the Fourth of July is foreign and unknown to him, and how can he recognize it properly if he does not know what exactly he is recognizing, because of the fact that he is African American.

"My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is American slavery. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. Standing there identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery the great sin and shame of America! "I will not equivocate; I will not excuse"; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just" (Douglass).

About halfway through his speech, Douglass begins putting America down, mainly because of slavery. This passage alone was quite moving and interesting to read, because Douglass really shows his emotions through his words. As I was reading, I was imagining Douglass yelling and slapping the podium as he made each point regarding how America is false and continues to be even after making many mistakes. This excerpt from Douglass' speech demonstrates realism very well because he is giving opinions, but describing situations and instances that are occurring at that time. Many people, especially slaves, would be able to relate to Douglass and how he is feeling during this time.

Therefore, this speech does demonstrate realism, as Douglass is not going off into a fantasy world to get his point across. Instead, he is using his real life experiences that many people, more specifically slaves, will be able to relate to and agree on.

Works Cited:

Douglass, Frederick. ""The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro"" Africans in America. PBS. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. .