Journal #44

One movie that I saw recently that displays Post Modernism is Life as We Know It, which stars Katherine Heigl and Fergie's husband, who is quite an attractive male. The movie is about an uptight woman and a loosey goosey guy who absolutely despise each other but end up with custody over their mutual best friends' daughter. The two had to learn to live together and obviously fell in love. I thought this was actually a really good movie and we actually watched it like five times because we fell asleep with it on the television and rewatched it in the morning. I was at a sleepover with three other girls and since Fergie's husband is just so good looking, we just could not resist.

Life as We Know It demonstrates Post Modernism in the style and manner in which the movie is directed and ran and also in the way it was written. Life as We Know It displays characteristics that display Post Modernism such as the lack of religion or organized religion, although it does not actually denounce it. Life as We Know It also gives the allusion of sex before marriage as a good thing, or at least not a bad thing, which is certainly a characteristic of Post Modernism. Also in the movie, Katherine Heigl is a successful business woman who runs her own business. This shows Post Modernism because before the Post Modernism time period, women were not necessarily thought of as individuals who could successfully create a life on their own and be so strong independent. Although she does discover she needs Fergie's husband in her life, she is just in love with him, not dependent on him to do the work or whatever. This is how Post Modernism women live; while obviously they still want a man in their life to have and to hold, they are not financially dependent on him necessarily; the balance is usually more equal between the two. Therefore, Life as We Know It is a terrific example of a Post Modernism movie.

Modernism Project

WORKS CITED

Bell, Christopher Brooks. "Jeffers, Robinson." In Bryer, Jackson R., and Mary C. Hartig, eds. The Facts On File Companion to American Drama, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CAD259&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 25, 2011).

Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily." Home | W. W. Norton & Company. W. W. Norton and Company, 2005. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.

Jeffers, Robinson. "Vulture - A Poem by Robinson Jeffers - American Poems." American Poems - YOUR Poetry Site. Gunnar Bengtsson, 20 Feb. 2003. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. .

Taylor, Karen L. "modernism." Facts On File Companion to the French Novel. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CFN346&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 24, 2011).

Werlock, Abby H. P. "modernism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS589&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 24, 2011).

"William Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily" Biography." Home | W. W. Norton & Company. W. W. Norton and Company, 2005. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.

Journal #43

As I listen to this jazz song that is being played, I think of some older African American man who looks like Bill Cosby just blowing away on a saxophone. I also think of my French Horn, since it reminds me of band class. This man is a very talented musician, and I bet that music is a very very big part of his life. Most likely, music was his escape from reality, and it was how he coped with difficult things. There is not much else that I am thinking while I listen to this song, except for the fact that it is over ten minutes long and that seems a little bit too extreme for my taste. Personally, I prefer music with lyrics. I listen to country music, and in country music, the lyrics and vocals are the most important part of the song, not the background music such as the drums, guitar, and any other instrument. Therefore, when I listen to this music, I find it sort of boring even though it is impressive. I am not by any means saying that this music is any lesser than country music, I just think that since there are not vocals or lyrics it is extremely boring, especially since it is over ten minutes long. Another image I get in my head is of some downtown area, like the neighborhoods of Chicago or New York, in which an elderly African American is just going to town in his balcony window. I think that image is in my head because it is sort of a common image relating to the African American blues and whatnot. Besides those images I got in my head, this song does not really spark any other emotion except for boredom. I mean yes, it is definitely impressive, but I understood that he was a champ at saxophone after the first two minute, I do not feel that I need to keep listening for another eight and a half minutes. He is a very talented artist though, and it is obvious to tell how he relayed his emotions through his playing to the rest of the world.

Modernism vs. Realism

While the Modernism era and the Realism era took place very close together, they demonstrate many different views and styles. Realism basically demonstrates facts and information on a subject (Werlock). It portrays accurate details, thoughts, feelings, and gives a very descriptive view on the situation (Werlock). For example, if the setting of a story or poem took place in the woods, a Realism author would most likely describe everything, from the blue of the sky to the little ants crawling on the leaves of the trees to how the character felt when the cool summer breeze lifted the little hairs on his arms. It would not get so flowery so that it almost reached to point of Romanticism; however, it would accurately depict every little detail as to fully give justice to a scenario (Werlock). Back in the days of Realism, many people were looked down upon, such as African Americans or people of less prestige and power (Werlock). This was evident in Realism literature, as these people were either spoken negatively of or basically just dismissed since they really did not matter to the lives of the authors (Werlock). Some authors, however, did depict the lives of African Americans, and their struggles were shown through this literature. Of course, it was very descriptive and took notice of all of the details, since that is what Realism is about (Werlock).

Modernism is very similar to Realism in the way that it, too, accurately depicts a scenario and does justice to basically every little detail (Anderson). However, as Modernism writing began to become popular, many little aspects of life were changing. African Americans, who had previously been seen as dirty, evil, or not as sufficient as the white man, were now being seen as people of true prestige and talent (Anderson). Although they had not acclaimed quite the level of status of that of the white man, they were no longer looked quite as far down upon. Another change is that women were becoming a little more promiscuous (Anderson). "Flappers" wore much less clothing than that of the typical housewife back then, and therefore the clothing choices for women were becoming a little bit less uptight and a little more revealing (Anderson). All of these changes were shown in Modernism literature. The revolution was obviously a topic of many stories and poems, and the authors were a more accepting of diversity and the change that was occurring. Another change that was happening in the world that was also written about were the new music styles. Jazz was introduced, influenced heavily by the African Americans along with their soul music (Anderson). This obviously had a great impact on the literary world; poems or songs were very emotional and would sometimes reflect on the struggles some of these people went through in order to gain the acceptance and level of status that they were now holding. As mentioned, this literature was very emotional and led to many of the styles of literature that we today read (Anderson). Both Modernism and Realism affected the literary world today; Realism had a great impact and influence on Modernism, and Modernism reflects greatly on the modern literature that we read today (Anderson).

Anderson, George Parker. "modernism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. April 6, 2011.

Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. April 6, 2011.

Job Shadowing

When I grow up, I want to be a pediatric oncology nurse. For those who do not know what that means, pediatric oncology is children's cancer. For my job shadowing experience, I got to job shadow an oncology nurse at Memorial Medical Center. While this was not exactly what I wanted to do, since there is quite a difference between adult patients and child patients, it was an interesting experience and I got to learn quite a bit about what exactly an oncology nurse does. One thing that I found very interesting is the chemotherapy process. Chemotherapy is so incredibly harmful to anybody that doesn't have cancer; it can actually be inhaled or seeped into the skin and actually kill important blood cells, causing an abnormality of the cells, which then leads to cancer. Therefore, a nurse giving chemotherapy to a patient has to be extremely careful so that they themselves do not get cancer. There are obviously a lot of precautions the nurses take though; there are gowns made of a waterproof material, masks, and a double layer of gloves. Nurses go through a ton of gloves throughout the day, since they're dealing with lots of blood and fluids. Thankfully, I'm just okay with this. I'm not squeamish at all, and when my nurse had to pull a blood clot out of a guy with leukemia's arm, I did not even flinch; instead, I thought it was actually very interesting. My job shadowing experience led me to believe that I really do want to be a pediatric oncology nurse, and I am very excited to start my schooling and begin practicing this profession.

Journal #42

If I were alive in the time period of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, I would most likely have read the poems of Emily Dickinson. Dickinson's poetry caused a bit of an uproar back in the day; however, it was actually interesting and beautiful to read. Whitman, who also raised red flags with his poetry, wrote poetry that I think was just ignorant and way too self absorbed for me to ever be interested in reading his works. Emily Dickinson, in my opinion, was actually a very talented writer and I enjoy reading her poems today, which leads me to believe that I would most likely enjoy reading her poems back when she actually wrote them. Dickinson's poems focus a lot on feminism, which was a big step at the time. Being a girl, I can obviously appreciate her mindset and the points she was trying to make. Dickinson wrote about the power of women, but she did it in an interesting way in which she did not necessarily slam men or their intentions, she just portrayed how women can be strong, powerful, and beautiful. Whitman, when trying to prove his points, would put other people down and be extremely biased, which I just think is annoying, and it makes me not want to read his works. Dickinson, however, just kind of throws out her ideas and does not try to make it seem as if she is right and everyone else is wrong. Dickinson also wrote her "offensive" poems in a very interesting way; her racy poems were actually extremely intriguing and sort of fun to read, while when reading Whitman's provocative poems I was just kind of annoyed and wanted to get to the end of it. Also, he was a homosexual, which I have absolutely nothing against, but I felt that it was sort of controversial how at times he would write about his love with a man and other times his love with a woman. It was just he wanted to woman so that they could actually have sex, which sounds vulgar, but it is true. Dickinson, however, wrote about things such as sex in a way that was not really as offensive or controversial, and it was made to seem much more beautiful. I like the simplicity of her poems and how creative she got, and, even though it was definitely offensive at the time, I would have read her over Whitman any day.

Dickinson's "Poor little heart!" Analysis

When I read the poem "Poor little heart!" by Emily Dickinson, I felt myself relating to it very easily. Although my interpretation might not be that of others, I feel that Dickinson wrote a very intriguing and truthful poem. Speaking from a third person's perspective and referring to the heart of another woman, in the first stanza of "Poor little heart!," Dickinson writes of the "poor little heart" being forgotten by a man, and exclaims that the woman should not care or be upset (Dickinson). In the second stanza, the "poor little heart" has been abandoned by this man, and the woman is informed that she should be carefree and keep her head up high (Dickinson). The third stanza is of the speaker talking directly to the woman now, saying that he would never break her heart, and he wants her to let him in. He asks if she would "credit" him, or if she would trust him and grant him his wishes of making her his (Dickinson). In the fourth stanza, however, the "poor little heart" is now a "gay little heart," which I took to mean that since this man has come into the woman's life, she is now happy and extremely blissful; her heart is happy now (Dickinson). However, in the second part of the last stanza, "Like morning glory Thou’ll wilted be; thou’ll wilted be!" (Dickinson). I believe that this is referring to the man breaking the woman's heart once again. The whole poem is like a cycle. The woman has a broken heart, and she tries to stay strong but feels lost. She then meets a man who promises that he will always be there for her and will never hurt her and, gradually, she believes him and falls in love. However, he was deceitful, and he ends up leaving her and breaking her heart, leaving it sad and lonely once again (Dickinson).

In a literary criticism written by Mary Ellen Snodgrass, it is written that Dickinson was known for her poems like this. She was seen as feminist, and she was very bold and brazen in expressing her opinions regarding women, men, and love (Snodgrass). This included her views on how men should not necessarily be viewed as heroes or the stronger gender as they previously had been shown; this idea is kind of expressed in "Poor little heart!" as Dickinson elaborates on the lies and untrustworthy behavior shown in man (Dickinson). Throughout the short poem, the woman being addressed in the work of literature is constantly told to stay strong and to not let this man defeat her, even though he broke her heart (Dickinson). This is another example of how Dickinson may have been projecting her feminist ideas; she believed that women should not rely on men to make them happy, but women should instead be strong enough to make their own decisions and care for themselves (Snodgrass). By telling the woman to not allow the degrading acts of a man to affect her, but to instead defy his actions and stand proud, Dickinson expressed her views very clearly (Dickinson). She also managed to include the softer side of the heart, though, when the man and the woman briefly fall in love. Altogether, Dickinson wrote a wonderful poem that truly does even today express the cycle of falling in and out of love, and while producing this great piece of literature, Dickinson was also successful in proclaiming her views on feminism.

WORKS CITED

Dickinson, Emily. "Poor little heart!" Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. .

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Dickinson, Emily." Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EFL136&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 21, 2011).

Journal #41

Emily Dickinson's poem, "Pain has an element of blank" is a beautiful and creative work of literature. Although the poem itself is extremely short, its meaning and the image it projects is strong and powerful. In the poem, Dickinson refers to pain and the different elements of pain (Dickinson). Dickinson states that pain "has an element of blank," which I think is a very intriguing thought, and it is definitely true (Dickinson). She recalls that pain, once it begins, makes the body and the mind forget about when there had not been pain; all one can think about is the current pain they are in and it is hard to recall the better feeling they had had beforehand (Dickinson). Like I said, I think this is a very interesting way of wording her thoughts, and the statement is, in my opinion, completely correct. For example, one might be running and sprain their ankle very terribly. This is a very painful occurrence that actually happens quite often to people. The thing that is the worst about a sprained ankle is that it literally affects someone pretty much all the time. When one is sitting, they can feel the throb of the blood as it swells around the tender ankle, and when one begins to walk on the ankle, it causes very much pain and most likely makes the wounded individual have to hobble or use some kind of a crutch. When one sprains their ankle, it becomes very hard to remember what their ankle had felt like before it was in pain; people tend to take lack of pain for granted and then, once injured, can only think about the pain they are in. Emily Dickinson did a phenomenal job of expressing this thought. I also thought it was interesting how she wrote about the fact that pain also has no future; this, too, is very true, as it is hard to see an end when one is enduring unbearable pain (Dickinson). I am not entirely sure if this poem is supposed to be very incredibly deep or have any meaning besides the literal meaning, but I feel that this poem, taken literally, is very powerful and definitely interesting.

WORKS CITED

Dickinson, Emily. "Pain has an element of blank." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. .

Journal # 40

I do not really have an idea of self like Whitman does. While Whitman views everybody as sort of one equal being that came from God's image and are therefore pretty much the same, I totally disagree. I think that every person is different in their own way; while we are all human beings and have more or less the same genetic makeup, we are all completely different. Whitman has this idea of everybody having the same background, having more or less the same life, and having the same mindset about pretty much everything. I think this is a load of garbage. Just look around any typical high school and you will see the differences between everyone. While, yes, we all do kind of look similar and might demonstrate similar traits and behaviors, we are absolutely nothing alike. High school students have completely different ideas about what is right and wrong, what is interesting or boring, and what is cool or lame. I, personally, think that doing drugs and drinking is ridiculous, while some of my friends think that it is just a fun thing to do and do it every weekend. I go to church every weekend and believe in God, while others think that God is just a lie or too much to think about. These examples prove that our lifestyles are completely different; while I do believe that we were created by God in his own image, I do not take that literally as Whitman did. Whitman seems to have not realized that people were also blessed by God with the power of free will, and this free will is what distinguishes people from each other. Over time, it has made us who we are today. My lifestyle is completely different than the lifestyles of everyone else sitting in this English class with me today. This is because of our free will, opinions, and choices. While maybe we were born naturally because of God and therefore are all connected, but I think that after we leave the womb and begin to grow up and live our lives, everyone establishes their own "self" that is completely different than the self of everyone else.

"Look Down Fair Moon." Reflection

Walt Whitman's poem, "Look Down Fair Moon," is actually one poem written by him that I genuinely like and respect. Although it is only four lines long, the true meaning and power behind the words is incredible. Whitman writes of the moon shining down over the dead bodies of men lost in war, and displays it as eerie and haunting yet peaceful at the same time (Huff). How he is able to create this effect is truly incredible as a simple poet; while usually I disregard poets who write merely four lines of literature and call it a masterpiece, Whitman is really able to create emotion and draw in a reader's eye in this poem. For example, he speaks of the moon shining over the bodies of the dead (Whitman). Instead of simply stating just this, he uses descriptions that are incredibly appealing to the senses. He describes the faces of the men as "ghastly," "swollen," and "purple" (Whitman). By using descriptions such as these, the reader is able to picture the scenario in his or her head, therefore creating a stronger image of the story being told and developing empathy and interest in the characters. This is a great accomplishment to have achieved as an author, and it definitely makes this poem much more noteworthy and memorable than many of his previous works.

Whitman does reveals, of course, his idea of spirituality in the poem. He writes of the nimbus clouds that will pour down on the faces of the dead (Whitman). When writing this, he is referring to a rain cloud, or a nimbus cloud, that will rain over the bodies of the dead (Huff). Rain is said to purify things; when he speaks of the rain pouring over them, he is referring to God purifying their bodies as they return to nature and their spirits go to God for their final judgment (Huff). Whitman was a strong believer in God, and this is obviously portrayed throughout this poem as he wishes for the bodies of the dead to be purified in order for them to return to God peacefully and washed of sin. I think it was really creative in the way he wrote this; instead of being really basic, blunt, and simple like he usually is, Whitman was creative and actually poetic for once (Whitman). Like I said, this really is the first poem by Whitman that I found to actually sound educated, intellectual, knowledgeable, and sane. It did not rant, line after line, about sex, or about homosexuality, and then try to link it all back to spirituality in some crazy hypocritical, contradicting way, like the style in which he portrayed in many previous poems. Instead, he is truly exhibiting and honest understanding of spirituality and is showing empathy and acknowledgment on someone other than himself, which I believe is a big step (Whitman). That is one thing that annoys me to no end about Whitman. He constantly writes about how he is right about everything and everyone else is wrong; while I believe it is necessary to be confident as a poet, it is awful to be arrogant and biased. That is why I have no respect for him as a poet. However, he did prove me wrong in this one poem, "Look Down Fair Moon," as Whitman not only portrays emotions towards someone other than himself or a lover, he does so in a way that is both poetic and beautiful (Whitman).

WORKS CITED

Huff, Randall. "'Look Down Fair Moon'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CPAP0247&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 8, 2011).


Whitman, Walt. "Look Down Fair Moon." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 8 Mar. 2011.

From Pent-Up Aching Rivers Reflection

Walt Whitman's work of poetry, "From Pent-Up Aching Rivers," is a little different that many poems written in his time. Actually, it is extremely different than most literature that was being produced in general. Frankly, the entire poem describes sex and all of the joys of sex (Whitman). Walt Whitman was known for not writing what was the norm; he caused quite the uproar with all of his new ideas and thoughts. After reading this poem, I understand why. While I am not a shy or bashful person by any means, I felt a little uncomfortable reading this poem in an open room with my parents in the next room. I was ready at any time to click to a different link just so that they would not catch a glimpse of the literature I was reading. Does that seem right? I feel that a man of great literary achievement who was so influential on modern literature more than a hundred years ago should not have been writing so crassly about this topic, although I guess that is also why he was such an eye opening and powerful author.

"From Pent-Up Aching Rivers" describes Whitman's thoughts regarding nature, and how the human really is, in all, just an animal in nature's course (Whitman). It also describes how sex is not just merely for pleasure, but that God created us in his image and therefore we are all perfect creations and sex is a divine activity (Oliver). While I do see the truth in some of those statements, I find that they are a bit contradictory. I do agree with Whitman when he writes of other animals and their mating patterns, relating them to ours (Whitman). I think this is an accurate realization and he expressed it in an interesting and captivating way. When he starts to write about how divine the body is and how sex is divine, however, I become a bit confused (Whitman). Whitman was, first of all, homosexual; his literature, however, is sometimes in regards to having sex with a woman (Whitman). This right here is completely against the Bible and what God says in many different chapters. For example, Matthew 5:27-30 is all about adultery and how even talking about it or thinking about it is a sin; this can lead to an afterlife in Hell (Jones). If Whitman was trying to relate sex and his thoughts of it to a divine being such as God, he failed completely. Instead of acting pleasing towards God, he was instead writing of lust in which women and men both were the objects of his attention, so obviously he was not married to or even thinking about marrying his subjects (Whitman). In the Bible, in many, many passages, this is regarded as a very serious sin; it is even one of the Ten Commandments. While I understand where Whitman was coming from, he was just displaying his "every man" concept of how every man is like each other and every man came from God, I think he misinterpreted it and took advantage of his literary power to write a very creative yet crude poem that certainly had an impact on all future forms of literature.

WORKS CITED

Jones, Michael. "Bible Verse List - Scriptures about Sex from ScriptureMenu.com." Scripture Menu: Bible Topic Scripture Verse Lists. Crossway Bibles, 2005. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .

Oliver, Charles M. "'From Pent-up Aching Rivers'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW168&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 6, 2011).

Whitman, Walt. "From Pent-Up Aching Rivers." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 6 Mar. 2011.

Journal #39

Walt Whitman's "Bardic Symbols" is a very emotional poem. It explores certain different emotions he is experiencing, and he presents them in a very dramatic way. Personally, I was a bit thrown off by the poem; it was sort of confusing, and he seemed to go back and forth in his thoughts (Whitman). William Howells, in his criticism of "Bardic Symbols," was said to kind of make sense of the madness Walt Whitman wrote; however, I think that Howells made it even more confusing. Howells was biased; at the beginning of his criticism he praised Whitman's works and the greatness of them (Howells). When I read that, it immediately made me disregard the rest of his criticism. I do not think a literary critic should be so bluntly biased. I think it sort of ruins their credibility, so the analysis he wrote really did not help clear up anything Whitman wrote.

Although I obviously am not a fan of Whitman's "Bardic Symbols," it did definitely portray his beliefs and tendency to write about spirituality and the "every man" concept. Whitman focused on himself throughout most of the poem and on his specific emotions and thoughts, but then in the very last stanza he wrote about how everybody feels that way since everybody is the same (Whitman). This obviously shows his "every man" concept, as he portrays everybody as basically being the same since we all derived from the same being, God. Whitman also touched more on spirituality throughout the poem as he talks about his father (Whitman). It is possible that he is literally speaking and is actually talking about wanting his biological father and how he wants to be closer to his father, but I took is as his spiritual father, as in God (Whitman). I think that Whitman is expressing how he wants to be closer to God and he wants God to love him and accept him and hold him close, even though Whitman is such an unhappy man and has sinned. Although the poem is super dramatic and a little too wordy, Whitman did portray an example of the "every man" as well as focusing on spirituality.

WORKS CITED

[Howells, William Dean]. ""Bardic Symbols"." The Daily Ohio State Journal (28 March 1860): 2.

Whitman, Walt. "Bardic Symbols." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.

"Beginners" by Walt Whitman

"Beginners" is a poem written by Walt Whitman. In it, he describes beginners in general; he describes the positives, the negatives, and just how the typical beginner acts in a situation (Whitman). In that way, he is describing the "every man;" a concept commonly written about by Whitman in which he describes how every man is, in theory, the same as any other man. Since every person is derived from the same being, according to the author, everybody contains the same basic structure and function and therefore are alike to the point where "every man" is kind of the same. When Whitman takes the average "beginner" and makes a generalization such as the ones he makes in "Beginners," it is obvious that he is creating another example of the "every man" (Oliver). It was said that Whitman used to walk to streets of New York and Boston, just talking to random people in order for Whitman to get a sense of their selves (Oliver). In doing this, Whitman created his own opinions of how a beginner typically acts, therefore creating his idea of the beginning "every man."

Whitman's poem "Beginners" struck me in a different way than many of his other poems had struck me. While I typically see Whitman as a self concerned, conceited, and biased writer, I actually received intellectual insight from this poem. My favorite line from the work is "How people respond to them, yet know them not..." (Whitman). I think this is an incredibly simple yet insightful statement to write about beginners. It is so true. When one is beginning an activity, or is acting as a beginner at a new feat, other people respond to them in judge them in ways that are absurd. For example, in high school, the freshman are the beginners. The first few days, weeks, and months of school, everybody is judging them. The older students look at how the freshman act, dress, talk, and look, and based on these judgments, opinions are made and the older students react accordingly. Without even knowing a thing about these individuals, the older students are quick to judge and react. Being a beginner at any activity is frightening enough, as usually one just wants to impress the more accomplished individuals in the field. With biased or incorrect judgments and reactions, beginners are kind of thrown into an awkward and difficult position that Whitman portrayed very well in his poem. While he covered many different aspects of beginners in the poem, this statement stuck out the most to me.

On the contrary, Whitman did also cover the aspect of beginners acting in annoying and showy behaviors. This is also very true; many individuals, in order to prove themselves worthy, experienced, or tough enough, seem to show off for those who have already had more experience in a situation. This often leads to the beginners being viewed as even more inexperienced than they would have been seen before, as well as being seen as immature and almost silly. Whitman actually does a great job covering the different aspects of being a beginner in this work of literature. Whitman's poem "Beginners" was an intellectual and insightful piece of poetry.

WORKS CITED

Oliver, Charles M. "'Beginners'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW052&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 1, 2011).

Whitman, Walt. "Beginners." Leaves of Grass. 1990. Web. 01 Mar. 2011.

Journal #38

Whitman's poem "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing" is a short work of art that describes displays Christianity and spirituality as well as the concept of the "everyman." Whitman describes the ploughers ploughing and the sowers sowing as well as the harvesters harvesting (Whitman). These exhibit the every day jobs of regular people in the society; people were very farm based and grew their own food in order to survive. Therefore, it was common for one to be a phoughman, a sower, or a harvester. Through those lines in his poem, Whitman is describing the "everyman," as, typically, the common man in his culture was some sort of a farmer.

Whitman describes the cycle of life and death in his poem. He described life as the tillage, and death as the harvest according (Whitman). By this, I interpreted the idea that he is referring to life as the tillage since, in tilling land, one is planting the seeds that are to be grown, and in one's life, they are planting their seeds in society for the rest of the world to see. In one's life, they are constantly changing the world in small ways just by existing; therefore, they are planting their theoretical seeds in society just as physical seeds are planted into the ground. "Death is the harvest according" refers to the aftermath of one's life; after they are dead and gone, what has he or she left to society (Whitman)? The harvest is the result of the crop; those seeds have already been planted, grown, and are ready to be sown. They have provided their fruits and their gifts to the rest of the world. As a person dies, their seeds have already been sown; he or she has already made their initial impact on his or her world. When he or she is gone, the aftermath, the result, of how he or she had lived his or her life is what is left. This is one's "harvest;" he or she is leaving behind his or her gifts and ideas. Whitman relates this to spirituality as he believes that God has gifted us the joy of life and death, and therefore we are to rejoice in that and make positive impacts on society through our life; therefore, great harvests are to be sown after our death.

WORKS CITED

Whitman, Walt. As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing (1900). Web. 28 Feb. 2011.

Journal #37

I thought that parts of the article relating to Whitman and his works were very interesting. At some points, Mark Bauerlein brought up some interesting and valid points regarding some of Whitman's stories, and Bauerlein had a mindset that must be much different than my own. Some of his thoughts I never would have dreamed up; although, to be honest, I would not ever really want to waste my time dreaming about Whitman and his poetry. While I did find some of Mark Bauerlein's points and remarks to be fascinating and eye opening, it was also incredibly boring. He could have said a lot of his opinions in much shorter, simpler terms; for a common reader in our century and in our culture, big long articles such as that are extremely boring to read, and, frankly, no one really wants to read them if they can help it. That is just my opinion; maybe there are high school students that find that sort of stuff fascinating. I, obviously, do not find it very joyous to read and therefore struggled through the article. Also, I do not really like Whitman in general. While Bauerlein did do a great job expressing what Whitman might have been thinking or referring to in some of his poems, it would have been a whole lot more enjoyable for me to read if I actually liked Whitman's poems. I find Whitman to be a self centered writer who focuses on his viewpoint and his viewpoint only, and he blatantly declares that any other mindset is wrong. I think this is incredibly annoying, and biased authors are just not pleasurable to read. Bauerlein also did what I find annoying in literary critics. He analyzed Whitman to death. He took a simple sentence and broke it down into kind of absurd meanings that may have been true; however, he did this quite often. I feel that poetry should be written so that the listener, viewer, or reader can enjoy it and interpret it in their own way, and when poetry is over analyzed, I believe its whole purpose has been destoryed. Bauerlein's article did indeed serve as a useful tool in understanding Whitman's works; however, I do not care much in general about Whitman and therefore found this article much too drawn on and boring.

Whitman and His Sense of Self

Walt Whitman is a poet who changed the course of American poetry forever. His blunt, straightforward way of writing was a shock to some people, and it definitely is what allowed him to become so famous. Whitman, throughout his poetry, was said to search for his own definition of “self.” When reading his poems, I definitely got an idea of what his opinion of his own self was; he was very self-centered and conceited about his accomplishments and his ideas relating to the society and other people around him. By reading his poems “Myself and Mine” and “One Song, America, Before I Go” I was able to kind of pick up a sense of pride he held in his work and his own self, and it was a pride that almost seemed too overwhelming and over exaggerated. Although he may have been trying to explain to his readers how he viewed his own self, I personally thought it came off as much too showy and conceited.

In his poem “Myself and Mine,” Whitman writes about how he feels about certain subjects and people and how others might feel and react (Whitman “Myself”). When reading this, I got the sense that Whitman was extremely conceited. He wrote about situations in which he believed the society was flawed; however, instead of doing this in a respectable way, he was extremely rude and biased (Whitman “Myself”). For example, he wrote, “And who are you-blabbing by rote, years, pages, languages, reminiscences, Unwitting to-day that you do not know how to speak a single word?” (Whitman “Myself”). While I do appreciate people simply expressing their own opinions, I think he did so in a completely unnecessary manner. Most likely referring to people who were thought of highly in the society, he tore their image to pieces by basically saying they spoke nonsense (Whitman “Myself”). I really think he could have done that in way that was not as biased, and, as a result, he would have most likely gained the respect and interest of readers instead of the disgust and conflicts that instead were the reactions of many readers during his time. Whitman was trying to explore the definition of self and wanted to express his own “self,” and through “Myself and Mine” I think he did a pretty terrible job at expressing his own opinions and showing the world what he was about. Unless, however, he wanted to be shown as a selfish, stuck up poet; in that case, he would have succeeded.

The trend continues with his poem “One Song, America, Before I Go.” The title itself, in my opinion, is a brief reflection of the work itself. The title is so self centered, as if Whitman must make one last contribution to America before he can finally leave the earth; he acts like it is his duty to grant America one last song so that we can rest in peace with him gone (Whitman “One”). After inferring this from the title and then reading the poem itself, I realized that my assumption was right. The whole poem is about how he would do all of these great accomplishments before his death so that America can rest happily after his death; we will have been granted the knowledge and opinion of Walt Whitman and, therefore, have nothing left to ask for (Whitman “One”). Whitman displays his sense of “self” by proposing that he has all the right mindsets and facts regarding the government, the nation, and society in general (Whitman “One”). He says that he has the right “formula” to how America should be run, and people just need to see things how he does; then all of our problems would be solved (Whitman “One”). As previously mentioned, if Whitman was trying to display his own “self” as conceited, biased, selfish, and arrogant, he did a wonderful job portraying that. If not, his meaning of “self” may have been lost or misinterpreted on the readers of his poetry.





WORKS CITED

Whitman, Walt. "Myself and Mine." Leaves of Grass. 1990. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. .

Whitman, Walt. "One Song, America, Before I Go." Leaves of Grass. 1990. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. .

Journal #36

Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal is the delectable, crunchy breakfast food that one's mouth waters for when they just hear its mere name. Cinnamon Toast Crunch is described as "The taste you can see!" It is true; the cinnamon swirls truly are present on every delicious bite that is taken. The little crumbles of sugar that melt in one's mouth are truly sent from heaven. When I wake up in the morning and see that bowl of glittering Cinnamon Toast Crunch sitting there in the bowl full for two percent milk, my brain fills with all of these thoughts of happiness and all of my unhappy mindsets are shattered and thrown away. I make my way quickly to the breakfast table, almost running in joy just so that I can reach my Cinnamon Toast Crunch quicker. I throw myself down into the wooden char, which kind of hurts but it does not even matter because I am one step closer to my glorious meal. I reach down on to the table and pick up the silver spoon, glistening and cool in my hand. Taking a deep breath of excitement, I dip the shiny spoon into the creamy, white milk and fill the trough of the spoon with the golden brown Cinnamon Toast Crunch covered in the milk and slowly lift it to my mouth. As I do so, I am able to smell the cinnamon, the sugar, and the milk; this makes my mouth water even more than it already had been. Rejoicing silently inside my mind, I take the first bite, and I feel as if I am floating around in the ideal heaven. My head swirls with happiness, and my taste buds are singing hallelujah. Every ounce of my body is tingling with pure joy thanks to the splendid taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I thank the Lord for creating this wonderful breakfast food; I now know that I can begin my day with the happiest of hearts. Cinnamon Toast Crunch truly is a delectable meal that makes me jump with joy every time I consume that deliciousness.

Journal #35

I do not think I would enjoy being a reporter in a war at all. First of all, I do not enjoy fighting or war in general. I would be absolutely terrified, even though I would obviously not be fighting. I mean, if I was right there in the trenches with the soldiers, the likelihood of something happening or maybe even having to fight myself would probably be kind of logical and probable. I would obviously not enjoy that, and, without prior training as a soldier, I would probably be in some deep trouble if the opposing soldiers attacked. Also, I really do not think I would enjoy the general war environment; like I said, I do not like fighting and I would really hate being in the middle of a war.

It might be kind of cool to be a reporter in the war because you would get to see all the action without necessarily participating in the fighting. However, if I was in the trenches with them, then there is always the chance I could get involved in the fighting, and, like I said, that would definitely be an issue. While it would be cool to be able to show people back home what was going on and experience a life changing experience, I think the terror and the anxiousness of the war itself would be way too overwhelming for me. I would not enjoy it at all.

Another reason why I would not like it is because in the war, you always hear of soldiers who meet people and become good friends with them, but then tragedy strikes and their friend is killed. This seems to be a kind of common trend; I mean, it is the war, and it is sadly not uncommon for people to die. I would not like to see people I had bonded with fight in bloody battles and potentially be killed. Obviously, most people probably feel like that, but let's be honest, it would be an awful thing. If I can prevent it from happening, then I obviously would. Therefore, I just would not want to be a reporter in war; it would be extremely dangerous, not really fun in general, and people I had gotten to know and love would be put in danger and possibly be killed.

Realism Project- "To Build a Fire"

Jack London was an individual from a poor family who did not let any of his family's weaknesses get the best of him ("Meet" 601). An incredibly bright child, London graduated from high school in just one year and set off to college. Although he did not attend four full years of schooling, his knowledge and ability to write stories was incredible. After his first year of college when London traveled to the Yukon to join the Klondike Gold Rush, he experienced many adventures that allowed for even more creativity and ideas to be introduced in his future stories ("Meet" 601).

Jack London's "To Build a Fire" is based on his own experience through the Yukon. This story exhibits both Realism and Naturalism. From just the title alone, one can make the assumption that Naturalism is going to be involved. Naturalism is usually focused around a lower class individual who undergoes many trials in which his own natural strengths are tested as well as his intelligence in order to see if, without luxuries and money, one is really capable of surviving the task set out in front of them (Giles). Based off of solely the title of the story, "To Build a Fire," one can infer that the main character is going to have to face some sort of challenge with nature in order to survive.

As the story begins, the reader finds that, indeed, there is a struggle with nature. As the main character sets out on his journey to find gold, he is faced with many challenges, such as the intense cold weather that is common to the Yukon (Twain 604). The man knew that it was going to be cold and had prepared for it; however, he found that sometimes thinking one can make it through a difficult task is a little bit more challenging than actually acting on it. The man had to plan his trip out carefully, taking note of the sun's positioning and when and where he would have to set up camp each night (Twain 604). Thankfully, he had his husky dog alongside him, which allowed them to share body heat in the night and probably kept them alive through those first few blustering nights (Twain 605). Throughout the story, the man and his dog had to fight through the intense cold, proving that they were indeed using all of their natural skills to "fight" the depths of nature. This portrays Naturalism within the story (Giles).

Realism is also prominent throughout the story. Instead of acting like "superheroes" or relying on God for strength, the man simply did what he believed were the smart things to do at the time, and he would factually note the freezing of his spit and the frost in his mustache (Twain 607). These realistic portrayals throughout the story proved that it was indeed Realism (Diamond). One could say that the man was a hero, another characteristic of Realism, since he was so strong and never gave up in order to accomplish his dream (Diamond). A strong aspect of Realism is also shown at the end of the story, as the man dies and the dog is left alone (Twain 515). This sad and tragic ending after so much hard work and dedication had been put into survival is typical for Realism; things in life do not always work out as they had been planned (Diamond). This also showed the hardships people went through during the Gold Rush; during this time period, many people died while trying to become rich. Although this is extremely sad, it is very realistic; sometimes, nature does defeat the strength of even the most determined human. Jack London's "To Build a Fire" portrayed both Realism and Naturalism as the main character struggled through the Yukon to reach his dream.

WORKS CITED

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 28, 2011).

Giles, James R. "naturalism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1255&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 9, 2011).

London, Jack. “To Build a Fire.” American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 603-615. Print.

"Meet Jack London." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 601. Print.

Realism Project- "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy"

Edwin Arlington Robinson is an incredible Realism author. Born into a family that certainly had many problems, Robinson grew up as a troubled child, wondering by age six why he had even been born ("Meet" 573). As he grew older, he was forced out of college because his family did not have enough money, and this caused him to have to return to a house in which his parents were troubled, one brother was a drug addict, and the other was an alcoholic. All of these factors contributed to Robinson's general overall dislike of life; he was an unhappy man. He felt that poetry was all he had ever been destined to do, and he certainly was talented at it ("Meet" 573).

Robinson's poem "Richard Cory" tells the story of a man who was always well dressed, well mannered, and well liked in general ("Richard" 575). This man seemed happy and content; he was one of those people that seemed to have everything going for him. Then the reader reaches the last line two lines of the poem, "And Richard Cory, one calm sunny night, Went home and put a bullet through his head" ("Richard" 575). This shocking ending is one that is apparently not uncommon for Robinson; often he will tell the tale of someone who seems to have their life so put together that ends up dying or revealing a nasty habit ("Meet" 573). "Richard Cory" is an exemplary form of Realism. Although it might seem a little dramatic or extremely pessimistic, the story it tells is actually is not a rare occurrence. In the newspapers in present day, one always reads about the Valedictorian that commits suicide, or the star football player that pops pills in order to just forget about his unhappiness. While Robinson definitely portrays this hidden unhappiness in an extremely and surprising way, it is realistic, and therefore, a trait of Realism (Diamond). The irony in which the story ends really does apply to situations like this in an everyday environment, classifying it as Realism (Diamond).

"Miniver Cheevy" tells a story similar to "Richard Cory" as a man who appears happy but longing solves his mental conflict by drinking it away ("Miniver" 576). Longing so much for material things and a life he could be proud of, Miniver Cheevy finds himself becoming more and more dissatisfied with his own life, even though it is not awful by any means. He feels that if he wants to forget about his own dull life, he should just drink until the pain is all gone ("Miniver" 576). Unfortunately, this poem, too, presents the Realism writings style; although many do not want to admit it, it is not uncommon for one to drink away their problems. Many middle class individuals look at their lives and see what they could have been as opposed to what they really are, just like the man in the story, and this similarity proves that the poem is definitely a form of Realism (Diamond). Although it may be hard to admit, drinking, suicide, and other forms of ridding oneself of pain and disappointment do not just happen in sad poems, books, or movies. In today's world and in Robinson's time period, people were unhappy with their lives and felt they needed some way to fix it. Robinson did a terrific job of describing the pain and real life situations that many people endure their throughout entire lives, therefore producing two wonderful examples of Realism (Diamond).

WORKS CITED

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 28, 2011).

"Meet Edwin Arlington Robinson." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 573. Print.

Robinson, Edwin A. “Miniver Cheevy.” American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 576. Print.

Robinson, Edwin A. “Richard Cory.” American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 575. Print.

Realism Project- "Douglass" and "We Wear the Mask"

Paul Dunbar portrays both Realism and Naturalism through his two poems, "Douglass" and "We Wear the Mask." Born of parents who had been enslaved themselves, Dunbar found himself hearing stories of the hardships of slavery as he grew up ("Meet" 568). He went through a hard time of his own when his father died, Dunbar himself at a young age ("Meet" 568). Dunbar seemed to have continued to hold on to his sorrows for the rest of his life, for in the two poems "Douglass" and "We Wear the Mask," a dark, gloomy, and pessimistic viewpoint seems to be consistently prominent. "Douglass," written about Frederick Douglass, is about the two of them, both African American men to whom slavery had effected quite a bit ("Meet" 568). Douglass and Dunbar traveled together occasionally, since they were both African American poets dealing with common subjects ("Meet" 568). "Douglass," specifically though, is about the hardships they both grew up with and how it seems that the rest of the country seems to be pretending it just did not happen; the white men want to pretend they never treated African Americans so terribly when it obviously took place ("Douglass" 570). Dunbar is disgusted by this, and he feels that everybody is almost faking that everything is okay when really everything could collapse right back down again ("Douglass" 570). "We Wear the Mask" is actually a very interesting poem because it could be related to almost anyone, not just African Americans, although obviously Dunbar intended it to be referring to the African Americans. In it he wrote of the "mask" that he, as well as others like him, put on to make others believe that everything is okay when really things are awful ("We" 571). However, Dunbar feels that the rest of the world does not even necessarily deserve to see the true side of him or anyone else; they obviously do not care enough to really want to see what lies underneath the mask ("We" 571).

Realism is very prominent in these two poems. Each poem describes realistic situations in which Dunbar is facing the negative but still realistic obstacles that still seem to stand in his way, such as segregation. Instead of trying to pretend everything is okay or that it is all better, Dunbar is looking his troubles right in the face and admitting that they are all to real, which definitely is a characteristic of Realism as he expresses it in his poems (Diamond). Dunbar does not exaggerate on his viewpoints; while they might seem extremely troubling or a little too over the edge, that is how he truly did feel, and, as a middle class African American, many other probably agreed with that mindset. Because of this, Realism is definitely portrayed within these two poems (Diamond). Naturalism is also evident. Born to a family of slaves, Dunbar pursued his dreams in writing and became the first African American to make a living solely off of his literature ("Meet" 568). That is truly a rags to riches situation, which Naturalism portrays quite often (Giles). This is an incredible achievement, although he does not necessarily seem happy about it in his poems. Relating back to Realism, even though Dunbar achieved so much, he was still incredibly unhappy, which he wrote about. People were able to see that and relate to him: the reality of his words allowed readers to see the honesty and truthfulness through his pain. "Douglass" and "We Wear the Mast" portray both Realism and Naturalism.

WORKS CITED

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 28, 2011).

Dunbar, Paul L. “Douglass.” American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 570. Print.

Dunbar, Paul L. “We Wear the Mask.” American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 571. Print.

Giles, James R. "naturalism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1255&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 9, 2011).

"Meet Paul Laurence Dunbar." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 568. Print.

Realism Project- "I Will Fight No More Forever"

"I Will Fight No More Forever" is an incredibly sad and depressing piece of literature in which Chief Joseph is finally giving up and giving in. Chief Joseph was the chief of the Nez Perce, who were threatened by the government and began fighting with U.S. armies after members of the tribe attacked a group of white settlers ("Meet" 531). All Chief Joseph really wanted to do was to return his tribe back home so they could be with their families and avoid fighting and conflict; however, too many had died or fallen ill, and return was becoming more and more realistic in their eyes ("Meet" 531). In "I Will Fight No More Forever," Chief Joseph writes that, basically, he is just tired of fighting (Chief 533). He wants to go home, he wants to find his children, and he wants to relax and just be able to enjoy the rest of his life. However, he knows that this will most likely not happen, since the chances of survival alone are slim. He is incredibly upset because of the death of two other chiefs who were close to him, along with the death of his brother. He also really does not know where his family is or even if they are still alive (Chief 533). Basically, Chief Joseph is realizing the reality of what is happening and what will most likely happen to him, and this reality depresses him deeply (Chief 533).

Realism is quite prominent in this work. As previously mentioned, the reality of the entire situation seems to have caught up to Chief Joseph, and an utter wave of sadness, depression, and despair seems to overwhelm him (Chief 533). By expressing the reality that he lives in, as well as making it easily relatable for a reader, Realism can easily be seen within the passage (Diamond). Although a chief, Native Americans were not necessarily looked highly upon, so Chief Joseph was most likely a middle class citizen who is trying his hardest to act as a hero for his tribe, himself, and his children, which again is an example of Realism (Diamond).

Regionalism is also briefly shown in the passage. Although Chief Joseph is really the only person focused on in the writing, readers can infer the situation that he is in. Their dialect is prevalent; the names of his peers as well as his own name are an example of that. The real name of Chief Joseph, Minmaton Yalaktit, means "Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain" ("Meet" 531). His peers were named Looking Glass and Too Hul Hul Suit (Chief 533). This alone is different than the names of typical people; it is obvious that their dialect and the way they name people or refer to people is much different than the norm. This proves that Regionalism is being expressed (Werlock). The setting is also given; Chief Joseph speaks of the children freezing to death because of the cold weather and the adults dying of sickness and hunger (Chief 533). This allows readers to see the awful environment these people lived in, and it allows one to relate to the story in a better way. Although a very small passage, "I Will Fight No More Forever" is a sad yet all too realistic work of literature that exemplifies both Realism and Regionalism.

WORKS CITED

Chief Joseph. "I Will Fight No More Forever." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 533. Print.

"Meet Chief Joseph." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 531. Print.

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 28, 2011).

Werlock, Abby H. P. "regionalism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0581&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 13, 2011).

Realism Project- "Spoon River Anthology"

From "Spoon River Anthology," written by Edgar L. Masters, "Fiddler Jones" and "Lucinda Matlock" are two wonderfully written excerpts that both portray Realism. In "Fiddler Jones," Masters describes the journey of life and how one should do what he or she, in their heart, is meant to do ("Fiddler" 517). "And if they people find you can fiddle, Why, fiddle you must, for all your life" ("Fiddler" 517). He writes about how, if a job is to be done, one must allow unexpected interruptions to occur and have fun with them; the job will get done in the end. Fiddler exclaims that although it may have taken him longer to do certain tasks, and they might have been some hard times and bumps in the road, he accomplished all he had set out to do with no regrets("Fiddler" 517). "Lucinda Matlock" is similar to this poem. In "Lucinda Matlock," Masters simply and briefly runs through a lifetime ("Lucinda" 516). He writes of experiences that just sort of happen, like meeting a wife, falling in love, having children, and death. The way he states these events is kind of melancholy; it is almost depressing in a way. However, at the end of the poem, he states that he leaves this earth happily and that he has loved his life ("Lucinda" 516).

Both of these excerpts are interesting examples of Realism. They are not necessarily the norm; they are not very descriptive of a real life situation, nor are they about the realization of life's realistic natures (Diamond). Instead, Masters writes his true feelings, and the bluntness and honesty of his writings allow others to understand what he was going through, find the "realisticness" within the passages, and relate them to their own lives. For example, in "Lucinda Matlock," Masters really does just simply run through the life of an average person ("Lucinda" 516). Many could relate to going to a dance, meeting different people, and then just happening to find your wife such as he writes about ("Lucinda" 516). It happens; it is realistic. He also writes about child bearing: although they had twelve children, eight of them died ("Lucinda" 516). While this is incredibly awful and sad, and many might feel as though they cannot relate because of the simple unemotional way it was written, it, too, is a realistic part of life and therefore is a trait of Realism (Diamond). Throughout both of his poems, Masters refers to love and loving one's life. While one might think this is emotional and therefore does not refer to Realism, Masters actually describes love as more of just an overall happiness; it does not need to be romantic, just simple. The fact that he explains himself by creating analogies, such as with the crops, allows people to feel that love and happiness is realistic as opposed to strictly emotional and romantic ("Fiddler" 517). Another note that one might realize is, although he talks about love and death, God is not mentioned, which might insinuate the culture of that time period in which God is not necessarily present in all of these events. Realism often depicts a world in which God is not the main focus (Diamond). Therefore, these traits together prove that these excerpts from "Spoon River Anthology" do indeed represent Realism.

WORKS CITED

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 28, 2011).

Masters, Edgar L. “Fiddler Jones.” American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 517. Print.


Masters, Edgar L. “Lucinda Matlock.” American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 516. Print.

"Meet Edgar Lee Masters." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 514. Print.

Realism Project- "Two Views of the River"

The work of literature by Mark Twain called "Two Views of the River" is kind of a sad, depressing example of Realism. The story starts with Twain expressing his love for nature and the beauty of the land, the water, and the trees (Twain 504). He speaks about how certain landmarks in nature meant so much to him as a child, and they will always hold special places in his heart. He speaks of the romance that is associated with the setting sun and the beautiful, wonderful masterpieces nature has created (Twain 504). However, the mood soon shifts. Twain begins speaking about how he had once viewed nature as wonderful and beautiful; however, he had been naive and had not experienced many of the events he now had experienced (Twain 505). Now, instead of simply seeing the wonders of nature as beautiful and exotic, he now saw them for what they really were. Instead of taking nature for granted and not really thinking in depth about how or why things came to be, he had just accepted them as they were. Now, instead, he is beginning to see things for what they really are scientifically and realistically. For example, a bluff reef, instead of being a wonderful creation, Twain was now seeing as an obstacle that someone would more than likely crash a boat on (Twain 505). A different and unique pattern on a tree was not simply wonderful, but a defect. Twain then began thinking about doctors and people: Does a doctor see a his wife, a woman, as a beautiful and distinct human being? Or is she seen as an object, and the blush on her cheek is a sign of defect instead of a sign of individuality (Twain 505)?

The dramatic change in mindset from naive to realistic shows the Realism in this short story. Realism is seen as Twain began to describe situations such as the boat crashing on the reef (Twain 505). As situations in his mind become less romantic and more scientific and factual, Realism is clearly expressed (Diamond). As he describes the doctor and the woman, Twain even begins to show a scientific mindset, which is definitely prominent in the category of Regionalism. Another characteristic is the absence of God throughout the entire sequence (Diamond). Science is mentioned, while God is not, which definitely shows the culture change the literary world was experiencing during this time frame. For example, if a story was written that was similar to this a couple hundred years back, that story would most likely be about the change in mindset between being naive and realize God' plan in the creation of each object and item (Diamond). Instead of focusing on the scientific point of view, God would be the one that had created all of the diversity and beauty that is found in nature (Diamond). Because of this absence of God and the presence of scientific understanding, Realism is extremely prominent in the story (Diamond). Also, Twain's dramatic switch in mindset and point of view that allows him to see objects and nature in a realistic manner instead of a romantic manner allows readers to understand why "Two Views of the River" is considered a work of Realism.

WORKS CITED

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 28, 2011).

Twain, Mark. "From Two Views of the River." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 504-505. Print.

Realism Project- "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County"

"The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain is an interesting story in which a man goes to his friend, Simon Wheeler, in order to find out information about another man, Leonidas W. Smiley (Twain 498). Simon Wheeler, in return, tells him the story of a different man by the name of Smiley, Jim Smiley to be exact. Wheeler, known for his long and detailed stories, proceeds to tell the man all about Jim Smiley and his jumping frogs. Apparently, Jim decided one day that he was going to teach a frog how to jump a very long distance in order to win money. Jim had previously owned a horse, but that horse was old and got in fights with dogs, causing problems. So he decided he would begin betting on frogs. Over a long period of time, Jim taught this frog to jump, rewarding it when it jumped far. Eventually, Jim was satisfied with his frog and the distances it would cover whenever Jim gently touched his rear. Jim decided to go out and bet on this frog, approaching a stranger on the street. He explained to the stranger what would be taking place, then set out to find the man a frog the man could use. This man, not wanting to lose, filled the frog up with a bunch of little pellets that would hold him down and make him heavy, causing him to not jump as far. As predicted, Jim's frog could barely move when it was time to compete. When Jim realized what had been done, he was extremely unhappy and chased after the man. Readers do not really know what happened after that, because Wheeler got distracted and stopped telling the story, then the main character left because he realized he would not be getting information about the correct Smiley out of Wheeler (Twain 502).

This short story exhibits, in my opinion, Realism and Regionalism with hints of Naturalism. Realism is portrayed through the general way the story is set up. Two men are engaging in conversation, and proper gestures and mannerisms are used that are very realistic to what might be used in real life (Twain 498). This is a common characteristic of realism; realistic events and conversations are portrayed (Diamond). Regionalism is strongly portrayed throughout this short story. Regionalism typically focuses on the setting, dialect, and culture of a region (Werlock). In the story, the dialect is heavily focused on (Twain 498). Wheeler is obviously an uneducated man; he uses words such as "feller" instead of fellow, "yaller" instead of yellow, and "bannanner" instead of banana (Twain 502). He also says that he is going to "learn the frog to jump" instead of "teach the frog to jump (Twain 500). When a reader sees this, it is obvious that the man in uneducated and that, probably, it is not uncommon for people in this community to not have a great education. This focus on the dialect shows that the story is an example of Regionalism. Naturalism is also portrayed because of the obvious intellect of the man; the fact that he is uneducated means that he is most likely in the lower class (Giles). The reason I believe that Naturalism is not the prime writing style of the story is because there is no real heroism in which the poor man proves himself worthy of something; instead, it is basically just a story that involves lower class individuals, which hints at Naturalism (Giles). "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaverus County," in my opinion, is a very good example of Realism and Regionalism as it portrays realistic events in the lives of these men.

WORKS CITED

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 28, 2011).

Giles, James R. "naturalism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1255&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 9, 2011).

Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 498-502. Print.

Werlock, Abby H. P. "regionalism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0581&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 13, 2011).

Realism Project- "The Red Badge of Courage"

Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage" was written about a young recruit named Henry Fleming, acting in his first battle ("Naturalism" 492). Although Stephen Crane was actually born six years after the Civil War ended, its effect was still great and prevalent in his life; growing up, he saw many people influenced by the war and heard war stories as well as living through the aftermath of the horrific event ("Naturalism" 492). In this excerpt from his story, Crane describes the boy's mannerisms and attitude as he mentally prepares himself for battle. The boy's emotions, thoughts, and actions were vividly portrayed as the opposing army rushed towards him, and readers truly felt his feelings right alongside him (Crane 493). Stephen Crane did an excellent job in correctly portraying emotions that he himself had never even lived through, which I think is an incredible feat.

This excerpt from "The Red Badge of Courage" is most definitely a work of Realism. First of all, the emotions felt by Henry Fleming were very descriptive and correlative to the feelings one would image having in that situation. Though not necessarily characterized by emotional behaviors, Realism can definitely be portrayed through the accurate descriptions and detailed thoughts exhibited by a character (Diamond). For example, on page 493, Crane describes the war atmosphere's affect on Fleming; he says it is "a blistering sweat, a sensation that his eyeballs were about to crack like hot stones" (Crane). This description is helpful to the reader in creating a mindset similar to Fleming's that makes the setting and situation even more realistic. This portion also exhibits realism because of the truthfulness of the situation; if one was in a war atmosphere in which bombs were exploding and nerves were running high, one probably would feel as if he was experiencing those symptoms (Diamond). This description is both accurate and realistic and, therefore, Realism is easily detected (Diamond).

On page 492, it is said that Stephen Crane is thought to be a Naturalism author ("Naturalism). By reading the excerpt from "The Red Badge of Courage," I would agree with that statement. Fleming, a lower class young male, is put into a situation in which he really does not have much control over (Crane). He acts as hero by participating in this event, in which he very well might die. Heroes are typical of Realism and Naturalism; in the Naturalism writing style, that hero typically comes from the shambles and proves himself worthy of achieving more than others thought he would (Giles). Although the ending of the battle is not given in the excerpt, readers can easily see that Henry Fleming is risking his life in order to serve what he thinks is right, and he is using his sheer power and ability to do so (Crane). Since typically characters of Naturalism are not rich or really do not have much money in general, a powerful mindset and physical strength is important, as well as hard work that must be put in (Giles). In the excerpt, Fleming refers to his impotency, and that makes him very angry and more determined (Crane). It seems that even though others might not have found Fleming to be capable of honorary tasks, Fleming took matters into his own hands in order to prove them wrong and actually make something of himself. This characteristic and admirable trait is often shown in works of Naturalism, as the characters are not usually looked upon and are usually thought lowly of (Giles). The fact that Fleming is trying to hard to prove himself is a sign of his heroism, portraying both Realism and Naturalism.

WORKS CITED

Crane, Stephen. "The Red Badge of Courage." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 493. Print.

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 28, 2011).

Giles, James R. "naturalism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1255&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 9, 2011).

"Naturalism." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 492. Print.

Realism Project- "The Awakening" and "The Story of an Hour"

Kate Chopin was one of the first female authors to portray, realistically, the thoughts and feelings of a typical woman ("Realism" 490). This, automatically, puts her in the category of a Realism author; Realism is, hence the title, based widely off of the realistic aspects and descriptions portrayed in a work of literature (Diamond). In an excerpt written by Chopin titled "The Awakening," Chopin writes of a woman who is deeply sorrowed ("Awakening" 491). Although the woman does not seem to necessarily know why she is upset, she cannot stop herself from the mental pain she is in, and continues to weep uncontrollably ("Awakening" 491). Although typically, Realism does not portray the emotional side of a situation but instead focuses on the sheer facts or the black and white mindset of an issue, "The Awakening" is an exception because of its truthfulness (Diamond). During this time period, women were supposed to basically do whatever the men wanted them to do, such as cook, mend the children, and do laundry ("Realism" 490). For a woman to show her feelings or admit to actually being unhappy or sad was almost unheard of; it was not politically correct ("Realism" 490). The fact that Chopin actually did portray these emotions and truthfully exhibited feelings that women do indeed have gave "The Awakening" a realistic overview; instead of being seen as silly and romantic, the excerpt is viewed as shockingly honest and straightforward. Another trait that makes "The Awakening" a true work of Realism is the way that certain details are focused on in almost a scientific way (Diamond). For example, at the end of the excerpt, Chopin writes about the mosquitoes that are biting the insteps of the woman's bare arms, since the woman was so vulnerable due to her emotions ("Awakening" 491). This observation is common in works of Realism; small details that might be overlooked are actually noted in detail (Diamond).

"The Story of an Hour" in definitely an interesting story that fits into the Realism category. About a woman whose husband has just passed away, the story is both incredibly emotional yet very factual at the same time ("Story" 554). For example, Realism does not necessarily exhibit a lot of description; however, if the descriptions are realistic and factual, they portray traits of Realism (Diamond). For example, in the story, Chopin writes about the weather outside, noting the "blue sky" ("Story" 554). This description adds to the mood of the story and creates a general setting that one cannot simply imagine on their own; since it is factual, one believes it to be true and can from there maybe better see the story through a character's view. This adds to the "realisticness" of the story, creating Realism to be even more evident (Diamond). Another aspect of Realism is clearly portrayed in Chopin's "The Story of an Hour." After realizing her freedom that would soon come with the death of her husband, Mrs. Mallard became extremely elated ("Story" 554). It seems that with her weak heart, the sheer excitement of this new freedom caused Mrs. Mallard to actually become too worked up, leading to a heart attack ("Story" 554). The ending to this story is actually quite scientific. Chopin wrote about Mrs. Mallard's bad heart, and, knowing that the heart can speed excessively when becoming excited, created an ending that could actually happen ("Story" 554). In writing periods before this, an ending such as this one would most likely not have occurred (Diamond). Some kind of "superpower" or God-related instance would probably take place instead; however, with the scientific breakthroughs and understandings that were becoming more common in Chopin's time period, works of art that related to science were increasing and were a characteristic of Realism (Diamond). Therefore, as exhibited through both "The Awakening" and "The Story of an Hour," Chopin is seen as a Realism author who not only showed the realistic views of women but also created scientific plots in her stories.
WORKS CITED

Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey
D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 491. Print.

Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 554-555. Print.

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 28, 2011).

"Realism." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 490. Print.

Realism Project- "O Pioneers!" and "A Wagner Matinée"

Willa Cather was a woman who typically wrote about life on the prairie or life as a pioneer ("Meet" 519). In an excerpt titled "O Pioneers" Willa focused on the struggles many pioneers experienced throughout their lives ("O Pioneers!" 498). Portrayed in an almost upsetting way, Cathers showed the unhappy lifestyles these people went through, sharing that a steady job or simply a small period with not much to think about or worry about would have brought these individuals great joy ("O Pioneers" 498). In my opinion, this small passage definitely exhibited Realism, as well as its subcategories, Regionalism and Naturalism. Realism is shown through the way Cather expressed her ideas. Instead of lingering on the emotions or even mentioning the power of God, Cather focused instead on the actual lifestyle of the pioneers and the hardships they went through ("O Pioneers" 519). She stated facts of their everyday life, and did not try to blow things out of proportion for dramatic effect ("O Pioneers" 519"). Because of the simple, honest way she exhibited these realistic facts, Realism was obviously evident (Diamond.) I believe that Regionalism and Naturalism were also portrayed in this passage. Regionalism tends to focus on attributes common within a general area, and Cather definitely wrote about the culture, setting, and some dialect of the area (Werlock). Cathers focused a lot on the culture of pioneers, giving examples of their everyday struggles, such as having land taken away from them or having to move very often ("O Pioneers" 519). These traits make me believe that "O Pioneers!" is certainly a work of Regionalism. Naturalism is also evident in my opinion. According to James R. Giles, Naturalism portrays lower class individuals and how they struggle to overcome their problems. Although there is not necessarily a problem that is overcome, there is not really a "hero, the lower class is definitely exhibited for readers to see. One can easily understand the trial that each one of these pioneers had to go through, such as simply not being able to celebrate holidays because they were forced to work ("O Pioneers" 519). "O Pioneers!" demonstrates not only Realism, but also Regionalism and Naturalism.

"A Wagner Matinee," in my opinion, does not quite exhibit Realism as strongly as "O Pioneers!" did. Although I do think it could be considered Realism, emotions are more evident and involved, and the characters appear to be at a much higher level of wealth ("A Wagner" 522). Marie Josephine Diamond portrayed Realism as simply stating facts about situations and real life events, and the presence of God or petty emotions are not typically involved. Middle class individuals are usually the focus of this literary style as well (Diamond). While I think that that these story does actually exhibit Realism as it goes into depth about facts of the characters and basically describes the mindset of Cather that one could easily and realistically relate to, I do not think it is quite as strong of an example of Realism as the previous work of literature mentioned ("A Wagner" 526). Cather seemed to linger a little longer on the emotional ties between her and her aunt, and I think that, even though it does not focus too strongly on a spiritual being or the concept of love, the emotional despair takes away from the whole Realism mindset. In my opinion, I think that "O Pioneers!" is a much stronger example of Realism from Willa Cather.

WORKS CITED

Cather, Willa. "O Pioneers!" American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 489. Print.

Cather, Willa. "A Wagner Matinée." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 521-526. Print.

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 28, 2011).

Giles, James R. "naturalism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1255&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 9, 2011).

"Meet Willa Cather." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 519. Print.

Werlock, Abby H. P. "regionalism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0581&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 13, 2011).

Realism Project- "Letter to his Son"

Robert E. Lee was a famous commander in the Confederate Army during the Civil War ("Meet" 382). Before his involvement in the war, however, he wrote a letter to his son, appropriately titled, "Letter to His Son." In this letter, Lee described his feelings towards the upcoming war, which had began to become an big issue (Lee 385). As the North and the South began to fight, Lee found himself realizing that his heart was with the South, as he was native to Virginia ("Meet" 382.) He told his son that he would most likely be returning to Virginia, and would fight in the war if necessary (Lee 385). Lee wrote mostly about not his feelings towards fighting, but his feelings towards how America would be destroyed. A smart man, Lee realized that this separation between the North and the South would not be easily resolved; even after the war was over and the conflicts settled, men would still not agree with each other and discrimination and hatred would still be present (Lee 385). Lee, although a Confederate, seemed to be a genuine and caring man. He was loyal to his home state, and did not want to see America destroyed; he knew what had to be done but feared for the outcome (Lee 385).

I think that this letter portrays Realism as well as Regionalism. Realism was definitely shown as Lee shared his emotions with his son; he stated facts about what was going on with the people around him and how he felt the ongoing turmoil (Lee 385). There was not necessarily a spiritual or emotional aspect. Lee did mention God and how God's country should not be torn to pieces; however, the article was not centered around God's love or how God would save them from the war (Lee 385). This shows how Realism was portrayed, since God is not necessarily the saving factor in a conflict in typical Realism literature (Diamond). Although usually Realism focuses on middle class individuals and shows them as the hero, Lee spoke of the men around him who were being influenced by the starting of the Civil War, and these men could easily be classified as middle class (Diamond). Therefore, although it was not exactly direct, Realism was also portrayed through the influence of the war on the middle class people. Another example of how Realism was shown is through the manner of which Lee spoke. Again, instead of focusing solely on the emotional or power aspects of the war, Lee simply stated his worries of what would happen to the country. This showed that Lee was a smart man who thought situations over realistically; instead of boasting to his son about how the Confederate Army would destroy the Union or anything silly like that, Lee just stated that it would be a good fight and the best army would win (Lee 385). The realistic understanding that Lee portrayed showed that he was not blowing matters out of proportion. He saw them as they really were. That is a key aspect of Realism (Diamond). Regionalism was also immensely shown in this letter to his son. Lee gave descriptions of the people, setting, and general mindsets around him, which is a trait of Regionalism (Werlock). He wrote about how the people were in a frenzy with the upcoming battles, as well as upset and angry with those who did not share their points of view (Lee 385).

WORKS CITED

Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "realism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW480&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 28, 2011).

Lee, Robert E. "Letter to His Son." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 385. Print.

"Meet Robert E. Lee." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 382. Print.

Werlock, Abby H. P. "regionalism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0581&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 13, 2011).

Realism Project- "And Ain‘t I a Woman?"

Sojourner Truth, in her speech "And Ain't I a Woman?" spoke out about how she felt regarding slavery, and, more importantly, women's rights. Sojourner, actually born with the name Isabella, was born into slavery and endured many hard times growing up until she escaped at the age of twenty nine ("Meet" 368). She later in her life became a famous orator, and she believed that she saw visions and that God spoke to her, therefore wanting to share her message as well as God's ("Meet" 368). She commonly spoke out about slavery, sharing personal stories and horrifying events as well as her views on women's rights ("Meet" 368).

"And Ain't I a Woman" is a powerful speech Truth gave in her later years (Truth 370). In it, she basically shut down anyone that looked down on females as opposed to men. She stated some of the hardships she had endured just as well as the men had; she related different situations and how females could handle them in the same manner that men could. Therefore, she felt that men should not be regarded as more powerful or more highly regarded; wasn't Jesus born from woman and God? There was no man involved (Truth 370).

Truth, throughout her speech, was definitely inspirational, and it made one realize how much she personally had really endured. She spoke of getting beaten while still a slave, and other events in her life that had not been taken easily (Truth 370). One could easily say that Sojourner Truth could be viewed as a hero. This is certainly a trait of Realism; I think that this speech could definitely be classified as Realism (Werlock). Traces of Naturalism are shown; Truth definitely gives a very clear image of how the lower class was treated back when she was still a slave, and Naturalism focuses a lot on lower class individuals and the everyday struggles they encounter and must overcome (Giles). Although Truth definitely does mention God and His power in her speech, the whole speech does not centrally locate around Him (Truth 370). This is common in Realism; people did not typically write much about God, but they did mention Him if they saw him as a part of their life (Diamond). Realism is also portrayed in the way that Truth casually but bluntly states facts; she does not try to exaggerate any details to make them seem more flabbergasting or impressive (Truth 370). She instead very simply says what she thinks to be true, and she uses a very honest and matter of fact tone (Truth 370). The information that she is sharing was most likely applicable to most middle class individuals such as herself, which is another trait of Realism (Diamond.) Since Truth had pulled herself through all of her hard times, escaping slavery and making a name for herself, she managed to move up as a middle class individual from a previously lower class individual ("Meet" 368). This, too, projects Naturalism, which is a subcategory of Realism. Altogether, Sojourner Truth gave a speech that was very noteworthy and respectable, and it showed her as a hero as she shared a few awful events that she had gone through (Truth 370). Instead of wallowing in her pain, however, she managed to prove a point. She shared that men really should not be regarded more highly than women; she went through the same difficulties they did, and she was just fine (Truth 370). By giving examples from her life and comparing them to the lives of others living in the same time period and general culture, Truth managed to give a very powerful speech that indeed portrayed Realism.

WORKS CITED

Giles, James R. "naturalism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1255&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 9, 2011).

"Meet Sojourner Truth." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 368. Print.

Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman?" American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 370. Print.

Werlock, Abby H. P. "regionalism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0581&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 13, 2011).