I think the short poem "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing" is a good example of the way that Walt Whitman incorporated spirituality and Christianity into his works. The poem is about him watching a person plowing a field and illustrating the symbols that this action and the results can correspond to life and life after death. He says that life is the tillage and death is the result of your labor.
This idea corresponds very well to the Christian idea that you reap what you sow in your afterlife. However, in a way it also seems to reflect the idea of Hinduism. In Hinduism people are constantly reincarnated back into life in a different form based upon the way that they lived their former life. For example, if you were a very good person you might be elevated to a higher part of the chain in your next life, but if you were evil in your life then you would be demoted lower onto the chain. That goes along better with the idea that is represented in the poem, which is the idea that you get out of life what you put into it.
In the Christian faith, while you do get rewarded in the afterlife for doing nice things during your life, the good deeds are not the means by which you actually get to said afterlife. The only way you can even make it to this final place is by believing in Jesus throughout your lifetime and striving to do your best because of that reason. In this way you cannot earn your way into heaven, but rather you get there by believing. Still though, once you get there you do in fact reap what you sow and get crowns of jewels and all kinds of lovely things for what you did right, according to the Bible.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Walt Whitman's "Native Moments"
To be quite honest, Whitman's poems shocked me in their blatant sexuality. I can understand why the people of the time were shocked and thrown off when his writings first went public.
I happen to admire the audacity and brutal honesty with which Whitman goes about writing about sexuality in his poems. He is certainly not afraid to say exactly what is on his mind and what he is feeling at the time. The poem I read was called "Native Moments," and it was purely about all of his desires and how he did not care if people frowned upon them because he was going to do whatever he wanted anyway (Whitman).
In this poem, Whitman talks about how he wants to have "Libidinous joys only (Whitman)." He also discusses how he is going to pick the lowliest person he can possibly find who is the worst of all men and go party with him basically. He is basically saying that he just wants to live a life of lust and gluttony and all of the other deadly sins that are frowned upon in society. He says that he has been hiding his true self for too long and will no longer act the part of a proper gentleman when he could be enjoying himself with these sorts of people (Whitman).
I do not exactly agree with his morals in this poem by any stretch of the imagination, but I can respect brutal honesty when I see it. Acknowledging that you have really bad morals and continuing to have them is better than continuing to have them while subsequently being in denial of their very existence.
I think that Whitman's complete intention with this poem was not to endorse a life full of lust and giving in to your temptations. I think the true purpose of the poem was to wake people up and make them realize that it is okay to have these feelings sometimes and that it does not make you a bad person. I think all he was trying to say was that everybody should not be such huge prudes all the time and act like they are so far above and beyond the people who engage in this sort of behavior, when in reality they are probably wishing in their minds that they had the guts to shake off the bondage of their rules and just have fun.
As pointed out in the criticism that I read, the "Native" word in the title suggests that exact same thing (Oliver). These things and feelings that Whitman is experiencing in this poem is a native instinct to all people. Everybody experiences these feelings and they are completely and totally natural. What is not natural is trying to pretend that they do not exist and that you are so proper and hoity toity that you cannot see past the end of your upturned nose. This is all that Whitman is trying to get across to the uptight people of the world with this poem.
Oliver, Charles M. "'Native Moments'." 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://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW285&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 27, 2011).
Whitman, Walt. "Native Moments." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 27 Feb. 2011..
I happen to admire the audacity and brutal honesty with which Whitman goes about writing about sexuality in his poems. He is certainly not afraid to say exactly what is on his mind and what he is feeling at the time. The poem I read was called "Native Moments," and it was purely about all of his desires and how he did not care if people frowned upon them because he was going to do whatever he wanted anyway (Whitman).
In this poem, Whitman talks about how he wants to have "Libidinous joys only (Whitman)." He also discusses how he is going to pick the lowliest person he can possibly find who is the worst of all men and go party with him basically. He is basically saying that he just wants to live a life of lust and gluttony and all of the other deadly sins that are frowned upon in society. He says that he has been hiding his true self for too long and will no longer act the part of a proper gentleman when he could be enjoying himself with these sorts of people (Whitman).
I do not exactly agree with his morals in this poem by any stretch of the imagination, but I can respect brutal honesty when I see it. Acknowledging that you have really bad morals and continuing to have them is better than continuing to have them while subsequently being in denial of their very existence.
I think that Whitman's complete intention with this poem was not to endorse a life full of lust and giving in to your temptations. I think the true purpose of the poem was to wake people up and make them realize that it is okay to have these feelings sometimes and that it does not make you a bad person. I think all he was trying to say was that everybody should not be such huge prudes all the time and act like they are so far above and beyond the people who engage in this sort of behavior, when in reality they are probably wishing in their minds that they had the guts to shake off the bondage of their rules and just have fun.
As pointed out in the criticism that I read, the "Native" word in the title suggests that exact same thing (Oliver). These things and feelings that Whitman is experiencing in this poem is a native instinct to all people. Everybody experiences these feelings and they are completely and totally natural. What is not natural is trying to pretend that they do not exist and that you are so proper and hoity toity that you cannot see past the end of your upturned nose. This is all that Whitman is trying to get across to the uptight people of the world with this poem.
Oliver, Charles M. "'Native Moments'." 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://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW285&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 27, 2011).
Whitman, Walt. "Native Moments." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.
Journal 39
With his poem "Bardic Symbols," Whitman applied to the Everyman pretty well I think. Basically he just talked about how every person at one point or another has tried to explain something about life through the means of literature, yet he gets the feeling sometimes that nobody really knows anything at all. Despite how hard he tries to convey some hidden meaning left by the gods in nature, he can never quite put his finger on exactly what he is trying to say. He strives and strives to find the words but it is as though they are mocking him and just out of his reach. I think this applies to a lot of people. While not everybody is going to strive to write deep and meaningful poetry about the meaning of life, people often still find it difficult to express themselves in just the way that they're looking for.
I thought it was a pity when I read about the way that people reacted to Whitman's poems. Although the critics loved them, the people just simply did not appreciate them the way they should have. Still, I can understand how they would have frowned upon his work. The people disapproved of his style because it was a different style than they were used to seeing in that time period. He did not use the forms and usages that they were used to and apparently he also kicked some laws that they were used to out the window in a manner of speaking.
I really liked the critic's viewpoints about criticism. Critics are only swift to judge when they do so out of prejudice or ignorance. A person who is a worthy critic will take his or her time to assess all points of the thing that they are criticizing and then make an informed decision based upon facts rather than passionate nonsense. And those who are quick to believe these critics are also either prejudiced or ignorant.
Selected bibliography
"Bardic Symbols." Atlantic Monthly 5 (April 1860): 445-447. Revised as "Leaves of Grass. 1" in Leaves of Grass (1860) and reprinted as "Elemental Drifts," Leaves of Grass (1867). The final version of the poem, "As I Ebb'd With the Ocean of Life," was published in Leaves of Grass (1881–82).
[Howells, William Dean]. ""Bardic Symbols"." The Daily Ohio State Journal (28 March 1860): 2.
I thought it was a pity when I read about the way that people reacted to Whitman's poems. Although the critics loved them, the people just simply did not appreciate them the way they should have. Still, I can understand how they would have frowned upon his work. The people disapproved of his style because it was a different style than they were used to seeing in that time period. He did not use the forms and usages that they were used to and apparently he also kicked some laws that they were used to out the window in a manner of speaking.
I really liked the critic's viewpoints about criticism. Critics are only swift to judge when they do so out of prejudice or ignorance. A person who is a worthy critic will take his or her time to assess all points of the thing that they are criticizing and then make an informed decision based upon facts rather than passionate nonsense. And those who are quick to believe these critics are also either prejudiced or ignorant.
Selected bibliography
"Bardic Symbols." Atlantic Monthly 5 (April 1860): 445-447. Revised as "Leaves of Grass. 1" in Leaves of Grass (1860) and reprinted as "Elemental Drifts," Leaves of Grass (1867). The final version of the poem, "As I Ebb'd With the Ocean of Life," was published in Leaves of Grass (1881–82).
[Howells, William Dean]. ""Bardic Symbols"." The Daily Ohio State Journal (28 March 1860): 2.
Song and Self in Walt Whitman's Poetry
Walt Whitman poems are full of a lot of detail and passion. The important factor that he employs in his writings is the emphasis on self. One way he uses to define self and illustrate his importance is through song.
I think this idea of song can mean many things. For me this is especially important because I am heavily interested in music and lyrics and everything that goes along with those things. However, I think that Whitman’s point in these poems is that song does not have to just be music or lyrics. Song is the thing that lives inside of you that comes out in whatever way you individually show it. That is why this idea of Song is so important to your true Self. It helps decide your character and who you are.
I think Whitman’s poem “ When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom’d” has a few lines that are a perfect example of this. The lines are as follows:
In the swamp, in secluded recesses,
A shy and hidden bird is warbling a song.
Solitary, the thrush, 20
The hermit, withdrawn to himself, avoiding the settlements,
Sings by himself a song.
Song of the bleeding throat!
Death’s outlet song of life—(for well, dear brother, I know
If thou wast not gifted to sing, thou would’st surely die.) (When Lilacs)
I think these lines are beautiful and do a great job of describing just exactly what I mean by the importance of Song to Self and how closely they are related. No matter if you are a hidden bird or a solitary hermit, everybody has a song that they sing. And as stated in the last line, “If thou wast not gifted to sing, thou would’st surely die,” you cannot live without your own song to sing. It is simply necessary to life to have some sort of expression for yourself that comes forth from a song.
Songs are expressions of the soul. I am the type of person that will walk around singing songs all day. I do not have a great singing voice, but that does not stop me because singing forth songs is part of my true Self. My true Self is the kind that believes in spreading joy and happiness by keeping a smile on your face and a song in your heart at all times. I think Walt Whitman must have been exactly that type of man as well.
“The Singer in the Prison” is get another one of Whitman’s works that heavily displays the idea of song. In the poem there is a prisoner stuck in jail who is weeping and wailing about the woes of being stuck. The following is an excerpt:
O sight of shame, and pain, and dole!
O fearful thought—a convict Soul!
RANG the refrain along the hall, the prison,
Rose to the roof, the vaults of heaven above,
Pouring in floods of melody, in tones so pensive, sweet and strong, the like whereof
was never heard,
Reaching the far-off sentry, and the armed guards, who ceas’d their pacing,
Making the hearer’s pulses stop for extasy and awe (The Singer).
This excerpt shows exactly how moving a song that comes from a person’s soul can be. It reflects their true Self. Although the person is feeling sorry for themselves through their song, they nevertheless chose a beautiful way to express themselves. While they could be screaming or shouting or crying, instead they have chosen to sing what it is in their heart, and I happen to believe that this shows their true Self to be a lot more beautiful than one might assume based upon the place that they found themselves stuck in.
As proven above, Song is an incredible factor that plays into a person’s true Self. It is the song in their heart’s and one might say it is the music of their soul. Hearing a person’s Song is like hearing who they really are.
Selected Bibliography
Whitman, Walt. “The Singer in the Prison.” Leaves of Grass: 1900.
Whitman, Walt. “When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom’d.” Leaves of Grass: 1900.
I think this idea of song can mean many things. For me this is especially important because I am heavily interested in music and lyrics and everything that goes along with those things. However, I think that Whitman’s point in these poems is that song does not have to just be music or lyrics. Song is the thing that lives inside of you that comes out in whatever way you individually show it. That is why this idea of Song is so important to your true Self. It helps decide your character and who you are.
I think Whitman’s poem “ When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom’d” has a few lines that are a perfect example of this. The lines are as follows:
In the swamp, in secluded recesses,
A shy and hidden bird is warbling a song.
Solitary, the thrush, 20
The hermit, withdrawn to himself, avoiding the settlements,
Sings by himself a song.
Song of the bleeding throat!
Death’s outlet song of life—(for well, dear brother, I know
If thou wast not gifted to sing, thou would’st surely die.) (When Lilacs)
I think these lines are beautiful and do a great job of describing just exactly what I mean by the importance of Song to Self and how closely they are related. No matter if you are a hidden bird or a solitary hermit, everybody has a song that they sing. And as stated in the last line, “If thou wast not gifted to sing, thou would’st surely die,” you cannot live without your own song to sing. It is simply necessary to life to have some sort of expression for yourself that comes forth from a song.
Songs are expressions of the soul. I am the type of person that will walk around singing songs all day. I do not have a great singing voice, but that does not stop me because singing forth songs is part of my true Self. My true Self is the kind that believes in spreading joy and happiness by keeping a smile on your face and a song in your heart at all times. I think Walt Whitman must have been exactly that type of man as well.
“The Singer in the Prison” is get another one of Whitman’s works that heavily displays the idea of song. In the poem there is a prisoner stuck in jail who is weeping and wailing about the woes of being stuck. The following is an excerpt:
O sight of shame, and pain, and dole!
O fearful thought—a convict Soul!
RANG the refrain along the hall, the prison,
Rose to the roof, the vaults of heaven above,
Pouring in floods of melody, in tones so pensive, sweet and strong, the like whereof
was never heard,
Reaching the far-off sentry, and the armed guards, who ceas’d their pacing,
Making the hearer’s pulses stop for extasy and awe (The Singer).
This excerpt shows exactly how moving a song that comes from a person’s soul can be. It reflects their true Self. Although the person is feeling sorry for themselves through their song, they nevertheless chose a beautiful way to express themselves. While they could be screaming or shouting or crying, instead they have chosen to sing what it is in their heart, and I happen to believe that this shows their true Self to be a lot more beautiful than one might assume based upon the place that they found themselves stuck in.
As proven above, Song is an incredible factor that plays into a person’s true Self. It is the song in their heart’s and one might say it is the music of their soul. Hearing a person’s Song is like hearing who they really are.
Selected Bibliography
Whitman, Walt. “The Singer in the Prison.” Leaves of Grass: 1900.
Whitman, Walt. “When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom’d.” Leaves of Grass: 1900.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Journal 35
It would be super intense to be a reporter in the trenches of a war. I think it would be very difficult in many ways. First off, it would be difficult because I think you would feel as though you did not quite belong. The soldiers would be sitting there fighting for their lives and the reporters would just be sitting there writing stuff down about it. I feel like there would definitely be a sense of alienation there.
Another thing that would be difficult would be that it was very dangerous. Going behind the lines without a weapon is a very risky venture. Also, some of the time these reporters are rookies and therefore not used to the battle ground. This could cause them to be a liability during battle because the soldiers would feel a responsibility to protect them while also trying to maintain their own job that they are responsible for. In this way I think if I were a journalist behind the lines of a battle I would feel like more of a hindrance than anything.
I think there would be a lot of excitement involved too though. I am the kind of person that would enjoy being in there with all the action. Any reporter worth anything is the type of person who lives for their story. They love to get in where the action is happening and the bombs are falling and report what they came to figure out. So in that way I think it would be an exhilarating experience. Most reporters would kill for the experience to get some kind of story that most people do not have access to, and they would be willing to do anything to get it, even if that meant putting themselves in harm's way.
So there would be both highly good qualities and terribly bad qualities to being a reporter in the trenches with soldiers during a war.
Another thing that would be difficult would be that it was very dangerous. Going behind the lines without a weapon is a very risky venture. Also, some of the time these reporters are rookies and therefore not used to the battle ground. This could cause them to be a liability during battle because the soldiers would feel a responsibility to protect them while also trying to maintain their own job that they are responsible for. In this way I think if I were a journalist behind the lines of a battle I would feel like more of a hindrance than anything.
I think there would be a lot of excitement involved too though. I am the kind of person that would enjoy being in there with all the action. Any reporter worth anything is the type of person who lives for their story. They love to get in where the action is happening and the bombs are falling and report what they came to figure out. So in that way I think it would be an exhilarating experience. Most reporters would kill for the experience to get some kind of story that most people do not have access to, and they would be willing to do anything to get it, even if that meant putting themselves in harm's way.
So there would be both highly good qualities and terribly bad qualities to being a reporter in the trenches with soldiers during a war.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Realism in "Miniver Cheevy" and "Richard Cory"
"Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy" were two poems that fit very well into the genre of Realism. Realism is all about a common, everyday hero who has big dreams and has to work hard in order to achieve them (Werlock). In literature days of old, the character was always some kind of great hero who went off to daring places and had great adventures in exotic locales. However, once Realism came along it allowed people to write stories or poems about real, everyday people like you and me. This was an important step in the advancement of literature because it allowed people to experience characters much like themselves in the works that they were reading. In this way, the works made people think about the world surrounding them and enabled the authors to introduce new points of view to common circumstances, and they could also teach lessons from these circumstances (Werlock).
In "Richard Cory" the subject of the poem is a rich man who seems to have everything, while the narrator seems to be an everyday man who wished he could be exactly like this glamorous man (Robinson). However, in the end the truth comes out. The important man, Richard Cory, shot himself in the head (Robinson). This shows the real idea that money and material items cannot buy happiness. Though the world was practically laid at Richard Cory's feet, for some reason he still was not happy. Yet those common people who desired his life and toiled for everything they had were somehow able to go through their life and find happiness somewhere else. This real idea that the author brought out with his poem was inspirational, because it made common people feel as though they were actually better off than or at least equal to the people who had everything they wanted.
In "Miniver Cheevy" the poem is about a man who feels as though he was born into the wrong time (Robinson). While he is stuck in his generation, he wishes he would have been born in the ages of medieval knights and lords (Robinson). This concept is also familiar to the idea of Realism. As previously stated, Realism discusses concepts that are familiar and relatable to the common problems of the time (Werlock). I believe that this idea of Miniver Cheevy wishing he was born in a different generation is familiar to the generation it was written in as well as our generation today. Generally speaking people always want what they do not have. Sometimes I wish I had been born in the 70's because I believe that this would have been a cool era to exist during. Many people feel this desire at some point in time to exist in a place that they were not born into. Because this is such a familiar concept for people, it functions well as a part of the Realism movement.
These two poems are very good examples of Realism because they talk about real concepts that apply to people in personal ways that they can relate to well.
Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Richard Cory." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 575.
Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Miniver Cheevy." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 576.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
In "Richard Cory" the subject of the poem is a rich man who seems to have everything, while the narrator seems to be an everyday man who wished he could be exactly like this glamorous man (Robinson). However, in the end the truth comes out. The important man, Richard Cory, shot himself in the head (Robinson). This shows the real idea that money and material items cannot buy happiness. Though the world was practically laid at Richard Cory's feet, for some reason he still was not happy. Yet those common people who desired his life and toiled for everything they had were somehow able to go through their life and find happiness somewhere else. This real idea that the author brought out with his poem was inspirational, because it made common people feel as though they were actually better off than or at least equal to the people who had everything they wanted.
In "Miniver Cheevy" the poem is about a man who feels as though he was born into the wrong time (Robinson). While he is stuck in his generation, he wishes he would have been born in the ages of medieval knights and lords (Robinson). This concept is also familiar to the idea of Realism. As previously stated, Realism discusses concepts that are familiar and relatable to the common problems of the time (Werlock). I believe that this idea of Miniver Cheevy wishing he was born in a different generation is familiar to the generation it was written in as well as our generation today. Generally speaking people always want what they do not have. Sometimes I wish I had been born in the 70's because I believe that this would have been a cool era to exist during. Many people feel this desire at some point in time to exist in a place that they were not born into. Because this is such a familiar concept for people, it functions well as a part of the Realism movement.
These two poems are very good examples of Realism because they talk about real concepts that apply to people in personal ways that they can relate to well.
Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Richard Cory." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 575.
Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Miniver Cheevy." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 576.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Naturalism and Realism in "To Build a Fire"
"To Build a Fire" by Jack London is a great work of Naturalism as well as obviously Realism. Realism is a genre in which it is all about relating to the reader (Werlock). Realism works are about writing what is real and what people can relate to in order to get them to listen better to the author (Werlock). One particular detail caught my eye in the first paragraph that I thought illustrated this idea well in a somewhat strange way:
"It was a steep bank, and he paused for breath at the top, excusing the act to himself by looking at his watch" (London).
Now most people would consider this quote to be insignificant and not mean anything whatsoever to the general idea of the story. And, truth be told, they would probably be right. However, I think that it does help illustrate an important aspect of Realism, and that is in making the reader relate to the story. As the story opens, the reader is made aware that the man is on a long hike, and he is obviously getting very tired. As he reaches the top of a hill, he has to stop in order to catch his breath but he looks at his watch just to prove to himself that it was not really just a break after all. This small act struck me in its truthfulness. Many people go through their lives and they just really need a break but are unwilling to admit to themselves that they need to take one. Because of this, they often come up with excuses in order to give themselves that needed break while also being able to maintain the idea in their own minds that it is not a break at all. This truthfulness, and the way it represents an act that is common in humans, if a fundamental part of Realism.
The work is also a great example of Naturalism. Naturalism is the subgenre of Realism that is more closely related to Rationalism (Sommers). In Naturalism a more scientific approach is taken to writing. The story is usually a record of a person placed in a hostile environment and it chronicles their adventures and how they cope with their predicament. This is based upon the theories of Darwin that humans are nothing more than high-order animals who have no free will. Though they have no free will, they are still able to act upon their instincts in order to cope with situations (Sommers).
This idea of humans acting simply upon their compulsions is displayed well in the story. One of the driving factors of humanity is greed. Many times people ignore the consequences when they are in search of more, more, more. In this story, the main character does just that as he braves the hostile Alaskan environment simply in order to find gold (London). This driving sense of greed is very common in Naturalism writings (Sommers). It simply proves that humans will do almost anything, even incredibly stupid things, if it means they will get what they are after.
London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 601-614. Print.
Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
"It was a steep bank, and he paused for breath at the top, excusing the act to himself by looking at his watch" (London).
Now most people would consider this quote to be insignificant and not mean anything whatsoever to the general idea of the story. And, truth be told, they would probably be right. However, I think that it does help illustrate an important aspect of Realism, and that is in making the reader relate to the story. As the story opens, the reader is made aware that the man is on a long hike, and he is obviously getting very tired. As he reaches the top of a hill, he has to stop in order to catch his breath but he looks at his watch just to prove to himself that it was not really just a break after all. This small act struck me in its truthfulness. Many people go through their lives and they just really need a break but are unwilling to admit to themselves that they need to take one. Because of this, they often come up with excuses in order to give themselves that needed break while also being able to maintain the idea in their own minds that it is not a break at all. This truthfulness, and the way it represents an act that is common in humans, if a fundamental part of Realism.
The work is also a great example of Naturalism. Naturalism is the subgenre of Realism that is more closely related to Rationalism (Sommers). In Naturalism a more scientific approach is taken to writing. The story is usually a record of a person placed in a hostile environment and it chronicles their adventures and how they cope with their predicament. This is based upon the theories of Darwin that humans are nothing more than high-order animals who have no free will. Though they have no free will, they are still able to act upon their instincts in order to cope with situations (Sommers).
This idea of humans acting simply upon their compulsions is displayed well in the story. One of the driving factors of humanity is greed. Many times people ignore the consequences when they are in search of more, more, more. In this story, the main character does just that as he braves the hostile Alaskan environment simply in order to find gold (London). This driving sense of greed is very common in Naturalism writings (Sommers). It simply proves that humans will do almost anything, even incredibly stupid things, if it means they will get what they are after.
London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 601-614. Print.
Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
Realisn in the Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar
I was absolutely and completely taken in by Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem "We Wear the Mask." It stands as a wonderful example of Realism in my opinion. Realism is all about exposing things as they truly are (Werlock). While in Romanticism things were always displayed on the more sunny side and in Dark Romanticism things were described in the most grotesque way possible, Realism does its best to display things as they truly are. In the same way, Rationalism tried to approach life from a purely scientific and analytical standpoint and ignore the presence of emotion and a belief system in our lives. Realism, however, combines the aforementioned genres into a sort of "happy medium" genre that allows room for both facts and emotions (Werlock).
Sometimes you will be reading something and all the sudden you come across a line that is particularly striking to you. It is almost as though you say "Oh my goodness, that is exactly like me! I thought perhaps I was the only one who felt this way!" For some, these occurrences are fairly regular, but for others these events only happen rarely. For me, I tend to find most works that I come across displaying ideas that are rather obvious. Rarely do I come across something that just smacks me across the face with the realness of it. In my opinion, this feeling that one gets when they experience this kind of shared belief with another person was the entire purpose of Realism. The purpose of Realism was to say something that is real and true and applies to many different people (Werlock).
"We Wear the Mask" was one such work for me. On the one hand, the idea is rather obvious. Virtually everyone knows that each person hides a part of themselves in some way from everyone else around them, which is the main idea of the poem (Dunbar, "We"). However, the poem then goes on to discuss how while we try so very hard to hide our hardships from the world, we have no problem dumping them all on God and hiding from him the happy mask and making him be responsible for all the pain we feel (Dunbar, "We"). I cannot help but realize how incredibly sad and true this is. So often we hide our pain and sadness from the world and yet we pin the shortcomings of the world upon our creator who is the one that gave us the good things. We create the bad things for ourselves.
The other poem I read by Paul Laurence Dunbar was "Douglass," a poem about Frederick Douglass. This poem is purely a wistful one wishing that Frederick Douglass were still alive and could therefore guide them through the dark world where honor is no longer an accepted practice (Dunbar, "Douglass"). This reflects Realism by depicting the world as a dark place that the author feels that it is. It also displays the Realism characteristic of telling things like they are and not sugarcoating anything in order to make it seem better, which was a common practice in the Romanticism era (Dunbar, "Douglass").
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "Douglass." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 570.
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "We Wear the Mask." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 571.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
Sometimes you will be reading something and all the sudden you come across a line that is particularly striking to you. It is almost as though you say "Oh my goodness, that is exactly like me! I thought perhaps I was the only one who felt this way!" For some, these occurrences are fairly regular, but for others these events only happen rarely. For me, I tend to find most works that I come across displaying ideas that are rather obvious. Rarely do I come across something that just smacks me across the face with the realness of it. In my opinion, this feeling that one gets when they experience this kind of shared belief with another person was the entire purpose of Realism. The purpose of Realism was to say something that is real and true and applies to many different people (Werlock).
"We Wear the Mask" was one such work for me. On the one hand, the idea is rather obvious. Virtually everyone knows that each person hides a part of themselves in some way from everyone else around them, which is the main idea of the poem (Dunbar, "We"). However, the poem then goes on to discuss how while we try so very hard to hide our hardships from the world, we have no problem dumping them all on God and hiding from him the happy mask and making him be responsible for all the pain we feel (Dunbar, "We"). I cannot help but realize how incredibly sad and true this is. So often we hide our pain and sadness from the world and yet we pin the shortcomings of the world upon our creator who is the one that gave us the good things. We create the bad things for ourselves.
The other poem I read by Paul Laurence Dunbar was "Douglass," a poem about Frederick Douglass. This poem is purely a wistful one wishing that Frederick Douglass were still alive and could therefore guide them through the dark world where honor is no longer an accepted practice (Dunbar, "Douglass"). This reflects Realism by depicting the world as a dark place that the author feels that it is. It also displays the Realism characteristic of telling things like they are and not sugarcoating anything in order to make it seem better, which was a common practice in the Romanticism era (Dunbar, "Douglass").
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "Douglass." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 570.
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "We Wear the Mask." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 571.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
Realism in "I Will Fight No More Forever"
"I Will Fight No More Forever" by Chief Joseph is a great example of a work of Realism. It is a moving, albeit short, speech about ceasing fighting after a war (Joseph). Chief Joseph explains in the short three paragraphs of the speech that he no longer has a desire for fighting. Many lost their lives in the conflict that preceded this speech, and he felt as though it were time to end it (Joseph). This story falls into the genre of Realism for a few reasons.
Realism is all about a common, everyday hero (Werlock). In the time that this story was written, Indians were not always treated with the utmost respect. In fact, they were being continuously kicked off their own land by the white men so that they could have their land for their own settlements. Clearly they were underdogs in a world full of men with guns while all they had was their own handmade tools and whatever they could trade for. For this reason, Chief Joseph fit well into this idea about a common, everyday hero. Through his speech you can tell that he does not have all of the background of education that writers in previous times had the privilege of having. Yet his work of literature was still deemed worthy of keeping because it is a powerful message although it was simple and plain (Joseph).
A lot of times in Realism, the region that the story was set in played a part in the language that was used. In this case, the literary work in question was not in fact written as a made-up story that was intended to reflect a certain area of the nation. On the contrary, it was a speech about the true feelings of a chief who has just suffered a great defeat. For this reason I do not believe that the work can be classified into the category of Regionalism, but I still believe that the use of language is an important aspect to note. The fact that his sentences are simple and his words are not fancy is unmistakable in the writing, yet somehow the writing still comes across as just as powerful and important as a work of literature full of fancy words and phrases meant to impress the reader. And I think that that is one of the most important and fundamental qualities about Realism; It allowed the underdog to finally have his say (Werlock). Whether it was women, African Americans, uneducated common people, children, or even Indians, there was room for everyone to say what was on their heart in the genre of Realism.
Realism was also all about using facts as well as emotional details in order to get a response from the reader (Werlock). Never has there been a better example of this than in this short speech. I say this because the entire speech is simply facts about what has happened, and each of these facts makes the reader sympathize with the author (Joseph). In this way, it reflects this area of Realism perfectly.
Joseph, Chief. "I Will Fight No More." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 533.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
Realism is all about a common, everyday hero (Werlock). In the time that this story was written, Indians were not always treated with the utmost respect. In fact, they were being continuously kicked off their own land by the white men so that they could have their land for their own settlements. Clearly they were underdogs in a world full of men with guns while all they had was their own handmade tools and whatever they could trade for. For this reason, Chief Joseph fit well into this idea about a common, everyday hero. Through his speech you can tell that he does not have all of the background of education that writers in previous times had the privilege of having. Yet his work of literature was still deemed worthy of keeping because it is a powerful message although it was simple and plain (Joseph).
A lot of times in Realism, the region that the story was set in played a part in the language that was used. In this case, the literary work in question was not in fact written as a made-up story that was intended to reflect a certain area of the nation. On the contrary, it was a speech about the true feelings of a chief who has just suffered a great defeat. For this reason I do not believe that the work can be classified into the category of Regionalism, but I still believe that the use of language is an important aspect to note. The fact that his sentences are simple and his words are not fancy is unmistakable in the writing, yet somehow the writing still comes across as just as powerful and important as a work of literature full of fancy words and phrases meant to impress the reader. And I think that that is one of the most important and fundamental qualities about Realism; It allowed the underdog to finally have his say (Werlock). Whether it was women, African Americans, uneducated common people, children, or even Indians, there was room for everyone to say what was on their heart in the genre of Realism.
Realism was also all about using facts as well as emotional details in order to get a response from the reader (Werlock). Never has there been a better example of this than in this short speech. I say this because the entire speech is simply facts about what has happened, and each of these facts makes the reader sympathize with the author (Joseph). In this way, it reflects this area of Realism perfectly.
Joseph, Chief. "I Will Fight No More." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 533.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
Regionalism in "Spoon River Anthology"
The entire book "Spoon River Anthology" is actually a collection of over two hundred poetic monologues told by the inhabitants of a small town. The setting of the town is the main emphasis that holds the pieces together, and therefore the work is classified into the subgenre Regionalism, which comes out of the larger genre, Realism.
Regionalism is defined as a subgenre of Realism and is all about the location of the story or work of literature that falls into it (Anderson). Regional works take a certain location and build the entire story around it. Sometimes the story is all about the particular location itself, and sometimes the location simply serves as a backdrop and inspiration for the events and stories that happen within it (Anderson).
"Spoon River Anthology" is a clearly Regionalist collection because of the setting all takes place in one town, and it details the many stories of dead people living in the graves of the local cemetery (Masters). This location was inspired by two very similar towns that the author, Edgar Lee Masters, grew up in (Cone). These towns were Lewistown, Illinois, and Petersburg, Illinois. By using these towns as inspiration, Masters was able to create a very realistic fictional town (Cone).
One aspect of Realism, the larger genre that this story falls into, is that it talks about things that are real (Werlock). All Realist works were about something that was commonplace in that period of time. Also, the heroes were ordinary, everyday citizens who were just trying to make sense of their worlds (Werlock). In "Spoon River Anthology" the citizens and narrators of the various monologues are just exactly those types of everyday people, because they are simply the inhabitants of a town in the midwest (Masters). The following is a quote by Temple Cone about the various real and applicable instances detailed in "Spoon River Anthology":
"His characters speak of guilt and loneliness, of the disappointments and thwarted ambitions caused by parenthood, insufficient talent, and bad luck, of the grief of loss and the pain of betrayal, and of the misery inflicted by small-mindedness, bigotry, and misunderstanding. More than anything, though, Masters' characters seek to tell the truth about their lives."
These concepts, specifically the last sentence, are all very real and important. Because in the end, all anybody really wants to do is tell the truth about what happened to them and feel as though they left some sort of impact on the world. In this way, Masters created monologues that were able to touch people because they struck so close to home with many common issues of the time that we still share today.
Regionalist works also tend to use dialects and vernacular particular to the region they are set in (Anderson). For this reason, Masters' use of a simple dialect with not a lot of complicated words was a reflection of the region that he was telling about (Masters). The midwest was commonly thought to have spoken plain English in those days. This concept also reflected Regionalism by using the language of the area.
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Cone, Temple. "Spoon River Anthology." In Kimmelman, Burt, and Temple Cone, eds. The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 2. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CTAP0520&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 16, 2011).
Masters, Edgar Lee. "Spoon Rivers Anthology." Bartleby: Great Books Online. 2011. Online. http://www.bartleby.com/84/index.html. February 16, 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. Feb 13, 2011.
Regionalism is defined as a subgenre of Realism and is all about the location of the story or work of literature that falls into it (Anderson). Regional works take a certain location and build the entire story around it. Sometimes the story is all about the particular location itself, and sometimes the location simply serves as a backdrop and inspiration for the events and stories that happen within it (Anderson).
"Spoon River Anthology" is a clearly Regionalist collection because of the setting all takes place in one town, and it details the many stories of dead people living in the graves of the local cemetery (Masters). This location was inspired by two very similar towns that the author, Edgar Lee Masters, grew up in (Cone). These towns were Lewistown, Illinois, and Petersburg, Illinois. By using these towns as inspiration, Masters was able to create a very realistic fictional town (Cone).
One aspect of Realism, the larger genre that this story falls into, is that it talks about things that are real (Werlock). All Realist works were about something that was commonplace in that period of time. Also, the heroes were ordinary, everyday citizens who were just trying to make sense of their worlds (Werlock). In "Spoon River Anthology" the citizens and narrators of the various monologues are just exactly those types of everyday people, because they are simply the inhabitants of a town in the midwest (Masters). The following is a quote by Temple Cone about the various real and applicable instances detailed in "Spoon River Anthology":
"His characters speak of guilt and loneliness, of the disappointments and thwarted ambitions caused by parenthood, insufficient talent, and bad luck, of the grief of loss and the pain of betrayal, and of the misery inflicted by small-mindedness, bigotry, and misunderstanding. More than anything, though, Masters' characters seek to tell the truth about their lives."
These concepts, specifically the last sentence, are all very real and important. Because in the end, all anybody really wants to do is tell the truth about what happened to them and feel as though they left some sort of impact on the world. In this way, Masters created monologues that were able to touch people because they struck so close to home with many common issues of the time that we still share today.
Regionalist works also tend to use dialects and vernacular particular to the region they are set in (Anderson). For this reason, Masters' use of a simple dialect with not a lot of complicated words was a reflection of the region that he was telling about (Masters). The midwest was commonly thought to have spoken plain English in those days. This concept also reflected Regionalism by using the language of the area.
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Cone, Temple. "Spoon River Anthology." In Kimmelman, Burt, and Temple Cone, eds. The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 2. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CTAP0520&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 16, 2011).
Masters, Edgar Lee. "Spoon Rivers Anthology." Bartleby: Great Books Online. 2011. Online. http://www.bartleby.com/84/index.html. February 16, 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. Feb 13, 2011.
Regionalism and Realism in "Two Ways of Seeing a River"
"Two Ways of Seeing a River" by Mark Twain could be classified as both Realism and partially one of its subgenres, Regionalism. Realism is a genre in which facts and emotional descriptions and phrases are used in order to extract an emotional response from the reader (Werlock). By using a mixture of details that play on one's emotions and facts that appeal to the more logical and reasoning side of one's brain, the most effective response can be produced. Realism is all about appealing to people by discussing something that is important and applicable to their own daily lives. This makes people more likely to listen to the argument put before them because they feel as though they can relate (Werlock). Mark Twain applies this concept by talking about a particular river but at the same time referencing all rivers and the way that the concept applies to them all (Twain 504-505). In his short narrative he talks about how rivers can lose their majesty and the sense of wonder they evoke because one simply becomes desensitized to them due to prolonged exposure (Twain 504-505). The following quote illustrates the way Twain uses details to appeal to the reader's senses:
"A broad expanse of the river was turned to blood; in the middle distance the red hue brightened into gold, through which a solitary log came floating, black and conspicuous; in one place a long, slanting mark lay sparkling upon the water; in another the surface was broken by boiling, tumbling rings, that were as many-tinted as an opal; where the ruddy flush was faintest, was a smooth spot that was covered with graceful circles and radiating lines, ever so delicately traced; the shore on our left was densely wooded, and the sombre shadow that fell from this forest was broken in one place by a long, ruffled trail that shone like silver; and high above the forest wall a clean-stemmed dead tree waved a single leafy bough that glowed like a flame in the unobstructed splendor that was flowing from the sun" (Twain 504).
Through this excerpt, Twain captivates the reader with the majesty and wonder of the river as well as using facts and descriptions of the river in order to make it seem real (Twain 504-505). This is a great example of the balance of facts and emotional details in Realism.
This story also shows aspects of Regionalism. Regionalism is a genre in which all of the focus of the literary work is focused upon one particular location (Anderson). It can range anywhere from a whole region to a county to a natural landmark, such as the river referenced in this work. The backdrop of this location used in the work provides the foundation for every part of the literary work. In some cases the author also provides dialect and vernacular that is particular to the region. In this way he brings out the life of the region in an even more effective way (Anderson). Twain employs these principles of Regionalism in his work "Two Ways of Seeing a River." He does this by focusing his entire work on one particular location, the river. All of the piece is built on the core foundation of this one river (Twain 504-505).
While this work revolves solely around the river, not all Regionalist works are the same way. Some of them simply use the location to build the story rather than making the story about the region itself. Still, all Regional works have to build their core around a particular region.
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 504-505.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
"A broad expanse of the river was turned to blood; in the middle distance the red hue brightened into gold, through which a solitary log came floating, black and conspicuous; in one place a long, slanting mark lay sparkling upon the water; in another the surface was broken by boiling, tumbling rings, that were as many-tinted as an opal; where the ruddy flush was faintest, was a smooth spot that was covered with graceful circles and radiating lines, ever so delicately traced; the shore on our left was densely wooded, and the sombre shadow that fell from this forest was broken in one place by a long, ruffled trail that shone like silver; and high above the forest wall a clean-stemmed dead tree waved a single leafy bough that glowed like a flame in the unobstructed splendor that was flowing from the sun" (Twain 504).
Through this excerpt, Twain captivates the reader with the majesty and wonder of the river as well as using facts and descriptions of the river in order to make it seem real (Twain 504-505). This is a great example of the balance of facts and emotional details in Realism.
This story also shows aspects of Regionalism. Regionalism is a genre in which all of the focus of the literary work is focused upon one particular location (Anderson). It can range anywhere from a whole region to a county to a natural landmark, such as the river referenced in this work. The backdrop of this location used in the work provides the foundation for every part of the literary work. In some cases the author also provides dialect and vernacular that is particular to the region. In this way he brings out the life of the region in an even more effective way (Anderson). Twain employs these principles of Regionalism in his work "Two Ways of Seeing a River." He does this by focusing his entire work on one particular location, the river. All of the piece is built on the core foundation of this one river (Twain 504-505).
While this work revolves solely around the river, not all Regionalist works are the same way. Some of them simply use the location to build the story rather than making the story about the region itself. Still, all Regional works have to build their core around a particular region.
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 504-505.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Regionalism in "The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County"
Regionalism is the subgenre of Realism that deals with the setting of the story and how that affects the general theme of the story (Anderson). "The Celebrated Frogs of Calaveras County" was one such story that fit into this genre.
"The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County" is a story about a man who taught a frog how to jump very high and long (Twain). Truthfully it was a very pointless story, although I have to admit I kind of liked it. It reflected regionalism in the dialect and vernacular that was used (Anderson). One of the men in the story, the man who is telling the story of the man with the jumping frog to the narrator, has a very uneducated and endearing way of talking (Anderson). For example, the following excerpt:
"He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and said he cal'klated to edercate him; and so he never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump. And you bet you he did learn him, too. He'd give him a little punch behind, and the next minute you'd see that frog whirling in the air like a doughnut see him turn one summerset, or may be a couple, if he got a good start, and come down flat-footed and all right, like a cat. (Twain)"
This selection shows you exactly how the man in this story speaks in a language that can be at times hard to understand. In the sentence where he references the frog turning a "summerset," I believe he was trying to say somersault. By using this vernacular, Twain appealed to the people because he used a character who spoke much like they did (Twain).
Another characteristic of Regionalism is using a character that is not the typical kind of character one would find in a Romantic novel for instance (Anderson). Rather than being a daring hero who flies away to exotic locales, the hero of a Realism work of literature was supposed to be a commonplace person who was much like the readers of the stories (Anderson). This concept is obviously displayed in the way that the main character of the story is uneducated yet sincere and endearing (Twain). One gets the sense that though the character is rambling on about things that have nothing to do with the story the narrator requested, the narrator still finds him to be an endearing and sweet man (Twain).
"The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County" is a story that shows the love of story-telling in certain regions of the country (Twain). Somebody always seems to have some kind of words of wisdom that they wish to impart. In this story the person imparting the wisdom is an old man who is reminiscing about the days of old in which a crazy many went around betting everybody on just about anything (Twain). In a twisted sense, although it is unintended, the narrator ends up teaching a lesson about the general lack of merit involved in excessive gambling (Twain). The subject of the story told by the main character ends up getting beat at his own game in the end (Twain).
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 498-502. Print.
"The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County" is a story about a man who taught a frog how to jump very high and long (Twain). Truthfully it was a very pointless story, although I have to admit I kind of liked it. It reflected regionalism in the dialect and vernacular that was used (Anderson). One of the men in the story, the man who is telling the story of the man with the jumping frog to the narrator, has a very uneducated and endearing way of talking (Anderson). For example, the following excerpt:
"He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and said he cal'klated to edercate him; and so he never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump. And you bet you he did learn him, too. He'd give him a little punch behind, and the next minute you'd see that frog whirling in the air like a doughnut see him turn one summerset, or may be a couple, if he got a good start, and come down flat-footed and all right, like a cat. (Twain)"
This selection shows you exactly how the man in this story speaks in a language that can be at times hard to understand. In the sentence where he references the frog turning a "summerset," I believe he was trying to say somersault. By using this vernacular, Twain appealed to the people because he used a character who spoke much like they did (Twain).
Another characteristic of Regionalism is using a character that is not the typical kind of character one would find in a Romantic novel for instance (Anderson). Rather than being a daring hero who flies away to exotic locales, the hero of a Realism work of literature was supposed to be a commonplace person who was much like the readers of the stories (Anderson). This concept is obviously displayed in the way that the main character of the story is uneducated yet sincere and endearing (Twain). One gets the sense that though the character is rambling on about things that have nothing to do with the story the narrator requested, the narrator still finds him to be an endearing and sweet man (Twain).
"The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County" is a story that shows the love of story-telling in certain regions of the country (Twain). Somebody always seems to have some kind of words of wisdom that they wish to impart. In this story the person imparting the wisdom is an old man who is reminiscing about the days of old in which a crazy many went around betting everybody on just about anything (Twain). In a twisted sense, although it is unintended, the narrator ends up teaching a lesson about the general lack of merit involved in excessive gambling (Twain). The subject of the story told by the main character ends up getting beat at his own game in the end (Twain).
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 498-502. Print.
Naturalism in "The Red Badge of Courage"
Naturalism is yet another subgenre of Realism. This genre entails more of a clinical study of the human experience and what humans are truly like on the inside (Sommers). Naturalists typically believed that humans were only high order animals and therefore did not truly have any free will at all and were not capable of affecting any true change in their worlds at all. This meant that although they could act upon their "animal instincts" which included fear, anger, and lust, no matter what they did it would never change their destiny (Sommers).
Another important part of Naturalism is the study of how humans react when put into high pressure situations that display a person's true character (Sommers). Usually they were placed in a hostile and foreign environment, and then the story progresses as a kind of record of how they made their way through. in this way the true character of the human under study is revealed. "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane was one such story and therefore the first Naturalist work I have come across in this project.
Unfortunately, most Naturalist works were sad and grim because they show the darker sides of life (Sommers). Obviously when one is placed in a foreign and hostile environment, the experience is not going to be enjoyable. However, the belief of Naturalist writers was in displaying life as it really was and not sugar-coating it (Sommers). Because of this belief, no details are typically spared in these stories and they can get quite gruesome and uncomfortable at times (Sommers).
This story is no exception to that gruesome picture of human life. The story details the journey of soldiers in the Civil War, and therefore it is a very unpleasant story (Crane). The story shows how a person reacts when forced to kill others over and over again (Crane). Unfortunately, the truth that is revealed is that when forced to do these things repeatedly, it almost becomes second nature. The truth revealed about humanity in this work is that we can adapt to virtually anything, even things that we might not think we are capable of.
While all parts of Realism believe in using facts and details in order to get their point across, Naturalism is special in its effort to record every precise detail (Sommers). The main goal of Naturalism is to take an almost scientific approach to these things and record the exact physical and emotional experiences undergone by the subject. In this way the most accurate depiction can be given of the events, and therefore the emotional response can be independent to the reader and not supplied by the writer. The reader may take from it what they will (Sommers).
Stephen Crane did an excellent job of portraying the life of these soldiers although, surprisingly, he did not actually participate in the fighting during the Civil War. Still, in a literary world full of war stories, Crane shines as one of the best. For this reason he is one of the best Naturalist writers that ever lived.
Crane, Stephen. "The Red Badge of Courage." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 493.
Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).
Another important part of Naturalism is the study of how humans react when put into high pressure situations that display a person's true character (Sommers). Usually they were placed in a hostile and foreign environment, and then the story progresses as a kind of record of how they made their way through. in this way the true character of the human under study is revealed. "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane was one such story and therefore the first Naturalist work I have come across in this project.
Unfortunately, most Naturalist works were sad and grim because they show the darker sides of life (Sommers). Obviously when one is placed in a foreign and hostile environment, the experience is not going to be enjoyable. However, the belief of Naturalist writers was in displaying life as it really was and not sugar-coating it (Sommers). Because of this belief, no details are typically spared in these stories and they can get quite gruesome and uncomfortable at times (Sommers).
This story is no exception to that gruesome picture of human life. The story details the journey of soldiers in the Civil War, and therefore it is a very unpleasant story (Crane). The story shows how a person reacts when forced to kill others over and over again (Crane). Unfortunately, the truth that is revealed is that when forced to do these things repeatedly, it almost becomes second nature. The truth revealed about humanity in this work is that we can adapt to virtually anything, even things that we might not think we are capable of.
While all parts of Realism believe in using facts and details in order to get their point across, Naturalism is special in its effort to record every precise detail (Sommers). The main goal of Naturalism is to take an almost scientific approach to these things and record the exact physical and emotional experiences undergone by the subject. In this way the most accurate depiction can be given of the events, and therefore the emotional response can be independent to the reader and not supplied by the writer. The reader may take from it what they will (Sommers).
Stephen Crane did an excellent job of portraying the life of these soldiers although, surprisingly, he did not actually participate in the fighting during the Civil War. Still, in a literary world full of war stories, Crane shines as one of the best. For this reason he is one of the best Naturalist writers that ever lived.
Crane, Stephen. "The Red Badge of Courage." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 493.
Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).
Realism in "Letter to His Son"
In Robert E. Lee's "Letter to His Son" he discusses the way that he knows the country is heading in the midst of the fighting that is going on between the North and the South (Lee). He knows that the Civil War will soon be approaching his son, and he shares his ideas about that with him. It is a very informative letter, detailing exactly what Lee feels about the fighting and whether or not the idea of secession from the nation would have been allowed by the forefathers of our country. For the record, he thinks it would not have been and ways to prohibit it were specifically written in the laws of our nations (Lee).
Through his discussion of the imminent problems for our nation, Lee displays strong Realism qualities. Realism is all about writing about the current news and what is happening in the world around the writer (Werlock). In this way the author can appeal to the people and show his opinion on what should happen. Although this letter was not addressed to the general public to be shared with them, it was addressed to his son whom he loved and wanted to share his innermost feelings and opinions about the situation with (Lee).
Lee's prediction of the upcoming state of our nation also ends up displaying Realism qualities. It does this because Lee uses facts to make an educated guess about what will happen rather than just taking a shot in the dark and saying that he thinks it is going to happen (Lee). Lee was obviously a famous commander and general in many wars and therefore he had a lot of experience with wars and battle. Because of this experience, he was able to accurately predict the upcoming turmoil. Still, it was not a guess dependent on simple guesswork, it was one dependent upon his personal experience and most likely his communication with other people who were in the know and could give him valuable information about the state of the nation.
Just the fact that Lee's letter was written to his son also displays characteristics of Realism, although these characteristics were obviously unintentional because the letter was never intended to evoke an emotional response from others. Still, it does evoke an emotional response because when it is read by an outside viewer it is touching to see the correspondence from a loving father trying to impart some knowledge and forewarning to his son.
One thing that I have to say it does not reflect about Realism though is the general status of the hero in the story. Although it is a letter and does not technically therefore have a hero, for all intents and purposes I believe the hero of this story to be Robert E. Lee (Lee). And in that case, the hero of the story is not exactly a common, everyday guy, which is supposed to be the characterization of the hero of a Realist literary work (Werlock). He is, in fact, a very prestigious military commander. However, that is the only thing I can think of that goes against the ideas of Realism in this work.
Lee, Robert E. "Letter to His Son." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 385. Print.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
Through his discussion of the imminent problems for our nation, Lee displays strong Realism qualities. Realism is all about writing about the current news and what is happening in the world around the writer (Werlock). In this way the author can appeal to the people and show his opinion on what should happen. Although this letter was not addressed to the general public to be shared with them, it was addressed to his son whom he loved and wanted to share his innermost feelings and opinions about the situation with (Lee).
Lee's prediction of the upcoming state of our nation also ends up displaying Realism qualities. It does this because Lee uses facts to make an educated guess about what will happen rather than just taking a shot in the dark and saying that he thinks it is going to happen (Lee). Lee was obviously a famous commander and general in many wars and therefore he had a lot of experience with wars and battle. Because of this experience, he was able to accurately predict the upcoming turmoil. Still, it was not a guess dependent on simple guesswork, it was one dependent upon his personal experience and most likely his communication with other people who were in the know and could give him valuable information about the state of the nation.
Just the fact that Lee's letter was written to his son also displays characteristics of Realism, although these characteristics were obviously unintentional because the letter was never intended to evoke an emotional response from others. Still, it does evoke an emotional response because when it is read by an outside viewer it is touching to see the correspondence from a loving father trying to impart some knowledge and forewarning to his son.
One thing that I have to say it does not reflect about Realism though is the general status of the hero in the story. Although it is a letter and does not technically therefore have a hero, for all intents and purposes I believe the hero of this story to be Robert E. Lee (Lee). And in that case, the hero of the story is not exactly a common, everyday guy, which is supposed to be the characterization of the hero of a Realist literary work (Werlock). He is, in fact, a very prestigious military commander. However, that is the only thing I can think of that goes against the ideas of Realism in this work.
Lee, Robert E. "Letter to His Son." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 385. Print.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Feb 13, 2011.
Realism in "The Awakening"
I have always believed that in order to write something well, you have to write with passion and fire. The topic you are discussing has to be something that you feel very strongly about and wish to share with others around you. While one can simply write about things that they know based solely upon facts, those works are not going to be the kind to penetrate into someone's emotions and change the way they see things or look at things in the world. In order to truly write well you must evoke an emotional response from the reader.
The idea of evoking an emotional response from the reader is a core principle of Realism (Werlock). Realism is the use of emotional pictures and verbage and techniques, mixed with facts and understood ideas, in order to evoke an emotional response from the reader. This use of both facts and emotions then makes the conviction that takes place even stronger than if only one of the two were used (Werlock).
In her novel and the excerpt that we read from it, Kate Chopin used Realism brilliantly. First off, she appealed directly to the heart of a common housewife by portraying her character in this excerpt as just that (Chopin 491). The character is simply a married woman who is sitting alone in her house crying to herself. It is not the cry of a woman who has just lost something dear to her heart or been given bad news, but it is simply the cry of a woman who feels as though there is something more to life that she has just not achieved yet (Chopin 491).
It is amazing to realize just exactly how many women go through this every single day. Specifically towards middle age, many women find themselves wondering if there is more to life than just being what she is to her family. Through her novel, Kate Chopin gives them an answer: yes, yes there is (Chopin 491).
The purpose of her writing this novel was to inform women just like this all over the country that there is in fact more to being a wife and a mother. Her purpose was to empower women to believing that they can do more than be a housewife like society has always told them. In this way, Kate Chopin almost began to start a revolution. Through this novel and others that surfaced around that time period, the motion for women's rights and feminism began to slowly rise up.
By discussing an important issue of the time period, Kate Chopin did a wonderful job of depicting Realism. Realism is all about what is real and what is happening at the time that it is written (Werlock). It is about appealing to the readers in order to hopefully affect change. Also, Realism is about creating an everyday hero (Werlock). Where before the heroes had all been uppity, well educated white men, the hero had now become an average, ordinary, everyday woman (Chopin 491). This was an important step for women that Kate Chopin was leading. And Realism did that for people. It opened all kinds of doors for new voices to be heard throughout the country.
Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 491.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
The idea of evoking an emotional response from the reader is a core principle of Realism (Werlock). Realism is the use of emotional pictures and verbage and techniques, mixed with facts and understood ideas, in order to evoke an emotional response from the reader. This use of both facts and emotions then makes the conviction that takes place even stronger than if only one of the two were used (Werlock).
In her novel and the excerpt that we read from it, Kate Chopin used Realism brilliantly. First off, she appealed directly to the heart of a common housewife by portraying her character in this excerpt as just that (Chopin 491). The character is simply a married woman who is sitting alone in her house crying to herself. It is not the cry of a woman who has just lost something dear to her heart or been given bad news, but it is simply the cry of a woman who feels as though there is something more to life that she has just not achieved yet (Chopin 491).
It is amazing to realize just exactly how many women go through this every single day. Specifically towards middle age, many women find themselves wondering if there is more to life than just being what she is to her family. Through her novel, Kate Chopin gives them an answer: yes, yes there is (Chopin 491).
The purpose of her writing this novel was to inform women just like this all over the country that there is in fact more to being a wife and a mother. Her purpose was to empower women to believing that they can do more than be a housewife like society has always told them. In this way, Kate Chopin almost began to start a revolution. Through this novel and others that surfaced around that time period, the motion for women's rights and feminism began to slowly rise up.
By discussing an important issue of the time period, Kate Chopin did a wonderful job of depicting Realism. Realism is all about what is real and what is happening at the time that it is written (Werlock). It is about appealing to the readers in order to hopefully affect change. Also, Realism is about creating an everyday hero (Werlock). Where before the heroes had all been uppity, well educated white men, the hero had now become an average, ordinary, everyday woman (Chopin 491). This was an important step for women that Kate Chopin was leading. And Realism did that for people. It opened all kinds of doors for new voices to be heard throughout the country.
Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 491.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Realism and Regionalism in "O Pioneers!"
"O Pioneers" by Willa Cather is yet another literary representation of the idea of Regionalism. Set in the midwest, Cather created a novel that included many details that were particular to the Midwest. Now most people say that there really is not a particular vernacular that goes along with the Midwest because they speak plain English and do not have a lot of their own words unlike other regions of the country. However, this absence of particular words and phrases and the use of plain and simple English in and of itself displays a type of Regionalism (Anderson). Simply by noting the absence of specific words or phrases, the reader can deduce exactly which region of the country the novel is, even without knowing where its set, which of course the reader does actually know (Anderson).
Another way this story reflects Regionalism is the focus put on farming and farmland in the midwest. Farming was an important part of their lifestyle and therefore incorporating and setting the story on farmland was the perfect way to represent the region in which it was set. By talking about the specific crops, namely corn, Cather was able to put a stamp on the region (Cather 489). She was able to do this because the area is known for its corn production and farming.
Although it is a work of Regionalism, the story also obviously falls under the category of Realism (Werlock). Realism is the use of facts and emotions in order to gain an emotional sort of response from the audience that is also grounded in facts (Werlock). This story is a great example of that. The place that this novel is set in was home to many struggles and hardships during the time period that this story takes place. Most of the livelihood of the are was dependent upon farmers and the economy that goes along with farming (Cather 489). When these times of struggles were upon them, they came together and made it through anyway (Cather 489).
This story reflects great ideas about Realism. Realism is reflected in the way that Willa Cather uses the emotional conditions of these people and their plights in order to gain sympathy and understanding from the reader. But it is also reflected in the way that she uses a real place with real issues that are grounded solely in facts about the way that things were (Cather 489). This was not something that Willa Cather made up all on her own; this was the way things were.
It has been said that if you want to write you should write about what you know. I have no proof as to where this came from, but I could bet you that it probably came from someone who had an idea about writing that went along the lines of Regionalism. In Regionalism an author uses a place that he or she is familiar with in order to bring the story to life (Anderson). Willa Cather lived in Nebraska during her lifetime, and there comes inspiration for the setting of the story.
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Cather, Willa. "O Pioneers!" Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 489.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Another way this story reflects Regionalism is the focus put on farming and farmland in the midwest. Farming was an important part of their lifestyle and therefore incorporating and setting the story on farmland was the perfect way to represent the region in which it was set. By talking about the specific crops, namely corn, Cather was able to put a stamp on the region (Cather 489). She was able to do this because the area is known for its corn production and farming.
Although it is a work of Regionalism, the story also obviously falls under the category of Realism (Werlock). Realism is the use of facts and emotions in order to gain an emotional sort of response from the audience that is also grounded in facts (Werlock). This story is a great example of that. The place that this novel is set in was home to many struggles and hardships during the time period that this story takes place. Most of the livelihood of the are was dependent upon farmers and the economy that goes along with farming (Cather 489). When these times of struggles were upon them, they came together and made it through anyway (Cather 489).
This story reflects great ideas about Realism. Realism is reflected in the way that Willa Cather uses the emotional conditions of these people and their plights in order to gain sympathy and understanding from the reader. But it is also reflected in the way that she uses a real place with real issues that are grounded solely in facts about the way that things were (Cather 489). This was not something that Willa Cather made up all on her own; this was the way things were.
It has been said that if you want to write you should write about what you know. I have no proof as to where this came from, but I could bet you that it probably came from someone who had an idea about writing that went along the lines of Regionalism. In Regionalism an author uses a place that he or she is familiar with in order to bring the story to life (Anderson). Willa Cather lived in Nebraska during her lifetime, and there comes inspiration for the setting of the story.
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Cather, Willa. "O Pioneers!" Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 489.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
And Ain't I a Woman?
"And Ain't I a Woman" by Sojourner Truth is another work of Regionalism because it is told by a very southern lady in a very southern dialect. Her use of the words "honey" and "children" and vernacular along those lines makes it very obvious that she is from the South (Truth). The effects of this regional technique makes people feel comfortable and natural listening to her and empathize with what she is trying to get across. Her use of language is crucial to her cause, because it makes people more likely to sympathize with her cause because the problem she was addressing was important in her region. The use of regional language made her seem to be more of an authority on the topic considering that it was native to her region, although there were many areas of the country that had a struggle with women's rights (Truth).
Sojourner Truth addresses ideas that are very applicable to the time period during which she is writing them, which is characteristic of Realism. She addresses the ideas of women's rights, specifically for the black woman (Truth). During this time period women did not have that many rights, which she was trying to speak out against. And although white women did not have very many rights as far as real estate ownership and the ability to work and all that that entails, they were still treated with respect and dignity. Men believed in treating white women as though they were fragile and precious creatures to be treated as such. However, African American women were not given these same respects, which Sojourner Truth saw as extremely unjust (Truth).
The way Sojourner Truth appeals to one particular region is especially important to Regionalism. Because she focuses on the south, her ideas have more credentials. It is a well-known fact that southerners have usually been known for their hospitality. You often hear references to Southern charm or Southern hospitality. This is why it was all the more shocking and hurtful that African American women, who were members of this society and not just guests to the area, were not treated with the utmost respect. If strangers could be treated well, the women should be treated well also.
Realism is a genre that focuses on real life issues and their importance (Werlock). Because this work was written in 1851, it was one of the frontrunners of this new genre. It was also unique in the way that it addressed the rights of women which were not very high in those times. Before this genre was established things like this were not discussed. As the greater meaning of things started to fade away with the fading of Romanticism, real stories and important things started to have a bigger stage in the literature scene (Werlock). Things that were actually relevant to the time period became what people actually wanted to write about. This was a very crucial and important step towards resolving important issues. With the arrival of Realism and Regionalism came steps in the right direction towards reforms that were soon to come in all different areas of life in America.
Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 370.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Sojourner Truth addresses ideas that are very applicable to the time period during which she is writing them, which is characteristic of Realism. She addresses the ideas of women's rights, specifically for the black woman (Truth). During this time period women did not have that many rights, which she was trying to speak out against. And although white women did not have very many rights as far as real estate ownership and the ability to work and all that that entails, they were still treated with respect and dignity. Men believed in treating white women as though they were fragile and precious creatures to be treated as such. However, African American women were not given these same respects, which Sojourner Truth saw as extremely unjust (Truth).
The way Sojourner Truth appeals to one particular region is especially important to Regionalism. Because she focuses on the south, her ideas have more credentials. It is a well-known fact that southerners have usually been known for their hospitality. You often hear references to Southern charm or Southern hospitality. This is why it was all the more shocking and hurtful that African American women, who were members of this society and not just guests to the area, were not treated with the utmost respect. If strangers could be treated well, the women should be treated well also.
Realism is a genre that focuses on real life issues and their importance (Werlock). Because this work was written in 1851, it was one of the frontrunners of this new genre. It was also unique in the way that it addressed the rights of women which were not very high in those times. Before this genre was established things like this were not discussed. As the greater meaning of things started to fade away with the fading of Romanticism, real stories and important things started to have a bigger stage in the literature scene (Werlock). Things that were actually relevant to the time period became what people actually wanted to write about. This was a very crucial and important step towards resolving important issues. With the arrival of Realism and Regionalism came steps in the right direction towards reforms that were soon to come in all different areas of life in America.
Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 370.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Analysis of Slave Poems
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Go Down, Moses," and "Keep Your Hand on the Plow" are three other Realism works that were made during the time of slavery in the South. These works are three songs or poetry style works that are were written and passed down by the slaves during times of hardship and slavery in order to keep their morale high. Although these songs were not able to be written down until much later because the slaves were not permitted to be educated in any form, especially reading and writing, they were passed down the generations through word of mouth.
These poems or songs were written about the same area, a plantation in the south, and therefore they can be defined as works of Regionalism, a subgenre of the bigger Realism (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). The words and vernacular that are used in these poems are a reflection of the area in which they were written, which is a characteristic of Regionalism. The importance of Regionalism was that it enables the reader to feel more like he or she is in a familiar place or time. By incorporating familiar phrases and ideas, the work feels more legitimate and true (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Another important idea in these three poems was their common idea of uplifting one another in order to keep morale high. Some of the poems specifically referenced ideas of rescue or freedom that are found in the Christian Bible. For example "Go Down Moses," is a reference to a story in the book Exodus found within the Bible that details the deliverance of God's people out of slavery in Egypt ("Go"). It is therefore understandable that the reference of such miraculous rescues were a popular idea among the slaves wishing for their freedom. Most of the songs written by the slaves in some way detail praise and worship for God and discuss the way in which they have faith that he will deliver them.
In these poems it is obvious that the slaves are not well educated and therefore can only express themselves in a limited way with language. For this reason many of their writings were not intricately detailed ordeals, but rather they were simple songs of supplication and faith in their God. There was a lot of repetition of lines, such as in "Go Down Moses," where every stanza ends with "let my people go" ("Go"). In this way their song is powerful emotionally and also illustrates their point successfully with repetition.
The use of a common slave as a narrator in these stories also reflects Realism. Because they are not the well-educated narrators of the past, they are more real and relatable to everyday people. In this instance, the songs were simply designed for other slaves in order to keep their morale high, and the songs were very successful in doing so. Therefore they achieved their intended purpose of their projected audience and were easy for the others to relate to. This is another objective of Realism as well as its subgenre Regionalism (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True. February 8, 2011.
"Go Down, Moses." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 347.
"Keep Your Hand on the Plow." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 348.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 346.
These poems or songs were written about the same area, a plantation in the south, and therefore they can be defined as works of Regionalism, a subgenre of the bigger Realism (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). The words and vernacular that are used in these poems are a reflection of the area in which they were written, which is a characteristic of Regionalism. The importance of Regionalism was that it enables the reader to feel more like he or she is in a familiar place or time. By incorporating familiar phrases and ideas, the work feels more legitimate and true (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Another important idea in these three poems was their common idea of uplifting one another in order to keep morale high. Some of the poems specifically referenced ideas of rescue or freedom that are found in the Christian Bible. For example "Go Down Moses," is a reference to a story in the book Exodus found within the Bible that details the deliverance of God's people out of slavery in Egypt ("Go"). It is therefore understandable that the reference of such miraculous rescues were a popular idea among the slaves wishing for their freedom. Most of the songs written by the slaves in some way detail praise and worship for God and discuss the way in which they have faith that he will deliver them.
In these poems it is obvious that the slaves are not well educated and therefore can only express themselves in a limited way with language. For this reason many of their writings were not intricately detailed ordeals, but rather they were simple songs of supplication and faith in their God. There was a lot of repetition of lines, such as in "Go Down Moses," where every stanza ends with "let my people go" ("Go"). In this way their song is powerful emotionally and also illustrates their point successfully with repetition.
The use of a common slave as a narrator in these stories also reflects Realism. Because they are not the well-educated narrators of the past, they are more real and relatable to everyday people. In this instance, the songs were simply designed for other slaves in order to keep their morale high, and the songs were very successful in doing so. Therefore they achieved their intended purpose of their projected audience and were easy for the others to relate to. This is another objective of Realism as well as its subgenre Regionalism (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True. February 8, 2011.
"Go Down, Moses." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 347.
"Keep Your Hand on the Plow." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 348.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 346.
Analysis of Lincoln's Speeches
Realism is a genre begun at the beginning of the nineteenth century by influential writers and leaders who began to incorporate the ideas into their speeches (Werlock). These ideas include representing causes and stories with facts and well as plays on emotions (Werlock). In this way the writer gains an emotional response while also using facts to prove those with more scientific or perhaps just skeptical minds, because some people just need proof no matter how convincing the argument may be on the emotional end.
In Lincoln's speeches, "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865" and "The Gettysburg Address," he addresses these sentiments. During both speeches he plays upon facts in the different instances, and he also caters to the emotions of the people that he is trying to reach.
In "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865", Lincoln addresses the divine teachings taught in the Bible that men have to pay for their actions and that true justice is always carried out by God in order to even out the score here on Earth (Lincoln, from "Second"). He talks about this in relation to the punishment that the Americans were being afforded because of their injustice in the system of slavery. Because they spent so long mistreating the slaves, two hundred and fifty years was the number referenced in his speech, then it would be natural that the people would then have to suffer two hundred and fifty years of punishment in order to remedy these injustices. Abraham Lincoln believed that the Civil War and the blood that was shed there was God's punishment for these injustices afforded to the African American slaves (Lincoln, from "Second").
In "The Gettysburg Address," Lincoln addresses the idea of patriotism and what men owe the men who sacrificed their own lives so that we could live in a free nation that stands on its principles (Lincoln, "Gettysburg"). This address was given on an actual battlefield, hence its title, "The Gettysburg Address." This speech was all about how nations that fight amongst themselves cannot endure. He goes on to detail how a nation can never repay the men who fought and struggled for their freed, but he says that the only way they can even attempt to do so is to continue to struggle for the cause that these men laid down their lives for in order to make sure that they would not have died in vain (Lincoln, "Gettysburg").
These speeches represented Realism in their setting and their content. Both were extremely relevant to the time period. Each of them addressed ideas that were happening that were extremely influential and important to the country, such as the Civil War that was happening during "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865" (Lincoln, from "Second"). They also represented Realism by showing the heroes to be everyday American citizens and what they could do to help out their country and respect those who had come before them and struggled for their freedom. In "The Gettysburg Address," Lincoln simply referenced "the living" as the people who were responsible for carrying on the task laid before them (Lincoln, "Gettysburg"). It does not get more general than that, and there is no better way to encompass everyone. In this way his speech applied to every single person that heard it, which is an important aspect of Realism.
Lincoln, Abraham. from "Second Inaugural Address." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 339.
Lincoln, Abraham. "Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln Civil War Speech." American Civil War History Timelines Battle Map Pictures. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
In Lincoln's speeches, "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865" and "The Gettysburg Address," he addresses these sentiments. During both speeches he plays upon facts in the different instances, and he also caters to the emotions of the people that he is trying to reach.
In "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865", Lincoln addresses the divine teachings taught in the Bible that men have to pay for their actions and that true justice is always carried out by God in order to even out the score here on Earth (Lincoln, from "Second"). He talks about this in relation to the punishment that the Americans were being afforded because of their injustice in the system of slavery. Because they spent so long mistreating the slaves, two hundred and fifty years was the number referenced in his speech, then it would be natural that the people would then have to suffer two hundred and fifty years of punishment in order to remedy these injustices. Abraham Lincoln believed that the Civil War and the blood that was shed there was God's punishment for these injustices afforded to the African American slaves (Lincoln, from "Second").
In "The Gettysburg Address," Lincoln addresses the idea of patriotism and what men owe the men who sacrificed their own lives so that we could live in a free nation that stands on its principles (Lincoln, "Gettysburg"). This address was given on an actual battlefield, hence its title, "The Gettysburg Address." This speech was all about how nations that fight amongst themselves cannot endure. He goes on to detail how a nation can never repay the men who fought and struggled for their freed, but he says that the only way they can even attempt to do so is to continue to struggle for the cause that these men laid down their lives for in order to make sure that they would not have died in vain (Lincoln, "Gettysburg").
These speeches represented Realism in their setting and their content. Both were extremely relevant to the time period. Each of them addressed ideas that were happening that were extremely influential and important to the country, such as the Civil War that was happening during "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865" (Lincoln, from "Second"). They also represented Realism by showing the heroes to be everyday American citizens and what they could do to help out their country and respect those who had come before them and struggled for their freedom. In "The Gettysburg Address," Lincoln simply referenced "the living" as the people who were responsible for carrying on the task laid before them (Lincoln, "Gettysburg"). It does not get more general than that, and there is no better way to encompass everyone. In this way his speech applied to every single person that heard it, which is an important aspect of Realism.
Lincoln, Abraham. from "Second Inaugural Address." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 339.
Lincoln, Abraham. "Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln Civil War Speech." American Civil War History Timelines Battle Map Pictures. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Analysis of "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro"
The speech delivered by Frederick Douglass entitled "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro" falls into the regular Realism genre. This speech was delivered to a white congregation, which was in itself a reflection of Realism. Realism was one of the first genres to bring about the use of narrators that were not considered the norm in previous generations. Typically the narrators before had been well educated white males. The fact that an African American was giving a speech was in and of itself a reflection of Realism.
This speech was delivered in 1852, which made its contents appropriate for the time period (Douglass, 337). It also occurred furing the middle of the civil war, which is why it was appropriate. The speech talked about the injustice of Fourth of July celebration for the negroes. In the purest definiton of Realism, the speech that was delivered was simply real. Frederick Douglass used a combination of emotions and facts in order to get his point across, which is a fundamental concept of Realism. Realism is all about the mixing of Rationalism and Romanticism. One relies purely on scientific facts while the other relies on feelings and emotions to convey its point. In Realism, these two ideas are joined. In this way, Frederick Douglass played upon the emotions of the people by approaching them with solid facts about the injustice (Douglass, 337).
Frederick Douglass' point in "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro" is that America was being incredibly hyocritical in their celebration of the Fourth of July (Douglass, 337). The whole point of that holiday is to celebrate that all people in the country are free from the chains and bondage that was imposed upon them my Great Britain. However, while they are sitting there celebrating their own freedom, slaves are being help captive in that same country that seems to value freedom so greatly. In this way Douglass displays the idea of Realism by using the everyday African American person as the hero (Douglass, 337).
An important aspect of Realism is the hero and who is displayed as a hero in this literature . The hero is normally a person that people will be able to relate to very well and sympathize with. He is typically an average citizen who is just trying to make the most of the situations that he is thrust into. In Frederick Douglass' speech, although it was written by an African American man about the plights of African American people to a strictly white audience, he played upon the basic ideas of humanity and the rights that we all share (Douglass, 337). This is where some of the emotion comes into play. Sometimes guilt is the best way to make someone understand what they have done that was wrong. Frederick Douglass employed the guilt factor by making the white men realize that they are being hypocritical by saying that they deserved their freedom from Great Britain but the African Americans do not deserve freedom from their bondage as well (Douglass, 337).
Douglass, Frederick. from "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Glencoe American Literature.comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 337.
This speech was delivered in 1852, which made its contents appropriate for the time period (Douglass, 337). It also occurred furing the middle of the civil war, which is why it was appropriate. The speech talked about the injustice of Fourth of July celebration for the negroes. In the purest definiton of Realism, the speech that was delivered was simply real. Frederick Douglass used a combination of emotions and facts in order to get his point across, which is a fundamental concept of Realism. Realism is all about the mixing of Rationalism and Romanticism. One relies purely on scientific facts while the other relies on feelings and emotions to convey its point. In Realism, these two ideas are joined. In this way, Frederick Douglass played upon the emotions of the people by approaching them with solid facts about the injustice (Douglass, 337).
Frederick Douglass' point in "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro" is that America was being incredibly hyocritical in their celebration of the Fourth of July (Douglass, 337). The whole point of that holiday is to celebrate that all people in the country are free from the chains and bondage that was imposed upon them my Great Britain. However, while they are sitting there celebrating their own freedom, slaves are being help captive in that same country that seems to value freedom so greatly. In this way Douglass displays the idea of Realism by using the everyday African American person as the hero (Douglass, 337).
An important aspect of Realism is the hero and who is displayed as a hero in this literature . The hero is normally a person that people will be able to relate to very well and sympathize with. He is typically an average citizen who is just trying to make the most of the situations that he is thrust into. In Frederick Douglass' speech, although it was written by an African American man about the plights of African American people to a strictly white audience, he played upon the basic ideas of humanity and the rights that we all share (Douglass, 337). This is where some of the emotion comes into play. Sometimes guilt is the best way to make someone understand what they have done that was wrong. Frederick Douglass employed the guilt factor by making the white men realize that they are being hypocritical by saying that they deserved their freedom from Great Britain but the African Americans do not deserve freedom from their bondage as well (Douglass, 337).
Douglass, Frederick. from "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Glencoe American Literature.comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 337.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Regionalism Blog
Regionalism is yet another subset of the Realism genre. Regionalism, befitting its title, gets its classification from the setting of the story. However, the setting also obviously plays an extremely important role in other aspects of the stories. For example, the setting greatly influences the voice of the main character, the events that happen during the story, and the customs and dialect used within the story.
Regionalism is a form of writing that centers around a particular area of the United States (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). Different authors specialized in all varieties of regions. Each region of the country was represented somehow in this genre, such as the West, the South, New England, and areas where immigrants went to live once they had arrived in America. Each of these regions captured a whole different set of unique qualities and characters that made the stories fascinating(Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Most authors in this genre centered around a particular city or county that was important to them in some way (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). For many it was where they grew up or spent most of their lives. In this way they were very familiar with the way things worked in the particular region and were therefore able to make the characters come alive in a way that was very realistic and believable. In fact, the main idea of the entire genre was the more one knew his or her setting, the more believable the characters would become(Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). Because of this I believe the characters that came out of these various authors were merely subconscious projections of people that they had encountered throughout their lifetime.
On the other hand, they could have been imaginative characters that the authors conjured from a childhood in which they were fascinated with that region in particular. It is perfectly plausible that a young boy who was fascinated with the west and cowboys would one day grow up to focus the bulk of his writing on that area of the country and the fascinating people who brought it to life.
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Regionalism is a form of writing that centers around a particular area of the United States (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). Different authors specialized in all varieties of regions. Each region of the country was represented somehow in this genre, such as the West, the South, New England, and areas where immigrants went to live once they had arrived in America. Each of these regions captured a whole different set of unique qualities and characters that made the stories fascinating(Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).
Most authors in this genre centered around a particular city or county that was important to them in some way (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). For many it was where they grew up or spent most of their lives. In this way they were very familiar with the way things worked in the particular region and were therefore able to make the characters come alive in a way that was very realistic and believable. In fact, the main idea of the entire genre was the more one knew his or her setting, the more believable the characters would become(Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). Because of this I believe the characters that came out of these various authors were merely subconscious projections of people that they had encountered throughout their lifetime.
On the other hand, they could have been imaginative characters that the authors conjured from a childhood in which they were fascinated with that region in particular. It is perfectly plausible that a young boy who was fascinated with the west and cowboys would one day grow up to focus the bulk of his writing on that area of the country and the fascinating people who brought it to life.
Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Naturalism Blog
Naturalism is seen as a subset of the genre Realism, because it contains many of the same characteristics yet it can also stand on its own as a genre. It came about sometime in the late nineteenth century, while Realism was developed in the early nineteenth century. These works are sometimes reported to have been started by a French woman, however there were many American authors who also adopted the writing style (Sommers).
Naturalism is a genre based mainly upon the ideas of Charles Darwin (Sommers). Darwin was a scientist who believed that humans were simply highly developed animals with no sense of free will at all. He believed that everything that made up their character had to do with their genetics and the environment that they were raised in. In this way, naturalist writing became almost like a study or a science experiment on what we think of as common animals (Sommers).
Because of these theories, the stories in the Naturalism genre could generally be supposed to follow along the same basic story line. This story line was about a person whose actions are driven by his own compulsions and desires, yet he cannot decide how his destiny will pan out in the end (Sommers).
These stories were written along a basic guideline as far as technique as well (Sommers). Most of the stories were presented as sort of factual, scientific journal entries about how the main character reacts to events in his or her life. In this way the style also resembles almost a case study about a particular animal that we would find today. In these stories the subject, or hero of the story if you will, is placed in an unfamiliar place. The character is then studied and his or her reactions to the place are recorded as if an experiment is being conducted as to how he or she will react to the situation. As previously mentioned, the character acts upon his or her own instincts but is still fated to accept whatever will come to him or her in the long run (Sommers).
Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).
Naturalism is a genre based mainly upon the ideas of Charles Darwin (Sommers). Darwin was a scientist who believed that humans were simply highly developed animals with no sense of free will at all. He believed that everything that made up their character had to do with their genetics and the environment that they were raised in. In this way, naturalist writing became almost like a study or a science experiment on what we think of as common animals (Sommers).
Because of these theories, the stories in the Naturalism genre could generally be supposed to follow along the same basic story line. This story line was about a person whose actions are driven by his own compulsions and desires, yet he cannot decide how his destiny will pan out in the end (Sommers).
These stories were written along a basic guideline as far as technique as well (Sommers). Most of the stories were presented as sort of factual, scientific journal entries about how the main character reacts to events in his or her life. In this way the style also resembles almost a case study about a particular animal that we would find today. In these stories the subject, or hero of the story if you will, is placed in an unfamiliar place. The character is then studied and his or her reactions to the place are recorded as if an experiment is being conducted as to how he or she will react to the situation. As previously mentioned, the character acts upon his or her own instincts but is still fated to accept whatever will come to him or her in the long run (Sommers).
Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).
Realism Blog
Realism is a fascinating genre of literature that first began appearing towards the end of the nineteenth century (Werlock). The development of Realism was a gradual process that was the result of various authors' experimentation with their literature. Mark Twain was one such pioneer in the genre of Realism. He started slowly incorporating aspects of it into his writings, as did Rebecca Harding Davis and Kate Chopin. This was done by slowly infusing principles of what we now know as Realism into a Romantic style of writing. While Romanticism was based more upon a flowery and lovely interpretation of life that appealed to the senses, Realism focused more on cold, hard facts that made things more believable and a more accurate representation of how things really were. By the beginning of the 20th century there were many writers who were writing works that could be classified into the Realism genre(Werlock).
The effects of the end of the Civil War and the rise of Industrialism did a lot to bring about the change in literature from Romanticism to Realism (Barney and Paddock). Writing started to shift more from the typical exotic places and wonderful heroes found in Romanticism towards a more average Joe-type hero that everyone could relate to, and the setting became more of a typical city or town. These stories centered around events that happened near one's own home. The American Dream portrayed in these stories became more about everyday victories that the reader could relate to (Barney and Paddock).
One characteristic of Realism was also its use of atypical narrators (Barney and Paddock). For example, the narrator Huck in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn gave a new spin to literature by using an uneducated, average citizen as a narrator. This lack of a more formal narrator was not common until the advent of Realism, and it helped give a more real feel to the literature that people could relate to (Barney and Paddock).
In all, Realism was an important part of creating the literature that we have today by incorporating facts into the more appealing side of literature.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "realism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
The effects of the end of the Civil War and the rise of Industrialism did a lot to bring about the change in literature from Romanticism to Realism (Barney and Paddock). Writing started to shift more from the typical exotic places and wonderful heroes found in Romanticism towards a more average Joe-type hero that everyone could relate to, and the setting became more of a typical city or town. These stories centered around events that happened near one's own home. The American Dream portrayed in these stories became more about everyday victories that the reader could relate to (Barney and Paddock).
One characteristic of Realism was also its use of atypical narrators (Barney and Paddock). For example, the narrator Huck in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn gave a new spin to literature by using an uneducated, average citizen as a narrator. This lack of a more formal narrator was not common until the advent of Realism, and it helped give a more real feel to the literature that people could relate to (Barney and Paddock).
In all, Realism was an important part of creating the literature that we have today by incorporating facts into the more appealing side of literature.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "realism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).
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