Two Views of the River

This is a chapter from Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi." In this chapter it seems that Twain has been on the river for quite some time. You can tell that he is on a long journey. He begins to know things about the river and notice small details about it such as the shape of it in certain areas and the way the water is flowing in certain spots. He describes these details in two different ways. He describes it in a way as if he has never seen it before and it is unusual to him. He sees at as the most beautiful thing and he gets lost in the poetry and beauty. Later on he goes to describe the same scene but he knows why the things are the way they are. He knows why the river is running how it is. He notices a tree dying on the side of the river that he know will not make it much longer. He sees a reef which he knows will eventually destroy someone's boat. "No, the romance and the beauty were all gone from the river. All the value any feature of it had for me now was the amount of usefulness it could furnish toward compassing the safe piloting of a steamboat." (Twain) He doesn't find the river or scenery to be beautiful anymore because he knows it's secretes. It is nothing new to him and does not find it special in any way. I believe this expresses some similarities with Thoreau. In Thoreau's "Walden" he ditched his life to live with nature. He goes into deep detail about his surroundings. "Thoreau was a botanist-naturalist who was interested in recording and understanding every aspect of nature for its own sake." (Wayne) In "Two Views of the River" Twain begins to understand all of the nature around him like Thoreau believed in. Thoreau went and lived in nature and this is what Twain is seeming to do as well. It seems that Twain has been on the Mississippi for quite sometime and was spending a lot of time observing his surroundings. This is exactly what Thoreau was doing. They were just living in nature in different areas, Thoreau in the woods and Twain on the river.

Wayne, Tiffany K. "Walden." Encyclopedia of Transcendentalism. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc

Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River." About.com. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.

The Red Badge of Courage

"The Red Badge of Courage" is about a man who joined the army during the Civil War. He didn't want to really stand up for his country but he really wanted just the pride and honor of being a soldier in such a war as this. When he was actually in the battle it was completely different than he made it out to be. He seemed like a scaredy cat. He ran away from the battle after being shot by one of his own men. Instead of continuing the fight he just got up and ran and started shooting his gun in every which way. He was just shooting at nothing at all. This story I believe represents the naturalism writing style. "Naturalists usually focused on the desperate existence of characters trapped in slums or in other oppressed settings." (Giles) I'd say this is the kind of situation our character was stuck in. It wasn't really a good situation and he didn't really know if what he was doing was right. He might not have even though at all about what he was doing. "Stories are filled with characters living on the margins of society and overwhelmed by forces beyond their control and comprehension." (Giles) I'd say this is a good description of war. War is uncontrollable the whole situation is out of anyone's hands. Though, the main character was fighting the war just to have pride in himself and be honored by others there has to have been something in him that believed in fighting against slavery. I don't think anyone in their right mind would go and risk their lives for something they didn't believe in. This agree with Thoreau and Emerson. They believed in every person being significant and equal and to stand up for what you believe in. That was what the Civil War was all about. It was to make all people equals even if that meant you had to risk your life or other people's lives it was worth it to make a difference in what you believe in.

Crane, Stephen. "The Red Badge of Courage." Glencoe American Literature. comp.
Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 493.

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

The Story of an Hour

This story was pretty bizarre. Mrs. Mallard receives the news that her husband has died in a horrible accident. She immediately begins to cry. Of course, people think these are tears of sadness but, they are not. She gets a sense of relief and freedom now that she is alone in the world. She is overjoyed that she gets to live for herself and not worry about her husband. This is pretty odd because she says that she does love him in a way. It must be a really odd kind of love. I think this writing can represent that realism writing style in many ways. The fact that reality exists independently free of observers. Clearly things are going on with Mrs. Mallard when nobody is around her. Alone in her room everyone thinks she is completely devastated while in reality she feels free. "Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long." (Chopin) She should have been devastated but these are her real feelings. She does not try to convince herself she is sad or that she misses him. She sees it how it really is even though how she feels is most likely considered wrong. Thoreau believed in this idea. She was supposed to be upset and mourning the loss of her dead husband. But, instead she felt herself become happier and had a little celebration alone in her room. She trusted how she was feeling and believed all would be well that is until her "dead" husband came home. He was never killed at all. Mrs. Mallard was so shocked from him walking in the door she immediately died of heart attack. Was it from happiness because she realized she actually loves him? Or did she have this attack because she was so shocked that he was there? Possibly it was just the disappointment and sadness that she was no longer a free, single woman.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." PBS. 1894. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.

A Wagner Matinee

This story is being told by a boy named Clark. He was living in the city and had to have his Aunt Georgiana come to stay with him because of a relative's death. Georgiana lives in the country of Nebraska. I believe this is where Clark grew up because he tells us about all the times he spent with Georgiana on the farm and how much time he spent with her. Georgiana has a deep love for music and passed it on to Clark, because of this Clark thought it would be a perfect idea to bring Georgiana to Symphony Orchestra. Georgiana was completely and utterly moved by the sound of the music. She has such a passion for it and had never heard something so extraordinary in her life. Growing up in such a remote place Georgiana had never got to experience something like this so she couldn't help but cry in the mist of the sound. "Soon after the tenor began the "Prize Song," I heard a quick drawn breath and turned to my aunt. Her eyes were closed, but the tears were glistening on her cheeks," (Cather) Thoreau believed that society was bad and being the same as everyone else is dangerous. There is danger in conformity. I believe that Aunt Georgiana could relate with this idea. She went to this concert with women dressed in fashion forward dresses and looking beautiful. Clark thought that his dear aunt may be embarassed of her appearance and realize that she doesn't fit in. But, Georgiana doesn't seem to care at all. She doesn't mind being different or living off on her own, or so we thought. At the end of the story Georgiana reveals a secret, "I spoke to my aunt. She burst into tears and sobbed pleadingly. "I don't want to go, Clark, I don't want to go!" (Cather) I think this means she does not want to go back to Nebraska and stay in the city with Clark. The music moved her so much that she really wanted to stay.

Cather, Willa. "A Wagner Matinee." Readbookonline. 2011. Web. 2012.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

This story by Ambrose Bierce is really unique. It takes place in the present, past, and future. This man is about to be hung and he pictures himself as a free man. This whole story takes place with the rope around the mans neck and his thoughts about life. This man, Farquhar, died alone with nobody there to tell him goodbye. His wife probably had no idea that he was never coming home. He was thinking about going back to her and seeing her. He really seemed to be in love which made this story so much more upsetting. Always if you add a little bit of a love story into the writing it suddenly becomes ten times better. But, anyways, in my opinoin Farquhar should not have even died. He was bribed into doing this crime by the soldiers who ended up being the men who killed him. This was completely unfair because they soldiers knew what they were getting him into and they did not care the least that he was going to die in the process. This story reminds me a lot of Thoreau. Thoreau also got punished because he went against the government and in return he had to undergo whatever punishment that got thrown at him. He believed what he did was fine because it is what he believed him so it was worth the punishment for him. But, Farquhar should not have had the punishment that he had. It was completely unfair and I know he did not agree with the outcome of his life. He could have lived longer instead of dying all alone with nobody to say goodbye to. Thoreau discussing how cruel the government and unfair it is and I think that his opinion is really shown in, "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge." The government was unfair to both of them and put them through unfair punishments. It just happened to cost Farquhar his life.

Bierce, Ambrose. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Eserver. 1994-2012. Web. 16 Feb. 2012

Maunder, Andrew. "realism." Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Letter to His Son

I am assuming this is a letter let Lee wrote to his son during the time right before the civil war. You can tell that Lee feels a bit uneasy about the whole situation happening in the country right now. Nobody knows what is about to happen and the country is on the edge between peace and war. Lee goes into saying how much he loves his country and would do nearly anything for it, "It would be an accumulation of all the evils we complain of, and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." (Lee) He truly misses how the country used to be such a perfect patriotic place. I think in a way this agrees with and disagrees with Thoreau. Yes, Thoreau did say stand up for what you believe in. Do what you think is right and ignore the others. Lee would do anything for his country. But, Thoreau did hate the government of America. He thought they were too controlling. Thoreau wanted peace and freedom for all and not war. Lee sounds like he really believes a war is about to spark. Based on what I've read about Emerson and Thoreau they seem like they would be completely against the concept of war. Emerson didn't believe in discrimination so of course he wanted slavery to end one way or another but I highly doubt that war would be his way to go. Emerson thinks that there is danger in conformity. It sounded like the people wanted everything to be the same and each state across the whole country to have the same rights and societies. The south and the north are clearly different during this time period. The south needed slaves for agricultural purposes and people in the north most likely understand this need because there weren't huge plantations up north. Though they are one in the same country they are two different areas. It was be nearly impossible to conform them into being exactly like one another. But, Lee would support any men that went to fight in the war that was about to come. Lee believed in war and that was the way the issues had to be solved, "Still, a Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets." (Lee) Even though Lee shows so much support for the war he said he would not fight himself. Which I find rather odd.

Lee, Robert E. "Letter to His Son." Wikispaces. Publicroad. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.

Ain't I a Woman?

"Ain't I a woman" is Sojourner's point that she is a woman and she should be treated as such. She isn't a typical girl, though. She is much tougher and has been through more than even most men could understand. But still even through everything that has happened to her she is still a women. She should be treated with respect and have a man that will take care of her like, "That man over there say." (Truth) I think this refers to how a white man treats his wife. The white woman get treated with more respect and have more whites than the white women. But, then white men have more rights than all. This is not fair of course but that's the way it was. "A woman can't have as much rights as a man cause Christ wasn't a woman Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman!" (Truth) I believe that Emerson would agree with this statement. Women should be treated as equals because if you think about it they are just as important or even more important than a man because the Virgin Mary did not need a man to give birth to Jesus Christ. Therefore, women do seem more important than men if you think about based on the story of Christ. It must have been hard for Truth to deliver such a power, rebellious speech. She new that white men and women even would disagree with this poem. She wishes to be treated as a lade even though she has gone through slavery and beatings she is still a lady nonetheless. Thoreau would approve of this courage that Truth had. She really believes in the subject she is speaking about that she went and spoke up about the unjust she experiences. Thoreau believed that it is important to do what you think is right and important even if others consider it to be wrong or inappropriate. I believe she deserves more than the white women get since she has experienced so much more pain. She watched her children get sold to slavery, she was whipped, and she never had equal treatment. Emerson would think this is cruel treatment of a person and that she deserves to be made equal.

Truth, Sojourner. "Ain't I a Woman?" 14 July 1998. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.

Slave Hymns

The hymns “ Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Go Down, Moses,” and “Keep Your Hand on the Plow” I believe are supposed to bring hope to the slaves. It was supposed to inspiration to keep working hard and someday it will be over. "He made all Pharaoes understand... Let My People Go!" (anonymous) I think is a way of saying the slavery ended in Egypt so it can end here in America too. Emerson was against discrimination and believed that all people, no matter what, should be treated as equals. In a way I think Thoreau would agree and disagree with this hymns. He is an abolitionist which mean he believes that slavery should be ended immediately instead of making it into a slow drawn out process. So, I believe Thoreau would want the slaves to take a stand for themselves and go against what their owners told them to do. Thoreau believes all people, even slaves, should stand up for what they believe in even if it is considered to be against what society thinks is appropriate. So basically Thoreau wouldn't want them to wait it out he wants them to take a stand now. But, he agrees with the ending of slavery just like the slaves writing these hymns. A characteristic of the realism period is that free will is limited by culture and environment. This is very true in the slaves point of view, because, they are living in the south they do not get any rights have barely any free will. But, in other parts of the world it would not be like this for them. They had would have the rights that they dream about in these hymns. They write about them becoming free and going back home. Such in Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, "And WHAT did I see, Comin' for to carry me home, A band of angels comin' after me,Comin' for to carry me home." (anonymous) This is against the ideas of the realism period. A characteristic of the period is seeing life how it reallt is and not how it should be. These hymns are doing the opposite.

Anonymous. "Go Down, Moses." Metrolyrics. Web. 2012.

Anonymous. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Scout Songs. 2002. Web. 2012.

Cavalry Crossing a Ford

This poem by Walt Whitman is taking place during the Civil War. He was a medic during this war so he had the opportunity to see a lot of things that took place. This is the story of a group of soldiers who just finished a battle and were crossing a ford to move on to the next battle. "A LINE in long array, where they wind betwixt green islands;" (Whitman) I think this represents that they were traveling between the north and the south or the seperate green islands, because the country was divided into to halves. I think this small stream represents the barrier between the two side and the two different beliefs that the people in the country have. Slavery divided the country. I believe Emerson completely disagrees with slavery and the whole idea of this war probably bothered him greatly. He believed everyone was significant so I think he would disagree with slaves being treated as insignificant creatures. He would probably not like how the soldiers acted or were treated. They didn't think they were significant either. It says the soldiers ended up walking in unison as there guns and other equipment clanged at their sides. "The individual is the supreme strength of group thinking, not the other way around." (Brugman) This is Emerson's idea. The men were all individuals, of course, but they were working as one. According to Thoreau he sort of dislikes the soldiers. He considers them to be "robots." They don't have any ideas of their own and act how the government and their leaders want them to act. They even seem this way in the poem. It seems as if the scene was silent and then marched through to the next battle as one big group. They had no thoughts of their own and continued to do whatever they were told to do. I do agree with Thoreau that they were robots and could not decide anything on their own.

Brugman, Patricia. "Individual and Society in 'Self-Reliance'." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed.

Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts

On File, Inc

Whitman, Walt. "Cavalry Crossing a Ford." Classic Literature. About.com. Web. 2012.

The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro

The black people of this time had no freedom at all. The Fourth of July is all about independence but the blacks were slaves and had no say in their lives what so over. This day is just an ordinary day for them and it has no significance what so ever. It angers them that the people who have it so easy flash it in their faces with celebrating such a day that pretty much says "we're better than you because we have rights." Why would the slaves want to celebrate a day that is supposed to represent all men being equal and sharing the same basic rights when they don't even have any at all? This is not a day for them, it does not stand for what the country is really about at this time. This is the very good point Frederick Douglas was trying to bring up in his speech "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." I think this relates to Emerson's "Self Reliance." All men have the ability to do great and be great it just lies inside themselves. Frederick does believe he is a significant human being who deserves all the same rights as the white men who get to celebrate this holiday with such freedom. He knows it is not fair and that he should be celebrating amoungst them as equals. As Emerson says if you want to be significant you must first realize that you, yourself, is significant. Douglas does realize this and that is what he needs in order to make an important change in the world that he would like to see. In this speech Douglas tried to prove this point to other slaves so they could see as he sees. The slaves need to realize the country does not have to be how it is. Once the people realize they a important or significant people they can help Douglas in taking a stand against the unjust actions they have to take every day.

Douglas, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Africans in America. International Publishers Co. Web. 2012.

The Gettysburg Address

Abraham Lincoln delivered this speech to a crowd of people after the great Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. This was one of the bloodiest battles where many men lost their lives. Lincoln mentions the men who fought in this speech, dead and alive. This speech was a short little thing and many people were disappointed in what had been delivered to them. They wanted to hear something that would give them hope and make them feel relaxed. But, that is not what he Lincoln delivered to them. Only a short, little three paragraph writing people took it as a joke.

In a way I believe Lincoln goes against Thoreau's ideas or "philosophy." Thoreau doesn't have a set philosophy so it is hard to compare. But Thoreau believed in less government and less control and just let things unfold however they are meant to be. Things that are meant to be will come to be and if it is not exactly what you expected it to be well then that's life. But, war is completely against this idea. War is controlling and trying to change a certain way of people. This makes things unfold a certain way. Thoreau believed each person could decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. Men lost their lives on the scene where Lincoln was delivering this speech, " But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract." (Lincoln) If men believed that losing their life was worth fighting for their country then so be it. All people had to live for something and this is what they let swallow their life. I think Thoreau would disagree on sacrificing your life in a war but if it was something they truly believed in then Thoreau would support their passion for their country because he believes everyone has their own set of morals and can decide for themselves what is right or wrong.

"After having read them, we cannot say that we are wiser or more learned than we were before; we cannot say that we have become acquainted with any new facts in the history of man or of the universe, or that we have any new ideas in regard to the human soul or its Creator; but we feel, that somehow or other new virtue has been imparted to us, that a change has come over us, and that we are no longer what we were, but greater and better." (Brownson) Referring to Emerson's works. I believe this is EXACTLY what Lincoln does in this writing. It is very simple and doesn't say anything the people didn't already know but in a way it is inspiring. Lincoln makes us feel strong, "and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." (Lincoln) This sounds like the war is not over but neither is the good life we had before the war started. The government and system we had going before will not perish we will continue fighting until all is well again.

Brownson, Orestes Augustus. "Emerson's Essays." Boston Quarterly Review, July 1841: 292. Quoted as "Emerson's Essays" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Classic Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address." Abraham Lincoln Online. 19 Nov. 1863. Web. 2012.