The movie that I chose is the movie Twilight that is based on the novel Twilight written by Stephanie Meyer. I really enjoyed this movie, and I know a lot about it so I figured that it would be easy to identify and analyze all of the different parts of post modernism that are in it.
Twilight is a big book in this time, and it is the first out of four books in the Twilight series. The first book is Twilight, second is new moon, third is eclipse, and the last one of the series is Breaking Dawn. I read the whole series, and I loved every book, and new moon is probably my least favorite. I decided to go with the twilight book to analyze it's movie, because it is the main one that everyone knows about and it is also where it all started, so it is the most important in my eyes.
The Twilight series is mainly about love. In the movie Twilight, it is pretty much the book that starts it out and describes the main girls life, Bella, and describes and tells us about how she is moving into a new town with her dad. She meets the guy, Edward, that she falls in love with at this new school in her dad's town. I think that this movie has quite a few examples of post modernism in it. I think it shows me a lot of the American Dream. The movie is all about a couple falling in love, and this is a lot of the American Dream. Everybody just wants to fall in love and start a family with this person. I also think that there is a hero in this book. I think the hero is Edward, because he is always trying to help Bella and save her when she is clumsy. We see a lot of heroic characteristics with Edward. We also see another point that is nature. Bella and Edward spend a lot of time outside together and are always doing crazy things outside because of Edwards skills as a vampire. There are more points, but these are the main things I see that remind me of modernism.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Reflection: Analysis of a Dickinson Poem
I did not mind analyzing any of Emily Dickinson's poems. I like her poems, because they seem to relate to that of all the stories that can go along in a young woman's life, or any age for that matter. I think she reminds me a lot of Taylor Swift, because she writes her poems on things that are going on in her life. She does not try to get around anything, she just says it how it is and lets it all out. I really liked reading her poems. I decided to pick the poem called He Touched Me, So I Live To Know. Honestly, I just picked it because it caught my eye and it seemed interesting to me.
He touched me, so I live to know
That such a day, permitted so,
I groped upon his breast --
It was a boundless place to me
And silenced, as the awful sea
Puts minor streams to rest.
I think the first stanza is the most important one. I think she is talking about a guy here. I think that she was in love with this man, and dreams about him a lot. At this moment she was talking about, he somehow touched her and she can not stop thinking about that moment. She can not wait for the day to come again that he is hers, and she gets to touch him and his breast anytime she wants. I think she is thinking when she gets to be with this man it will be the end of worries, and when she is with him she will not think of anything other than what is going on with him.
And now, I'm different from before is the phrase that starts the second stanza. I think that she thinks that she is a totally different person that what she was before now that she has this dream guy. She thinks that she has changed her. I think she is obsessed with this dream guy in the poem, and wants to be with him all of the time.
I think this poem is a good poem, and one that relates to a lot of women these days. I think that women get a dream guy pictured in their heads and they can not wait for the day that they get to be with him everyday, and they think that life is going to be perfect with this guy. They want to be with him all the time, and when they are with them the rest of their life just stops. I think that some people find this kind of guy, but not all women do. I think it is normal to be like this, and it is nice to see this poem and see that a women struggles with this too. I like when you can read a poem that relates to your life and the things that you go through in it. This poem was a good choice, and I think Dickinson did good with this work.
He touched me, so I live to know
That such a day, permitted so,
I groped upon his breast --
It was a boundless place to me
And silenced, as the awful sea
Puts minor streams to rest.
I think the first stanza is the most important one. I think she is talking about a guy here. I think that she was in love with this man, and dreams about him a lot. At this moment she was talking about, he somehow touched her and she can not stop thinking about that moment. She can not wait for the day to come again that he is hers, and she gets to touch him and his breast anytime she wants. I think she is thinking when she gets to be with this man it will be the end of worries, and when she is with him she will not think of anything other than what is going on with him.
And now, I'm different from before is the phrase that starts the second stanza. I think that she thinks that she is a totally different person that what she was before now that she has this dream guy. She thinks that she has changed her. I think she is obsessed with this dream guy in the poem, and wants to be with him all of the time.
I think this poem is a good poem, and one that relates to a lot of women these days. I think that women get a dream guy pictured in their heads and they can not wait for the day that they get to be with him everyday, and they think that life is going to be perfect with this guy. They want to be with him all the time, and when they are with them the rest of their life just stops. I think that some people find this kind of guy, but not all women do. I think it is normal to be like this, and it is nice to see this poem and see that a women struggles with this too. I like when you can read a poem that relates to your life and the things that you go through in it. This poem was a good choice, and I think Dickinson did good with this work.
Reflection: Modernism vs. Realism
"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). Modernism has the determination to dispense the past, and was a response to the change in thoughts and beliefs that were precipitated by intellectual developments and discoveries (Quinn). I started this reflection off by defining these two, because I think these definitions separate them from the very beginning.
In the realism time period, they talked about how life really was because a lot was going on during this time. We were getting more states, gaining more lands around Pacific, more businesses and industries, and our economy was just growing, so we had a lot going on around us. Realism writers did not want to just ignore what was going on around us, and encouraged people to open their eyes and see the real world. They wanted people to be honest and just share what was really going on. Even though there was a lot going on during this time, you really could not do anything about it. I think realism writers realized this, and instead of trying to change what the world was, they just accept how things are and know that they can not change it. They are real and just happy with what is going on.
Modernism, in my opinion, is way different than that of the realism writings. I know that there were only about 10-15 years in between the two, but they were in totally different times in the world and were not similar at all to me. In the modernism time, things such as women rights and African American views were starting to change. I think that the things going on in each time were a lot different. I think in the modernism period views were changing the most. The "American Dream" was changing and that was what the modernism writers did not like. I would consider the modernism writers to almost be rebels. I think they are rebels, because they were trying to change everything so that the dream got back to normal. They changed things like writing style but even went as far as to changing their clothes style. That is the biggest difference between modernism and realism, because realist writers just accepted how things were and wrote about it, instead of changing it like the modernism writers.
I think that modernism writings and realism writings are a lot different. I like realism writings better, and if I had to pick a certain one to read I would chose realism. I like people to be honest with me and tell me what is really going on, instead of trying to change everything and make it be something that it is not. Realism writers knew they could not change what was happening because it was out of their control, so they wrote about it and tried to go along with it.
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 15, 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 April 15, 2011).
In the realism time period, they talked about how life really was because a lot was going on during this time. We were getting more states, gaining more lands around Pacific, more businesses and industries, and our economy was just growing, so we had a lot going on around us. Realism writers did not want to just ignore what was going on around us, and encouraged people to open their eyes and see the real world. They wanted people to be honest and just share what was really going on. Even though there was a lot going on during this time, you really could not do anything about it. I think realism writers realized this, and instead of trying to change what the world was, they just accept how things are and know that they can not change it. They are real and just happy with what is going on.
Modernism, in my opinion, is way different than that of the realism writings. I know that there were only about 10-15 years in between the two, but they were in totally different times in the world and were not similar at all to me. In the modernism time, things such as women rights and African American views were starting to change. I think that the things going on in each time were a lot different. I think in the modernism period views were changing the most. The "American Dream" was changing and that was what the modernism writers did not like. I would consider the modernism writers to almost be rebels. I think they are rebels, because they were trying to change everything so that the dream got back to normal. They changed things like writing style but even went as far as to changing their clothes style. That is the biggest difference between modernism and realism, because realist writers just accepted how things were and wrote about it, instead of changing it like the modernism writers.
I think that modernism writings and realism writings are a lot different. I like realism writings better, and if I had to pick a certain one to read I would chose realism. I like people to be honest with me and tell me what is really going on, instead of trying to change everything and make it be something that it is not. Realism writers knew they could not change what was happening because it was out of their control, so they wrote about it and tried to go along with it.
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 15, 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 April 15, 2011).
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Journal #43- Jazz Music
I do not like jazz music. I thought while listening to it in class it was too distracting. I can not barely think when I am listening to jazz music. I think that it is just too much for me. But maybe that is because I have not ever really been exposed to it.
When I listened to this jazz song that Alex had playing on his computer, I got a little bit of image. When I hear jazz music, all I really think about is someone playing a saxophone. I imagine them playing their sax and sitting in an alleyway for some reason. Also, I think that it is a guy playing and he is trying to entertain people that are walking by in the night time. He gets very into his music, and you can tell by the way he plays that music is his life. I think that he is thinking that if he plays really good that he will be able to earn some tips. He is going to play hard because he wants to make money to treat his woman. I think he is a single guy that is just trying to make a living. The woman that I am saying he is trying to please it just random women that he decides to take to dinner.
Also, when listening to this kind of music I think of Olive Garden for some reason, because this is the kind of music that they play. I do not know why I think of this but I do. At restaraunts this music is not that bad, because they do not have it that loud and it is just a song playing lightly in the background so it is relaxing.
One last thing that I think of when I am listening to this jazz song is someone running around that has a lot of things to do. I think they are very busy and when the song gets louder or speeds up they are getting frustrated with all of the things that they have to do. Then, it slows down and they are relaxing because they got a few things done.
When I listened to this jazz song that Alex had playing on his computer, I got a little bit of image. When I hear jazz music, all I really think about is someone playing a saxophone. I imagine them playing their sax and sitting in an alleyway for some reason. Also, I think that it is a guy playing and he is trying to entertain people that are walking by in the night time. He gets very into his music, and you can tell by the way he plays that music is his life. I think that he is thinking that if he plays really good that he will be able to earn some tips. He is going to play hard because he wants to make money to treat his woman. I think he is a single guy that is just trying to make a living. The woman that I am saying he is trying to please it just random women that he decides to take to dinner.
Also, when listening to this kind of music I think of Olive Garden for some reason, because this is the kind of music that they play. I do not know why I think of this but I do. At restaraunts this music is not that bad, because they do not have it that loud and it is just a song playing lightly in the background so it is relaxing.
One last thing that I think of when I am listening to this jazz song is someone running around that has a lot of things to do. I think they are very busy and when the song gets louder or speeds up they are getting frustrated with all of the things that they have to do. Then, it slows down and they are relaxing because they got a few things done.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Job Shadowing :)
Job shadowing was really a great experience for me. I really had a great time, and was very happy that I got to do it.
I job shadowed at the veterinary clinic in Petersburg. I job shadowed Dr. O' Brien and Dr. Stout that day. I really liked Dr. O' Brien, and watching him for a day really taught me a lot. I started out the day with going out on call with Dr. O' Brien. We went out to a horse farm and I saw things that will really help me in my future. I got to see him do things that not all kids get to see before going into vet school, so I really enjoyed being able to see it. After we got back to the office I saw a really cool dog surgery. I will not go into detail, but the dog was all opened up and getting part of his spleen removed. I was happy to be able to even see something like this. I was talking to Dr. O' Brien and he said that I would not even get to see something like that in Vet School, so being able to see him do it is good. I also got to see a lot of little things that all added up to a lot. I saw three animals be put down, and I saw little things like animals coming in for a simple check up. I experienced a lot that day that taught me a little of what I would have to be doing when I started working in the veterinarian field.
Job shadowing at the Petersburg Veterinary Clinic was really a great experience, and it really just made me want to be a veterinarian that much more. I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian, but actually seeing Dr. O' Brien work made me want to have something just like him when I was older. I think that this will also be something that I would enjoy doing the rest of my life. I get a lot of experience from owning my own animals that will help me when I become a veterinarian, and experiences that will put me ahead of most kids going into veterinarian school. I even liked the Petersburg Clinic so much that I sent in an application to work there. I can not wait to be able to reach my dream of becoming a vet, and I am glad that our school offers this job shadowing experience.
I job shadowed at the veterinary clinic in Petersburg. I job shadowed Dr. O' Brien and Dr. Stout that day. I really liked Dr. O' Brien, and watching him for a day really taught me a lot. I started out the day with going out on call with Dr. O' Brien. We went out to a horse farm and I saw things that will really help me in my future. I got to see him do things that not all kids get to see before going into vet school, so I really enjoyed being able to see it. After we got back to the office I saw a really cool dog surgery. I will not go into detail, but the dog was all opened up and getting part of his spleen removed. I was happy to be able to even see something like this. I was talking to Dr. O' Brien and he said that I would not even get to see something like that in Vet School, so being able to see him do it is good. I also got to see a lot of little things that all added up to a lot. I saw three animals be put down, and I saw little things like animals coming in for a simple check up. I experienced a lot that day that taught me a little of what I would have to be doing when I started working in the veterinarian field.
Job shadowing at the Petersburg Veterinary Clinic was really a great experience, and it really just made me want to be a veterinarian that much more. I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian, but actually seeing Dr. O' Brien work made me want to have something just like him when I was older. I think that this will also be something that I would enjoy doing the rest of my life. I get a lot of experience from owning my own animals that will help me when I become a veterinarian, and experiences that will put me ahead of most kids going into veterinarian school. I even liked the Petersburg Clinic so much that I sent in an application to work there. I can not wait to be able to reach my dream of becoming a vet, and I am glad that our school offers this job shadowing experience.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Journal #42- Emily Dickinson or Walt Whitman??
So, we had to go back in time in this journal and pretend that we were in the time period of when Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were writing their poems. After we were imagining the time period of their writings, we had to decide if we would rather of read Emily Dickinson's writings in that period or Walt Whitman's writings.
I think if I was alive during the time that Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were writing, I would like to read Emily Dickinson's writings more. I think the Emily Dickinson has more relevance in my life than Walt Whitman. I think I can relate to some of her poems, and all of her poems have different meanings that I think a lot of teenagers can relate to. I like Emily Dickinson writes about love a lot, and I do not know why, but I love reading about love a lot. I think it is probably because I am a girl, and I like to hear about love stories..probably just a girl thing. <3 I also liked Emily Dickinson's writings, because she was just honest, and I do not think she was writing for anyone other than herself. She was just writing about her life, and what made her happy. Her poems were later titled and numbered after her death, so that shows you that she did not care if she became famous because of them. I also thought that it was cool how she did not title them, because she did not have to have a title, because she knew them in her heart and they had special meaning. I think she is just a good writer.
I think Emily Dickinson is kind of like a Taylor Swift, because each of her poems were different events that went on in her life. I mean I know Emily Dickinson was not a singer/ songwriter, but she had some great hidden meanings in her poems, like that of Taylor Swift, and I love Taylor Swift. They also both talk about love a lot. <3
I think if I was alive during the time that Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were writing, I would like to read Emily Dickinson's writings more. I think the Emily Dickinson has more relevance in my life than Walt Whitman. I think I can relate to some of her poems, and all of her poems have different meanings that I think a lot of teenagers can relate to. I like Emily Dickinson writes about love a lot, and I do not know why, but I love reading about love a lot. I think it is probably because I am a girl, and I like to hear about love stories..probably just a girl thing. <3 I also liked Emily Dickinson's writings, because she was just honest, and I do not think she was writing for anyone other than herself. She was just writing about her life, and what made her happy. Her poems were later titled and numbered after her death, so that shows you that she did not care if she became famous because of them. I also thought that it was cool how she did not title them, because she did not have to have a title, because she knew them in her heart and they had special meaning. I think she is just a good writer.
I think Emily Dickinson is kind of like a Taylor Swift, because each of her poems were different events that went on in her life. I mean I know Emily Dickinson was not a singer/ songwriter, but she had some great hidden meanings in her poems, like that of Taylor Swift, and I love Taylor Swift. They also both talk about love a lot. <3
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Journal #41- Emily Dickinson "Success is Counted Sweetess"
I read Emily Dickinson's Success is Counted Sweetest. I decided to read this poem, because it was the very first one that was listed on her poem page, and it also grabbed my eye. The word success is what really grabbed me. I am a very big fan of success, and it is something that I strive for every day. I think success is something that everyone strives for. America teaches us that success is a big thing, and if you are successful in life, you will have more things and you will go farther in life. I want to be successful with my grades, at home, cheerleading, FFA, and events that I partake in out of school.
I think that Emily Dickinson also wanted to be a successful person. I think there was a reason that this poem was the very first poem that she put on this list. I think she wanted to start off with what she wanted and success was what she was striving for in all of her poems. In the first stanza of the poem, it is saying to us that everyone needs to experience success, and the ones that have experienced it no how sweet it is. "SUCCESS is counted sweetest By those who ne’er succeed. To comprehend a nectar Requires sorest need" (Dickinson). Everybody needs to experience it so they can really feel what she is talking about here, and I think that at some point everyone has felt successful at some point in their life whether it is big or small, we all have. Also, the last stanza of this poem shows us that when you try to succeed and something and you get defeated, it is not a good feeling. As he, defeated, dying, On whose forbidden ear The distant strains of triumph Break, agonized and clear" (Dickinson). I think it is okay to feel defeat in life, because we need to know that it does happen.
Dickinson, Emily. "1. “Success Is Counted Sweetest.” Part One: Life. Dickinson, Emily. 1924. Complete Poems." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 22 Mar. 2011..
I think that Emily Dickinson also wanted to be a successful person. I think there was a reason that this poem was the very first poem that she put on this list. I think she wanted to start off with what she wanted and success was what she was striving for in all of her poems. In the first stanza of the poem, it is saying to us that everyone needs to experience success, and the ones that have experienced it no how sweet it is. "SUCCESS is counted sweetest By those who ne’er succeed. To comprehend a nectar Requires sorest need" (Dickinson). Everybody needs to experience it so they can really feel what she is talking about here, and I think that at some point everyone has felt successful at some point in their life whether it is big or small, we all have. Also, the last stanza of this poem shows us that when you try to succeed and something and you get defeated, it is not a good feeling. As he, defeated, dying, On whose forbidden ear The distant strains of triumph Break, agonized and clear" (Dickinson). I think it is okay to feel defeat in life, because we need to know that it does happen.
Dickinson, Emily. "1. “Success Is Counted Sweetest.” Part One: Life. Dickinson, Emily. 1924. Complete Poems." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Journal #40- Personal Self
Defining self in your own eyes seems like something that would be easy, but when you start thinking about it it is a lot harder then what you would think it would be. I think when I try to define self of myself, I look at the things that I believe in and the things that I go by in life, and also the things that mean something to me in my life. I think self for me is my religion and the beliefs that go along with that. I believe things like once saved always saved, you can be forgiven for all sin, all sin is the same, and also things like you can not live with the one you love until you are married. I live by these beliefs, and even though I am not perfect I try to do my best. I also try to make sure that I live by the statement that I said earlier that says that all sin is the same. I think this is a hard thing to live by, because we as humans always think that when others do something really bad that it is always way worse then the things that we do wrong. It is hard to think when someone commits murder that God looks at it the same as when I might fail to stop at a stop sign. I am usually quick to judge also, which is not really a good thing to do either. I think that my "self" is not something that should judge. I think that we should look at people and be nice to them first before we judge them so fast like I do. Another thing that I see in my self, is doing good in all that I do. I want to do good in a lot of things such as school, work, family and friends. I get mad at my "self" when I do not perform in the way that I think I should. I have high expectations for myself, and I let myself down when I do not reach those.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Journal #39- Whitman- Everyman America in Bardic Symbols
You can guess what Walt Whitman's poems are going to be about before you even start to read them. So far, the poems that I have heard or read about by Walt Whitman are about self and there is usually also ties to religion too. I think that that would get boring after awhile, and I do not think that I could continue to right about the same things. Whitman has done pretty good at it though, and most of his writings are actually pretty good. This poem called Bardic Symbols is one that was still the same, but one that was very confusing. Whitman says in this story that he does not think that he will ever really know what society means or what this world means, which I think is weird, because he was always talking about things he knew and how he was so smarts. So, surely he has to know what this is too.
I think that when the poem talks about the ocean he is trying to represent his mom. He was showing family and love and self here. I also thought that what he meant by dirty twigs was children because as a child we are dirty and we do not have God in our lives yet, and we are not as important when we are young. Children roles have changed from the time that he wrote this till now. Children have more roles now- a- days, where in this time children were just to be seen and not heard as the saying says.
Another line that showed us a lot of symbols was when he talked about his father kissing him. I think what he was trying to show us here was religion. I think the father was God, the holy spirit, and he was touching him, not necessarily kissing him. I think that he was a big believer in God, and we could pick out a lot of religion details in this story. He had a lot of things that took on the personification of God, or the trinity all together.
I think that when the poem talks about the ocean he is trying to represent his mom. He was showing family and love and self here. I also thought that what he meant by dirty twigs was children because as a child we are dirty and we do not have God in our lives yet, and we are not as important when we are young. Children roles have changed from the time that he wrote this till now. Children have more roles now- a- days, where in this time children were just to be seen and not heard as the saying says.
Another line that showed us a lot of symbols was when he talked about his father kissing him. I think what he was trying to show us here was religion. I think the father was God, the holy spirit, and he was touching him, not necessarily kissing him. I think that he was a big believer in God, and we could pick out a lot of religion details in this story. He had a lot of things that took on the personification of God, or the trinity all together.
Are You The Person Drawn To Me?- Whitman
I read the poem Are You the Person Drawn To Me by Walt Witman, and I thought it was a very interesting story. I really liked this poem because it was different then all of the different poems that I had read of Walt Witman's. I think I liked this poem, because it was one that I could break down and understand myself. Also, I think that I can relate to this poem, because I think as you read this you realize that he is talking about what people think of you and wondering if you ever meet people's expectations for you.
ARE you the new person drawn toward me?
To begin with take warning, I am surely far different from what
you suppose;
Do you suppose you will find in me your ideal?
Do you think it so easy to have me become your lover?
Do you think the friendship of me would be unalloy'd satisfaction?
Do you think I am trusty and faithful?
Do you see no further than this façade, this smooth and tolerant
manner of me?
Do you suppose yourself advancing on real ground toward a real
heroic man?
Have you no thought O dreamer that it may be all maya, illusion?
Are Your The Person Drawn To Me is a poem about how Whitman was questioning someone and asking them if he was really what they thought he was. I think he was wanting to know if that person that he was writing this poem to really thought that he was who they wanted him to be. I really like what Whitman was trying to say here, because we always wonder what people are thinking of us, and we of course wonder if what we are is good enough for them or if we reach their expectations. I think that this is also showing us an example of self, which is what Whitman is always writing about. He is wondering about his self and wondering if what he is is good enough to that people, or at least what those people are expecting from him. "To begin with take warning, I am surely far different from what you suppose;: (Whitman). I think that this statement that starts of this poem really says a lot, because he is stating that he can not really believe that what he is inside and out is really the self that the people he is delivering this to are expecting. I think I could relate this to something that might be about a love relationship. I think this might be something that someone would say that is not expecting to be in any kind of relationships. He can not believe that the way he is is really going to be good enough for anyone. Because then he later says "Do you think it so easy to have me become your lover?" (Whitman). He therefore thinking that it will not be easy for a guy like him to fall in love.
Whitman had good points in every line. Each one of those lines we think of at some point in our lives. I think we all want to be the close to perfect image for other people's opinions, and we always want others to like us.
Whitman, Walt. "ARE YOU THE NEW PERSON DRAWN TOWARD ME? (Leaves of Grass [1891-1892])." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 02 Mar. 2011..
ARE you the new person drawn toward me?
To begin with take warning, I am surely far different from what
you suppose;
Do you suppose you will find in me your ideal?
Do you think it so easy to have me become your lover?
Do you think the friendship of me would be unalloy'd satisfaction?
Do you think I am trusty and faithful?
Do you see no further than this façade, this smooth and tolerant
manner of me?
Do you suppose yourself advancing on real ground toward a real
heroic man?
Have you no thought O dreamer that it may be all maya, illusion?
Are Your The Person Drawn To Me is a poem about how Whitman was questioning someone and asking them if he was really what they thought he was. I think he was wanting to know if that person that he was writing this poem to really thought that he was who they wanted him to be. I really like what Whitman was trying to say here, because we always wonder what people are thinking of us, and we of course wonder if what we are is good enough for them or if we reach their expectations. I think that this is also showing us an example of self, which is what Whitman is always writing about. He is wondering about his self and wondering if what he is is good enough to that people, or at least what those people are expecting from him. "To begin with take warning, I am surely far different from what you suppose;: (Whitman). I think that this statement that starts of this poem really says a lot, because he is stating that he can not really believe that what he is inside and out is really the self that the people he is delivering this to are expecting. I think I could relate this to something that might be about a love relationship. I think this might be something that someone would say that is not expecting to be in any kind of relationships. He can not believe that the way he is is really going to be good enough for anyone. Because then he later says "Do you think it so easy to have me become your lover?" (Whitman). He therefore thinking that it will not be easy for a guy like him to fall in love.
Whitman had good points in every line. Each one of those lines we think of at some point in our lives. I think we all want to be the close to perfect image for other people's opinions, and we always want others to like us.
Whitman, Walt. "ARE YOU THE NEW PERSON DRAWN TOWARD ME? (Leaves of Grass [1891-1892])." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 02 Mar. 2011.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Whitman Reflection
I found a poem called Excelsior by Whitman, and decided that I was going to read it. I thought it was a very interesting poem, and one that kept me interested the whole time. I found that I liked this poem a lot, because it showed a lot of self confidence, which is something that we do not see or hear a lot about anymore these days. I think that Whitman was mainly trying to show his self confidence so that others would want to be like that too. He was trying to show us that we should not give up, and eventually it will all work out for the better for us. He wants us to know that we can succeed in the things we do, if we just put forth effort. I think this poem was good for me to read, because I need to realize that if I try to make things work and actually put forth a lot of effort, then things will get done and done nicely. I really enjoyed this poem.
I try to do my best in all that I do. Whether it is cheerleading, FFA, or showing pigs and cattle, I try to do my very best and give it my all through everything I do. I think think that the character in Whitman's poem was a very confident person, and really thought that they were the best. He was not afraid to show his confidence or talk about how great he was. He said in the poem 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. I think that it is fine to think that you are good at things and brag on yourself every once in awhile, but I thought this was a little too much. Just by reading that one part you can really learn a lot about the character in the poem.
I think that everybody should have to read a poem like this. I think that some people need to gain confidence at times. I think there is a difference between being confident and just being a cocky, over confident person. I think that everyone should be a little confident at times, because we all have things in our life that we are good at that we should be proud of. I think we can all use Whitman as a good example and we should all try to be a little like him at times, just not to the extreme that he takes it to.
I enjoyed reading this, like I stated earlier, and I really got a lot from reading this poem.
I try to do my best in all that I do. Whether it is cheerleading, FFA, or showing pigs and cattle, I try to do my very best and give it my all through everything I do. I think think that the character in Whitman's poem was a very confident person, and really thought that they were the best. He was not afraid to show his confidence or talk about how great he was. He said in the poem 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. I think that it is fine to think that you are good at things and brag on yourself every once in awhile, but I thought this was a little too much. Just by reading that one part you can really learn a lot about the character in the poem.
I think that everybody should have to read a poem like this. I think that some people need to gain confidence at times. I think there is a difference between being confident and just being a cocky, over confident person. I think that everyone should be a little confident at times, because we all have things in our life that we are good at that we should be proud of. I think we can all use Whitman as a good example and we should all try to be a little like him at times, just not to the extreme that he takes it to.
I enjoyed reading this, like I stated earlier, and I really got a lot from reading this poem.
Journal #38- Whitman...again:(
We read As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing by Whitman in class for our Journal #38.
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.)
After reading this poem, I could pick out things about God. Whitman was known to right about religious things, and I could pick out details in this writing that led me to believe that he was writing about God. I thought that the three words ploughman, sower, and harvester were all nouns that were describing God in my eyes. I think that God was the ploughman, sower, and harvestor. The ploughman version of God was when he started the earth and he got everything ready for the life of the world. The sower of God was the for of Jesus that was actually living on earth, and trying to lead people to him and continue the great works of the trinity. The harvestor of God is the end of the trinity that you see at the end of your life that determines if the way you lived your life was acceptable and he determines if you will be going to heaven or hell.
At the end of the poem when it talks about life is the tillage and death is the harvest according, also showed me another religious detail. I think that what he is trying to say here is depending on the way you live your life determines your harvest. Your harvest is the end of your life and whether or not you will be going to heaven or hell. If you had good tillage during your life and you did things according to God you will have a great harvest. If you were too have a bad tillage during your life, then you will not have a good harvest. I think that we should try to have good tillage and not have regrets or things we think God will not like, so that we can die with a great harvest that affected many people.
Whitman, Walt. "210. As I Watch’d the Ploughman Ploughing. Whitman, Walt. 1900. Leaves of Grass." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 28 Feb. 2011..
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.)
After reading this poem, I could pick out things about God. Whitman was known to right about religious things, and I could pick out details in this writing that led me to believe that he was writing about God. I thought that the three words ploughman, sower, and harvester were all nouns that were describing God in my eyes. I think that God was the ploughman, sower, and harvestor. The ploughman version of God was when he started the earth and he got everything ready for the life of the world. The sower of God was the for of Jesus that was actually living on earth, and trying to lead people to him and continue the great works of the trinity. The harvestor of God is the end of the trinity that you see at the end of your life that determines if the way you lived your life was acceptable and he determines if you will be going to heaven or hell.
At the end of the poem when it talks about life is the tillage and death is the harvest according, also showed me another religious detail. I think that what he is trying to say here is depending on the way you live your life determines your harvest. Your harvest is the end of your life and whether or not you will be going to heaven or hell. If you had good tillage during your life and you did things according to God you will have a great harvest. If you were too have a bad tillage during your life, then you will not have a good harvest. I think that we should try to have good tillage and not have regrets or things we think God will not like, so that we can die with a great harvest that affected many people.
Whitman, Walt. "210. As I Watch’d the Ploughman Ploughing. Whitman, Walt. 1900. Leaves of Grass." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Journal #36- Vivid Desciption of My Favorite Meal
My favorite meal is probably horse shoe pizza from The Corner Pub and Grill. It has not been my favorite meal for forever, because I just discovered it about two years ago. I discovered it first when I went with a friend to corner pub to meet up with some friends and those friends were eating what I know call my favorite meal. I now love horseshoe pizza, and I am craving it all the time. The whole meal consists of a Mountain Dew, the 16 inch buffalo chicken horseshoe pizza, and also a friend or my family with me, because I can not eat it by myself. The pizza is just amazing, when it first comes out you just look at it and it looks absolutely delicious. You smell the strong buffalo sauce, to the point where it almost burns your nose. I love that smell, and after smelling that your stomach really gets to rumbling. I always know which pieces of the pizza that I want, and I make sure to go in for the grab. I love the corner pieces and I also love any other outside piece, but I am not trying to take away from the middle of the pizza, because really the whole pizza is just amazingly great. After I get my pizza pieces on the plate, I make sure that I have the fork to cut it and the ranch to dip it in. I have to have the fork, because the pizza has so much on it and it is so hot, that I do not want to bite through it. I have to have ranch to dip it in, just for the extra flavor. It tastes so good when it hits your mouth, and different flavors bounce everywhere, like the amazing buffalo chicken or the fries that The Corner Pub seems to cook to perfection. It does not take very much to fill me up though, and before I know it I am full and my craving has gone away for another two weeks or so.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Journal #35- Reporter During the War
I do not like reporting the way it is, but I could not imagine trying to be a reporter during any kind of war. I can not handle any kind of human blood. I always feel like when I see it I am going through the pain, and I would really not like that. I think the things that I would be seeing in the war every day would be way to graphic for me to handle. I think I am good with just hearing about it and learning about what went on during the wars. I think that it is great that there are men and women out there that are willing to fight and risk their lives every day for everybody else, and I have so much respect for people like that. I think that what they do is amazing, and they have so much courage and I thank them for that. I just do not think that I would be able to stand there and watch what they are doing and be able to seriously report about all that was going on. I think that I would first off get distracted to easily from my reports, and second I would be so awe struck by what was going on and probably freaked out that I would not even remember half of the stuff that I had just seen. I think I would be better at reporting if the soldiers just came to me in my little tent and kept me updated about everything that was going on and every little thing that they did, and that way I would not have to see it all. I do think that seeing a little bit of what they go through would not hurt me, and to be honest watching what they do for us every day is something that every American should probably watch and write about. I think it would really make us realize that we do not need to take some things for granit.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Jack London- To Build a Fire
To Build A Fire by Jack London is a short story, that I thought was pretty good. It was very long though, and was not one that you could just read real fast. You had to read the story, then take it all in and think about what you just read, and then at times you had to skim back over to see if you knew what was going on. This short story is about a man on the trail in sub zero weather trying to survive in the best way possible. I could pick out naturalism the most in this story. I thought what was going on in this story was pretty crazy though. This guy was trying to survive in these crazy temperatures of almost negative seventy- five. Naturalists were also the ones to believed that we were dominated by economic, social, and natural forces ("Regionalism" 487). I think that this defintion does show up in To Build A Fire by Jack London. In this story, Jack really talks about the natural forces that are going on that are affecting him on his way. He had to deal with the terrible temperatures, and all of the thick ice that at times was very unbearable.I mean that is just not good. I thought that when he brought his dog, that was kind of a good idea, but it reminded me of the movie Eight Below where a bunch of dogs got captured in the snow and those awful temperatures.“The Yukon lay a mile wide and hidden under three feet of ice.”
Also, I noticed when I was skimming through at the end, that the there were some mean things going on too. People were making it harder it seemed like, “They were traps. They hid pools of water under the snow...” (London 601-614). I think that shows us realism, because I think that the author, Jack London, wanted us to know that on top of everything else he had to go through a bunch of crap, because people did not care. "Empty as the man's mind was of thoughts, he was keenly observant, and he noticed the changes in the creek, the curves and bends and timber-jams, and always he sharply noted where he placed his feet. Once, coming around a bend, he shied abruptly, like a startled horse, curved away from the place where he had been walking, and retreated several paces back along the trail. The creek he knew was frozen clear to the bottom,—no creek could contain water in that arctic winter,—but he knew also that there were springs that bubbled out from the hillsides and ran along under the snow and on top the ice of the creek" (London 601-614). Right here in this previous passage, I noticed just a little bit of the scary things that he had to deal with, especially water. Water is not a fun thing when its cold, especially if it is not safe. I think this is showing realism, because he was giving details of just exactly what he was going through.
Jack London's writing was not bad, and over all a pretty good story. I thought it was interesting to read the terrible things he had to go through, and in that time it was not adding anything good on top of what our country was already going through. The character must have really been struggling. I enjoyed reading this story overall though.
London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 601-614. Print.
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 25, 2011)
Also, I noticed when I was skimming through at the end, that the there were some mean things going on too. People were making it harder it seemed like, “They were traps. They hid pools of water under the snow...” (London 601-614). I think that shows us realism, because I think that the author, Jack London, wanted us to know that on top of everything else he had to go through a bunch of crap, because people did not care. "Empty as the man's mind was of thoughts, he was keenly observant, and he noticed the changes in the creek, the curves and bends and timber-jams, and always he sharply noted where he placed his feet. Once, coming around a bend, he shied abruptly, like a startled horse, curved away from the place where he had been walking, and retreated several paces back along the trail. The creek he knew was frozen clear to the bottom,—no creek could contain water in that arctic winter,—but he knew also that there were springs that bubbled out from the hillsides and ran along under the snow and on top the ice of the creek" (London 601-614). Right here in this previous passage, I noticed just a little bit of the scary things that he had to deal with, especially water. Water is not a fun thing when its cold, especially if it is not safe. I think this is showing realism, because he was giving details of just exactly what he was going through.
Jack London's writing was not bad, and over all a pretty good story. I thought it was interesting to read the terrible things he had to go through, and in that time it was not adding anything good on top of what our country was already going through. The character must have really been struggling. I enjoyed reading this story overall though.
London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 601-614. Print.
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 25, 2011)
Edwin Arlington Robinson – Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy
I thought the first poem, Richard Cory was actually a pretty good poem overall. I was interested the whole time and even though it ended in a very shocking and crazy way, I still thought that it was a great poem. I really do not like suicide, and it is not a subject that I like to talk about because it almost makes me uncomfortable. I always think that it is crazy that the people that usually commit suicide are the ones that have everything going for them and they have everything they want, just like it was in Richard Cory. Richard Cory had everything that he wanted or could ever have, and all of the people in the town looked to him and adored him. I think that he was the "hero' in this town at the beginning, because everyone looked to him and adored him. "Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentlemen from the sole to crown, Clean favored, and imperially slim" (Robinson 575). You can see that everyone here looked up to him and just knew he was great.
I think that I see realism the most in Richard Cory. I think that the man in this story had a great life, and just like other people was willing to give it all up because he was selfish. "And he was rich- yes, richer than a king- And admirably schooled in every grace" (Robinson 575) I think that this statement right there shows us realism, because his life depicted was really a great life, and he had everything that he could ever want.
The Miniver Cheevy was another interesting poem, and one that was also very depressing. I thought it was depressing because Cheevy, instead of enjoying life, was always wishing that he had never been born, because he wanted to be born in the medieval times. "Miniver loved the days of old, When swords were bright and steeds were prancing" (Robinson 576). I think that this was kind of weird, but at the same time he was using a good imagination. I just do no think I would want to be born during that ttime.
Miniver Cheevy and Richard Cory were both over all okay, but they were both depressing kind of. I think they both shared realism, and in both stories the main character was not happy with the life that they were living. In Richard Cory, he had everything in the world and everyone looked up to him, but he was still unhappy enough about something to commit suicide. We never found out why he committed suicide, but he did for some reason. In Miniver Cheevy, he was just being weird and wishing that he was not alive, because if he was alive he wanted to be alive during the medieval times. I thought that in Miniver Cheevy, the main character really seemed childish, because he wanted a life with swords, and I mean that is just really not realistic.
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.
I think that I see realism the most in Richard Cory. I think that the man in this story had a great life, and just like other people was willing to give it all up because he was selfish. "And he was rich- yes, richer than a king- And admirably schooled in every grace" (Robinson 575) I think that this statement right there shows us realism, because his life depicted was really a great life, and he had everything that he could ever want.
The Miniver Cheevy was another interesting poem, and one that was also very depressing. I thought it was depressing because Cheevy, instead of enjoying life, was always wishing that he had never been born, because he wanted to be born in the medieval times. "Miniver loved the days of old, When swords were bright and steeds were prancing" (Robinson 576). I think that this was kind of weird, but at the same time he was using a good imagination. I just do no think I would want to be born during that ttime.
Miniver Cheevy and Richard Cory were both over all okay, but they were both depressing kind of. I think they both shared realism, and in both stories the main character was not happy with the life that they were living. In Richard Cory, he had everything in the world and everyone looked up to him, but he was still unhappy enough about something to commit suicide. We never found out why he committed suicide, but he did for some reason. In Miniver Cheevy, he was just being weird and wishing that he was not alive, because if he was alive he wanted to be alive during the medieval times. I thought that in Miniver Cheevy, the main character really seemed childish, because he wanted a life with swords, and I mean that is just really not realistic.
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
I really liked reading Paul Laurence Dunbar's writing We Wear The Mask. I thought it was great and one that a lot of people can relate to at some point in their lives. I thought that this poem was a great examples of realism. "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. A realist carefully chooses details that illustrate this vision" (Werlock). I think that is what is cool about realists is they are not afraid to say what they need to say, because they just lay it al out there for people how it really is. During this time, writers had just turned from romanticism to realism, but their was a reason for that. "Writers during this period were turning away from romanticism because they wanted to write about something that was closer to ordinary life ("Regionalism" 487). I think the reason that they were turning away from romanticism, because they were going through the crazy things in the wars and just wanted to share with people the truth that was going on. I saw realism in this poem when Paul Laurence Dunbar said, "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" (Dunbar 571) I think that what he was trying to say here was that we wear this mask that hides are face because we do not want people to see the things that we are going through or that something is bothering us. I think that Dunbar was just trying to say the truth about what people were thinking then, and how they felt ashamed in front of people. I think that a lot of people can relate to this. I know sometimes we all are ashamed at some point of something that we have done, so we wish that we could just wear a mask and pretend that no one knows.
Douglass was a pretty good poem, but I did not enjoy it as much as We Wear The Mask. This Poem, Douglass, was about how Paul Laurence Dunbar wished that Frederick Douglas was alive, and he was sharing with him the things that were going on right then with everything. Dunbar stated, "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 fro; We ride amid a tempest of dispraise" (Dunbar 571). I know that this poem is realism, because Dunbar was sharing with this dead person, or imagining he was, about how the country was falling on evil days and how he thought the country was going down hill. I thought this was realism, because he was sharing the real life things that were happing to the country in Dunbar's eyes. "Realists did not want to transcend reality, but to show the experiences that we go through everyday" ("Regionalism" 287). "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. A realist carefully chooses details that illustrate this vision" (Werlock).
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.
Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
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 25, 2011)
Douglass was a pretty good poem, but I did not enjoy it as much as We Wear The Mask. This Poem, Douglass, was about how Paul Laurence Dunbar wished that Frederick Douglas was alive, and he was sharing with him the things that were going on right then with everything. Dunbar stated, "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 fro; We ride amid a tempest of dispraise" (Dunbar 571). I know that this poem is realism, because Dunbar was sharing with this dead person, or imagining he was, about how the country was falling on evil days and how he thought the country was going down hill. I thought this was realism, because he was sharing the real life things that were happing to the country in Dunbar's eyes. "Realists did not want to transcend reality, but to show the experiences that we go through everyday" ("Regionalism" 287). "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. A realist carefully chooses details that illustrate this vision" (Werlock).
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.
Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
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 25, 2011)
Chief Joseph – I Will Fight No More Forever
"Joseph was chief of the Nez Perce, a Native American tribe of the Wallowa Valley in Northwest Oregon. In 1877 the Nez Pierce were ordered to a reservation, or special land reserved for Native Americans. The Nez Pierce refused to go. Instead, Chief Joseph tried to lead 800 of his people to Canada. Fighting the U.S. Army all along their 1100 mile journey, they crossed Idaho and Montana. They were trapped just forty miles from Canada. After a five-day fight, the remaining 431 remaining Nez Perce were beaten. It was then, on October 5, 1877 at Bears Paw, that Chief Joseph made his speech of surrender" (Manuel).
The time that Chief Justice was going through, was a time filled with many hardships for the Indian tribes. The Indian tribes were struggling in that time because they just wanted to live their lives on the reservations that were their's but they could not even get that. The reason this whole speech happened was because the government was trying to move all of Chief Justice's people to a place where he did not want to go. I have not seen hero's in the past stories, but I think that Chief Justice was a true hero in this story, because he was helping out his people.
After Chief Joseph had gone through a bunch of terrible things in this war, and was losing a lot of people, he finally delivered this speech, "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" (Manuel).
I think that it is pretty obvious that this speech that Chief Justice gave was a great example of realism. Chief Justice was going through a lot at that point, and was just ready to be honest and lay it all out there. I mean he was sick of watching all of his people get hurt by the US, and he finally just told them that he was tired of all of this, and he just wanted to stop and make sure that his people were ok. "My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food" (Manuel). I think this is a good example of realism, because he had to be real and also honest with these people so they knew what he was really going through. He was not interested in messing around anymore, and he was all about getting to the point. The Chief just wanted them to know what it would feel like to be them right now. Chief Justice ended the speech with, "I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever" (Manuel). I mean honestly, Chief Justice could not be any more serious than he was in this statement right here. That last sentence in his speech was a great way to end the speech on a realism note. He was not trying to hide any of his feelings or walk around on pins and needles, he was just all about getting to the point and being realistic with the people. He said he was not going to fight ever again, and he knew he needed to do that for his people.
Manuel, David. "Chief Joseph." Welcome to Georgia State University. Web. 17 Feb. 2011..
The time that Chief Justice was going through, was a time filled with many hardships for the Indian tribes. The Indian tribes were struggling in that time because they just wanted to live their lives on the reservations that were their's but they could not even get that. The reason this whole speech happened was because the government was trying to move all of Chief Justice's people to a place where he did not want to go. I have not seen hero's in the past stories, but I think that Chief Justice was a true hero in this story, because he was helping out his people.
After Chief Joseph had gone through a bunch of terrible things in this war, and was losing a lot of people, he finally delivered this speech, "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" (Manuel).
I think that it is pretty obvious that this speech that Chief Justice gave was a great example of realism. Chief Justice was going through a lot at that point, and was just ready to be honest and lay it all out there. I mean he was sick of watching all of his people get hurt by the US, and he finally just told them that he was tired of all of this, and he just wanted to stop and make sure that his people were ok. "My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food" (Manuel). I think this is a good example of realism, because he had to be real and also honest with these people so they knew what he was really going through. He was not interested in messing around anymore, and he was all about getting to the point. The Chief just wanted them to know what it would feel like to be them right now. Chief Justice ended the speech with, "I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever" (Manuel). I mean honestly, Chief Justice could not be any more serious than he was in this statement right here. That last sentence in his speech was a great way to end the speech on a realism note. He was not trying to hide any of his feelings or walk around on pins and needles, he was just all about getting to the point and being realistic with the people. He said he was not going to fight ever again, and he knew he needed to do that for his people.
Manuel, David. "Chief Joseph." Welcome to Georgia State University. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.
Edgar Lee Masters – Spoon River Anthology
I thought that Edgar Lee Masters writing was pretty interesting . I think the reason I like it the most when I was reading some things about him in our book, I realized that there was some pretty cool things about him that I would have never guessed. The one that is the by far the best is, "Edgar Lee Masters was raised in Petersburg, Illinois" (Meet). I live 7 miles from Petersburg, Illinois, I mean that is pretty awesome. Abraham Lincoln lived right around there too, so I bet they probably knew each other. It is amazing the things that I keep learning about the state I live in, and also the town that i live really close to! I also read in the information, that he had a couple of really great writers that were the ones that he said influenced him the most to write. "He read works by Charles Dickens and Ralph Waldo Emerson.. Those good and talented writers helped him to establish that he wanted to become a writer also" (Meet).
I did not know at first what Spoon River Anthology was, but then when I got to reading I really realized what it was. Spoon River Anthology was not just a story or a poem it was a book of many poems and memoirs of people around that area of the author. I think that this shows us that these poems of the Spoon River Anthology show us a lot of regionalism and a also realism too. I think they show regionalism, because all the poems were about a town that all of the different people were apart of. It also goes into details about some of the deaths of these people in this town. I thought it was cool to see the how he showed all of the townspeople always working together. The time that I saw realism was when the character in the book was talking about how she had raised twelve children and ended up losing eight. "Enjoying, working, raising the twelve children, eight of whom we lost" (Masters 516) I thought that this was realism, because she was just being honest and saying how her life really was and the bad things she had went through by losing children. She was just sharing all about her marriage, her kids, and her life and all they go through showing us that they are just everyday people just like everyone else. "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 think Edgar Lee Masters ended this poem with a great clip. He ended this with a little clip of realism describing the woman's life. I like how she sad that she had a lot of memories and no regrets. I think that is great, and that is also how life should be.
I think that Edgar Lee Masters works in Spoon River Anthology were pretty good, and writing a book of poems is actually kind of cool. I think that it was also cool that his writings all tied together.
"Meet Edgar Lee Masters." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 514. Print.
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.
I did not know at first what Spoon River Anthology was, but then when I got to reading I really realized what it was. Spoon River Anthology was not just a story or a poem it was a book of many poems and memoirs of people around that area of the author. I think that this shows us that these poems of the Spoon River Anthology show us a lot of regionalism and a also realism too. I think they show regionalism, because all the poems were about a town that all of the different people were apart of. It also goes into details about some of the deaths of these people in this town. I thought it was cool to see the how he showed all of the townspeople always working together. The time that I saw realism was when the character in the book was talking about how she had raised twelve children and ended up losing eight. "Enjoying, working, raising the twelve children, eight of whom we lost" (Masters 516) I thought that this was realism, because she was just being honest and saying how her life really was and the bad things she had went through by losing children. She was just sharing all about her marriage, her kids, and her life and all they go through showing us that they are just everyday people just like everyone else. "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 think Edgar Lee Masters ended this poem with a great clip. He ended this with a little clip of realism describing the woman's life. I like how she sad that she had a lot of memories and no regrets. I think that is great, and that is also how life should be.
I think that Edgar Lee Masters works in Spoon River Anthology were pretty good, and writing a book of poems is actually kind of cool. I think that it was also cool that his writings all tied together.
"Meet Edgar Lee Masters." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 514. Print.
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
Before I even read Two Views of the River by Mark Twain, I already knew that it was going to be based on regionalism. I just knew with river being in the title that that was going to be regionalism. Mark Twain, like the frog story that he wrote was really using his imagination in this story also. He was just turning the river into some different, crazy things in his mind. I think once again, Mark Twain is trying to distract all of the people in this time from all of the things that were going on in their lives with the war and all that went along with that that was going on. I thought that this story was a lot easier to follow along with, and the dialect was one that I could actually handle. The best part of this story was just the creative imagination of Mark Twain, and the whole time while reading this story i was just wishing I had half of the imagination he did to write a story like this.
"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). I think this passage right here shows us that there is regionalism in this short story. As it says in our American Literature textbooks, "The writers attempted to show the landscape, customs, speech, and other culture details of that chosen or their chosen region" ("Regionalism" 487). I think this story does show the landscape. Mark Twain takes a piece of landscape and just really describes it in a way that is really creative. I think the other thing is that this river is a landmark that was not only a big deal to him, but also to the people around him and they could really understand where he was coming from. I also saw some points that made me think that this story also had a hint of naturalism writing in it. "Naturalism writers believed that we, humans, are shaped by heredity and environment. Naturalists were also the ones to believed that we were dominated by economic, social, and natural forces" ("Regionalism" 487). "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" (Twain 505). Right here in that last passage was where I saw naturalism. I think that the character really thought that he was being shaped by his environment which was the river, that I do not think he could go on without.
Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River" American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 504-505. Print.
"Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
"Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
"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). I think this passage right here shows us that there is regionalism in this short story. As it says in our American Literature textbooks, "The writers attempted to show the landscape, customs, speech, and other culture details of that chosen or their chosen region" ("Regionalism" 487). I think this story does show the landscape. Mark Twain takes a piece of landscape and just really describes it in a way that is really creative. I think the other thing is that this river is a landmark that was not only a big deal to him, but also to the people around him and they could really understand where he was coming from. I also saw some points that made me think that this story also had a hint of naturalism writing in it. "Naturalism writers believed that we, humans, are shaped by heredity and environment. Naturalists were also the ones to believed that we were dominated by economic, social, and natural forces" ("Regionalism" 487). "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" (Twain 505). Right here in that last passage was where I saw naturalism. I think that the character really thought that he was being shaped by his environment which was the river, that I do not think he could go on without.
Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River" American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 504-505. Print.
"Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
"Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
Mark Twain – The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County
The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County was a lot like other things that Mark Twain has wrote. I have not read a lot of books or stories by Mark Twain, but from the ones that I do remember, it always seems like Mark Twain has a difficult way of writing. The dialect in his writings just always confusing to me, and I always struggle to keep along. Mark Twain says things like "cal'klated' (Twain). I mean what is that? I am just not a fan of reading things that I can not really follow along well with, but Mark Twain is a great author and one that has affected a lot of literature today. Mark Twain, as we see in this short story and others from him, has a great imagination and makes the reader feel like they are right there following along with the characters. I thought it was kind of funny how our blogs went from talking about sad people, to crazy people, and now to jumping frogs. Personally I am a fan of the jumping frogs, because it is kind of nice to take a break from all of that crazy stuff that we have been reading.
The time period that Mark Twain wrote about was a totally different one from what we live in now. We think that we have to have all of the materials in the world to entertain us and to make us happy, but that was not the case for this short story. The characters in this book were happy with what they had and did not need expensive toys to make them happy. As you can read this short story you could see that they were happy and very entertained with a jumping frog. "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" (Twain 500). They could just sit, play, and watch their frogs.
I think that i notice realism the most from The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calevera. Mark Twain was depicting life the way it really was, and sharing with people what they really did and what made them happy, even if it was a silly old jumping frog. "So he never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump" (Twain 500). Like I said earlier, I always remember Mark Twain as one who had a great imagination. I think he was really trying to use his imagination a lot in this story. I think he was sick of all the things that were going on in the wars around him, and he was just ready to hear and write about something that would lift up a few spirits. I think he was honestly trying to distract some people from the crazy things that were going on in that period. He wanted them to read this and be so consumed in the story that they forgot about their worries and troubles for awhile. I think these are perfect examples of realism.
Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 498-502. Print.
The time period that Mark Twain wrote about was a totally different one from what we live in now. We think that we have to have all of the materials in the world to entertain us and to make us happy, but that was not the case for this short story. The characters in this book were happy with what they had and did not need expensive toys to make them happy. As you can read this short story you could see that they were happy and very entertained with a jumping frog. "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" (Twain 500). They could just sit, play, and watch their frogs.
I think that i notice realism the most from The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calevera. Mark Twain was depicting life the way it really was, and sharing with people what they really did and what made them happy, even if it was a silly old jumping frog. "So he never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump" (Twain 500). Like I said earlier, I always remember Mark Twain as one who had a great imagination. I think he was really trying to use his imagination a lot in this story. I think he was sick of all the things that were going on in the wars around him, and he was just ready to hear and write about something that would lift up a few spirits. I think he was honestly trying to distract some people from the crazy things that were going on in that period. He wanted them to read this and be so consumed in the story that they forgot about their worries and troubles for awhile. I think these are perfect examples of realism.
Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 498-502. Print.
Stephen Crane – from The Red Badge of Courage
To start of the Red Badge of Courage their was a little bit of figurative language that i quickly picked out. "He was like a carpenter who has made many boxes, making still another box, only there was furious haste in his movements" (Crane 493). So to put this use of figurative language into a simpler form, the author was just trying to say that he was getting a task done extremely fast that he had done before.
The Red Badge of Courage was an interesting story to read, to say the least. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane was about a man that has some anger issues, and he for some reason does not know how to control these issues very well. I thought it was just kind of weird how in this story this psycho man went from just working or doing something to being extremely angry. As I kept reading Crane's weird words I saw the what happens to this man when he gets angry. He finally breaks it down for us and helps us understand a little better just what is going on in this guys crazy mind and body. "Presently he began to feel the effects of the war atmosphere - a blistering sweat, a sensation that his eyeballs were about to crack like hot stones. A burning roar filled his ears. Following this came a red rage. He developed the acute exasperation of a pestered animal, a well-meaning cow worried by dogs. He had a mad feeling against his rifle, which could only be used against one life at a time.... 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 A against the swirling battle phantoms which were choking him, stuffing their smoke robes down his parched throat" (Crane 493).
I really did not know quite what to think after i read this passage. This guy did some weird things when he got mad, and he turned into some crazy things. I did realize that this was obviously under the category of realism. The story is depicting this guys life, and the author Stephen Crane is trying to show the crazy emotions of this psycho guy. Not only did I pick up a lot of realism things in this passage, but I also picked up a hint of naturalism. "Naturalist authors were largely interested in maintaining Darwin's suppositions that human beings were soulless creatures..bereft of free will, whose mannerisms and behavior resulted primarily from their heredity and the influences of a capricious environment" (Sommers). I did pick up some similarities from both this definition and The Red Badge of Courage. I really thought that this character was a soulless, crazy person. I mean this guy goes from just being a little angry at something and before you know it he is going crazy and acting like a beast or something. I mean that is not something that you read about a lot or even see for that matter. He was different from most people, being that he could not control his anger or his tempers. He was just doing whatever he wanted, and his anger it was showed us that he fits underneath the naturalist category also.
Crane, Stephen. "from The Red Badge of Courage." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 493. Print.
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. Feb 16, 2011.
The Red Badge of Courage was an interesting story to read, to say the least. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane was about a man that has some anger issues, and he for some reason does not know how to control these issues very well. I thought it was just kind of weird how in this story this psycho man went from just working or doing something to being extremely angry. As I kept reading Crane's weird words I saw the what happens to this man when he gets angry. He finally breaks it down for us and helps us understand a little better just what is going on in this guys crazy mind and body. "Presently he began to feel the effects of the war atmosphere - a blistering sweat, a sensation that his eyeballs were about to crack like hot stones. A burning roar filled his ears. Following this came a red rage. He developed the acute exasperation of a pestered animal, a well-meaning cow worried by dogs. He had a mad feeling against his rifle, which could only be used against one life at a time.... 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 A against the swirling battle phantoms which were choking him, stuffing their smoke robes down his parched throat" (Crane 493).
I really did not know quite what to think after i read this passage. This guy did some weird things when he got mad, and he turned into some crazy things. I did realize that this was obviously under the category of realism. The story is depicting this guys life, and the author Stephen Crane is trying to show the crazy emotions of this psycho guy. Not only did I pick up a lot of realism things in this passage, but I also picked up a hint of naturalism. "Naturalist authors were largely interested in maintaining Darwin's suppositions that human beings were soulless creatures..bereft of free will, whose mannerisms and behavior resulted primarily from their heredity and the influences of a capricious environment" (Sommers). I did pick up some similarities from both this definition and The Red Badge of Courage. I really thought that this character was a soulless, crazy person. I mean this guy goes from just being a little angry at something and before you know it he is going crazy and acting like a beast or something. I mean that is not something that you read about a lot or even see for that matter. He was different from most people, being that he could not control his anger or his tempers. He was just doing whatever he wanted, and his anger it was showed us that he fits underneath the naturalist category also.
Crane, Stephen. "from The Red Badge of Courage." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 493. Print.
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. Feb 16, 2011.
Kate Chopin- The Awakening and The Story of an Hour
The Awakening by Kate Chopin was not one that I could totally grasp what was going on right at first. I could tell from reading this story that Kate Chopin was a very independent woman, and one that probably did not have the easiest childhood. I read a little in our book and realized that the story was about a woman named Mrs Pontellier. I could also tell right away that Kate Chopin was obviously an realism writer. "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). When Kate Chopin was writing this excerpt, it was during a time during/ after the civil war when women were trying to find themselves, and they were trying to figure out what they were supposed to be doing in life and also what they wanted from life. I saw realism when Kate said in the awakening, "Turning, she thrusts her face , steaming and wet, into the bend of her arm, and she went on crying there, not caring any loner to dry her face, her eyes, her arm" (Chopin, "The Awakening, 491). We saw in this passage by Chopin that she was just crying, and was not paying attention to anything else but her own thoughts. She was just sharing the what was really going on in her life, whether she wanted it to or not, and how it affected her so much emotionally. In the Awakening, Kate was just sharing about a woman named Mrs. Pontellier who was trying to find herself in a hard time.
Kate Chopin also wrote another writing that we can find in our American Literature textbooks called The Story of an Hour. The Story of and Hour and The Awakening are kind of similar in that they both are talking about a woman that is dealing with some very strong emotions, that are really important in her life. The main woman in this one is called Mrs. Mallard. Mrs. Mallard is a very upset woman and is crying in this excerpt, but we actually can figure out the main reason for her tears. She is crying because she really was coming to realize that her love was dead, and all that was going to go along with that. She was realizing that she was going to be all alone the rest of her life, and she was not going to feel any more love from him. "There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself" (Chopin, "The Story" 555). I really pick up a lot of realism writing in this passage. I think that Kate Chopin was a realist writer, because in The Story there was just so much sad things and a lot of tears. She was just trying to depict life as it actually exists (Werlock).
Kate Chopin was a great realism writer. I enjoyed reading her stories, and I like how she showed through her characters what she was going through then. It was a hard time for women in the time that she was writing these excerpts.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 553-555. Print.
Chopin, Kate. "from The Awakening." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 491. Print.
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. Feb 16, 2011.
Kate Chopin also wrote another writing that we can find in our American Literature textbooks called The Story of an Hour. The Story of and Hour and The Awakening are kind of similar in that they both are talking about a woman that is dealing with some very strong emotions, that are really important in her life. The main woman in this one is called Mrs. Mallard. Mrs. Mallard is a very upset woman and is crying in this excerpt, but we actually can figure out the main reason for her tears. She is crying because she really was coming to realize that her love was dead, and all that was going to go along with that. She was realizing that she was going to be all alone the rest of her life, and she was not going to feel any more love from him. "There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself" (Chopin, "The Story" 555). I really pick up a lot of realism writing in this passage. I think that Kate Chopin was a realist writer, because in The Story there was just so much sad things and a lot of tears. She was just trying to depict life as it actually exists (Werlock).
Kate Chopin was a great realism writer. I enjoyed reading her stories, and I like how she showed through her characters what she was going through then. It was a hard time for women in the time that she was writing these excerpts.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 553-555. Print.
Chopin, Kate. "from The Awakening." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 491. Print.
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. Feb 16, 2011.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Willa Cather- O Pioneers and A Wagner Matiné
O Pioneers by WIlla Cather was a pretty decent expert, but not one that I thought was the interesting to me. I think it is just like all of the other stories in that time. All they talked about the whole time is the hardships that they went through, which i understand but at times that can get old. This story was about all of the hardships that the pioneers went through in that time, which from reading the title, I could tell what it was going to be about.
Realism, like most stories during this time, was shown in this expert, but I saw regionalism the most. I saw realism when they were explaining the hardships, and hard work that they had to put forth in that time. They really make you think about the things that they had to go through, and the hard things that they had to work through. I recognized regionalism in the part that they were talking about sitting by the sidewalks, and then I saw Illinois so that really stuck out to me. "The thing to do was to get back to Iowa, to Illinois, to any place that had been proved habitable "(Cather 489). The main thing that they were trying to say in the story right here was that they were not in the right spot in the country that they felt like was best for them. They thought that they should be in Iowa or Illinois, places for real men. They wanted to be at the places that they thought were to be more suitable.
I thought that A Wagner Matine by Willa Cather was a better story to read. I am a fan of music, so I knew when this story was talking about music that I would really like it. I think the stories that you can relate to are always the best. I think that this story actually kind of had an effect on me. Willa Cather showed that music has a story behind it. She also showed that each person might listen to a song and get something different from it. I really liked how she said that, because I really understood what she was saying. I was listening to Pink's new song, and I thought I knew what she was talking about, but then I heard a different meaning of it that she was trying to get across. So, when listening to music everybody gets a different view depending on the things that you have been through in your life. I think that A Wagner Matine was sharing realism with us, just by all of the emotions that she was showing. She shared with us how much music did to her in her life, and she would just listen and not have anything to say. She loved music. I thought that this was a pretty good story over all.
Both O Pioneers and A Wagner Matine by WIlla Cather showed us realism. They both showed the different emotions that were going on in that time, even though they were totally opposite. One was talking about hardships, and one was talking about how she thought so highly of music.
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
Realism, like most stories during this time, was shown in this expert, but I saw regionalism the most. I saw realism when they were explaining the hardships, and hard work that they had to put forth in that time. They really make you think about the things that they had to go through, and the hard things that they had to work through. I recognized regionalism in the part that they were talking about sitting by the sidewalks, and then I saw Illinois so that really stuck out to me. "The thing to do was to get back to Iowa, to Illinois, to any place that had been proved habitable "(Cather 489). The main thing that they were trying to say in the story right here was that they were not in the right spot in the country that they felt like was best for them. They thought that they should be in Iowa or Illinois, places for real men. They wanted to be at the places that they thought were to be more suitable.
I thought that A Wagner Matine by Willa Cather was a better story to read. I am a fan of music, so I knew when this story was talking about music that I would really like it. I think the stories that you can relate to are always the best. I think that this story actually kind of had an effect on me. Willa Cather showed that music has a story behind it. She also showed that each person might listen to a song and get something different from it. I really liked how she said that, because I really understood what she was saying. I was listening to Pink's new song, and I thought I knew what she was talking about, but then I heard a different meaning of it that she was trying to get across. So, when listening to music everybody gets a different view depending on the things that you have been through in your life. I think that A Wagner Matine was sharing realism with us, just by all of the emotions that she was showing. She shared with us how much music did to her in her life, and she would just listen and not have anything to say. She loved music. I thought that this was a pretty good story over all.
Both O Pioneers and A Wagner Matine by WIlla Cather showed us realism. They both showed the different emotions that were going on in that time, even though they were totally opposite. One was talking about hardships, and one was talking about how she thought so highly of music.
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
I read Letter to His Son by Robert E. Lee in our American Literature Textbook. I thought it was kind of hard to follow along at first, because old things like that I do not follow with very well. I think that it was kind of confusing, but then I started to get it. I also thought just by reading the title at first that it was kind of cool that he was sharing things that were really important with his son. I would hope to think that his son would appreciate what he had to say, and hopefully his dad had a great affect in his life.
"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).
In this passage in our American Literature Textbooks, you can tell that Lee was writing this letter to his son during the civil war. Lee wrote this to his son after his son had sent him a book called Life of Washington in the mail (Lee). Robert E. Lee was going through a hard, rough time in his life right then when they were writing back and forth. I could tell when reading this that Lee's son probably sent this book to him, because I think the book related to Robert E. Lee a lot at that point in his life. The big issue that Lee was sharing with to his son, and everyone else for that matter, was about the North and the South in America at that time during the Civil War. I think that Robert E. Lee not only shares with us realism in this letter to his son, but also regionalism. "Then, if the border states are brought into the gulf of revolution, one half of the country will be arrayed against the other" (Lee). I think this line in the letter to Robert's son was a great example of regionalism, because regionalism deals with certain regions and things that go in those places. The regions in this circumstance was the north and the south. That was a big issue that was affecting Robert E. Lee in his life. I think that it also shares realism with us too. "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" (Lee). This line is realism, because Lee was sharing with us the feelings that he had towards this book. He was not going to let anyone change his mind, and he has his own views and he was okay with that.
Lee, Robert E. "Letter to His Son." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 384-385. Print.
"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).
In this passage in our American Literature Textbooks, you can tell that Lee was writing this letter to his son during the civil war. Lee wrote this to his son after his son had sent him a book called Life of Washington in the mail (Lee). Robert E. Lee was going through a hard, rough time in his life right then when they were writing back and forth. I could tell when reading this that Lee's son probably sent this book to him, because I think the book related to Robert E. Lee a lot at that point in his life. The big issue that Lee was sharing with to his son, and everyone else for that matter, was about the North and the South in America at that time during the Civil War. I think that Robert E. Lee not only shares with us realism in this letter to his son, but also regionalism. "Then, if the border states are brought into the gulf of revolution, one half of the country will be arrayed against the other" (Lee). I think this line in the letter to Robert's son was a great example of regionalism, because regionalism deals with certain regions and things that go in those places. The regions in this circumstance was the north and the south. That was a big issue that was affecting Robert E. Lee in his life. I think that it also shares realism with us too. "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" (Lee). This line is realism, because Lee was sharing with us the feelings that he had towards this book. He was not going to let anyone change his mind, and he has his own views and he was okay with that.
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 was a speech delivered by Sojourner Truth in 1851 at the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio (Truth). "Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed 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 it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman" (Truth). I think the author Sojourner Truth was just trying to let out her feelings in this speech, and let people know that women are just as good as men. She is a woman herself, and she can do the same work that men can do. I think she is almost saying her that she has done more than a man, she works hard and could take the lashings and she has born thirteen children. That many children is not easy by any means. Hearing that part of the speech by Sojourner Truth was very touching, and it is something that every girl has wanted to say at some point. Women always get the stereotype that we all need to stay at home, take care of the house, and keep track of children. I think that this shows realism. She was not afraid to just let out her real feelings, she wanted people to know that what was happening was not okay, and women needed to be treated just like men. "I have ploughed 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 it - and bear the lash as well" (Truth). Right here in the passage it shows us realism, because she is sharing with the people that she delivered this to what she went through everyday.
Of course, just like most writings in this time, it was based on slavery. I think that that is pretty understandable. Sojourner Truth had obviously been raised in a time where slavery was all around and a part of her life. "I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me" (Truth). I think that this statement really shows us realism right there. I think slavery really affected her life, and she wanted people to say that and really just be honest and share with them how it really feels like. I think the reason that she went on to work for the Underground Railroad, was because she did not want slavery to affect everyone else's life like it did hers. She really got her words across in a great way, and this poem was pretty moving to see a woman like that be able to say all of that.
I think Sojourner Truth had a lot of influence on people then. She wrote an amazing poem that moved a lot of people, not only women, and helped with the Underground Railroad. I think this realism writing was a great one, and one where the author, Sojourner Truth, was really able to deliver a great message. We have not been through what she had to go through, but we know that slavery was awful. I totally understand the reason she wrote a great speech like this.
Truth, Sojourner. ""AIN'T I A WOMAN?" BY SOJOURNER TRUTH." Feminist.com. Web. 15 Feb. 2011..
Of course, just like most writings in this time, it was based on slavery. I think that that is pretty understandable. Sojourner Truth had obviously been raised in a time where slavery was all around and a part of her life. "I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me" (Truth). I think that this statement really shows us realism right there. I think slavery really affected her life, and she wanted people to say that and really just be honest and share with them how it really feels like. I think the reason that she went on to work for the Underground Railroad, was because she did not want slavery to affect everyone else's life like it did hers. She really got her words across in a great way, and this poem was pretty moving to see a woman like that be able to say all of that.
I think Sojourner Truth had a lot of influence on people then. She wrote an amazing poem that moved a lot of people, not only women, and helped with the Underground Railroad. I think this realism writing was a great one, and one where the author, Sojourner Truth, was really able to deliver a great message. We have not been through what she had to go through, but we know that slavery was awful. I totally understand the reason she wrote a great speech like this.
Truth, Sojourner. ""AIN'T I A WOMAN?" BY SOJOURNER TRUTH." Feminist.com. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Go Down Moses, & Keep Your Hand on the Plow
"Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home;
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").
This is the chorus for Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. I have heard of this poem before, and I actually think that it is a pretty good poem, and one that really has a lot of meaning behind it if you really know what this anonymous person was talking about. I know from reading this poem in the past that it was written during the time when they had the underground railroads. I think that this tells us that this poem is obviously sharing regionalism, because it is focusing on the area that they were in. During this time of the underground railroads, people were just worried about being home and that is all that they wanted. I think this speech meant a lot to the people that were around then, because it was sharing about their lives and how they just knew that those angels were for them to take them home, so not only does it show regionalism but it also shares realism. I think it showed realism, because this author was sharing real life events during this time that affected everyone, and was causing people to be unhappy.
When Israel was in Egypt's land
Let my people go
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
Let my people go
Go down (go down)
Moses (do down Moses)
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old, Pharoh
Let my people go!
Thus saith the Lord, bold Moses said
Let my people go
If not, I'll smite your first born dead
Let my people go! ("GO Down Moses Lyrics").
These words are the lyrics to Go Down Moses. I think that Go Down Moses is related to regionalism. I can tell from reading this passage that the writer was probably an African American that had probably escaped from slavery for a little bit, and was just wanting to be set free. I think it represents regionalism, because their is a place that they want to be and that place is home. They share their feelings, and they just want to be free.
Keep Your Hands on the Plow was a good read, and I had never heard of that one before. I noticed that this one too was talking about slavery, and that they needed to keep their hands on the plow and just keep pushing forward, and eventually it would all be over with. "Got my hands on the gospel plow, Wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now, Keep your hands on that plow, hold on" (Keep Your Hands on the Plow Lyrics). I think this also shows regionalism and realism. I think that they were just being honest and talking about what was going on in their life right then, it that place where they could not stop working.
All three of these lyrics had a lot in common, because they were all about slavery. I think that they all showed us regionalism and realism. They were brutally honest at times about sharing what was really going on in their lives. They also shared how certain areas were free, but some were not. Slavery was a big issue in that time, and I can see how that was probably a big subject to talk about, and some people just needed to share their feelings then.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Lyrics." Scout Songs: Song Lyrics for Boy Scouts Songs, Girl Scouts Songs, and American Patriotic Songs. Web. 10 Feb. 2011..
"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 - GospelSongLyrics.Org." GospelSongLyrics.org - Lyrics and Music to All Your Favorite Gospel Songs. Web. 15 Feb. 2011..
Comin' for to carry me home;
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").
This is the chorus for Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. I have heard of this poem before, and I actually think that it is a pretty good poem, and one that really has a lot of meaning behind it if you really know what this anonymous person was talking about. I know from reading this poem in the past that it was written during the time when they had the underground railroads. I think that this tells us that this poem is obviously sharing regionalism, because it is focusing on the area that they were in. During this time of the underground railroads, people were just worried about being home and that is all that they wanted. I think this speech meant a lot to the people that were around then, because it was sharing about their lives and how they just knew that those angels were for them to take them home, so not only does it show regionalism but it also shares realism. I think it showed realism, because this author was sharing real life events during this time that affected everyone, and was causing people to be unhappy.
When Israel was in Egypt's land
Let my people go
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
Let my people go
Go down (go down)
Moses (do down Moses)
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old, Pharoh
Let my people go!
Thus saith the Lord, bold Moses said
Let my people go
If not, I'll smite your first born dead
Let my people go! ("GO Down Moses Lyrics").
These words are the lyrics to Go Down Moses. I think that Go Down Moses is related to regionalism. I can tell from reading this passage that the writer was probably an African American that had probably escaped from slavery for a little bit, and was just wanting to be set free. I think it represents regionalism, because their is a place that they want to be and that place is home. They share their feelings, and they just want to be free.
Keep Your Hands on the Plow was a good read, and I had never heard of that one before. I noticed that this one too was talking about slavery, and that they needed to keep their hands on the plow and just keep pushing forward, and eventually it would all be over with. "Got my hands on the gospel plow, Wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now, Keep your hands on that plow, hold on" (Keep Your Hands on the Plow Lyrics). I think this also shows regionalism and realism. I think that they were just being honest and talking about what was going on in their life right then, it that place where they could not stop working.
All three of these lyrics had a lot in common, because they were all about slavery. I think that they all showed us regionalism and realism. They were brutally honest at times about sharing what was really going on in their lives. They also shared how certain areas were free, but some were not. Slavery was a big issue in that time, and I can see how that was probably a big subject to talk about, and some people just needed to share their feelings then.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Lyrics." Scout Songs: Song Lyrics for Boy Scouts Songs, Girl Scouts Songs, and American Patriotic Songs. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.
"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 - GospelSongLyrics.Org." GospelSongLyrics.org - Lyrics and Music to All Your Favorite Gospel Songs. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.
Abraham Lincoln- The Gettysburg Address
"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met here on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this" (Lincoln). The Gettysburg Address that Lincoln delivered during the Civil War was really related to realism. He was sharing this speech in a time where people were really upset about the battle that was going on, that was affecting everyone's lives. He delivered his speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania at the battlefield to soldiers, soldiers families, and people that were there already there or had heard that he was going to be giving the speech.
This next part of Lincolns Gettysburg address really shows us a great example of realism. "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 can never forget what they did here"(Lincoln). I think that this part of Lincoln's speech really hit hard for some people. He showed me that this was a realism writing, because he was using real life events that were going on around them, and was telling them that they can not take something like this lightly. He was also just being honest and admitting things that were hard to face at that time. He was honestly just being real and telling them that they have to face the facts that we have lost people and they have fought for us and risked their lives so that we could have freedoms.
"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"(Lincoln). In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address he was really upset that people were still wanting to have slaves, and no body was totally just stopping people from having slaves. This speech really shows realism, and it is amazing to see the details Lincoln gave us that shared the real life things that the slaveholders were thinking or the things that the slaves had to go through. I think the point where Lincoln says that they pray to the same God really showed me realism. He was letting people know that we need to face the facts and realize that no matter what your color, we all should be treated equally because we are all the same especially in God's eyes. While giving this speech Lincoln really was dealing with emotions and feelings of everybody during this time. He knew that they should think about God and what he would of thought of some of their behaviors.
Lincoln's writings are really good writings that we all need to read. He made a huge influence on our country, that still affects us today.
Lincoln, Abraham. "Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln Civil War Speech." American Civil War History Timelines Battle Map Pictures. Web. 10 Feb. 2011..
Lincoln, Abraham. "Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address." NetINS Showcase. Web. 10 Feb. 2011..
This next part of Lincolns Gettysburg address really shows us a great example of realism. "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 can never forget what they did here"(Lincoln). I think that this part of Lincoln's speech really hit hard for some people. He showed me that this was a realism writing, because he was using real life events that were going on around them, and was telling them that they can not take something like this lightly. He was also just being honest and admitting things that were hard to face at that time. He was honestly just being real and telling them that they have to face the facts that we have lost people and they have fought for us and risked their lives so that we could have freedoms.
"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"(Lincoln). In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address he was really upset that people were still wanting to have slaves, and no body was totally just stopping people from having slaves. This speech really shows realism, and it is amazing to see the details Lincoln gave us that shared the real life things that the slaveholders were thinking or the things that the slaves had to go through. I think the point where Lincoln says that they pray to the same God really showed me realism. He was letting people know that we need to face the facts and realize that no matter what your color, we all should be treated equally because we are all the same especially in God's eyes. While giving this speech Lincoln really was dealing with emotions and feelings of everybody during this time. He knew that they should think about God and what he would of thought of some of their behaviors.
Lincoln's writings are really good writings that we all need to read. He made a huge influence on our country, that still affects us today.
Lincoln, Abraham. "Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln Civil War Speech." American Civil War History Timelines Battle Map Pictures. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.
Lincoln, Abraham. "Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address." NetINS Showcase. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Frederick Douglas- The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro
Frederick Douglas gave his speech to a white audience in Rochester, New York on July, 5, 1852 (Douglas 336). I thought this was a funny first thing to read, because the title of Douglas' writing made me think that it was going to be all about African Americans, but then it says that he delivered his speech to a room full of just whites. I read a little clip from our Glencoe American Literature books, and I could really get some details that were from the realism writing period.
"The blessing in which you, this day, rejoiced, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn" (Douglas 336).
I think just this paragraph its self you can tell that this speech that he spoke was obviously a great example of realism. I think that he was just trying to share things that were real in his life, and things that were actually going on for him in his life. He gave this speech to white people to share with them just how it really was for some African Americans at that time. He wanted to know that they should be happy because they are very lucky, because the African Americans on that day were in a mourning state because of all the things that they had to go through in that time. I also see hints of naturalism style in his speech, because he was saying all of his people so therefor it was almost a heredity and environment thing, that made the African Americans the way they were. "The sunlight that brought you light and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me" (Douglas 336).
"What, to the American slave, is your fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim" (Douglas 336). This sentence in his speech right here says a lot. I think this is a statement that would have stopped me in my tracks if I was there in Rochester, New York on that day. It just shows you how real that things are for them. The African Americans were not treated well at all then, and it was time for some of them to hear that. I think this shows realism because he was sharing his real life examples and giving details of just how exactly the Fourth of July was for them.
"There is not a nation on earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour" (Douglas 336). After I read this statement, I finally realized how the whole speech was just so relative to realism and naturalism. I think he was interested in writing about something that was important to him in his life and talk about things that he knew the most about. I do not think he just pulled this speech out of no where, I think he had been thinking about it for awhile.
Douglas, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 336. Print.
"The blessing in which you, this day, rejoiced, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn" (Douglas 336).
I think just this paragraph its self you can tell that this speech that he spoke was obviously a great example of realism. I think that he was just trying to share things that were real in his life, and things that were actually going on for him in his life. He gave this speech to white people to share with them just how it really was for some African Americans at that time. He wanted to know that they should be happy because they are very lucky, because the African Americans on that day were in a mourning state because of all the things that they had to go through in that time. I also see hints of naturalism style in his speech, because he was saying all of his people so therefor it was almost a heredity and environment thing, that made the African Americans the way they were. "The sunlight that brought you light and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me" (Douglas 336).
"What, to the American slave, is your fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim" (Douglas 336). This sentence in his speech right here says a lot. I think this is a statement that would have stopped me in my tracks if I was there in Rochester, New York on that day. It just shows you how real that things are for them. The African Americans were not treated well at all then, and it was time for some of them to hear that. I think this shows realism because he was sharing his real life examples and giving details of just how exactly the Fourth of July was for them.
"There is not a nation on earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour" (Douglas 336). After I read this statement, I finally realized how the whole speech was just so relative to realism and naturalism. I think he was interested in writing about something that was important to him in his life and talk about things that he knew the most about. I do not think he just pulled this speech out of no where, I think he had been thinking about it for awhile.
Douglas, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 336. Print.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Define Regionalism
Regionalism is a word that you think would be pretty easy to define, and it is. I think the first word that pops into your mind when it comes to the definition is region, and when you look up the definition you find that region is said in the definition. Regionalism was in an era following the civil war ("Regionalism" 487). I believe that the reason regionalism writings started was because they were trying to write about all of the different locations that were in the civil war and be able to picture those very well. Also, I think they wanted to show in a very detailed way all of the regions that might have got affected by the civil war. The American writers would concentrate on characteristics, local color, or a particular region of the country. The writers attempted to show the landscape, customs, speech, and other culture details of that chosen or their chosen region ("Regionalism" 487). Regionalism is different from naturalism and realism, because it deals with a specific region or place, and really describes that place.When I break down this definition I really feel like i understand regionalism the best. These writers pick out a region or certain landscape that they like and they write about it. They talk about the different colors, customs, speech, and even cultures in that certain area. I know from reading these definitions from regionalism experts, that regionalism writers are very graphic in their writings and give details about all of the little things. I like this type of writing style, because I like to know all of the little details. Sometimes the little details are very important, and regionalism writers know that. Out of the three words that we had to define, regionalism, realism, and naturalism, I thought regionalism was my favorite. I think it was one of the best to write about, and I think its one that I would relate to the most, because I am a very graphic and detailed person.
"Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
"Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Define Naturalism
Naturalism is a word out of the three words that we had to define that I knew I was going to enjoy writing about. I know a lot about naturalism, because I have leanred about it in other classes. "The naturalist movement dominated the second half of the period, from 1890 to 1914" (Quinn). Naturalism was more of an extreme movement than realism or regionalism was during this time. It was a movement that affected human beings a lot more than any other style of writing did at that time, and a style that still affects us today. Naturalism writers believed that we, humans, are shaped by heredity and environment. Naturalists were also the ones to believed that we were dominated by economic, social, and natural forces ("Regionalism" 487). Naturalism is a big thing that a lot of people, most, believe in our time now. People believe that we are truly shaped by our heredity and our environment around us. For example; if you were born into a family that did drugs and raised you around that, you have a bigger chance of following in those footsteps, because you have never learned anything else or know any better. I personally think that I am a believer in this. I think that people can also change though if they do not like the way that they were surrounded their whole life. Some authors that were big on naturalism, wrote about it, and are among the most important American Naturalist writers are Stephen Crane, Harold Frederic, Frank Norris, and Jack London (Quinn). These writers are ones that really changed naturalism, and are on cites like Bloom's Literary Reference getting credit for all that they did. Also, like it says in our American Literature books, there were scientists that affected and influenced these writers. Charles Darwin is a scientist that influenced a lot of naturalist writers, with his ideas of humans being shaped by their environment and their heredity. That influence that he shared with him was big deal, and what this whole thing is focused on.
Quinn, Edward. "realism and naturalism in American literature." 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= Gfflithem0707&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 27, 2011).
"Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
Quinn, Edward. "realism and naturalism in American literature." 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= Gfflithem0707&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 27, 2011).
"Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Realism Project- Define Realism
"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. A realist carefully chooses details that illustrate this vision" (Werlock). When I read this definition of realism, it seems that realism is just the interest in something is more real of something that could actually happen. Like it says in our American Literature books, writers during this period were turning away from romanticism because they wanted to write about something that was closer to ordinary life ("Regionalism" 487). I think they were just wanting to show things that were actually realistic and something that actually seemed real and important in their lives. You can get that just by looking at the word. People that wrote on realism were known as realists. Realists did not want to transcend reality, but to show the experiences that we go through everyday ("Regionalism" 287). American realism was from the end of the Civil War to the beginning or our World War 2. That period of time was a big period for American Literature, and also it was a time that we still go back to for writings. I think that realism was a topic that would be better to write about after and during these periods, because it would be something that would show detail and real things that were going on. I think they stopped writing the romantic literature and went in to realism, because I do not think a lot of people would want to here about love and all that goes along with that right then. Realism did not happen really fast, it was a subject that developed gradually. Realism was spread by scientific and rationalist thought (Quinn). Bret Harte and Sarah Jewett were two of the first writers of realism. They were the ones who emphasized the facts of daily living (Quinn). Realism seems to be a very important topic, and one that I would really love to read a lot more about. I like to hear things that are real and would affect the daily living of everyone.
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 25, 2011)
"Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
Quinn, Edward. "realism and naturalism in American literature." 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= Gfflithem0707&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 25, 2011)
"Regionalism and Realism." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas FIsher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. American Literature ed. Coulmbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 487. Print.
Quinn, Edward. "realism and naturalism in American literature." 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= Gfflithem0707&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 27, 2011).
Journal #34- Argumentative Essay
ACT is always an intimidating thing to here. I think that sometimes we think about it too much, even though I have not taken it yet. I hope that I will just be able to remember all of the things that I learned and try to make it as easy as possible. I thought that writing an argumentative essay was going to be hard, but then once my partner Brandon Kuhl and I got started it seemed to be pretty easy. I think that it would be easy to explain and teach someone how to write a proper ACT argumentative essay. If the topic is something that you can find relation to at your school, then it would be even easier to write an argumentative essay about. I think the main thing about the essay is read the problem that they give you at the top and pick the side that you think would be best or believe in, first. After you pick your side, you need to figure out your support for deciding to be on that side of the argument. In the beginning of the essay you need to state the problem that has risen. Then, you need to state what you believe in. After that, you have to explain what the other side of the situation is so that the reader understands both sides. After you have explained the problem and both the sides that are possible to be on, you need to use your next couple paragraphs to add some reasoning and real life events that would add support to your side. In the ACT writings, they want you to use examples that you have been through or that your school has been through or discussed. They want you to be able to show support that you know would happen or has happened. You do not just want to say your side but then you have no reasoning, you have to show them why you believe in what you do.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Journal #33- Something That Started in Springfield
It is always cool to hear all of the things that different towns have started, and you would be surprised to hear all of the different and cool things thathave started in our town Springfield, Illinois. Springfield is a really big city that has a lot of history living in it. I have not been able to learn all of the different things, because I have only lived here for about six years, but I do know that our city is filled with a lot of things. I know that a lot of things started in Springfield. It is a city that you hear about even when you are studying history. I think a lot of people know about Springfield, Illinois. The big reason that most people know about our city is all the things that it has to do with Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln has started a lot in our town, and he is one thing that the city of Springfield still focuses on. We have a lot of things in our town that are about him. I think one thing that started in our town was the Abraham Lincoln Library and all of the things that we have to go along with that. Not a lot of cities have things to do with Abraham Lincoln or any president for that matter. I mean all most everything in our town has Abraham Lincoln behind it. I have not even been able to go to all of those different things. I am sure that there is also a lot of things that Springfield has started or brought to us. A lot of kids in my class had a lot of different things that they were yelling out that they knew that Springfield had started. I thought it was pretty cool to hear all of the different things that were started here. Some things really amazed you because you never would have thought something like that would have been started in our town.
Journal #32- Memoir of Winter Break
I always hate that winter breaks always go by so fast, and even though you rememver every thing that happen, you just wish you had so much more time. Winter break two thousand and ten was a winter break that I remember a lot from. It was really one that I will remember forever, and I think that it was probably the one that was my favorite. I thought the first part of the break lasted forever, because I was just waiting for Christmas day to come. I would work during the day with all of my animals and do fun things during the day. Christmas day was awesome, and I got so many great things! I got all I wanted, and I also got big things that I did not even ask for which was really fun. After Christmas, the best part of Christmas break was New Years Eve. New Years Eve was by far the best one that I have ever been through. I went to a get together at a friends house, and all of my other friends were there. I had a blast and made a lot of memories. We were dancing and hanging out and having a good time. Also, I got a new years kiss! That is always good. All the girls spent the night together, which was fun and we were just acting crazy together and had a lot of fun! I loved New Years Eve and hopefully it is just as great next year! I tried to hang out with all of my friends over break because that is when I have the most time to hang out with everybody, because during school I am always so busy with cheerleading that I do not really have a lot of free time in my life for everybody. Christmas break was pretty awesome I must say. It went by so fast like always, but I always will remember it.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Journal #31- Write About A Daydream
I am not much of a daydreamer, and in fact I can not really think of very many times that I have daydreamed. I can only think of a couple of times that I have daydreamed. I think that I daydream the most whenever I am at school, and now that I think of it I guess that I do daydream a lot more than I thought I did, because I am usually in another world when ever the teachers are teaching, especially if it is a really boring class. There was one time that I daydreamed that really sticks out to me the most. I think that it sticks out the most because I saw something in this daydream that I actually went through later on and it helped me get through that tough situation. I was daydreaming about cheerleading, and thinking about competition and all of the stunts that we were doing and also ones that needed some work. I was flying in this daydream and I saw that I was going to fall and hurt myself really bad at the next practice. I knew it was really going to happen, so I knew I would have to be extra careful. I knew which one it was that I was going to fall in right when I stepped into my bases arms. I knew that I was going to lose balance up there, and to make sure that I did not fall I was going to have to be careful, and if I was to fall I needed to fall in cradle position into my bases arms. It worked out perfectly too, just when I knew it was going to all come tumbling down, I cradled right before I could feel it coming down. I am so glad that I had that daydream, because it really saved me from what could have been a serious injury. I never knew a daydream was going to save me like that! I am so glad that happened to me!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Journal #30- Pleasant Plains Uniforms
Uniforms is a very touchy subject that comes up a lot in schools. I am not really a fan of uniforms at all. I have a lot of things that I have against them. Granted there is one or two things that would be good about uniforms, they do not help because of all the bad things.
I think that there are a lot of things that are not so good about uniforms. I think that the main thing for me is everybody looks the same. I like to see different things each day and different outfits. We all have our different opinions and values when it comes to close and I think that we should be able to express those. Another thing that would be bad about uniforms, is it does not help the issues that girls have with clothes or the issues that boys have. Girls would still roll up their skirts, and they would always be in a competition for who had the best shoes. I know this is true, because i have talked to girls from SHG and they told me all about it. They told me that they just roll the skirts so that they are not so long. They also said that they still always compete to see who has the best shoes. So, I know that the girl issues would never be solved. Also, boys still "sag" and do not wear their uniforms at appropriate levels.
I think that the uniforms would help for one thing for me. I think that it would be nice to not have to worry about what you had to wear, spend time picking that outfit out, or worrying if someone was going to judge you for that outfit. I know that girls who have went to private schools really like this, because they do not have to worry about what to wear. They also have told me that they do not have to worry about having the best clothes.
Uniforms really are not something I like.
I think that there are a lot of things that are not so good about uniforms. I think that the main thing for me is everybody looks the same. I like to see different things each day and different outfits. We all have our different opinions and values when it comes to close and I think that we should be able to express those. Another thing that would be bad about uniforms, is it does not help the issues that girls have with clothes or the issues that boys have. Girls would still roll up their skirts, and they would always be in a competition for who had the best shoes. I know this is true, because i have talked to girls from SHG and they told me all about it. They told me that they just roll the skirts so that they are not so long. They also said that they still always compete to see who has the best shoes. So, I know that the girl issues would never be solved. Also, boys still "sag" and do not wear their uniforms at appropriate levels.
I think that the uniforms would help for one thing for me. I think that it would be nice to not have to worry about what you had to wear, spend time picking that outfit out, or worrying if someone was going to judge you for that outfit. I know that girls who have went to private schools really like this, because they do not have to worry about what to wear. They also have told me that they do not have to worry about having the best clothes.
Uniforms really are not something I like.
Journla #29- Buying My Favorite CD Album
Music is a topic that usually comes up a lot in school, and it especially comes up a lot in english class. The boys are always talking about their favorite music, and it sometimes comes to argument about who is better. They usually have different opinions and will argue with who they think are right. I love music, but not as much as some people do. I am not obsessed with it and I could probably take it or leave it. I do have my favorite artists and I do have my favorite albums if I had to pick though. I am more of a country fan, but I do listen to a lot of pop and popular music right now. I think my favorite album would have to be Taylor Swift's new album Speak Now. The thing that I like the best about Taylor Swift's cd is that she has written all of the music, and is always talking about things or events that meant a lot to her in her life and really stood out to her. I like that because a lot of the things she has went through, a lot of kids our age have been through the same things. So, we can always find a song of hers that really relates to our lives. I think that she is just honest, and is not trying to impress anyone but herself when she is writing her songs. She is just letting out what was in her heart at the time, and she hopes that everyone listens. I think that she is really a talented person, and especially for being the age she is. I can not imagine the talent that we have yet to see from her. I think this is just the beginning of some great music that is to come from Taylor Swift. I think that everyone should listen to her new album, because they might actually learn a lot from it.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Journal #28- Convincing Someone
Convincing someone to do something that I wanted to do is something that I have done a few times. I do not do it to everyone, but I do do it to some people. The person that I think of first that I convince to do things a lot is my sister. I usually am either telling her to do something in a bossy way, or I am telling her to do it because I am just giving her good advice. I think sometimes I might do it too much to her, but I know that it will be worth it. A lot of times I am just telling her to go feed the pigs or something simple like that. I will tell her when to do it or that she has to do it at some point because I will not be at home that night. I have to convince her sometimes, because she will not always understand why that I can just not do it myself. My sister and I do not always get along, so sometimes it takes a lot more to convince her to do something that I wanted her to. I do like to convince her to do things that I want her to in more of a way that I am advising her to do so. I feel like I have already been through some of the things that she has went through, so she should listen to me when I try to tell her how to behave in that kind of situation. I try to tell her the things that I did when I had to go through that and that she should do the same things, because it seemed to work out for me. I convince her these things, because I feel like she should not have to make the same mistakes that I did or go through the same things that I did. I think at times that I try to convince her to do things too much, and it comes across as I am trying to be bossy. Even though, I am really not trying to be that way.
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