Though I would much rather write about how Emily Dickinson’s poems often seem to go along to the tune in the theme song of “Gilligan’s Island,” it would be rather hard to reason why this was because of the fact that the television show came on much, much later than when Dickinson’s poems were published. Instead, I shall write about how many of her poems could be read to “Amazing Grace” which is much easier to relate to Dickinson because it was most defiantly around when Dickinson was writing her poems.
I do not find it all that surprising that a common tune in her poems was a hymnal because of her family background. She was raised in New England by wealthy Calvinists. It is no stretch to say that since her father was a Calvinist, she was also one, due to the fact that women had little freedom, even in the choice of their religion. Given the fact that she grew up hearing this hymnal, it comes as no surprise that she uses it to base some of her poems off of in terms of rhythm. It was something that she was very familiar with and one that many people would also be familiar with. This allowed for more people to enjoy her poetry because they would be able to read it to a tune that they heard all of the time when they went to church.
The ability to read literature to a beat or rhythm also allows the writer to impart more meaning and feeling without adding any more words. I can see how this would appeal to Emily Dickinson because she was a writer that was very concerned and careful how she worded things so that all of the feeling she was trying to express would come out in a meaningful and eloquent way. By choosing “Amazing Grace,” she gives the poem more of a smooth and mellow feeling while different tunes could help her express everything that she is trying to get across to the reader.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Reflection: The Writing Style of Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson is hailed to be one of the greatest and most popular poets even up into the modern day where many people still read her works for inspiration. It is quite sad, looking back, that she did not know how well she was liked due to the fact that she actually only published a fraction of what she wrote during her lifetime, so she could not hear the enormous praise of her writings by many people.
Being born into a New England family, even she admitted that she had a “New Englandly” (McChesney 1). The ideals that she was raised around affected the way that she interpreted information, so it defiantly shows in her writing. It was obvious from very early on that Emily Dickinson was going to be some kind of poet, maybe even a famous one. In one of her letters to her friends, she contemplates why people, including herself, always take the fast fleeting days of summer for granted and only realize that they are gone once summer is almost at an end, yet next summer people do the same thing (McChesney 3). At the time, she was only fifteen years old, and instead of being “concerned with clothes and hair and social activities, Dickinson was already measuring her days with the weights and balances of a philosopher” (McChesney 3). Like other women of her time period, she was forced to do all of the housework, and subsequently, had very little time to actually write down all of the poet genius in her head. Her family, for the longest time, had no idea that she was writing poetry (McChesney 3).
One aspect of her writing style that she developed very early one in her writing life was when she was writing a letter to her cousin and she put a “blank” line instead of a salutation, to which she claimed that “’That isn’t an empty blank where I began—it is so full of affection that you can’t see any—that’s all’” (McChesney 3). These empty blanks that only she knew what went in them were continued to be used and perfected over her writing career (McChesney 3). One good example is when she says that “’I found the words to every thought I ever had – but One – ‘”which gives the impression that the word which is not there is unutterable word (Fagan 1). These dashes are “the physical manifestations of thought” which can be interpreted differently, depending on the reader (Fagan 2).
Another characteristic of her writing style is her love of nature that she shared with the rest of her family. Her focus in most of her works about nature was about the “miniature world of a leaf, a blade of grass, or an insect” (McChesney 3). By doing this she started to compare the relationships between the “tiny and the infinite” which led her to compare “the relationships of the natural world at hand with the boundless world of the universe” (McChesney 1). Even before Emily was fully grown and old, she seemed to poses the wisdom of an ancient thinker who spent the last several centuries just thinking.
McChesney, Sandra. "A View from the Window: The Poetry of Emily Dickinson." In Harold Bloom, ed. Emily Dickinson, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Fagan, Deirdre. "Emily Dickinson's Unutterable Word." Emily Dickinson Journal 14, no. 2 (Fall 2005): 70–75. Quoted as "Emily Dickinson's Unutterable Word" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Emily Dickinson, New Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Being born into a New England family, even she admitted that she had a “New Englandly” (McChesney 1). The ideals that she was raised around affected the way that she interpreted information, so it defiantly shows in her writing. It was obvious from very early on that Emily Dickinson was going to be some kind of poet, maybe even a famous one. In one of her letters to her friends, she contemplates why people, including herself, always take the fast fleeting days of summer for granted and only realize that they are gone once summer is almost at an end, yet next summer people do the same thing (McChesney 3). At the time, she was only fifteen years old, and instead of being “concerned with clothes and hair and social activities, Dickinson was already measuring her days with the weights and balances of a philosopher” (McChesney 3). Like other women of her time period, she was forced to do all of the housework, and subsequently, had very little time to actually write down all of the poet genius in her head. Her family, for the longest time, had no idea that she was writing poetry (McChesney 3).
One aspect of her writing style that she developed very early one in her writing life was when she was writing a letter to her cousin and she put a “blank” line instead of a salutation, to which she claimed that “’That isn’t an empty blank where I began—it is so full of affection that you can’t see any—that’s all’” (McChesney 3). These empty blanks that only she knew what went in them were continued to be used and perfected over her writing career (McChesney 3). One good example is when she says that “’I found the words to every thought I ever had – but One – ‘”which gives the impression that the word which is not there is unutterable word (Fagan 1). These dashes are “the physical manifestations of thought” which can be interpreted differently, depending on the reader (Fagan 2).
Another characteristic of her writing style is her love of nature that she shared with the rest of her family. Her focus in most of her works about nature was about the “miniature world of a leaf, a blade of grass, or an insect” (McChesney 3). By doing this she started to compare the relationships between the “tiny and the infinite” which led her to compare “the relationships of the natural world at hand with the boundless world of the universe” (McChesney 1). Even before Emily was fully grown and old, she seemed to poses the wisdom of an ancient thinker who spent the last several centuries just thinking.
Fagan, Deirdre. "Emily Dickinson's Unutterable Word." Emily Dickinson Journal 14, no. 2 (Fall 2005): 70–75. Quoted as "Emily Dickinson's Unutterable Word" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Emily Dickinson, New Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Reflection: The Writing Style of Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman is a very interesting writer, to say the least. With such popularity in today’s world, it is hard to imagine that at one time, he was virtually cast aside by his fellow writers. That is what happened, though; his writing style made him an outcast of sorts in the writing community. Some even despised his book because of his writing style. It was only until years after his death that people realized how good of a poet he actually was.
Instead of just following the writing styles of the other poets of his time period when he wrote his poems, he decided to try and create a new style; one unique to him. His main goal with this new writing style was to reach a wider audience in America so that more people would be able to read and understand poetry (Connors 1). He also wanted to revitalize the poetry scene during his time which had become mundane and seldom contained the “vigor and creativity Whitman knew existed” in America at the time (Connors 1).
The solution that he saw to the problem of poetry not being widely read by many Americans was fairly simple, he decided to make his writings easier to understand than the other writings out at the time. The way that he put this into practice was by writing in free verse, which means that there would be no meter or rhyme in his poetry. I believe this is because someone is restricted to meter and rhyme while writing a poem, they are forced to use a specific set of vocabulary that would satisfy the limits of their style. This in turn creates many cases where writers are forced to use unnecessary complexity simply to make sure that their writing style is “correct.” Now free from these restrictions, Whitman was free to express his feelings exactly like he wanted to without heed for whether or not he had enough syllables or if he rhyme scheme was correct. With less excessive figurative language, more readers would be able to read and understand Whitman’s poetry, which is what he wanted to accomplish. Another aspect of Whitman’s writing style was that he thought of all Americans, including himself, as one whole.
This extremely different writing style, which I assume would come across as an insult to the other writers of the time, angered many of his peers. One even got so mad at the near blasphemy that Whitman’s portfolio seemed to poetry that he through his copy of Leaves of Grass into his fireplace (Connors 1). As even more insult to Whitman, he was not invited to a meeting of prominent writers of his time period, either out of forgetfulness or on purpose (Connors 1). Whitman caught a break, though, when Emerson wrote a letter praising him, hailing him as a great poet who had a long and successful career ahead of him. This not only increased to popularity and legitimacy of Whitman’s writings but it also inflated his ego making it even bigger.
Connors, Judith. "Whitman, Walt." In Bloom, Harold, ed. Walt Whitman, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Instead of just following the writing styles of the other poets of his time period when he wrote his poems, he decided to try and create a new style; one unique to him. His main goal with this new writing style was to reach a wider audience in America so that more people would be able to read and understand poetry (Connors 1). He also wanted to revitalize the poetry scene during his time which had become mundane and seldom contained the “vigor and creativity Whitman knew existed” in America at the time (Connors 1).
The solution that he saw to the problem of poetry not being widely read by many Americans was fairly simple, he decided to make his writings easier to understand than the other writings out at the time. The way that he put this into practice was by writing in free verse, which means that there would be no meter or rhyme in his poetry. I believe this is because someone is restricted to meter and rhyme while writing a poem, they are forced to use a specific set of vocabulary that would satisfy the limits of their style. This in turn creates many cases where writers are forced to use unnecessary complexity simply to make sure that their writing style is “correct.” Now free from these restrictions, Whitman was free to express his feelings exactly like he wanted to without heed for whether or not he had enough syllables or if he rhyme scheme was correct. With less excessive figurative language, more readers would be able to read and understand Whitman’s poetry, which is what he wanted to accomplish. Another aspect of Whitman’s writing style was that he thought of all Americans, including himself, as one whole.
This extremely different writing style, which I assume would come across as an insult to the other writers of the time, angered many of his peers. One even got so mad at the near blasphemy that Whitman’s portfolio seemed to poetry that he through his copy of Leaves of Grass into his fireplace (Connors 1). As even more insult to Whitman, he was not invited to a meeting of prominent writers of his time period, either out of forgetfulness or on purpose (Connors 1). Whitman caught a break, though, when Emerson wrote a letter praising him, hailing him as a great poet who had a long and successful career ahead of him. This not only increased to popularity and legitimacy of Whitman’s writings but it also inflated his ego making it even bigger.
Connors, Judith. "Whitman, Walt." In Bloom, Harold, ed. Walt Whitman, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
"O Captain! My Captain!"
Yet another author that I have heard many times spoken of in very high regard, similar to how Emily Dickenson is spoken about, Walt Whitman is a very popular author. We already had to read one of his poems, “Calvary Crossing a Ford,” and I was surprised when I heard the name Whitman to not be reading “O Captain, My Captain” because it is one of his works that is synonymous with his name, at least to me. Now that I am given the choice choose which poem by Whitman to read, I am going to have to go ahead and read “O Captain! My Captain!” so that I can see why everyone likes it so much.
As it turns out, “O Captain! My Captain!” is a fairly depressing poem. At first, I thought it was going to actually be about how these heroes come back from a dangerous trip alive. Then it is revealed to the reader that the Captain is indeed dead, and the narrator spends the rest of the poem lamenting his death and wishing and hoping that “it is some dream that on the deck, You’ve fallen cold and dead” (Whitman 15 – 16). The people of the port do not yet know that their hero is dead on the deck of the ship, for unknown reasons to the reader.
I do not think that this poem shows very much correlation or hint of effect from Emerson and Thoreau’s writings and philosophies. I say this because Emerson and Thoreau’s writing seemed to me more “boring” and more about how to live one’s life and teaching simplicity instead of the “epic story” this poem seems to resemble. It also seems to show nature as being an unfair entity, or a force, that kills a Captain who was about to arrive home after a difficult yet successful voyage. He was so close to fame and glory, but nature had to deny him the right; this characterization of nature would defiantly be different from how Emerson or Thoreau would have portrayed “her.”
Whitman, Walt. "O Captain! My Captain!, by Walt Whitman." Poetry Archive. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.
As it turns out, “O Captain! My Captain!” is a fairly depressing poem. At first, I thought it was going to actually be about how these heroes come back from a dangerous trip alive. Then it is revealed to the reader that the Captain is indeed dead, and the narrator spends the rest of the poem lamenting his death and wishing and hoping that “it is some dream that on the deck, You’ve fallen cold and dead” (Whitman 15 – 16). The people of the port do not yet know that their hero is dead on the deck of the ship, for unknown reasons to the reader.
I do not think that this poem shows very much correlation or hint of effect from Emerson and Thoreau’s writings and philosophies. I say this because Emerson and Thoreau’s writing seemed to me more “boring” and more about how to live one’s life and teaching simplicity instead of the “epic story” this poem seems to resemble. It also seems to show nature as being an unfair entity, or a force, that kills a Captain who was about to arrive home after a difficult yet successful voyage. He was so close to fame and glory, but nature had to deny him the right; this characterization of nature would defiantly be different from how Emerson or Thoreau would have portrayed “her.”
"Nature, the Gentlest Mother"
During my years of schooling and watching T.V., I have always heard people talking about how their favorite poet is the great Emily Dickinson. After reading just one of her poems, I can defiantly see why they like her so much; there is something in the way that she writes that seems to speak right to the reader. The poem that I chose to read from her was “Nature, the gentlest mother” from the Nature section in the complete collection of her poems. In all honesty, I chose one under this section and title because I figured that it would be the easiest to relate to the philosophies of Emerson and Thoreau because they both valued, nature, but I will get to that point later.
The short poem is a very simple one. It is simply about the way Emily see’s nature; as “the gentlest mother” ( Dickinson 1 ). It talks about how it is caring and full of life. It is the most loving and caring thing we know.
I think that Emily Dickinson was heavily influenced by the writing styles and philosophies of transcendentalists like Emerson and Thoreau. I believe this because she refers to nature as a “ her “ which gives the reader the illusion and idea that she believes that nature is a living person that cares for all living things with great love and care. This is similar to Emerson and Thoreau because they often times referred to nature with a capital “N” instead of the normal lower case letter. This shows that they have much reverence for nature. The capital “N” does not only imply reverence and respect, it also gives the idea similar to the one given by Dickenson; nature is a living person. Another similarity to Emerson and Thoreau was the fact that in the fourteenth line of the poem, she uses the word “prayer” which also gives the poem an immediate religious undertone, which is similar to Emerson’s idea that God can only be observed through nature.
Dickinson, Emily. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. Boston: Little, Brown, 1924; Bartleby.com, 2000.
The short poem is a very simple one. It is simply about the way Emily see’s nature; as “the gentlest mother” ( Dickinson 1 ). It talks about how it is caring and full of life. It is the most loving and caring thing we know.
I think that Emily Dickinson was heavily influenced by the writing styles and philosophies of transcendentalists like Emerson and Thoreau. I believe this because she refers to nature as a “ her “ which gives the reader the illusion and idea that she believes that nature is a living person that cares for all living things with great love and care. This is similar to Emerson and Thoreau because they often times referred to nature with a capital “N” instead of the normal lower case letter. This shows that they have much reverence for nature. The capital “N” does not only imply reverence and respect, it also gives the idea similar to the one given by Dickenson; nature is a living person. Another similarity to Emerson and Thoreau was the fact that in the fourteenth line of the poem, she uses the word “prayer” which also gives the poem an immediate religious undertone, which is similar to Emerson’s idea that God can only be observed through nature.
"To Build A Fire"
“To Build a Fire” by Jack London was a short story about a man hiking the near the Yukon Trail in modern Alaska. It started off just talking about how he was making great time on his hike and how a dog started to follow him. There was a bit of foreshadowing when the narrator mentioned that a man told him that nobody should go out when it was fifty degrees below zero without a partner; it was seventy-five degrees below zero on this day. Then, as he is following a river, he falls into a deep pool of spring water. He only gets wet up to his knees, but that is still not a good thing to have when it is cold enough to freeze a man’s spit before it hits the ground. He tries to build a fire, but when he gets a good one started, snow falls off the tree above it and puts it out. By this time, his limbs are thoroughly numb, and he is having a hard time getting another fire started. He finally panics after failing to start another fire. He finally tires out, and lays down to fall asleep and accept death.
I think that this has some similarities to the philosophies of Emerson and Thoreau. First of all, this has a great amount of descriptions of nature which is defiantly a characteristic similar to transcendentalist writings. Also, the fact that it is one man alone in nature taking care of himself is similar to Emersononian “Self-Reliance.” Another thing that stood out to me is the fact that at the beginning of the story, when the man was still relatively warm and, well, alive, he talked about the wolf dog’s instincts in a condescending way compared to the man’s knowledge that came with being with a human. Then, when the man is running to camp for his life after his failed attempt at making the second fire, he cursed the dog because “the warmth and security of the animal angered him” (London 614). This shows that London thinks knowledge found in nature, like the kind the dog has, is more important than knowledge found through reason.
Jack London. "To Build A Fire" Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 603-614. Print.
I think that this has some similarities to the philosophies of Emerson and Thoreau. First of all, this has a great amount of descriptions of nature which is defiantly a characteristic similar to transcendentalist writings. Also, the fact that it is one man alone in nature taking care of himself is similar to Emersononian “Self-Reliance.” Another thing that stood out to me is the fact that at the beginning of the story, when the man was still relatively warm and, well, alive, he talked about the wolf dog’s instincts in a condescending way compared to the man’s knowledge that came with being with a human. Then, when the man is running to camp for his life after his failed attempt at making the second fire, he cursed the dog because “the warmth and security of the animal angered him” (London 614). This shows that London thinks knowledge found in nature, like the kind the dog has, is more important than knowledge found through reason.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
"Richard Cory"
Between the two of the Edwin Arlington Robinson poems that we could choose to write this blog about, I would have to go with “Richard Cory.” I would pick “Richard Cory” over “Miniver Cheevy” because I personally think that “Richard Cory” shows more of a similarity and a better display of Robinson’s philosophies than “Miniver Cheevy” did.
“Richard Cory” is a short poem about a man named Richard Cory who is admired by all of the normal people in his town. He was “richer than a king” and every time he talked, he would “flutter pulses” of whomever he was addressing (Robinson 575). Even though everyone looked up to him and envied him, the end of the poem throws in a little twist; one night, Richard Cory goes home and kills himself by shooting himself in the head (Robinson 575). It is very easy to determine what the point to this poem is; money can not buy you happiness.
I think that this philosophy of “money can not buy you happiness” shows a similarity to the philosophy of Emerson and Thoreau. This shows a connection to the transcendentalist idea that material wealth and money is no way to true happiness and understanding. Nature is the only way to find truth and understanding of one’s self and the universe around them. Another little thing that stood out to me in the poem was the little phrase “And he was always human when he talked” (Robinson 575). The reason why this stood out to me was because it implies that the people did not think of him as a human, something more, a god of some sorts maybe. During the entirety of the description of Richard Cory, it never once mentioned anything about what he did nature wise, like how he hiked or anything like that. All it said was about how well he dressed, how formally educated he was, and how wealthy he was. That ended up meaning nothing to him.
Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Richard Cory" Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 575. Print.
“Richard Cory” is a short poem about a man named Richard Cory who is admired by all of the normal people in his town. He was “richer than a king” and every time he talked, he would “flutter pulses” of whomever he was addressing (Robinson 575). Even though everyone looked up to him and envied him, the end of the poem throws in a little twist; one night, Richard Cory goes home and kills himself by shooting himself in the head (Robinson 575). It is very easy to determine what the point to this poem is; money can not buy you happiness.
I think that this philosophy of “money can not buy you happiness” shows a similarity to the philosophy of Emerson and Thoreau. This shows a connection to the transcendentalist idea that material wealth and money is no way to true happiness and understanding. Nature is the only way to find truth and understanding of one’s self and the universe around them. Another little thing that stood out to me in the poem was the little phrase “And he was always human when he talked” (Robinson 575). The reason why this stood out to me was because it implies that the people did not think of him as a human, something more, a god of some sorts maybe. During the entirety of the description of Richard Cory, it never once mentioned anything about what he did nature wise, like how he hiked or anything like that. All it said was about how well he dressed, how formally educated he was, and how wealthy he was. That ended up meaning nothing to him.
"The Darling"
“The Darling” by Anton Chekhov is a short story about a woman named Olga “Olenka” Semyonovna who “was constantly in love with someone and could not live otherwise” (Chekhov 558). Although on the surface it might seem like this short story is simply about a girl who moves from husband to husband as each one leaves her in different ways, I think that there is much more meaning to it than that.
The main thing that stood out to me about this short story was the fact that whenever Olenka found a new husband to attach on to, she took up all of the traits and the opinions that they had. This effectively meant that she had no opinions for herself, which is why she was left so sad and empty each time her husband left. While the story does seem to show how happy she is when she has someone to love and to form opinions from, it also seems to warn about the dangers of someone not having the capacity to have their own thoughts and opinions. This comes from the fact that Chekhov writes about how she is wilting away when she has nobody to love.
The point that Chekhov is trying to make is that it is better for one to have their own opinions so that even when they have no one to love and to share ideas and opinions with, they still have independence in their own heads. I personally think that this is similar to the idea of Emerson’s philosophy of self reliance because they both promote the importance of being an individual. This story also strongly reminded me about the story of Echo in Greek mythology. This is yet another reason why this story shows influences of writers like Emerson and Thoreau.
One thing that I would like to point out, on the other hand, is that there is little chance that Emerson or Thoreau had any influence on this work because Chekhov was Russian.
The main thing that stood out to me about this short story was the fact that whenever Olenka found a new husband to attach on to, she took up all of the traits and the opinions that they had. This effectively meant that she had no opinions for herself, which is why she was left so sad and empty each time her husband left. While the story does seem to show how happy she is when she has someone to love and to form opinions from, it also seems to warn about the dangers of someone not having the capacity to have their own thoughts and opinions. This comes from the fact that Chekhov writes about how she is wilting away when she has nobody to love.
The point that Chekhov is trying to make is that it is better for one to have their own opinions so that even when they have no one to love and to share ideas and opinions with, they still have independence in their own heads. I personally think that this is similar to the idea of Emerson’s philosophy of self reliance because they both promote the importance of being an individual. This story also strongly reminded me about the story of Echo in Greek mythology. This is yet another reason why this story shows influences of writers like Emerson and Thoreau.
One thing that I would like to point out, on the other hand, is that there is little chance that Emerson or Thoreau had any influence on this work because Chekhov was Russian.
Chekhov, Anton. "The Darling" Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 558-565. Print.
"I Will Fight No More Forever"
“I Will Fight No More Forever” is a famous speech by Chief Joseph of the Nez Percé peoples in the late 1800’s after his father died in 1871.
Even though this speech is a very short work, it contains as much emotion and meaning as a normal, full length short story. The main message that the reader gets when they read this is deep desperation and defeat of someone that was once considered strong by the people he lead and protected. When I read this in our literature books, I had the pre recorded voice read to me because to me, a speech, especially one like this, should be heard coming from someone else because that is how it was intended on being read to the listener. Even hearing it from some person hired by Glencoe Company to read it from a script was able to impart much feeling and emotion mostly because it would be hard not to read it without any emotion. I can not even imagine how moving it must have been to have heard it from Chief Joseph himself.
I do not think that this speech has or an show much similarity to the philosophies of Emerson and Thoreau. The main issue that I think that sets the two groups apart would be the fact that Emerson and Thoreau thought that one should be “Self-Reliant,” for Emerson, and Thoreau thought that if something is against a person’s morals, they should not participate in those rules. These two philosophies differ from Chief Joseph’s in this instance because he, as a leader, can’t be self-reliant. He has an entire tribe that he has to look out for and keep safe. In this instance, he had to make the decision to stop the suffering of his people by surrendering and giving in to the government’s orders, which would also be against Thoreau’s philosophy. On the other hand, it was the peaceful option so maybe Thoreau would have approved.
Even though this speech is a very short work, it contains as much emotion and meaning as a normal, full length short story. The main message that the reader gets when they read this is deep desperation and defeat of someone that was once considered strong by the people he lead and protected. When I read this in our literature books, I had the pre recorded voice read to me because to me, a speech, especially one like this, should be heard coming from someone else because that is how it was intended on being read to the listener. Even hearing it from some person hired by Glencoe Company to read it from a script was able to impart much feeling and emotion mostly because it would be hard not to read it without any emotion. I can not even imagine how moving it must have been to have heard it from Chief Joseph himself.
I do not think that this speech has or an show much similarity to the philosophies of Emerson and Thoreau. The main issue that I think that sets the two groups apart would be the fact that Emerson and Thoreau thought that one should be “Self-Reliant,” for Emerson, and Thoreau thought that if something is against a person’s morals, they should not participate in those rules. These two philosophies differ from Chief Joseph’s in this instance because he, as a leader, can’t be self-reliant. He has an entire tribe that he has to look out for and keep safe. In this instance, he had to make the decision to stop the suffering of his people by surrendering and giving in to the government’s orders, which would also be against Thoreau’s philosophy. On the other hand, it was the peaceful option so maybe Thoreau would have approved.
Joseph, Chief. "I Will Fight No More Forever" Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 533. Print.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
"Spoon River Anthology"
The two excerpts that I read from Edgar Lee Master’s Spoon River Anthology were “Lucinda Matlock” and “Fiddler Jones.” The poem “Lucinda Matlock” was about an outgoing woman who went to parties in her younger years, who met her husband whom she settled down with for the rest of her life. She enjoyed the simple things in life and died contentedly. “Fiddler Jones” was about a man who knew how to play the fiddle so he was always playing at parties and get-togethers. Everything he did reminded him on the dances he played at; the rustling of dry leaves remind him of the movement of a certain girl, “Red Head Sammy,” dancing or how the wind tousling the corn in the fields reminds him of the dancing and rustling of a girls skirt at a dance. He was always willing to join in on a good time.
From reading just these two poems from Spoon River Anthology, I got the impression that his philosophies might be similar to the philosophies of Emerson and Thoreau. I make the connection between their writings because, for one, in “Lucinda Matlock,” towards the end of the poem the narrator refers to the children of the next generation as “degenerate sons and daughters” (Masters 516). This idea that the new generation is becoming distanced from where they are supposed to be is an idea shared by Thoreau. Thoreau believed that Americans had lost sight of what was really important in their pursuit of material gain and wealth (Grant 2). This claim could be easily backed up by the fact that Thoreau thought that the only way to real meaning is a better “relationship” with nature and in the poem Lucinda was said to have gone out to the fields frequently and singing to the forest (Masters 16). This close connection with nature brought Lucinda to the conclusion that it was the way to find true happiness just like Thoreau did.
Grant, P. B. "Individual and Society in Walden." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of
Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Masters, Edgar Lee. "Spoon River Anthology" Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 516-517. Print.
From reading just these two poems from Spoon River Anthology, I got the impression that his philosophies might be similar to the philosophies of Emerson and Thoreau. I make the connection between their writings because, for one, in “Lucinda Matlock,” towards the end of the poem the narrator refers to the children of the next generation as “degenerate sons and daughters” (Masters 516). This idea that the new generation is becoming distanced from where they are supposed to be is an idea shared by Thoreau. Thoreau believed that Americans had lost sight of what was really important in their pursuit of material gain and wealth (Grant 2). This claim could be easily backed up by the fact that Thoreau thought that the only way to real meaning is a better “relationship” with nature and in the poem Lucinda was said to have gone out to the fields frequently and singing to the forest (Masters 16). This close connection with nature brought Lucinda to the conclusion that it was the way to find true happiness just like Thoreau did.
Grant, P. B. "Individual and Society in Walden." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of
Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Masters, Edgar Lee. "Spoon River Anthology" Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 516-517. Print.
Monday, March 12, 2012
"Two Views of the River"
To me, “Two Views of the River” shows a great deal of similarities to the philosophies of Emerson and Thoreau. The easiest connection to make between the writers’ writing styles would have to be the fact that most of the short story was written describing a river. This fascination and reverence for the beauty of nature is very similar to Emerson and Thoreau because they were people who held Nature in the highest regards. One of the more in depth connections that can be made is the fact that when Clemens was talking about the river, one little word showed a connection to Emerson and Thoreau’s transcendentalist ideas. The word I am talking about would be “rapture,” which he says twice in the second paragraph (Twain 505). Even though he may not mean the literal rapture, although it is always possible he did, it still makes the reader look at the description of the river in more of a religious light just because of the religious implications the word “rapture” holds. This religious view of nature is very similar to the views of transcendentalists like Emerson and Thoreau because they saw nature as proof of the existence of a divine power and that true knowledge could only come from studying nature (Quinn 1).
The other important part of this short narrative is the fact that, as the name implies, it is a comparison between how he used to view the river as opposed to how he views it now. When he describes the beauty and splendor of the river, he uses language that conveys love and compassion for the new landscape. When he talks about how he sees the river now, though, he puts it in a way that seems cold and full of distaste. This association with nature as beautiful and the industry on the river as cold and calculated is very similar to Thoreau’s ideas that the society of his time had become obsessed with material wealth and less concerned with the spirit of the individual (Grant 2).
Grant, P. B. "Individual and Society in Walden." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River" Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 504-505. Print.
The other important part of this short narrative is the fact that, as the name implies, it is a comparison between how he used to view the river as opposed to how he views it now. When he describes the beauty and splendor of the river, he uses language that conveys love and compassion for the new landscape. When he talks about how he sees the river now, though, he puts it in a way that seems cold and full of distaste. This association with nature as beautiful and the industry on the river as cold and calculated is very similar to Thoreau’s ideas that the society of his time had become obsessed with material wealth and less concerned with the spirit of the individual (Grant 2).
Grant, P. B. "Individual and Society in Walden." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River" Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 504-505. Print.
Quinn, Edward. "Transcendentalism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
"The Red Badge of Courage"
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane was a story about a man, Henry Fleming, who was a soldier during the Civil War who was hit in the head by a fellow soldier during battle who goes on to lie about his injury. He is thought of as a hero for having been hurt during battle.
Even thought there was a very short excerpt from the whole work in our literature book, I gathered that Crane’s philosophy is different from that of Emerson or Thoreau. The initial fact that brought me to this conclusion is the fact that our literature books listed this sort part of the book and Stephen Crane as a Naturalist instead of a Transcendentalist like Thoreau or Emerson. Another reason why I think that Crane’s writing and philosophy differs from Emerson and Thoreau is because in the short part that I read, it talked mainly about Fleming’s feelings instead of the natural surroundings. On the subject of Fleming’s feelings, they are described in a very animalistic sense; Crane even compares Fleming’s feelings to that of the “acute exacerbation of a pestered animal” (Crane 493). This approach to analyzing the feelings of Fleming exemplifies that is a Naturalist because Naturalists were influenced by Charles Darwin’s writing and how he said that people are just highly evolved mammals and nothing else (Sommers 1). Naturalists also believe that humans had no souls because since everyone thought that animals did not have souls and he Darwin believed people were just a high ordered mammal, we also had no soul (Sommers 1). This idea, to me, is very contradictory to the philosophies of Emerson because his major work, Self-Reliance is about having the inner strength and having one’s soul in tune nature. Another way to put the goal in self reliance is to determine what is “natural in the world as well as what is inspirational within the human soul” (Brugman 1). The main behind the Transcendentalists is that the only way to achieve “true knowledge” is to go commune with nature and to look within one’s soul (Quinn 1).
Brugman, Patricia. "Nature in 'Self-Reliance'." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of
Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Even thought there was a very short excerpt from the whole work in our literature book, I gathered that Crane’s philosophy is different from that of Emerson or Thoreau. The initial fact that brought me to this conclusion is the fact that our literature books listed this sort part of the book and Stephen Crane as a Naturalist instead of a Transcendentalist like Thoreau or Emerson. Another reason why I think that Crane’s writing and philosophy differs from Emerson and Thoreau is because in the short part that I read, it talked mainly about Fleming’s feelings instead of the natural surroundings. On the subject of Fleming’s feelings, they are described in a very animalistic sense; Crane even compares Fleming’s feelings to that of the “acute exacerbation of a pestered animal” (Crane 493). This approach to analyzing the feelings of Fleming exemplifies that is a Naturalist because Naturalists were influenced by Charles Darwin’s writing and how he said that people are just highly evolved mammals and nothing else (Sommers 1). Naturalists also believe that humans had no souls because since everyone thought that animals did not have souls and he Darwin believed people were just a high ordered mammal, we also had no soul (Sommers 1). This idea, to me, is very contradictory to the philosophies of Emerson because his major work, Self-Reliance is about having the inner strength and having one’s soul in tune nature. Another way to put the goal in self reliance is to determine what is “natural in the world as well as what is inspirational within the human soul” (Brugman 1). The main behind the Transcendentalists is that the only way to achieve “true knowledge” is to go commune with nature and to look within one’s soul (Quinn 1).
Brugman, Patricia. "Nature in 'Self-Reliance'." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of
Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
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.
Quinn, Edward. "Transcendentalism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Quinn, Edward. "Transcendentalism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
"The Story of an Hour"
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is about the wife of a man who hears that her husband has died in a train crash. She gets very emotional and says that she needs to go to her room to be alone for a little bit. She goes and sits in a comfortable armchair that was facing an open window in her room. From there, the she observes all of the things that are going on outside; the “trees all aquiver with the new spring life,” “the delicious breath of rain,” a “peddler crying his wares,” and someone singing off in the distance (Chopin 554). As she sits there, facing the window and observing everything that is happening, she it hits her that she is no longer under her husband’s “rule” and there would be no more “powerful will bending hers;” she is free (Chopin 555). She starts imagining how wonderful her life will be now that she can just “live for herself” (Chopin 555). Her sister hears her breathing heavily and whispering to herself and mistakes it as intense grief and “implores for admission,” to which Louise Mallard replies “Go away. I am not making myself ill” (Chopin 555). After a while of imagining the new life ahead of her, she finally come out of her room and goes downstairs. Just as she gets to the main floor, though, in walks her husband, alive and well. In the shock of discovering her husband is alive, she dies suddenly due to her heart problems foreshadowed in the first paragraph (Chopin 555).
For such a short, little story, Chopin managed to use many literary devices. When she mentioned the heart problems at the beginning of the story, it was use of foreshadowing. When she mentioned that Louise now prayed that her life would be a long one when “only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long” (Chopin 555), she used irony. She also used irony when she mentioned that the doctor claimed that she died of “the joy that kills,” because it shows that she was the only one that knew her true feelings pertaining to her husband’s death (Chopin 555).
“The Story of an Hour” shows similarities to the philosophies of Emerson and Thoreau because they both valed the signfigance of the “self” and Louise Mallard embodied this idea in the shape of a suppressed wife who did not feel like her will was her own. Chopin also shows a similarity to Thoreau’s writing because she is contradictory; for example Louise is “happy” her husband is dead, yet she mentioned that “she had loved him” and that her husband had a “face that never looked save with love upon her” (Chopin 555). This contradiction is similar to Thoreau because “Thoreau was a contradictory figure” (Grant 5).
Grant, P. B. "Individual and Society in Walden." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of
Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour" Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 554-555. Print.
For such a short, little story, Chopin managed to use many literary devices. When she mentioned the heart problems at the beginning of the story, it was use of foreshadowing. When she mentioned that Louise now prayed that her life would be a long one when “only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long” (Chopin 555), she used irony. She also used irony when she mentioned that the doctor claimed that she died of “the joy that kills,” because it shows that she was the only one that knew her true feelings pertaining to her husband’s death (Chopin 555).
“The Story of an Hour” shows similarities to the philosophies of Emerson and Thoreau because they both valed the signfigance of the “self” and Louise Mallard embodied this idea in the shape of a suppressed wife who did not feel like her will was her own. Chopin also shows a similarity to Thoreau’s writing because she is contradictory; for example Louise is “happy” her husband is dead, yet she mentioned that “she had loved him” and that her husband had a “face that never looked save with love upon her” (Chopin 555). This contradiction is similar to Thoreau because “Thoreau was a contradictory figure” (Grant 5).
Grant, P. B. "Individual and Society in Walden." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of
Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour" Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 554-555. Print.
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