Allister Lo
English 1B
Journal 35 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote: “I am getting angry enough to do something desperate. To jump out of the window would be admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong even to try. Besides, I wouldn’t do it. Of course not. I know well enough that a step like that is improper and might be misconstrued.”
Summary: As the narrator attempts to rip the yellow wallpaper off the wall, she begins to get angry and desperate. She thinks about jumping out of the window, but she realizes that the bars were too strong and then tells the audience that she wouldn’t even do it.
Response: In this passage, the audience sees the extremely unstable state that the narrator is now in. Although she never states it outright, it looks like she is almost on the verge of suicide trying to get the woman out of the wallpaper. A little before this passage, she gets a rope to tie the woman up in so she cannot get away, but her thoughts and actions reflect that she might have attempted to hang herself if she had found something to hang on. Now the thought of jumping out of the window crosses her mind, but it is quickly shot down because she will not be able to remove the bars from the window. She then quickly reassesses her situation and says that she would not even do it if she had the opportunity.
Gilman probably put this chilling thought process of the narrator to show what goes through the mind of someone that has gone mad because she had done so herself. She shows the audience that her whole point of view of the world becomes distorted in that her life now revolves around trying to get that woman out of the wallpaper rather than having her own life as her focus. Essentially, her mind has become so confused that the woman in the wallpaper consumes her and affects her thoughts and actions. Gilman shows that the thought process of the narrator is never suicide, but rather it is her desperation and determination to get the woman out of the wallpaper that puts her life at risk. Clearly, the narrator is not well, and it is increasingly difficult for the reader to comprehend what she is thinking or trying to do, especially since she has now become an unreliable narrator.
Furthermore, Gilman probably put this account in to show what keeping a woman isolated and in bed all day can do to her. Since she has had no relationships and very little contact with the outside world, she has developed an imaginary world that threatens her health in the real world.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Journal 34 Charlotte Perkins Gilman - I Know Better
Allister Lo
English 1b
Journal 34 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote: “Personally, I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do?”
Summary: The narrator believes that instead of being treated for her neurosis by being kept to bed all day that doing work that is exciting and a change for her normal routine would help in curing her ailment. Yet she cannot change the mind of her husband.
Response: The narrator in the Yellow Wallpaper is confined to bed and ordered to rest all day in order to cure her neurological disease. However, it seems that she is not that unwell and she opens the short story by speaking to the audience as if she was quite normal. However, after the rest treatment, she becomes much more sick and seems to experience many hallucinations.
Gilman may have wrote this story on her own behalf because she, too, underwent a depressed stage. This short story seems to reflect what her sentiments were as she was being treated for it. Although many physicians at the time wanted to put women to rest and let them sleep the depression away, this in fact may have been more harmful than having no treatment. Gilman believed that the best cure was not to be confined to a room, but rather she wanted to keep herself busy, with enjoyable and light work that broke up the monotony of her own life. Looking back on it, Gilman believes if she was treated in this fashion, then her ailment would not have gotten to be as bad as it became.
In this passage, she also makes the statement that sometimes all one has to do is listen to the sick person because in some cases, they may know how best to treat themselves. Furthermore, Gilman may have also been wanting to show the helplessness of women in this situation. In addition to being sick, their subordination to men sometimes made their conditions even worse because physicians, who were mostly male at the time, were so sure that rest was the best way to treat this depression that they would not even consider the opinions of those who were actually sick and probably knew how to treat themselves better than anyone else.
English 1b
Journal 34 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote: “Personally, I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do?”
Summary: The narrator believes that instead of being treated for her neurosis by being kept to bed all day that doing work that is exciting and a change for her normal routine would help in curing her ailment. Yet she cannot change the mind of her husband.
Response: The narrator in the Yellow Wallpaper is confined to bed and ordered to rest all day in order to cure her neurological disease. However, it seems that she is not that unwell and she opens the short story by speaking to the audience as if she was quite normal. However, after the rest treatment, she becomes much more sick and seems to experience many hallucinations.
Gilman may have wrote this story on her own behalf because she, too, underwent a depressed stage. This short story seems to reflect what her sentiments were as she was being treated for it. Although many physicians at the time wanted to put women to rest and let them sleep the depression away, this in fact may have been more harmful than having no treatment. Gilman believed that the best cure was not to be confined to a room, but rather she wanted to keep herself busy, with enjoyable and light work that broke up the monotony of her own life. Looking back on it, Gilman believes if she was treated in this fashion, then her ailment would not have gotten to be as bad as it became.
In this passage, she also makes the statement that sometimes all one has to do is listen to the sick person because in some cases, they may know how best to treat themselves. Furthermore, Gilman may have also been wanting to show the helplessness of women in this situation. In addition to being sick, their subordination to men sometimes made their conditions even worse because physicians, who were mostly male at the time, were so sure that rest was the best way to treat this depression that they would not even consider the opinions of those who were actually sick and probably knew how to treat themselves better than anyone else.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Journal 33 Kate Chopin - I Over You
Allister Lo
English48B
Journal 33 Kate Chopin
Quote: “She thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul”
Summary: As Edna makes a final swim out, she thinks of her husband and children. Even though she thinks about them, it does not sway her decision.
Response: In the time that the Awakening was written, it was common practice for a woman to be relegated to be a home maker. Her role would generally be to tend to the house, make sure it was in order, and above all, tend to the kids, and make sure that they were duly being taken care of. In fact, this idea of having a woman in the home, sheltered away from the rest of the world, is an idea that has stuck in America since its birth. Even today, women still struggle to obtain equal opportunity as men.
The fact that Chopin included this line, indicating that Edna knew full aware that doing what she was about to do would leave her husband and kids to fend for themselves, shows that Chopin truly believed that a woman is not an object that has to be relegated to such a domesticated role. She specifically writes that she thinks about them, but her feelings and longings of freedom overcome these thoughts and she presses on, knowing full well of what she is leaving behind. We are always presented with pictures of women doing everything for their husband and kids, even sacrificing their own dreams and aspiriations to keep them safe, so it is especially shocking and different to see this woman totally disregard the “status quo” and do something for herself. In this passage, Chopin boldly declares that a woman is not confined to merely the role of a housewife, but rather she has her own dreams, her own body, and her own soul. Unfortunately, the only way in Chopin’s mind to achieve this liberation is to free herself from the pressures of society, which in her mind is achieved through Edna’s suicide.
English48B
Journal 33 Kate Chopin
Quote: “She thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul”
Summary: As Edna makes a final swim out, she thinks of her husband and children. Even though she thinks about them, it does not sway her decision.
Response: In the time that the Awakening was written, it was common practice for a woman to be relegated to be a home maker. Her role would generally be to tend to the house, make sure it was in order, and above all, tend to the kids, and make sure that they were duly being taken care of. In fact, this idea of having a woman in the home, sheltered away from the rest of the world, is an idea that has stuck in America since its birth. Even today, women still struggle to obtain equal opportunity as men.
The fact that Chopin included this line, indicating that Edna knew full aware that doing what she was about to do would leave her husband and kids to fend for themselves, shows that Chopin truly believed that a woman is not an object that has to be relegated to such a domesticated role. She specifically writes that she thinks about them, but her feelings and longings of freedom overcome these thoughts and she presses on, knowing full well of what she is leaving behind. We are always presented with pictures of women doing everything for their husband and kids, even sacrificing their own dreams and aspiriations to keep them safe, so it is especially shocking and different to see this woman totally disregard the “status quo” and do something for herself. In this passage, Chopin boldly declares that a woman is not confined to merely the role of a housewife, but rather she has her own dreams, her own body, and her own soul. Unfortunately, the only way in Chopin’s mind to achieve this liberation is to free herself from the pressures of society, which in her mind is achieved through Edna’s suicide.
Journal 32 Kate Chopin - Sea of Opportunity
Allister Lo
english48b
Journal 32 Kate Chopin
Quote: “A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before”
Summary: Edna swims on her own for the first time and she feels a feeling of exhilaration and empowerment.
Response: In this passage, Edna finally does something she had been wanting to do for so long, which is to swim. She feels like a child first learning how to walk or ride a bike. What is of note is that she had the ability all along to swim, yet for whatever reason, whether she had been scared or tentative, she had failed to tap into that ability. However, it is at this point where she finally puts it all altogether and overcomes her tentativeness and is truly on her own. This feeling not only shows that she can swim on her own, but it empowers her to even more. She feels the power of her own body, and with this power, she feels like she can take on anything on her own. She does not need anyone else, much less a man, to explore and make sense of the world around her.
In a way, this represents her departuring away from the society which has up to this point told her what she can or could not do. It is a sign that she does have the ability to stand up for her self and thus does not need to be subjected to the standards of society that have been holding her down. Through this scene, Chopin speaks powerfully of a woman’s role in society and the immense power and ability that women have, if they would only look inside themselves and not be afraid to trust their abilites and venture into the world themselves. She encourages women to forge out into the great sea of the world which is immense and mysterious, yet she believes that women are fully equipped and capable of venturing into the unknown.
english48b
Journal 32 Kate Chopin
Quote: “A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before”
Summary: Edna swims on her own for the first time and she feels a feeling of exhilaration and empowerment.
Response: In this passage, Edna finally does something she had been wanting to do for so long, which is to swim. She feels like a child first learning how to walk or ride a bike. What is of note is that she had the ability all along to swim, yet for whatever reason, whether she had been scared or tentative, she had failed to tap into that ability. However, it is at this point where she finally puts it all altogether and overcomes her tentativeness and is truly on her own. This feeling not only shows that she can swim on her own, but it empowers her to even more. She feels the power of her own body, and with this power, she feels like she can take on anything on her own. She does not need anyone else, much less a man, to explore and make sense of the world around her.
In a way, this represents her departuring away from the society which has up to this point told her what she can or could not do. It is a sign that she does have the ability to stand up for her self and thus does not need to be subjected to the standards of society that have been holding her down. Through this scene, Chopin speaks powerfully of a woman’s role in society and the immense power and ability that women have, if they would only look inside themselves and not be afraid to trust their abilites and venture into the world themselves. She encourages women to forge out into the great sea of the world which is immense and mysterious, yet she believes that women are fully equipped and capable of venturing into the unknown.
Journal 31 Kate Chopin - Overshadowed
Allister Lo
English48b
Journal 31 Kate Chopin
Quote: “An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish. It was like a shadow, like a mist passing across her soul’s summer day. It was strange and unfamiliar; it was a mood.”
Summary: Edna feels a feeling of oppression, which fills her with anguish, and puts her in an unfamiliar mood.
Response: This passage comes at the beginning of Kate Chopin’s “Awakening” where Edna is overcome by a feeling of a sort of indescribable feeling of oppression. The feeling casts some kind of shadow over her, to the point where it masks her happiness and it causes her sadness. Chopin uses the metaphor of the sunny days of summer being overshadowed by this indescribable feeling.
In this passage, Chopin is making a scene about the unhappiness of women in society. Although many women try to take it in stride and reason to themselves that this is just the role they have to play in society, Chopin argues that though they may think this, there is always the feeling that there has to be something more. This feeling overshadows their existence and prevents them from achiving and pursuing the goals and dreams that they long to do. However, society deems that they stay to the home and act like a lady should, and this constant reminder of society telling them what their role is begins to perpetuate in their souls and minds to the point where every day is another day where they live in the “dark”. This thought becomes a part of them, and Chopin wished for women to see that there was more to life than just this.
Edna starts the story out as just another women caught up in the demands of society, yet she undergoes a transformation where she is given a glimmer of that happiness, and that happiness comes from herself and her liberation from the patriarchal society. She finds out that she can stand on her own, and this empowers her to do bold things and to lead her life the way she wants it to be led. Chopin wished for Edna to be an archetype of the vast potential of women, that any of them could strive to be something more that the role that society had carved out for them.
English48b
Journal 31 Kate Chopin
Quote: “An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish. It was like a shadow, like a mist passing across her soul’s summer day. It was strange and unfamiliar; it was a mood.”
Summary: Edna feels a feeling of oppression, which fills her with anguish, and puts her in an unfamiliar mood.
Response: This passage comes at the beginning of Kate Chopin’s “Awakening” where Edna is overcome by a feeling of a sort of indescribable feeling of oppression. The feeling casts some kind of shadow over her, to the point where it masks her happiness and it causes her sadness. Chopin uses the metaphor of the sunny days of summer being overshadowed by this indescribable feeling.
In this passage, Chopin is making a scene about the unhappiness of women in society. Although many women try to take it in stride and reason to themselves that this is just the role they have to play in society, Chopin argues that though they may think this, there is always the feeling that there has to be something more. This feeling overshadows their existence and prevents them from achiving and pursuing the goals and dreams that they long to do. However, society deems that they stay to the home and act like a lady should, and this constant reminder of society telling them what their role is begins to perpetuate in their souls and minds to the point where every day is another day where they live in the “dark”. This thought becomes a part of them, and Chopin wished for women to see that there was more to life than just this.
Edna starts the story out as just another women caught up in the demands of society, yet she undergoes a transformation where she is given a glimmer of that happiness, and that happiness comes from herself and her liberation from the patriarchal society. She finds out that she can stand on her own, and this empowers her to do bold things and to lead her life the way she wants it to be led. Chopin wished for Edna to be an archetype of the vast potential of women, that any of them could strive to be something more that the role that society had carved out for them.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Journal 30 Sarah Orne Jewett - Nature over the City
Allister Lo
English48B
Journal 30 Sarah Orne Jewett
Quote: “No, she must keep silence! What is it that suddenly forbids her and makes her dumb? Has she been nine years growning and now, when the great world for the first time puts out a hand to her, must she thrust it aside for a bird’s sake?”
Summary: Sylvia is conflicted on whether or not to reveal to the hunter the location of the heron’s nest.
Response: In this passage, Sylvia struggles between keeping silent and protecting the heron and telling the hunter about where its nest is. However, this passage seems to have a lot more implications that merely its literal meaning. In deciding to protect the heron, Sylvia, in essence, is choosing nature over the opportunity to lead a better life with 10 dollars and possibly even accompanying the hunter out of the wilderness. Although Sylvia has had feelings of affection toward the hunter, her encounter with nature encompasses her to the point where she just cannot give the heron. The situation of Sylvia can be extended to the larger picture of Sarah Orne Jewett’s own life.
It was as if Sarah Orne Jewett herself struggled with the decision on whether to lead a simple life in the wilderness or take the opportunity the man had given to her, but at the same time “sell out” what has already become a part of her. Since Jewett was already far past Sylvia’s age when she wrote this, she could have been reminiscing about the past and had she been that age again, made the decision to stay with nature. It was common for many regionalists to write about old ways of life in order to remember and preserve it, so this decision may have been one that Jewett wishes she could have made again. However, Jewett was not really given the opportunity to make this decision as a youth, as her small town started to become more industrial rather than based on agriculture as it had been in the past. In writing this story, Jewett could have been reminiscing on how different her life might have been had she been able to live a life in the wilderness as a child like it seemed she hoped for.
English48B
Journal 30 Sarah Orne Jewett
Quote: “No, she must keep silence! What is it that suddenly forbids her and makes her dumb? Has she been nine years growning and now, when the great world for the first time puts out a hand to her, must she thrust it aside for a bird’s sake?”
Summary: Sylvia is conflicted on whether or not to reveal to the hunter the location of the heron’s nest.
Response: In this passage, Sylvia struggles between keeping silent and protecting the heron and telling the hunter about where its nest is. However, this passage seems to have a lot more implications that merely its literal meaning. In deciding to protect the heron, Sylvia, in essence, is choosing nature over the opportunity to lead a better life with 10 dollars and possibly even accompanying the hunter out of the wilderness. Although Sylvia has had feelings of affection toward the hunter, her encounter with nature encompasses her to the point where she just cannot give the heron. The situation of Sylvia can be extended to the larger picture of Sarah Orne Jewett’s own life.
It was as if Sarah Orne Jewett herself struggled with the decision on whether to lead a simple life in the wilderness or take the opportunity the man had given to her, but at the same time “sell out” what has already become a part of her. Since Jewett was already far past Sylvia’s age when she wrote this, she could have been reminiscing about the past and had she been that age again, made the decision to stay with nature. It was common for many regionalists to write about old ways of life in order to remember and preserve it, so this decision may have been one that Jewett wishes she could have made again. However, Jewett was not really given the opportunity to make this decision as a youth, as her small town started to become more industrial rather than based on agriculture as it had been in the past. In writing this story, Jewett could have been reminiscing on how different her life might have been had she been able to live a life in the wilderness as a child like it seemed she hoped for.
Journal 29 - Sarah Orne Jewett - The Metaphor of the Hunter
Allister Lo
English48B
Journal 29 Sarah Orne Jewett
Quote: “Sylvia would have liked him vastly better without his gun; she could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much”
Summary: Sylvia reiterates that she would like the hunter better if he did not have his gun, and she questions why he attempts to kill the things he loves.
Response: In A White Heron, the hunter seems to represent the city, or a urban dweller. He comes to the wilderness for selfish reasons, in that he looks to shoot birds so he can preserve them. Jewett tries to communicate the total disregard of nature that she might have thought typical of those that lived in the city. The hunter claims that he loves the birds, but his love leads him to kill the very thing he loves. Although Jewett casts the hunter as a very kind man, there are instances where she portrays him to be rude, such as his coming into the wilderness and expecting hospitality. Furthermore, he also seems intent on getting what he desires at whatever cost. Jewett could be using the hunter to describe those that live in the city who abuse nature, yet do not even see the harm they are doing do it.
On a different note, the hunter also represents man and love to Sylvia. At first, she was completely distrusting and scared of the hunter, but over time she recognizes that he is not that scary, and she even feels a slight twinge of love in her heart for the hunter. However, the passage reiterates that although she is not as scared as she was initially of man, she is scared of his gun, which could be a symbol for male dominance, as it has the ultimate power to kill and keep both people and nature in check. Furthermore, her questioning of why he kills the birds can be extended to the thought that there are some things that Jewett simply does not understand about men. For these reasons, it is possible that Jewett chose not to love man, but rather she instead became attracted to someone who was more like her in her actions and feelings, and in this case, was another woman.
English48B
Journal 29 Sarah Orne Jewett
Quote: “Sylvia would have liked him vastly better without his gun; she could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much”
Summary: Sylvia reiterates that she would like the hunter better if he did not have his gun, and she questions why he attempts to kill the things he loves.
Response: In A White Heron, the hunter seems to represent the city, or a urban dweller. He comes to the wilderness for selfish reasons, in that he looks to shoot birds so he can preserve them. Jewett tries to communicate the total disregard of nature that she might have thought typical of those that lived in the city. The hunter claims that he loves the birds, but his love leads him to kill the very thing he loves. Although Jewett casts the hunter as a very kind man, there are instances where she portrays him to be rude, such as his coming into the wilderness and expecting hospitality. Furthermore, he also seems intent on getting what he desires at whatever cost. Jewett could be using the hunter to describe those that live in the city who abuse nature, yet do not even see the harm they are doing do it.
On a different note, the hunter also represents man and love to Sylvia. At first, she was completely distrusting and scared of the hunter, but over time she recognizes that he is not that scary, and she even feels a slight twinge of love in her heart for the hunter. However, the passage reiterates that although she is not as scared as she was initially of man, she is scared of his gun, which could be a symbol for male dominance, as it has the ultimate power to kill and keep both people and nature in check. Furthermore, her questioning of why he kills the birds can be extended to the thought that there are some things that Jewett simply does not understand about men. For these reasons, it is possible that Jewett chose not to love man, but rather she instead became attracted to someone who was more like her in her actions and feelings, and in this case, was another woman.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Journal 28 Stephen Crane - Hope
Allister Lo
English 48B
Journal 28 Stephen Crane
Quote: “To express any particular optimism at this time they felt to be childish and stupid, but they all doubtless possessed this sense of the situation in their minds. A young man thinks doggedly at such times. On the other hand, the ethics of their condition was decidedly against any open suggestion of hopefulness”
Summary: As the four men are drifting along at sea, the gravity of their situation is realized by all four of them, yet they do not talk of what may come because it was only right to hold out hope even if they did not believe it.
Response: As the men are floating in a small boat amid a storm, Crane emphasizes the cold reality of men during harsh times. He writes that to express any optimism would feel stupid and childish, reflecting the fact that the men had faint hope of what their impending fate was to be. Crane states that it is not uncommon for men to think pessimistically during times like these because it is easy to despair and give up hope.
However, even though they were all aware that they could easily be killed, none of them wanted to state it outright to the other three because it was not appropriate to do so in the situation. Even though things were bleak, there was always a little room for hope. In essence, this was all that the four men were clinging onto at this point, and to come outright and state that there was no hope would be almost like killing the men.
I thought it was interesting that in Crane’s author introduction it writes about Crane’s obsession with war, as the emotions in this passage are paralleled by that of a solider fighting in a battle. It is probably not uncomomon that many soliders must feel these same feelings as they are engaged or about to engage in combat. During battle, death can be so sudden and happen so quickly that it is hard not to despair and lose hope. However, an outward statement of doom is looked down upon by everyone because in some cases, this is all that some people can grasp to and push them to survive.
English 48B
Journal 28 Stephen Crane
Quote: “To express any particular optimism at this time they felt to be childish and stupid, but they all doubtless possessed this sense of the situation in their minds. A young man thinks doggedly at such times. On the other hand, the ethics of their condition was decidedly against any open suggestion of hopefulness”
Summary: As the four men are drifting along at sea, the gravity of their situation is realized by all four of them, yet they do not talk of what may come because it was only right to hold out hope even if they did not believe it.
Response: As the men are floating in a small boat amid a storm, Crane emphasizes the cold reality of men during harsh times. He writes that to express any optimism would feel stupid and childish, reflecting the fact that the men had faint hope of what their impending fate was to be. Crane states that it is not uncommon for men to think pessimistically during times like these because it is easy to despair and give up hope.
However, even though they were all aware that they could easily be killed, none of them wanted to state it outright to the other three because it was not appropriate to do so in the situation. Even though things were bleak, there was always a little room for hope. In essence, this was all that the four men were clinging onto at this point, and to come outright and state that there was no hope would be almost like killing the men.
I thought it was interesting that in Crane’s author introduction it writes about Crane’s obsession with war, as the emotions in this passage are paralleled by that of a solider fighting in a battle. It is probably not uncomomon that many soliders must feel these same feelings as they are engaged or about to engage in combat. During battle, death can be so sudden and happen so quickly that it is hard not to despair and lose hope. However, an outward statement of doom is looked down upon by everyone because in some cases, this is all that some people can grasp to and push them to survive.
Journal 27 Stephen Crane - Humanity of Pain
Allister Lo
Journal 27 Stephen Crane
English 48B
Quote: “In his childhood, the correspondent had been made acquainted with the fact that a soldier of the Legion lay dying in Algiers, but he had never regarded it as important”
Summary: As the correspondent continues to lay out in the sea in an open boat, a poem about a solider dying enters his head. As he is now in a state of struggle, the poem becomes more relevant and thus important to him.
Response: In this passage, the correspondent is reminded of a poem that he had heard as a child, in which a solider lays dying with only one of his comrades there to ease his pain. Natrually, when the correspondent had previously heard this poem, he was in a comfortable position with no threat to his health or life, and because of this, he did not identify with the pain of the solider. As a result, the poem had no significance to him. It is interesting that in this time of duress that the poem comes back to the correspondent because as he is now in a position similar to the soldier’s where his death is very possible, he realizes the gravity of the soldiers’ plight and identifies with it. In this way, Crane links the emotions of humans as they can identify with someone else’s pain while they are suffering as well.
Not only that, but this passage reinforces the notion that humans have a longing to be with someone, especially in times of pain or suffering. In the passage, the soldier has no women nursing him or women’s tears, but only has his comrade. He finds comfort in his comrade’s presence as he grasps his hand shortly before his death. Although it is a chilling scene, we are reminded that death is universal and the fact that no one wants to die alone. The correspondent can therefore find solace in the fact that he is not alone in the open boat, but rather his experience is directly shared by the three men who must face the same struggle as he.
Journal 27 Stephen Crane
English 48B
Quote: “In his childhood, the correspondent had been made acquainted with the fact that a soldier of the Legion lay dying in Algiers, but he had never regarded it as important”
Summary: As the correspondent continues to lay out in the sea in an open boat, a poem about a solider dying enters his head. As he is now in a state of struggle, the poem becomes more relevant and thus important to him.
Response: In this passage, the correspondent is reminded of a poem that he had heard as a child, in which a solider lays dying with only one of his comrades there to ease his pain. Natrually, when the correspondent had previously heard this poem, he was in a comfortable position with no threat to his health or life, and because of this, he did not identify with the pain of the solider. As a result, the poem had no significance to him. It is interesting that in this time of duress that the poem comes back to the correspondent because as he is now in a position similar to the soldier’s where his death is very possible, he realizes the gravity of the soldiers’ plight and identifies with it. In this way, Crane links the emotions of humans as they can identify with someone else’s pain while they are suffering as well.
Not only that, but this passage reinforces the notion that humans have a longing to be with someone, especially in times of pain or suffering. In the passage, the soldier has no women nursing him or women’s tears, but only has his comrade. He finds comfort in his comrade’s presence as he grasps his hand shortly before his death. Although it is a chilling scene, we are reminded that death is universal and the fact that no one wants to die alone. The correspondent can therefore find solace in the fact that he is not alone in the open boat, but rather his experience is directly shared by the three men who must face the same struggle as he.
Journal 26 Stephen Crane - Struggles of Man
Allister Lo
Journal 26
English 48B
Quote: "If I am going to be drowned-if I am going to be drowned-if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?"
Summary: In this quote, the four men in the boat express their rage at having being led so close to land, yet having the distinct possibility of drowning before they can reach it.
Response: This passage is repeated several times throughout the short story "The Open Boat." This serves to emphasize his theme of man being in a constant struggle with nature. In this, the men do not pray to the traditional God, but rather to the gods of nature, in this case the gods of the sea. They question why these gods tease them that they would allow them to survive so long throughout the stormy waters and finally take away their hope once they had finally seen land. The men believe this to be cruel and unjust, and because of this they feel that the laws of nature must play by the rules. As a result, the men hold out hope that they will indeed reach land and be saved.
Another interesting aspect of this quote is that the thought does not come from one specific person, but rather it seems to be what all of the men are thinking as they approach the land, yet cannot get ahold of it. In this way, Crane seems to give the impression that under the same circumstances, most, if not all, humans would react in the same way. Not only does this emphasize the common bond of humanity all readers share, but it also allows us to more easily identify with the men in the story. In a way, their struggle becomes our struggle, and we hope that they survive because it gives us the hope that we can conquer our own tribulations. In this way, Crane uses the open boat lost in water as a metaphor for the common struggles we face as humans.
Journal 26
English 48B
Quote: "If I am going to be drowned-if I am going to be drowned-if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?"
Summary: In this quote, the four men in the boat express their rage at having being led so close to land, yet having the distinct possibility of drowning before they can reach it.
Response: This passage is repeated several times throughout the short story "The Open Boat." This serves to emphasize his theme of man being in a constant struggle with nature. In this, the men do not pray to the traditional God, but rather to the gods of nature, in this case the gods of the sea. They question why these gods tease them that they would allow them to survive so long throughout the stormy waters and finally take away their hope once they had finally seen land. The men believe this to be cruel and unjust, and because of this they feel that the laws of nature must play by the rules. As a result, the men hold out hope that they will indeed reach land and be saved.
Another interesting aspect of this quote is that the thought does not come from one specific person, but rather it seems to be what all of the men are thinking as they approach the land, yet cannot get ahold of it. In this way, Crane seems to give the impression that under the same circumstances, most, if not all, humans would react in the same way. Not only does this emphasize the common bond of humanity all readers share, but it also allows us to more easily identify with the men in the story. In a way, their struggle becomes our struggle, and we hope that they survive because it gives us the hope that we can conquer our own tribulations. In this way, Crane uses the open boat lost in water as a metaphor for the common struggles we face as humans.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Journal 25 Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. DuBois
Allister Lo
English 48B
Journal 25 Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. DuBois
Question: Discuss the following poem, using the assigned readings as evidence for your analysis.
Response: In the poem, “Booker T. and W.E.B.”, Dudley Randall contrasts the two black activists by expressing their different views on how blacks should hope to advance post slavery in poetic form. In the poem, Booker T. Washington is cast as someone who was a strong advocate of blacks owning property and being able to sustain themselves. While W.E.B. DuBois acknowledged that this was important, he believed that it would be of no use if blacks were unable to secure political and civic backing to retain the property that they worked so hard to achieve.
What I found ironic about Washington’s stance was that he attempted so hard to achieve an education during his younger life. In his book, he complains about being put to work by his stepfather and thus missing classes. He even went so far as to take night classes even after a strenuous day at work to achieve an education. Why would someone push so hard to achieve an education, yet grow up and denounce it as something that should be sacrificed in order to achieve subsistence? It is possible that Washington grew up and realized that education would mean nothing without a means to survive, but for Washington to take such an absolute view on the subject is extremely interesting.
Contrasted with DuBois’s opinion on education, and Washington’s take on it is even more puzzling. Both men had superior academic skills compared with the majority of blacks in the post-slavery era. It was with this education that they grew to be the great writers and activists that we remember them for. The question becomes: If a black man has the passion and determination to be educated, why should he give up his dream only to become a blue collar worker. Washington is correct in that they need to subsist, but the Negro race also needed a voice in this time of need, and would people listen to an uneducated person, regardless of race? It is highly unlikely, rendering Washington’s view on education a questionable one, one that was hotly contested by DuBois.
English 48B
Journal 25 Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. DuBois
Question: Discuss the following poem, using the assigned readings as evidence for your analysis.
Response: In the poem, “Booker T. and W.E.B.”, Dudley Randall contrasts the two black activists by expressing their different views on how blacks should hope to advance post slavery in poetic form. In the poem, Booker T. Washington is cast as someone who was a strong advocate of blacks owning property and being able to sustain themselves. While W.E.B. DuBois acknowledged that this was important, he believed that it would be of no use if blacks were unable to secure political and civic backing to retain the property that they worked so hard to achieve.
What I found ironic about Washington’s stance was that he attempted so hard to achieve an education during his younger life. In his book, he complains about being put to work by his stepfather and thus missing classes. He even went so far as to take night classes even after a strenuous day at work to achieve an education. Why would someone push so hard to achieve an education, yet grow up and denounce it as something that should be sacrificed in order to achieve subsistence? It is possible that Washington grew up and realized that education would mean nothing without a means to survive, but for Washington to take such an absolute view on the subject is extremely interesting.
Contrasted with DuBois’s opinion on education, and Washington’s take on it is even more puzzling. Both men had superior academic skills compared with the majority of blacks in the post-slavery era. It was with this education that they grew to be the great writers and activists that we remember them for. The question becomes: If a black man has the passion and determination to be educated, why should he give up his dream only to become a blue collar worker. Washington is correct in that they need to subsist, but the Negro race also needed a voice in this time of need, and would people listen to an uneducated person, regardless of race? It is highly unlikely, rendering Washington’s view on education a questionable one, one that was hotly contested by DuBois.
Journal 24 Sarah Winnemucca vs. Maria Ruiz De Burton
Allister Lo
English 48b
Journal 24 Sarah Winnemucca vs. Maria Ruiz De Burton
Question: How did Winnemucca and Ruiz De Burton use irony and empathy to shape public opinion?
Both Sarah Winnemucca and Maria Ruiz De Burton used irony and empathy in their works to help shape public opinion about their respective race’s struggles. Winnemucca wrote on behalf of her Piute tribe, while Ruiz De Burton wrote for Spanish landowners. However, both female authors also used irony outside of their works to draw public empathy for their respective races.
Both Winnemucca and Ruiz De Burton wrote their novels targeting the white race. Not only was this ironic, but it was also revolutionary in a way in that no women author had ever done this before. because rather than appeal to their own race and attempt to rally them together to fight against the white man, they rather attempted to evoke public sympathy from those who had been the cause of their race’s suffering and demise.
Their targeting of the white race was ironic because they both cast their intended target of the white man in a negative light by contrasting characters of their own race against the white characters in the novel. In her novel, Winnemucca writes of her grandfather expressing his love for this “white brothers” and attempting to embrace them as they were of his own blood. However, this loving and accepting character of the Piutes is contrasted with the dark image of whites storming through villages, sparing no one in their path. Kids were warned to behave otherwise a white man would come and eat them. In Ruiz De Burton’s novel, The Squatter and the Don, the Don is cast as a calm, respectful, and generous man willing to negotiate with the white man, offering them a very generous deal. However, De Burton contrasts this image with the white man, who is rude, disrespectful, and does not heed advice.
It is ironic that both authors would attempt to garner public sympathy for their races by casting them in a dark and negative light. However, it is the approach that both Winnemucca and De Burton believed would help their races garner support in the fight for their rights.
English 48b
Journal 24 Sarah Winnemucca vs. Maria Ruiz De Burton
Question: How did Winnemucca and Ruiz De Burton use irony and empathy to shape public opinion?
Both Sarah Winnemucca and Maria Ruiz De Burton used irony and empathy in their works to help shape public opinion about their respective race’s struggles. Winnemucca wrote on behalf of her Piute tribe, while Ruiz De Burton wrote for Spanish landowners. However, both female authors also used irony outside of their works to draw public empathy for their respective races.
Both Winnemucca and Ruiz De Burton wrote their novels targeting the white race. Not only was this ironic, but it was also revolutionary in a way in that no women author had ever done this before. because rather than appeal to their own race and attempt to rally them together to fight against the white man, they rather attempted to evoke public sympathy from those who had been the cause of their race’s suffering and demise.
Their targeting of the white race was ironic because they both cast their intended target of the white man in a negative light by contrasting characters of their own race against the white characters in the novel. In her novel, Winnemucca writes of her grandfather expressing his love for this “white brothers” and attempting to embrace them as they were of his own blood. However, this loving and accepting character of the Piutes is contrasted with the dark image of whites storming through villages, sparing no one in their path. Kids were warned to behave otherwise a white man would come and eat them. In Ruiz De Burton’s novel, The Squatter and the Don, the Don is cast as a calm, respectful, and generous man willing to negotiate with the white man, offering them a very generous deal. However, De Burton contrasts this image with the white man, who is rude, disrespectful, and does not heed advice.
It is ironic that both authors would attempt to garner public sympathy for their races by casting them in a dark and negative light. However, it is the approach that both Winnemucca and De Burton believed would help their races garner support in the fight for their rights.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Journal 23 W.E.B DuBois - Double Consciousness
Allister Lo
english48B
Journal 23 W.E.B DuBois
Quote: “The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife,--this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost. He would not Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa. He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world”
Summary: DuBois writes that the American Negro must constantly war between his two selves to make himself a better person. They do not wish to dispose of either of these selves because it is a inherent part of him.
Response: In this passage, DuBois writes that one of the biggest challenges that the newly freed blacks must deal with is how to merge both their black self and their American self to make create a better person. It is not an option to simply abandon one of these selves because they both have something to offer the other, and if the Negro can figure out how to incorporate these two selves they will attain their highest level.
What struck me about this passage is that W.E.B DuBois makes a strong argument about what faces the black people of his day. Many freed blacks struggled with their identity soon after the Civil War, and the greatest conflict that faced them was how they would incorporate themselves into American culture. He believed that Negroes had a lot to offer to America, yet they were not being shown because of the inequality and repression that the Negroes faced.
However, like Washington, he realizes that America has something to offer the Negroes, but at the same time he does not want to sacrifice and give up his black side in order to take advantage of it. He strives to have blacks be able to celebrate both sides of their self and not have to be scared to show either side.
DuBois attempts to rally the blacks by addressing a problem they all probably faced, and saying that he feels it too. He writes that it has been a historical strife ever since the Negro came to America, and the Negroes would have to continue to fight in order to preserve these two identities. They would all have to band together and fight the problem together.
english48B
Journal 23 W.E.B DuBois
Quote: “The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife,--this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost. He would not Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa. He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world”
Summary: DuBois writes that the American Negro must constantly war between his two selves to make himself a better person. They do not wish to dispose of either of these selves because it is a inherent part of him.
Response: In this passage, DuBois writes that one of the biggest challenges that the newly freed blacks must deal with is how to merge both their black self and their American self to make create a better person. It is not an option to simply abandon one of these selves because they both have something to offer the other, and if the Negro can figure out how to incorporate these two selves they will attain their highest level.
What struck me about this passage is that W.E.B DuBois makes a strong argument about what faces the black people of his day. Many freed blacks struggled with their identity soon after the Civil War, and the greatest conflict that faced them was how they would incorporate themselves into American culture. He believed that Negroes had a lot to offer to America, yet they were not being shown because of the inequality and repression that the Negroes faced.
However, like Washington, he realizes that America has something to offer the Negroes, but at the same time he does not want to sacrifice and give up his black side in order to take advantage of it. He strives to have blacks be able to celebrate both sides of their self and not have to be scared to show either side.
DuBois attempts to rally the blacks by addressing a problem they all probably faced, and saying that he feels it too. He writes that it has been a historical strife ever since the Negro came to America, and the Negroes would have to continue to fight in order to preserve these two identities. They would all have to band together and fight the problem together.
Journal 22 W.E.B Dubois - Fight for your Rights
Allister Lo
English48B
Journal 22 W.E.B. DuBois
Quote: “[B]ut if that reconciliation is to be marked by the industrial slavery and civic death of those same black men, with permanent legislation into a position of inferiority, then those black men, if they are really men, are called upon by every consideration of patriotism and loyalty to oppose such a course by all civilied methods, even though such opposition involves disagreement with Mr. Booker T. Washington. We have no right to sit silently by while the inevitable seeds are sown for a harvest of disaster to our children, black and white”
Summary: In this passage, W.E.B DuBois argues that it is a black’s man duty to oppose Booker T. Washington’s proposal of civil and political inferiority to whites.
Response: This passage is in direct contrast to Booker T. Washington’s proposal that black men remain separate in all things social but become one with whites for economic opportunities. W.E.B DuBois vehemently argues that such an arrangement does nothing more than solidify blacks’ position of inferiority, and it is a black man’s duty to stand against it.
In this process, DuBois uses strong language to get his point across. He challenges the manhood of black men, saying that if they are real men, they would not simply go along with it and accept how blacks are being treated.
DuBois also says it is a black person’s right and duty to stand up against this injustice. He fears that if they do not stand against it now, it will become too embedded into society, and blacks will forevever have to live with no political and civic rights, and as a result, will be looked down on by whites. He writes with a sense of urgency, almost deeming it essential that blacks stand up for their rights.
DuBois does not agree with Booker T. Washington’s proposal, and it is important to note that it may be because he has a different view on whites. Whereas Booker T. Washington had a good relationship with his slave owners and thus may have developed a heightened sense of loyalty to them, DuBois seems to be more aware of the blacks being a “problem” in society. Because of this, he wants to push forward so that blacks and their rights will not just fade into the background. Similarly, there were many blacks that may have wanted to leave their past behind and thus sided with DuBois rather than Washington in this debate.
English48B
Journal 22 W.E.B. DuBois
Quote: “[B]ut if that reconciliation is to be marked by the industrial slavery and civic death of those same black men, with permanent legislation into a position of inferiority, then those black men, if they are really men, are called upon by every consideration of patriotism and loyalty to oppose such a course by all civilied methods, even though such opposition involves disagreement with Mr. Booker T. Washington. We have no right to sit silently by while the inevitable seeds are sown for a harvest of disaster to our children, black and white”
Summary: In this passage, W.E.B DuBois argues that it is a black’s man duty to oppose Booker T. Washington’s proposal of civil and political inferiority to whites.
Response: This passage is in direct contrast to Booker T. Washington’s proposal that black men remain separate in all things social but become one with whites for economic opportunities. W.E.B DuBois vehemently argues that such an arrangement does nothing more than solidify blacks’ position of inferiority, and it is a black man’s duty to stand against it.
In this process, DuBois uses strong language to get his point across. He challenges the manhood of black men, saying that if they are real men, they would not simply go along with it and accept how blacks are being treated.
DuBois also says it is a black person’s right and duty to stand up against this injustice. He fears that if they do not stand against it now, it will become too embedded into society, and blacks will forevever have to live with no political and civic rights, and as a result, will be looked down on by whites. He writes with a sense of urgency, almost deeming it essential that blacks stand up for their rights.
DuBois does not agree with Booker T. Washington’s proposal, and it is important to note that it may be because he has a different view on whites. Whereas Booker T. Washington had a good relationship with his slave owners and thus may have developed a heightened sense of loyalty to them, DuBois seems to be more aware of the blacks being a “problem” in society. Because of this, he wants to push forward so that blacks and their rights will not just fade into the background. Similarly, there were many blacks that may have wanted to leave their past behind and thus sided with DuBois rather than Washington in this debate.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Journal 21 Booker T. Washington - Work Your Way to the Top
Allister Lo
English48B
Journal 21 Booker T. Washington
Quote: “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top. Nor should we permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunites”
Summary: Booker T. Washington argues that there is no shame in starting at the bottom and working your way to the top, and the bitterness toward whites should not blind their ability to take advantage of blacks’ newfound opportunities.
Response: Booker T. Washington declared this statement in the Atlanta Exposition, and his motivation for saying this was probably the fact that many blacks did not know what to do with their new found freedom. Many blacks probably figured that since they were not slaves anymore that a life without slavery would be a cake walk. However, what they soon found out was that it was a lot harder and more difficult than they thought it would be. Those blacks that realized they would have to work hard to sustain themselves would aim high for the white-collared jobs that had always belonged to whites, yet their ambitions were quickly quelled.
Washington argued that the blacks were like a born again race, and to get their feet under them, they first had to find a way to sustain for themselves and their families. This could be accomplished by manual labor. This was a controversial idea, because many blacks now saw manual labor as a sign of their subservience because that is all they had done as a slave. Many were reluctant to resort back to manual labor, but Washington argues that they must start somewhere, and the best place to start is from the beginning or in this case the bottom to get their feet under them. Once they were able to support themselves, Washington was a firm believer that if blacks continued to work hard enough, they would eventually find their way to the top.
Furthermore, Washington tells blacks not to dwell on the past. Just because they have been wronged in the past, they should not expect life to all of a sudden become easy. Washington argues that they should not and cannot dwell on their past bitterness to prevent them from seeing the great and new opportunities they had available to them now.
English48B
Journal 21 Booker T. Washington
Quote: “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top. Nor should we permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunites”
Summary: Booker T. Washington argues that there is no shame in starting at the bottom and working your way to the top, and the bitterness toward whites should not blind their ability to take advantage of blacks’ newfound opportunities.
Response: Booker T. Washington declared this statement in the Atlanta Exposition, and his motivation for saying this was probably the fact that many blacks did not know what to do with their new found freedom. Many blacks probably figured that since they were not slaves anymore that a life without slavery would be a cake walk. However, what they soon found out was that it was a lot harder and more difficult than they thought it would be. Those blacks that realized they would have to work hard to sustain themselves would aim high for the white-collared jobs that had always belonged to whites, yet their ambitions were quickly quelled.
Washington argued that the blacks were like a born again race, and to get their feet under them, they first had to find a way to sustain for themselves and their families. This could be accomplished by manual labor. This was a controversial idea, because many blacks now saw manual labor as a sign of their subservience because that is all they had done as a slave. Many were reluctant to resort back to manual labor, but Washington argues that they must start somewhere, and the best place to start is from the beginning or in this case the bottom to get their feet under them. Once they were able to support themselves, Washington was a firm believer that if blacks continued to work hard enough, they would eventually find their way to the top.
Furthermore, Washington tells blacks not to dwell on the past. Just because they have been wronged in the past, they should not expect life to all of a sudden become easy. Washington argues that they should not and cannot dwell on their past bitterness to prevent them from seeing the great and new opportunities they had available to them now.
Journal 20 Booker T. Washington - Willing to Die
Allister Lo
English 48b
Journal 20 Booker T. Washington
Quote: “so in the future, in our humble way, we shall stand by you with a devotion that no foreigner can approach, ready to lay down our lives, if need be, in defence of yours”
Summary: Booker T. Washington writes that whites should look to employ blacks because of their fierce loyalty and strong ties to the whites.
Response: I thought this quote was extremely interesting because of the language and word choice that Washington uses in this passage.
The language that Washington uses does not sound like someone who has been a slave for a part of his life. When he uses the words, “stand by you”, and “devotion,” it sounds like he is talking about a best friend, but rather he is talking about a race that had enslaved his people for over a hundred years.
In particular, it was a bit of an eye-opener when he speaks that blacks are “ready to lay down our lives” to defend the lives of whites. This statement would greatly reinforce the white man’s notion that the blacks were inferior to them. The fact that a black man would say that he would lay down one’s life for a white man’s must have been shocking to both whites and blacks listening to the speech, but especially more so for blacks.
I’m sure there were many blacks, with their new found freedom that would not even think about saving a white man’s life at the expense of his after all that the white man had put him through. I also found this quote interesting because Washington had experienced slavery first hand, and of course he was not fond of it at all, which makes his word choice even more puzzling. He had already devoted part of his life to the whites by slaving away for them, and his mom had devoted even more of her life, yet it seems that Booker T. Washington still seems indebited to the whites. And for what reason? If anything, it would seem that whites should be indebited to the blacks, yet Washington does not seem to see it that way.
English 48b
Journal 20 Booker T. Washington
Quote: “so in the future, in our humble way, we shall stand by you with a devotion that no foreigner can approach, ready to lay down our lives, if need be, in defence of yours”
Summary: Booker T. Washington writes that whites should look to employ blacks because of their fierce loyalty and strong ties to the whites.
Response: I thought this quote was extremely interesting because of the language and word choice that Washington uses in this passage.
The language that Washington uses does not sound like someone who has been a slave for a part of his life. When he uses the words, “stand by you”, and “devotion,” it sounds like he is talking about a best friend, but rather he is talking about a race that had enslaved his people for over a hundred years.
In particular, it was a bit of an eye-opener when he speaks that blacks are “ready to lay down our lives” to defend the lives of whites. This statement would greatly reinforce the white man’s notion that the blacks were inferior to them. The fact that a black man would say that he would lay down one’s life for a white man’s must have been shocking to both whites and blacks listening to the speech, but especially more so for blacks.
I’m sure there were many blacks, with their new found freedom that would not even think about saving a white man’s life at the expense of his after all that the white man had put him through. I also found this quote interesting because Washington had experienced slavery first hand, and of course he was not fond of it at all, which makes his word choice even more puzzling. He had already devoted part of his life to the whites by slaving away for them, and his mom had devoted even more of her life, yet it seems that Booker T. Washington still seems indebited to the whites. And for what reason? If anything, it would seem that whites should be indebited to the blacks, yet Washington does not seem to see it that way.
Journal 19 Booker T. Washington Separate and Unequal?
Allister Lo
English48B
Journal 19 Booker T. Washington
Quote: "In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress”
Summary: In his Atlanta Exposition speech, Booker T. Washington argues that blacks would have no problem with being excluded socially if they were allowed to progress with whites in industrial, commercial, civil, and religious life.
Response: Booker T. Washington drew some ire for his Atlanta Exposition speech for statements such as this. It is interesting that Washington would put forth this point because it essentially states that blacks have no desire to ever be at an equal level of whites. Blacks who criticized his speech argued that Washington made blacks an easy target for whites to discriminate and look down upon them. If one of the black leaders is proclaiming that blacks do not want to be socially equal, then why shouldn’t they be discriminated against?
However, Booker T. Washington may have just been using these words to get in the door with whites. It was 1895 when Washington gave this speech, and there was still plenty of hate crimes targeting blacks at the time. It is understandable why Washington did not come out and declare that he wanted total equality for blacks right out of the gate. Such a sudden and drastic demand would most likely have caused a violent backlash among whites in the South, and there is a distinct possibility that it might have even caused more violence.
It makes sense that Washington would make this kind of “deal” because he was a firm believer in a meritocratic system, where people, no matter what the color of their skin, had to work their way from the bottom and get their feet under them to ever have a chance at reaching the top. There is likely to be an ongoing debate though on whether or not he truly wanted to keep blacks socially separate or if he was just using it as a ploy and get his “foot in the door” with whites.
English48B
Journal 19 Booker T. Washington
Quote: "In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress”
Summary: In his Atlanta Exposition speech, Booker T. Washington argues that blacks would have no problem with being excluded socially if they were allowed to progress with whites in industrial, commercial, civil, and religious life.
Response: Booker T. Washington drew some ire for his Atlanta Exposition speech for statements such as this. It is interesting that Washington would put forth this point because it essentially states that blacks have no desire to ever be at an equal level of whites. Blacks who criticized his speech argued that Washington made blacks an easy target for whites to discriminate and look down upon them. If one of the black leaders is proclaiming that blacks do not want to be socially equal, then why shouldn’t they be discriminated against?
However, Booker T. Washington may have just been using these words to get in the door with whites. It was 1895 when Washington gave this speech, and there was still plenty of hate crimes targeting blacks at the time. It is understandable why Washington did not come out and declare that he wanted total equality for blacks right out of the gate. Such a sudden and drastic demand would most likely have caused a violent backlash among whites in the South, and there is a distinct possibility that it might have even caused more violence.
It makes sense that Washington would make this kind of “deal” because he was a firm believer in a meritocratic system, where people, no matter what the color of their skin, had to work their way from the bottom and get their feet under them to ever have a chance at reaching the top. There is likely to be an ongoing debate though on whether or not he truly wanted to keep blacks socially separate or if he was just using it as a ploy and get his “foot in the door” with whites.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Journal 18 Sarah Winnemucca - Hypocrisy of Religion
Allister Lo
English48B
Journal 18 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote: “Oh, for shame! You who are educated by a Christian government in the art of war; the practce of whose profession makes you natural enemies of the savages, so called by you. Yes, you who call yourselves the great civiliztion; you who have knelt upon Plymouth Rock, covenanting with God to make this land the home of the free and the brave” (511).
Summary: In this passage, Sarah laments the relocation of her tribe to a reservation, pleading and calling out with the white civilization that what they are doing is hypocritical and wrong.
Response: This passage goes back to the Manifest Destiny, in which the white man called upon God to attack the savages because they believed that God wanted them to rule the territory and oversee the “savages”.
In this passage, Sarah speaks against the white man’s religion, saying it is a shame that they would interpret their religion to be the tool to drive them to do such heinous acts against her people. She reminds them of the covenant and the promises they made with god, vowing to make this the land of the home of the free and the brave, yet how could that be the case when Indian tribes were cowardly being killed for their land?
This passage is especially powerful to the reader because it evokes human emotion. Sarah Winnemucca wrote this book in English, intending for it to be read by the white man. Now, think of how the audience would feel, after Sarah writes this cry for help and the pointing out of several hypocrises lived by the white man. Not only is she calling upon their religion, which so many felt so strongly about, but she also uses the word “you” so the reader cannot help but feel like the author is truly speaking to them, putting them in an even more awkward and guilty position.
It is a passage like this that one can really put to rest the question if Sarah was in it for the fame or for her people. It seems like in this passage, she is truly writing from her heart, lamenting the fact that families are split apart and destroyed by the white invaders, who act based on what they believe to be God’s duty.
English48B
Journal 18 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote: “Oh, for shame! You who are educated by a Christian government in the art of war; the practce of whose profession makes you natural enemies of the savages, so called by you. Yes, you who call yourselves the great civiliztion; you who have knelt upon Plymouth Rock, covenanting with God to make this land the home of the free and the brave” (511).
Summary: In this passage, Sarah laments the relocation of her tribe to a reservation, pleading and calling out with the white civilization that what they are doing is hypocritical and wrong.
Response: This passage goes back to the Manifest Destiny, in which the white man called upon God to attack the savages because they believed that God wanted them to rule the territory and oversee the “savages”.
In this passage, Sarah speaks against the white man’s religion, saying it is a shame that they would interpret their religion to be the tool to drive them to do such heinous acts against her people. She reminds them of the covenant and the promises they made with god, vowing to make this the land of the home of the free and the brave, yet how could that be the case when Indian tribes were cowardly being killed for their land?
This passage is especially powerful to the reader because it evokes human emotion. Sarah Winnemucca wrote this book in English, intending for it to be read by the white man. Now, think of how the audience would feel, after Sarah writes this cry for help and the pointing out of several hypocrises lived by the white man. Not only is she calling upon their religion, which so many felt so strongly about, but she also uses the word “you” so the reader cannot help but feel like the author is truly speaking to them, putting them in an even more awkward and guilty position.
It is a passage like this that one can really put to rest the question if Sarah was in it for the fame or for her people. It seems like in this passage, she is truly writing from her heart, lamenting the fact that families are split apart and destroyed by the white invaders, who act based on what they believe to be God’s duty.
Journal 17 Sarah Winnemucca - Buried Alive
Allister Lo
English 48B
Journal 17 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote: “Oh, can any one imagine my feelings buried alive, thinking every minute that I was to be unburied and eaten up by the people that my grandfather loved so much?”
Summary: As news that the white man is going through Indian villages and slaughtering everyone, the narrator is buried by her mother in an attempt to hide from them.
Response: It is well documented about how the white man forced the Indians off of their land, commonly using force if the Indians do not move willingly. Imagine the conflicting feelings that the Indians in Sarah’s tribe must have felt. Their chief had told them that these white people were their long-lost brothers seeking reconciliation over an argument long in the past. So, on the one hand, the Indians naturally would want to treat their brothers with friendliness and hospitality. However, what does someone do when their so-called brothers are killing them all without the slightest hesitation? The Indians were probably raised with the thought that no matter what your brother does to you, killing him should not be an option. However, the white man saw this as a weakness and like a bully, preyed upon this weakness, terrorizing many Indian villages with little regard for life.
This passage is symbolic in a way, because even though Sarah is not killed in this scene, she is buried alive, which in a way is even scarier than being killed. It is as if you are going to die but you are still aware of the earth and things that are going on around you. In the same way, the Indian tribes that were lucky enough not to be slaughtered were usually sent to reservations, which were cramped living quarters that severely limited their living capacity. In some ways, it could even be considered a prison. Now, under what circumstances did the Indians deserve to be placed in such a living situation? It was none other than the fact that they were different from the whites. In this passage, Sarah asks us to imagine her feelings while she was buried. But, in a way, she also wants us to imagine how it would be to be the victim of terrorism, displacement, and destruction.
English 48B
Journal 17 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote: “Oh, can any one imagine my feelings buried alive, thinking every minute that I was to be unburied and eaten up by the people that my grandfather loved so much?”
Summary: As news that the white man is going through Indian villages and slaughtering everyone, the narrator is buried by her mother in an attempt to hide from them.
Response: It is well documented about how the white man forced the Indians off of their land, commonly using force if the Indians do not move willingly. Imagine the conflicting feelings that the Indians in Sarah’s tribe must have felt. Their chief had told them that these white people were their long-lost brothers seeking reconciliation over an argument long in the past. So, on the one hand, the Indians naturally would want to treat their brothers with friendliness and hospitality. However, what does someone do when their so-called brothers are killing them all without the slightest hesitation? The Indians were probably raised with the thought that no matter what your brother does to you, killing him should not be an option. However, the white man saw this as a weakness and like a bully, preyed upon this weakness, terrorizing many Indian villages with little regard for life.
This passage is symbolic in a way, because even though Sarah is not killed in this scene, she is buried alive, which in a way is even scarier than being killed. It is as if you are going to die but you are still aware of the earth and things that are going on around you. In the same way, the Indian tribes that were lucky enough not to be slaughtered were usually sent to reservations, which were cramped living quarters that severely limited their living capacity. In some ways, it could even be considered a prison. Now, under what circumstances did the Indians deserve to be placed in such a living situation? It was none other than the fact that they were different from the whites. In this passage, Sarah asks us to imagine her feelings while she was buried. But, in a way, she also wants us to imagine how it would be to be the victim of terrorism, displacement, and destruction.
Journal 16 Maria Ruiz De Burton - Chain of Exploitation
Allister Lo
English 48B
Journal 16 Maria Ruiz De Burton
Quote: “I don’t go busquering around lassoing unless I wish to do so…You can hire an Indian boy to do that part” (98).
Summary: When the settlers bring up the objection that they do not want to constantly be watching cows, the Don claims that he himself does not even do that, but rather he lets Indian boys do that work.
Response: At its surface, this quote does not seem to be pointed or harmful in anyway. This is because of the terminology that the Don uses when describing the Indian boy. De Burton uses the key word of “hire” so it seems as if Indians are getting their fair share of the bargain by lassoing and acting as a cowboy for the Spanish estate holders. However, as we discussed in class, usually Indians moved onto big Spanish estates, and were pretty much used as slaves. They were not technically used as slaves, as they earned a very small amount of money, but for the work they were doing, the amount of pay generally resigned them to be in that position forever. As we saw in “The Luck of Roaring Camp,” Indians were not looked upon too kindly, especially Indian women, who were generally resigned to roles as housemaids or prostitutes, such as Cherokee Sal.
It is interesting that in this story, where clearly De Burton tries to cast the white man as the bad guy by displaying them as uncivilized and rude in contrast to the civilized and generous Don that she would interject this passage of racism. It is almost as if she does not even think of it as well, as she merely describes it in one sentence and moves on immediately after that. It is as if this is just how it is, and the author doesn’t even second-guess it. I found this to be particularly ironic because just as the white settlers are exploiting the Spanish estate owners, so are the Spanish estate owners exploting the labor of the Native Americans.
English 48B
Journal 16 Maria Ruiz De Burton
Quote: “I don’t go busquering around lassoing unless I wish to do so…You can hire an Indian boy to do that part” (98).
Summary: When the settlers bring up the objection that they do not want to constantly be watching cows, the Don claims that he himself does not even do that, but rather he lets Indian boys do that work.
Response: At its surface, this quote does not seem to be pointed or harmful in anyway. This is because of the terminology that the Don uses when describing the Indian boy. De Burton uses the key word of “hire” so it seems as if Indians are getting their fair share of the bargain by lassoing and acting as a cowboy for the Spanish estate holders. However, as we discussed in class, usually Indians moved onto big Spanish estates, and were pretty much used as slaves. They were not technically used as slaves, as they earned a very small amount of money, but for the work they were doing, the amount of pay generally resigned them to be in that position forever. As we saw in “The Luck of Roaring Camp,” Indians were not looked upon too kindly, especially Indian women, who were generally resigned to roles as housemaids or prostitutes, such as Cherokee Sal.
It is interesting that in this story, where clearly De Burton tries to cast the white man as the bad guy by displaying them as uncivilized and rude in contrast to the civilized and generous Don that she would interject this passage of racism. It is almost as if she does not even think of it as well, as she merely describes it in one sentence and moves on immediately after that. It is as if this is just how it is, and the author doesn’t even second-guess it. I found this to be particularly ironic because just as the white settlers are exploiting the Spanish estate owners, so are the Spanish estate owners exploting the labor of the Native Americans.
Journal 15 Maria Ruiz De Burton - This Land is Our Land
Allister Lo
English 48B
Journal 15 Maria Ruiz De Burton
Quote: “’Pshaw! I knew there was to be something behind all that display of generosity’, muttered Mathews”
Summary: The Don offers the settlers an extremely favorable deal, but after suggesting that the settlers build fences if they decide to grow grain. The setters’ response is less than grateful, as evidenced by Matthews’ response.
Response: In this story, the Don is cast as an extremely respectable and generous gentlemen. This is further substantiated after we hear of the extremely favorable deal that he is offering the settlers. Not only does he offer them land and cattle and finance for fencing, he also offers them arguably something more useful than that, which is knowledge of the land. However, the settlers are less than impressed, and this quote shows the lack of respect that some of them had for his proposal.
Furthermore, it shows the distrust that the settlers had even going into the deal with the Don. They were surprised by the generosity of the Don in his proposal, so it is as if they were only waiting for the “but” in the deal. Whereas the Don has been speaking very courteously, Matthews interjects in a rude and selfish tone. Throughout this negotiation process, De Burton casts the white settlers as selfish and undignified. This is in direct contrast to the Don’s refined and calculated speaking. De Burton portrays the white settlers as less civilized.
The Don has done everything he can to help the white settlers, yet it is like they still want more. I think De Burton, with this quote, alludes to the Manifest Destiny, which was one of the major reasons for the Mexican-American War was started, as many Americans began moving west, and with their move west naturally came their need for land. Since the Manifest Destiny states that it is God’s will that the white man is superior, they settled on lands that were not theirs, and when this created controversy, they either took the land by force or used legislation as a means to fulfill their ends. De Burton shows that even when it came to negotiation and generous offers from the land owners, the settlers still wanted more, and they strongly believed that their way was the right way, and they would not be convinced by a Mexican-American.
English 48B
Journal 15 Maria Ruiz De Burton
Quote: “’Pshaw! I knew there was to be something behind all that display of generosity’, muttered Mathews”
Summary: The Don offers the settlers an extremely favorable deal, but after suggesting that the settlers build fences if they decide to grow grain. The setters’ response is less than grateful, as evidenced by Matthews’ response.
Response: In this story, the Don is cast as an extremely respectable and generous gentlemen. This is further substantiated after we hear of the extremely favorable deal that he is offering the settlers. Not only does he offer them land and cattle and finance for fencing, he also offers them arguably something more useful than that, which is knowledge of the land. However, the settlers are less than impressed, and this quote shows the lack of respect that some of them had for his proposal.
Furthermore, it shows the distrust that the settlers had even going into the deal with the Don. They were surprised by the generosity of the Don in his proposal, so it is as if they were only waiting for the “but” in the deal. Whereas the Don has been speaking very courteously, Matthews interjects in a rude and selfish tone. Throughout this negotiation process, De Burton casts the white settlers as selfish and undignified. This is in direct contrast to the Don’s refined and calculated speaking. De Burton portrays the white settlers as less civilized.
The Don has done everything he can to help the white settlers, yet it is like they still want more. I think De Burton, with this quote, alludes to the Manifest Destiny, which was one of the major reasons for the Mexican-American War was started, as many Americans began moving west, and with their move west naturally came their need for land. Since the Manifest Destiny states that it is God’s will that the white man is superior, they settled on lands that were not theirs, and when this created controversy, they either took the land by force or used legislation as a means to fulfill their ends. De Burton shows that even when it came to negotiation and generous offers from the land owners, the settlers still wanted more, and they strongly believed that their way was the right way, and they would not be convinced by a Mexican-American.
Journal 14 Maria Ruiz De Burton - Get off my Land!
Allister Lo
English 48B
Journal 14 Maria Ruiz De Burton
Quote: “’No. 189. An Act to ascertain and settle the private land claims in the State of California,’ says the book. And by a sad subversion of purposes, all the private land titles became unsettled. It ought to have been said, ‘An act to unsettle land titles and to upset the rights of the Spanish population of the State of California’” (Squatter and the Don 93).
Summary: In this passage, De Burton argues that the laws enacted by the white man clearly favor the white people, such as this law which essentially gave white people the opportunity to settle onto private owned lands, intruding on the Spanish population in the process.
Response: This passage gives us a glimpse into what it was like for Spanish land owners in the time after the Mexican-American War and the effects the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo had on these previously privately owned lands. In the beginning of this chapter, where this quote is found, the story does not really read like a novel, but rather like a dissertation arguing about the injustice and unfairness of the settlement laws. Her “thesis” comes right before she continues on with her story, where she argues that the government, by enacting these laws, washes its hands clean, but provides white men plenty of ways to use the law to their advantage and take over privately owned lands.
In this opening statement, De Burton sounds especially irritated and angry over the state land laws. It is almost as if the reader can hear the tone of her voice as the text uses a lot of scathing words in her opening “introduction”, such as “subversion,” “crooked”, and “wretched”. These are all words that could have been replaced by other words, yet I believe that De Burton chose these words to exhibit her anger and distaste over the matter.
Furthermore, a lot of the anger in this passage can be attributed to the fact that De Burton was a land owner herself, and spent most of her later life, merely trying to stave off all the white settlers attempting to encroach on her land and securing it. In the author introduction, it is stated that securing her claims involved long, expensive legal struggles and were even ongoing when she died. To put it in modern perspective, of course, if someone sent up a tent in your backyard, you would first be angered by it, and of course, you would think that the law would protect you since you have been living in your house for some time. Imagine the anger you would feel when the law supports the “squatter”. It is this anger that readers get a sense of in reading the opening to this chapter.
English 48B
Journal 14 Maria Ruiz De Burton
Quote: “’No. 189. An Act to ascertain and settle the private land claims in the State of California,’ says the book. And by a sad subversion of purposes, all the private land titles became unsettled. It ought to have been said, ‘An act to unsettle land titles and to upset the rights of the Spanish population of the State of California’” (Squatter and the Don 93).
Summary: In this passage, De Burton argues that the laws enacted by the white man clearly favor the white people, such as this law which essentially gave white people the opportunity to settle onto private owned lands, intruding on the Spanish population in the process.
Response: This passage gives us a glimpse into what it was like for Spanish land owners in the time after the Mexican-American War and the effects the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo had on these previously privately owned lands. In the beginning of this chapter, where this quote is found, the story does not really read like a novel, but rather like a dissertation arguing about the injustice and unfairness of the settlement laws. Her “thesis” comes right before she continues on with her story, where she argues that the government, by enacting these laws, washes its hands clean, but provides white men plenty of ways to use the law to their advantage and take over privately owned lands.
In this opening statement, De Burton sounds especially irritated and angry over the state land laws. It is almost as if the reader can hear the tone of her voice as the text uses a lot of scathing words in her opening “introduction”, such as “subversion,” “crooked”, and “wretched”. These are all words that could have been replaced by other words, yet I believe that De Burton chose these words to exhibit her anger and distaste over the matter.
Furthermore, a lot of the anger in this passage can be attributed to the fact that De Burton was a land owner herself, and spent most of her later life, merely trying to stave off all the white settlers attempting to encroach on her land and securing it. In the author introduction, it is stated that securing her claims involved long, expensive legal struggles and were even ongoing when she died. To put it in modern perspective, of course, if someone sent up a tent in your backyard, you would first be angered by it, and of course, you would think that the law would protect you since you have been living in your house for some time. Imagine the anger you would feel when the law supports the “squatter”. It is this anger that readers get a sense of in reading the opening to this chapter.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Journal 13 Mark Twain -Jealousy
Allister Lo
English48b
Journal 13 Mark Twain
Quote: “Jealously. Do not forget it, keep it in mind. It is the key. With it you will come to partly understand God as we go along; without it nobody can understand him. As I have said, he has openly held up this treasonous key himself, for all to see. He says, naively, outspokenly, and without suggestion of embarrassment: ‘I the Lord thy God am a jealous God’” (Letters from the Earth).
Summary: In this passage, Twain, as Satan, points out that God possesses the vice of jealously and He, himself, admits it.
Response: In Letters to the Earth, Twain takes on the perspective of Satan, the fallen angel and ruler of Hell. Using this persona, Twain makes many pointed remarks about religion and God.
Even though he is using the persona of Satan to express these views, one has to think that Twain did in fact believe in the skepticisms he expresses, even if only partly.
In this quote, he references a Bible passage in which the Lord announces that he is a jealous God and therefore no other gods should be worshipped before him. He boldly writes that jealously is the key to understanding God, and he even uses the word naively to describe God. This was an extreme view to take on religion, even in today’s era. Many people would not dare speak out against someone they think so highly of, much less if he is considered to be the all-mighty and all-powerful spirit that created everything. Yet Twain, hiding behind his persona, expresses his doubts about the religion, and even goes on the offensive to attack it.
Just as he had done in his other works such as the “War Prayer” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” he challenges readers to recognize their own opinions and even challenge those beliefs by playing the devil’s advocate. Although I do not think that Twain was being totally malicious in his writing, the reason I think he uses such pointed language is he wants people to take notice and address these “faults” and defend them. He does not want people simply to formulate their beliefs on merely what they have been taught and what they have learned, but rather he challenges them to form their own beliefs.
English48b
Journal 13 Mark Twain
Quote: “Jealously. Do not forget it, keep it in mind. It is the key. With it you will come to partly understand God as we go along; without it nobody can understand him. As I have said, he has openly held up this treasonous key himself, for all to see. He says, naively, outspokenly, and without suggestion of embarrassment: ‘I the Lord thy God am a jealous God’” (Letters from the Earth).
Summary: In this passage, Twain, as Satan, points out that God possesses the vice of jealously and He, himself, admits it.
Response: In Letters to the Earth, Twain takes on the perspective of Satan, the fallen angel and ruler of Hell. Using this persona, Twain makes many pointed remarks about religion and God.
Even though he is using the persona of Satan to express these views, one has to think that Twain did in fact believe in the skepticisms he expresses, even if only partly.
In this quote, he references a Bible passage in which the Lord announces that he is a jealous God and therefore no other gods should be worshipped before him. He boldly writes that jealously is the key to understanding God, and he even uses the word naively to describe God. This was an extreme view to take on religion, even in today’s era. Many people would not dare speak out against someone they think so highly of, much less if he is considered to be the all-mighty and all-powerful spirit that created everything. Yet Twain, hiding behind his persona, expresses his doubts about the religion, and even goes on the offensive to attack it.
Just as he had done in his other works such as the “War Prayer” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” he challenges readers to recognize their own opinions and even challenge those beliefs by playing the devil’s advocate. Although I do not think that Twain was being totally malicious in his writing, the reason I think he uses such pointed language is he wants people to take notice and address these “faults” and defend them. He does not want people simply to formulate their beliefs on merely what they have been taught and what they have learned, but rather he challenges them to form their own beliefs.
Journal 12 Mark Twain - Rather Go To Hell
Allister Lo
English 48B
Journal 12 Mark Twain
Quote: “All right, then, I’ll go to hell” (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)
Summary: Huck has a moral dilemma where he believes that he has committed a grave sin helping the runaway slave Jim run away, so he writes a note to his owner. However, he hesitates and rips up the note, vowing to rather to go to hell than to give up Jim.
Response: As discussed in class, this could arguably be the most profound line in the entire book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Not only is it a moral awakening for Huck, but it is also a maturation of Huck. Huck has been brought up that to help a slave run away will result in him going to hell and eternal damnation. However, even though he is only a boy, it is at this point where he goes against what he has been taught to do what he thinks is right. He realizes that Jim is a person just like him, a person who has been very good to him and has been pretty much his best friend on their journey down the river.
Present day, it is a no brainer to agree with Huck’s decision to help Jim. However, in the context of when this book was written, Huck’s decision went totally against what was accepted at the time. To denounce religion and face damnation in order to free a slave was unheard of. Furthermore, it was merely a boy making this decision.
This moral extends to readers past the book, which is probably what Twain intended when he wrote the book, although he tried to deny it with his first statement of the book. If a child could figure this out on himself, then why couldn’t grown adults who read the book challenge themselves and come to the same conclusion? Huck’s challenge becomes the readers’ challenge as back in Twain’s day, this was still a very pertinent issue, especially with the failed Reconstruction project and emergence of the Ku Klux Klan. Granted, it might not have been a question of hell or helping a slave, but it most certainly could have been a question of someone’s life because someone could easily have been killed for helping a former slave.
English 48B
Journal 12 Mark Twain
Quote: “All right, then, I’ll go to hell” (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)
Summary: Huck has a moral dilemma where he believes that he has committed a grave sin helping the runaway slave Jim run away, so he writes a note to his owner. However, he hesitates and rips up the note, vowing to rather to go to hell than to give up Jim.
Response: As discussed in class, this could arguably be the most profound line in the entire book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Not only is it a moral awakening for Huck, but it is also a maturation of Huck. Huck has been brought up that to help a slave run away will result in him going to hell and eternal damnation. However, even though he is only a boy, it is at this point where he goes against what he has been taught to do what he thinks is right. He realizes that Jim is a person just like him, a person who has been very good to him and has been pretty much his best friend on their journey down the river.
Present day, it is a no brainer to agree with Huck’s decision to help Jim. However, in the context of when this book was written, Huck’s decision went totally against what was accepted at the time. To denounce religion and face damnation in order to free a slave was unheard of. Furthermore, it was merely a boy making this decision.
This moral extends to readers past the book, which is probably what Twain intended when he wrote the book, although he tried to deny it with his first statement of the book. If a child could figure this out on himself, then why couldn’t grown adults who read the book challenge themselves and come to the same conclusion? Huck’s challenge becomes the readers’ challenge as back in Twain’s day, this was still a very pertinent issue, especially with the failed Reconstruction project and emergence of the Ku Klux Klan. Granted, it might not have been a question of hell or helping a slave, but it most certainly could have been a question of someone’s life because someone could easily have been killed for helping a former slave.
Journal 11 Mark Twain - The Deeper Meaning
Allister Lo
English 48B
Journal 11 Mark Twain
Quote: “NOTICE: Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot” (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)
Summary: Twain opens his book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with this notice, informing people that the impending story is merely a story, and no one should look deeper than the literal meaning of the text.
Response: In writing the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it has been noted that the book shows two different sides of Twain. Twain’s works range from humor to works that have the capability to challenge our belief systems. The Adventures of Hucklebery Finn covers that broad spectrum, incorporating both in one work.
The quote is extremely ironic because the book is considered by many to be the greatest piece of American literature because of its profound challenging of the institution of slavery and the morality of such an institution, although it claims to be just a story, to be taken at its face value.
It is interesting to point out that during the writing of this book, Twain took some time off from writing the novel and the book reflects that. At its beginning, it seems to be a sort of sequel to one of his previous works The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The novel also seems to reflect Twain’s humoristic writing, as evidenced by the quote above, which opens up the whole story. Perhaps Twain intended for this book to be just a story, as he opens up with this humorous note, yet after his time off from the story when he traveled the Mississippi River, the book completely changes its tone and style. Many people attribute this to Twain seeing all of the racism along the river.
However, since Twain himself grew up in a border state, it must have been tough to make this transition as a writer and a person, so instead of proudly parading this new moral idea, he did it under the cover that the story is not to be taken seriously. He may have done this because he was still struggling with his own moral values at the time or he was worried about how people would react to it. In this way, Twain had something to fall back upon in case his book came under heat, which it did.
English 48B
Journal 11 Mark Twain
Quote: “NOTICE: Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot” (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)
Summary: Twain opens his book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with this notice, informing people that the impending story is merely a story, and no one should look deeper than the literal meaning of the text.
Response: In writing the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it has been noted that the book shows two different sides of Twain. Twain’s works range from humor to works that have the capability to challenge our belief systems. The Adventures of Hucklebery Finn covers that broad spectrum, incorporating both in one work.
The quote is extremely ironic because the book is considered by many to be the greatest piece of American literature because of its profound challenging of the institution of slavery and the morality of such an institution, although it claims to be just a story, to be taken at its face value.
It is interesting to point out that during the writing of this book, Twain took some time off from writing the novel and the book reflects that. At its beginning, it seems to be a sort of sequel to one of his previous works The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The novel also seems to reflect Twain’s humoristic writing, as evidenced by the quote above, which opens up the whole story. Perhaps Twain intended for this book to be just a story, as he opens up with this humorous note, yet after his time off from the story when he traveled the Mississippi River, the book completely changes its tone and style. Many people attribute this to Twain seeing all of the racism along the river.
However, since Twain himself grew up in a border state, it must have been tough to make this transition as a writer and a person, so instead of proudly parading this new moral idea, he did it under the cover that the story is not to be taken seriously. He may have done this because he was still struggling with his own moral values at the time or he was worried about how people would react to it. In this way, Twain had something to fall back upon in case his book came under heat, which it did.
Journal 10 Mark Twain Disillusioned Soldier
Allister Lo
English 48B
Journal 10 Mark Twain
Quote: “O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain “ (323).
Summary: In this passage, an old man prays what he terms the “unspoken” prayers for the success of the army in the upcoming battle with a violent prayer.
Response: As was mentioned in Twain's author introduction and discussed in class, Mark Twain was previously a soldier in an extremely unorganized Confederate militia. However, he was either disillusioned or scared with the fighting to the point that he ran away from the army to accompany his brother to Nevada.
It is possible that, as a result of this forgettable stint with the army that he developed a sense of anti-nationalism and anti-war sentiment that his poem "The War Prayer" conjured up.
The city happily celebrates the impending glory of the soldiers and pray for their success. However, in these lines, Twain reveals the ugly side of war through the words of the old man, conjuring up visual images that still leave a lasting impact on readers today. When it comes down to it, the celebration of those going to war is a celebration for the murder of others, people you might not even know. These lines reveal this disheartening image.
Twain also seems to poke fun at religion and those who call on God to deliver them victory in time of war are hypocritical in a way. In essence, those praying to God to bring them victory in war are praying for the destruction of their enemy. The mysterious old man claims to be praying on the behalf of the congregation, yet his language is extremely violent and grotesque. He claims to be speaking the words unspoken, and again victory for the soldiers can only come at the expense of the opposing side, so in essence, what the old man is saying has some a ring of truth about it. However, these people who called on religion, upon hearing these words, immediately claim that this is not what they intend and cast the old man as crazy.
English 48B
Journal 10 Mark Twain
Quote: “O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain “ (323).
Summary: In this passage, an old man prays what he terms the “unspoken” prayers for the success of the army in the upcoming battle with a violent prayer.
Response: As was mentioned in Twain's author introduction and discussed in class, Mark Twain was previously a soldier in an extremely unorganized Confederate militia. However, he was either disillusioned or scared with the fighting to the point that he ran away from the army to accompany his brother to Nevada.
It is possible that, as a result of this forgettable stint with the army that he developed a sense of anti-nationalism and anti-war sentiment that his poem "The War Prayer" conjured up.
The city happily celebrates the impending glory of the soldiers and pray for their success. However, in these lines, Twain reveals the ugly side of war through the words of the old man, conjuring up visual images that still leave a lasting impact on readers today. When it comes down to it, the celebration of those going to war is a celebration for the murder of others, people you might not even know. These lines reveal this disheartening image.
Twain also seems to poke fun at religion and those who call on God to deliver them victory in time of war are hypocritical in a way. In essence, those praying to God to bring them victory in war are praying for the destruction of their enemy. The mysterious old man claims to be praying on the behalf of the congregation, yet his language is extremely violent and grotesque. He claims to be speaking the words unspoken, and again victory for the soldiers can only come at the expense of the opposing side, so in essence, what the old man is saying has some a ring of truth about it. However, these people who called on religion, upon hearing these words, immediately claim that this is not what they intend and cast the old man as crazy.
Journal 9 Mark Twain - Stand Up
Allister Lo
English 48B
Journal 9 Mark Twain
Quote: "It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way" (322).
Summary: As the soldiers prepare for war, the majority of the city is in celebration, glorifying the soldier's impending battle ahead. Those who went against the majority sentiment of the city and spoke against the war were chastized to the point where their personal safety was in question.
Response: In this quote, specifically, it shows Twain’s opposition to the mob mentality, in where the voice of the minority often goes unheard because people are scared to stand up for them for fear of repercussions from the majority. The majority could go to great lengths to protect their own interest, including resorting to physical violence to the point where the minority would feel their personal safety to be threatened.
In this poem, Twain undertakes a huge moral vision and commentary on the voice of minority and how often it fails to stand up to the majority.
As was discussed in class, Twain struggled with his own racism and may have used this poem to provide some social commentary on situations he may have been through. For example, Twain was known to have defended the Chinese miners at a time where the majority sentiment was to cast them aside as inferiors.
Twain could be making the point that while there are many people who feel that the discrimination against minorities is wrong, yet there are few people who are willing to stand up for their beliefs in fear of their personal safety. However, it is interesting to note that even though he makes this point in his poem, Twain never sent out “The War Prayer”, and it was never published during his time. Knowing this, he could be capturing his own point of view and his fear that his personal beliefs may have gotten him in trouble, as they had before where his life was threatened in Nevada for racist comments he had made in his newspaper columns. These lines seem to serve as a challenge to stand up for what you believe in, yet Twain seemed to be in a state of struggle within himself, and the challenge he presents to us was a challenge to him as well.
English 48B
Journal 9 Mark Twain
Quote: "It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way" (322).
Summary: As the soldiers prepare for war, the majority of the city is in celebration, glorifying the soldier's impending battle ahead. Those who went against the majority sentiment of the city and spoke against the war were chastized to the point where their personal safety was in question.
Response: In this quote, specifically, it shows Twain’s opposition to the mob mentality, in where the voice of the minority often goes unheard because people are scared to stand up for them for fear of repercussions from the majority. The majority could go to great lengths to protect their own interest, including resorting to physical violence to the point where the minority would feel their personal safety to be threatened.
In this poem, Twain undertakes a huge moral vision and commentary on the voice of minority and how often it fails to stand up to the majority.
As was discussed in class, Twain struggled with his own racism and may have used this poem to provide some social commentary on situations he may have been through. For example, Twain was known to have defended the Chinese miners at a time where the majority sentiment was to cast them aside as inferiors.
Twain could be making the point that while there are many people who feel that the discrimination against minorities is wrong, yet there are few people who are willing to stand up for their beliefs in fear of their personal safety. However, it is interesting to note that even though he makes this point in his poem, Twain never sent out “The War Prayer”, and it was never published during his time. Knowing this, he could be capturing his own point of view and his fear that his personal beliefs may have gotten him in trouble, as they had before where his life was threatened in Nevada for racist comments he had made in his newspaper columns. These lines seem to serve as a challenge to stand up for what you believe in, yet Twain seemed to be in a state of struggle within himself, and the challenge he presents to us was a challenge to him as well.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Journal 8 Ambrose Bierce - Can't Escape Death
Quote: "Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge" (366).
Summary: After a vivid dream sequence where we think that Peyton has survived his hanging, the story ends with this depressing quote that Peyton Farquhar has been hanged and that it was only a dream.
Response: As I have stated in my previous blogs, Ambrose Bierce was extremely pessimistic and had a very sarcastic sense of humor that was reflected in his writings.
In this passage, it seems that the joke, although it is not of the knee-slapper variety, comes full circle. Rather, it is the completion of a grave joke that leaves the reader feeling depressed and unsatisfied. We have already been introduced to us as someone who could be like anyone of us, merely a citizen trying to serve his country as best he can. However, he has been betrayed by a Federal Scout, who came into his own house and lied to his face.
We then go through a whole sequence where Peyton seems to have made an escape from his seemingly inescapable fate. It was not just any escape, but rather it was a heroic escape, an escape that we see in movies. Typically in movies, we want to see the hero win, or see him come full circle. It is within our culture for us to root for the under dog to win. Furthermore, with the detail and description that Bierce writes with, we feel the suspense and thrill that Peyton is experiencing as he tries to make his escape. In a way, we identify with this character and we assume his role. So, his escape becomes our escape.
It all seems to be according to plan, as the long journey home is near its completion as Peyton stumbles into his yard and is about to embrace his wife, but Bierce slaps us in the face, with this ending line. It is as if he is telling us we cannot escape death, and the thought of that escape is incredulous and naïve, as he states matter of factly that “Peyton Farquhar was dead.” We were tricked into believing that an escape was possible, and Bierce delivers us a punchline that brings us back to his harsh reality.
Summary: After a vivid dream sequence where we think that Peyton has survived his hanging, the story ends with this depressing quote that Peyton Farquhar has been hanged and that it was only a dream.
Response: As I have stated in my previous blogs, Ambrose Bierce was extremely pessimistic and had a very sarcastic sense of humor that was reflected in his writings.
In this passage, it seems that the joke, although it is not of the knee-slapper variety, comes full circle. Rather, it is the completion of a grave joke that leaves the reader feeling depressed and unsatisfied. We have already been introduced to us as someone who could be like anyone of us, merely a citizen trying to serve his country as best he can. However, he has been betrayed by a Federal Scout, who came into his own house and lied to his face.
We then go through a whole sequence where Peyton seems to have made an escape from his seemingly inescapable fate. It was not just any escape, but rather it was a heroic escape, an escape that we see in movies. Typically in movies, we want to see the hero win, or see him come full circle. It is within our culture for us to root for the under dog to win. Furthermore, with the detail and description that Bierce writes with, we feel the suspense and thrill that Peyton is experiencing as he tries to make his escape. In a way, we identify with this character and we assume his role. So, his escape becomes our escape.
It all seems to be according to plan, as the long journey home is near its completion as Peyton stumbles into his yard and is about to embrace his wife, but Bierce slaps us in the face, with this ending line. It is as if he is telling us we cannot escape death, and the thought of that escape is incredulous and naïve, as he states matter of factly that “Peyton Farquhar was dead.” We were tricked into believing that an escape was possible, and Bierce delivers us a punchline that brings us back to his harsh reality.
Journal 7 Ambrose Bierce - Don't Trust Anyone
Allister Lo
English 48B
January 18, 2008
Journal 7 Ambrose Bierce
Quote: “An hour later, after nightfall, he repassed the plantation, going northward in the direction from which he had come. He was a Federal Scout” (362).
Summary: In this passage, a Federal Scout, disguised in a Confederate uniform, tells Peyton that about Owl Creek Bridge and the situation there. With Peyton hearing this information, he gets the idea to sabotage the bridge, which leads to his eventual death.
Response: This line is very subtle, however it is a huge development in the story in that it changes its whole complexion. Initially, you are reading about the history of Peyton Farquhar, and he seems like an innocent civilian, someone who just wants to do what he can to help out his country. However, he is betrayed by someone who he thinks is a friend.
This line really struck me as powerful, because as I was reading through the story, I was wondering to myself how Peyton had gotten himself into this situation. The reason lies in one line, and it is said simply, and it is easy to just skip over it as insignificant. In this line, I think Bierce, whose writing has a reputation for being pessimistic and cynical, is trying to get across two points.
The first point is a jab at nationalism. Peyton is only trying to serve his country in going out to Owl Creek Bridge. Since he could not join the army, he is trying to do what he can and for what? For duty to his country, which he feels will define him as a good citizen. Instead he is deceived by someone and ends up paying the ultimate sacrifice for its loyalty: death.
The second point that Bierce is trying to get across is that you cannot trust anyone. It might seem like a stretch, but the gravity with which this quote was stated and its delivery at the end of a section seems to support this. Right after hearing that he was a Federal scout, the next scene is of Peyton Farquhar again hanging from a bridge, his life literally hanging in the balance.
English 48B
January 18, 2008
Journal 7 Ambrose Bierce
Quote: “An hour later, after nightfall, he repassed the plantation, going northward in the direction from which he had come. He was a Federal Scout” (362).
Summary: In this passage, a Federal Scout, disguised in a Confederate uniform, tells Peyton that about Owl Creek Bridge and the situation there. With Peyton hearing this information, he gets the idea to sabotage the bridge, which leads to his eventual death.
Response: This line is very subtle, however it is a huge development in the story in that it changes its whole complexion. Initially, you are reading about the history of Peyton Farquhar, and he seems like an innocent civilian, someone who just wants to do what he can to help out his country. However, he is betrayed by someone who he thinks is a friend.
This line really struck me as powerful, because as I was reading through the story, I was wondering to myself how Peyton had gotten himself into this situation. The reason lies in one line, and it is said simply, and it is easy to just skip over it as insignificant. In this line, I think Bierce, whose writing has a reputation for being pessimistic and cynical, is trying to get across two points.
The first point is a jab at nationalism. Peyton is only trying to serve his country in going out to Owl Creek Bridge. Since he could not join the army, he is trying to do what he can and for what? For duty to his country, which he feels will define him as a good citizen. Instead he is deceived by someone and ends up paying the ultimate sacrifice for its loyalty: death.
The second point that Bierce is trying to get across is that you cannot trust anyone. It might seem like a stretch, but the gravity with which this quote was stated and its delivery at the end of a section seems to support this. Right after hearing that he was a Federal scout, the next scene is of Peyton Farquhar again hanging from a bridge, his life literally hanging in the balance.
Journal 6 Brett Harte - The Luck
Allister Lo
English 48B
January 18, 2008
Journal 6 Brett Harte
Quote: “It needed but a glance to show them Kentuck lying there, cruelly crushed and bruised, but still holding The Luck of Roaring Camp in his arms…A smile lit the eyes of the expiring Kentuck. “Dying!” he repeated; “he’s a-taking me with him. Tell the boys I’ve got The Luck with me now;” and the strong man, clinging to the frail babe as a drowning man is said to cling to a straw, drifted away into the shadowy river that flows forever to the unknown sea” (332-333).
Summary: After the flood that wipes out Roaring Camp, the people of Roaring Camp find Kentuck, trying to protect Tommy Luck, the Luck of Roaring Camp. However, in the process of trying to save the baby, not only is the baby killed, but Kentuck is on the verge of death too. However, instead of being dismayed, Kentuck is thrilled by the thought that he is accompanying the Luck into the afterlife.
Response: Throughout this story, I thought that Tommy Luck, the Luck of Roaring Camp would contribute something directly to the camp. Some may argue that he did indeed bring luck to the camp, as the camp underwent a huge transformation. The men began showering, and began planting flowers, and watching their language. In a town where the men had previously not batted an eye when a murder occurred, these were big changes. In addition to these changes, the gold claims were doing better than ever.
However, it can also be argued that all these changes were due to a shift in mindset of the locals. Tommy did not do or say anything to inspire these locals, but rather just his presence drew so much awe and the actions of some spread throughout the whole camp. The camp itself straightened itself out and it always had that capability to do so. All it needed was a direction, and Tommy Luck gave them this direction.
In a way Tommy Luck represented a Messiah figure, in that he helped change the town. Harte was known to produce parodies on Bible stories, and the Luck of Roaring Camp shared many parallels with the Nativity story. However, as seen in this quote, I think Harte wrote this story to challenge religious beliefs and the length to which people will go to and change because of them. In other words, I believe Harte is arguing that it is not religion that causes specific things to happen, but rather we, as people control our fates, in that we control our actions, and our actions can lead to us creating our own luck. It seems that Harte believes that religion is merely a crutch for us to lean on when in fact, we are perfectly capable of walking with our own two feet.
English 48B
January 18, 2008
Journal 6 Brett Harte
Quote: “It needed but a glance to show them Kentuck lying there, cruelly crushed and bruised, but still holding The Luck of Roaring Camp in his arms…A smile lit the eyes of the expiring Kentuck. “Dying!” he repeated; “he’s a-taking me with him. Tell the boys I’ve got The Luck with me now;” and the strong man, clinging to the frail babe as a drowning man is said to cling to a straw, drifted away into the shadowy river that flows forever to the unknown sea” (332-333).
Summary: After the flood that wipes out Roaring Camp, the people of Roaring Camp find Kentuck, trying to protect Tommy Luck, the Luck of Roaring Camp. However, in the process of trying to save the baby, not only is the baby killed, but Kentuck is on the verge of death too. However, instead of being dismayed, Kentuck is thrilled by the thought that he is accompanying the Luck into the afterlife.
Response: Throughout this story, I thought that Tommy Luck, the Luck of Roaring Camp would contribute something directly to the camp. Some may argue that he did indeed bring luck to the camp, as the camp underwent a huge transformation. The men began showering, and began planting flowers, and watching their language. In a town where the men had previously not batted an eye when a murder occurred, these were big changes. In addition to these changes, the gold claims were doing better than ever.
However, it can also be argued that all these changes were due to a shift in mindset of the locals. Tommy did not do or say anything to inspire these locals, but rather just his presence drew so much awe and the actions of some spread throughout the whole camp. The camp itself straightened itself out and it always had that capability to do so. All it needed was a direction, and Tommy Luck gave them this direction.
In a way Tommy Luck represented a Messiah figure, in that he helped change the town. Harte was known to produce parodies on Bible stories, and the Luck of Roaring Camp shared many parallels with the Nativity story. However, as seen in this quote, I think Harte wrote this story to challenge religious beliefs and the length to which people will go to and change because of them. In other words, I believe Harte is arguing that it is not religion that causes specific things to happen, but rather we, as people control our fates, in that we control our actions, and our actions can lead to us creating our own luck. It seems that Harte believes that religion is merely a crutch for us to lean on when in fact, we are perfectly capable of walking with our own two feet.
Journal 5 Ambrose Bierce - What did he share in common with Emily Dickinson?
Allister Lo
English 48B
January 18, 2008
Journal #5 Ambrose Bierce
Quote: "Mad (adj)- Affected with a high degree of intellectual independence; not conforming to standards of thought, speech and action derived by the conformants from study of themselves; at odds with the majority; in short, unusual. It is noteworthy that persons are pronounced mad by officials destitute of evidence that themselves are sane" (The Devil's Dictionary)
Summary: Bierce's definition of mad goes against what was the prevalent definition of the time, which was someone unusual. However, Bierce agrees that mad does entail being unusual, but that it is due to a higher degree of independence and the refusal to simply go along with the majority opinion. Besides, who knows if the normal people themselves are "sane"?
Response: As I was looking through Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary, I thought that his definition of mad was really interesting.
In Bierce’s day, mad meant something along the same lines as someone who was insane, or someone who was not considered “normal.” However, what does “normal” really mean? In this quote, Bierce addresses that question by saying that someone mad is someone that has their own way of thinking and does not simply conform to the opinions of the masses.
Another thing that made this quote particularly interesting was its relation to Emily Dickinson, an author who we previously read, who was also described as “mad.” People thought Dickinson was unusual because she locked herself in her room and wrote poetry. However, as we discussed in class, there may have been many reasons for her locking herself up, including that she thought her work was artistic in ways, and wanted to focus on it, thus isolating herself from society.
In essence, many writers back in Bierce and Dickinson’s time may have come under heat for their writing abilities because it may not have represented what people thought was “normal” at the time.
Another thing that was interesting was that many literary critics have viewed both Bierce’s and Dickinson’s writings as being depressing and generally pessimistic. Was this because they were disillusioned with society casting them off and labeling them as “mad”? To answer the question, I would think it would have an effect being called mad to some degree. I think it affected Bierce to the point where he defined the word “mad” in his dictionary just as a seemingly retort to people who used the word degradingly. To the same extent, Dickinson might have isolated herself from society because she did not appreciate being called mad and thus kept to herself, away from the masses of “normal” people.
English 48B
January 18, 2008
Journal #5 Ambrose Bierce
Quote: "Mad (adj)- Affected with a high degree of intellectual independence; not conforming to standards of thought, speech and action derived by the conformants from study of themselves; at odds with the majority; in short, unusual. It is noteworthy that persons are pronounced mad by officials destitute of evidence that themselves are sane" (The Devil's Dictionary)
Summary: Bierce's definition of mad goes against what was the prevalent definition of the time, which was someone unusual. However, Bierce agrees that mad does entail being unusual, but that it is due to a higher degree of independence and the refusal to simply go along with the majority opinion. Besides, who knows if the normal people themselves are "sane"?
Response: As I was looking through Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary, I thought that his definition of mad was really interesting.
In Bierce’s day, mad meant something along the same lines as someone who was insane, or someone who was not considered “normal.” However, what does “normal” really mean? In this quote, Bierce addresses that question by saying that someone mad is someone that has their own way of thinking and does not simply conform to the opinions of the masses.
Another thing that made this quote particularly interesting was its relation to Emily Dickinson, an author who we previously read, who was also described as “mad.” People thought Dickinson was unusual because she locked herself in her room and wrote poetry. However, as we discussed in class, there may have been many reasons for her locking herself up, including that she thought her work was artistic in ways, and wanted to focus on it, thus isolating herself from society.
In essence, many writers back in Bierce and Dickinson’s time may have come under heat for their writing abilities because it may not have represented what people thought was “normal” at the time.
Another thing that was interesting was that many literary critics have viewed both Bierce’s and Dickinson’s writings as being depressing and generally pessimistic. Was this because they were disillusioned with society casting them off and labeling them as “mad”? To answer the question, I would think it would have an effect being called mad to some degree. I think it affected Bierce to the point where he defined the word “mad” in his dictionary just as a seemingly retort to people who used the word degradingly. To the same extent, Dickinson might have isolated herself from society because she did not appreciate being called mad and thus kept to herself, away from the masses of “normal” people.
Journal 4 Ambrose Bierce - Ignorance is Bliss?
Allister Lo
English 48B
January 18, 2008
Journal #4 Ambrose Bierce
Quote: "Religion - A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable" (The Devil's Dictionary)
Summary: Bierce writes off religion as a creation of people's hopes and fears and as a way to explain the unknowable to the ignorant.
Response: After reading through Bierce's author introduction and our class discussions on him, it was not surprising to see that Bierce's writing reflected his pessimism and generally bleak outlook on life. In the Devil's Dictionary, Bierce imposes his views on life through definitions of common words. Instead of the classical definitions we normally associate with these words, Bierce has his own take on them.
I chose this quote because usually religion and someone's thought of religion can help explain his outlook on life. Not surprisingly, Bierce's view on religion is less than flattering. He writes that religion was born out of the combination of people's hopes and fears. He also writes that it is a way to explain the unknown to the ignorant, in essence calling all believers of religion as nothing more than ignorant. This view of religion was quite harsh, and particularly interesting considering that Bierce was born of two deeply religious parents.
Furthermore, Bierce wrote of the supernatural in his fictional writings because it was said that he detested humanity. I found this to be a little contradictory, because in a way, religion is in a way an extension or at least comparable of the supernatural.
For most people, religion represented something to relieve them of their suffering, and it was their motivating force to get them through their days. They believed that there was some sort of force that dictated the way that the world ran. In some cases, this force could be considered supernatural, outside of the realm of human knowledge.
In essence, if Bierce was to denounce believers of religion as “ignorant”, then it would seem that he, too would fall under this distinction.
English 48B
January 18, 2008
Journal #4 Ambrose Bierce
Quote: "Religion - A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable" (The Devil's Dictionary)
Summary: Bierce writes off religion as a creation of people's hopes and fears and as a way to explain the unknowable to the ignorant.
Response: After reading through Bierce's author introduction and our class discussions on him, it was not surprising to see that Bierce's writing reflected his pessimism and generally bleak outlook on life. In the Devil's Dictionary, Bierce imposes his views on life through definitions of common words. Instead of the classical definitions we normally associate with these words, Bierce has his own take on them.
I chose this quote because usually religion and someone's thought of religion can help explain his outlook on life. Not surprisingly, Bierce's view on religion is less than flattering. He writes that religion was born out of the combination of people's hopes and fears. He also writes that it is a way to explain the unknown to the ignorant, in essence calling all believers of religion as nothing more than ignorant. This view of religion was quite harsh, and particularly interesting considering that Bierce was born of two deeply religious parents.
Furthermore, Bierce wrote of the supernatural in his fictional writings because it was said that he detested humanity. I found this to be a little contradictory, because in a way, religion is in a way an extension or at least comparable of the supernatural.
For most people, religion represented something to relieve them of their suffering, and it was their motivating force to get them through their days. They believed that there was some sort of force that dictated the way that the world ran. In some cases, this force could be considered supernatural, outside of the realm of human knowledge.
In essence, if Bierce was to denounce believers of religion as “ignorant”, then it would seem that he, too would fall under this distinction.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Journal 3: Walt Whitman-Living with the Animals
Quote: "I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain'd,/I stand and look at them long and long./They do not sweat and whine about their condition,/They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,/They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,/Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things" (52).
Summary: Whitman seems to be tired of living with other humans, writing that he could live with animals, and not have to put up with the constant annoyances of people, such as their strict religion codes and materialism.
Response: In this passage, Whitman gives reasons why he would be more content living with animals than with humans.
I disagree with Whitman on this point. While at times the world we live in, especially in today’s present day, may be overwhelming, no human interaction would drive someone insane.
In Whitman’s time, it sounded like his primary annoyance was people’s constant submission to God and fulfilling their duty to him. Another point he brings up is the materialism of people in his day. Even more so today, people are caught up with materials and wealth, especially with America being one of the most, if not the most, capitalistic countries in the world. Even the wealthiest of people though, still do not find spiritual happiness. For these reasons, someone can easily grow skeptical and tired of the system, which at times can feel like a rat race. In some cases, the people who work the hardest end up with the least, especially with the increase of globalization across the world.
There are many times that people have felt trapped in their situation and there are probably many people who wish they could revert to the simple days and become one with nature. At some points, people may wish that they could live the care free lives of animals and just live off of nature, rather than constantly having to worry about bills, rent, and other stresses of daily life. Sometimes people might wish that they were the only human on earth because they are so sick of the system and sick of other human beings.
However, a life without any other humans would be a difficult one to live. Although humans have their faults, they also offer what animals cannot, which is reason. And with reason, humans can effectively communicate and have the potential to form deep bonds, bonds that could never be formed with an animal. For this reason, I do not believe that living with animals has the potential to make someone as happy as connecting with another person.
Summary: Whitman seems to be tired of living with other humans, writing that he could live with animals, and not have to put up with the constant annoyances of people, such as their strict religion codes and materialism.
Response: In this passage, Whitman gives reasons why he would be more content living with animals than with humans.
I disagree with Whitman on this point. While at times the world we live in, especially in today’s present day, may be overwhelming, no human interaction would drive someone insane.
In Whitman’s time, it sounded like his primary annoyance was people’s constant submission to God and fulfilling their duty to him. Another point he brings up is the materialism of people in his day. Even more so today, people are caught up with materials and wealth, especially with America being one of the most, if not the most, capitalistic countries in the world. Even the wealthiest of people though, still do not find spiritual happiness. For these reasons, someone can easily grow skeptical and tired of the system, which at times can feel like a rat race. In some cases, the people who work the hardest end up with the least, especially with the increase of globalization across the world.
There are many times that people have felt trapped in their situation and there are probably many people who wish they could revert to the simple days and become one with nature. At some points, people may wish that they could live the care free lives of animals and just live off of nature, rather than constantly having to worry about bills, rent, and other stresses of daily life. Sometimes people might wish that they were the only human on earth because they are so sick of the system and sick of other human beings.
However, a life without any other humans would be a difficult one to live. Although humans have their faults, they also offer what animals cannot, which is reason. And with reason, humans can effectively communicate and have the potential to form deep bonds, bonds that could never be formed with an animal. For this reason, I do not believe that living with animals has the potential to make someone as happy as connecting with another person.
Journal 2: Walt Whitman-Living for Today
Allister Lo
English 48B
January 11, 2008
Journal #2 Walt Whitman
Quote: "I have heard what the talkers were talking, the talk of the beginning and/the end,/But I do not talk of the beginning or the end./There was never any more inception than there is now/Nor any more youth or age than there is now,/And will never be any more perfection than there is now" (31)
Summary: In this quote, Whitman writes of the people who talk about the past and those who talk about the future. However, Whitman objects to this kind of talk, arguing there is no better time than the present, the now.
Response: In class discussions, there was talk that Walt Whitman was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, American poet of all time. So when I read this quote, it immediately struck me, since the quote is a motto that so many people, especially Americans seem to live by. So I thought this quote was interesting since it was written way back when the United States was still a young and developing country.
Ever since I was little, I have been urged to seize the moment and to live for the present because we cannot change the past and we cannot predict the future. The present is the only thing we can control. The quote seems like Whitman is actually talking to you, like many of his other lines throughout Song of Myself. The lines sound almost like commands, where the you is understood.
To me, Whitman speaks these lines as if you came to him and told him about a dream you wanted to pursue. I can imagine Whitman simply responding and saying to simply go for it, because there is no better time than now. It is as if he is saying there is no better beginning than starting right now, nor any better age to start. The time is perfect, so one should simply chase his dream with no regards to the past or future.
It is pretty amazing to see that a poem written in the 1800s can still offer hope and inspiration to those willing to read it even today. Whitman offers readers his life motto and almost urges us to live for the moment.
English 48B
January 11, 2008
Journal #2 Walt Whitman
Quote: "I have heard what the talkers were talking, the talk of the beginning and/the end,/But I do not talk of the beginning or the end./There was never any more inception than there is now/Nor any more youth or age than there is now,/And will never be any more perfection than there is now" (31)
Summary: In this quote, Whitman writes of the people who talk about the past and those who talk about the future. However, Whitman objects to this kind of talk, arguing there is no better time than the present, the now.
Response: In class discussions, there was talk that Walt Whitman was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, American poet of all time. So when I read this quote, it immediately struck me, since the quote is a motto that so many people, especially Americans seem to live by. So I thought this quote was interesting since it was written way back when the United States was still a young and developing country.
Ever since I was little, I have been urged to seize the moment and to live for the present because we cannot change the past and we cannot predict the future. The present is the only thing we can control. The quote seems like Whitman is actually talking to you, like many of his other lines throughout Song of Myself. The lines sound almost like commands, where the you is understood.
To me, Whitman speaks these lines as if you came to him and told him about a dream you wanted to pursue. I can imagine Whitman simply responding and saying to simply go for it, because there is no better time than now. It is as if he is saying there is no better beginning than starting right now, nor any better age to start. The time is perfect, so one should simply chase his dream with no regards to the past or future.
It is pretty amazing to see that a poem written in the 1800s can still offer hope and inspiration to those willing to read it even today. Whitman offers readers his life motto and almost urges us to live for the moment.
Journal 1: Walt Whitman-He or She?
Allister Lo
English 48B
January 11, 2008
Journal #1 Walt Whitman
Quote: "She hides handsome and richly drest aft the blinds of the of the window/Which of the young men does she like the best?/Ah the homeliest of them is beautiful to her./Where are you off to, lady? for I see you./You splash in the water there, yet stay stock still in your room" (37).
Summary: Taken at face value, these lines would seem to indicate a woman looking outside her house, "checking out" some men who are bathing outside her women. She seems to eye one specifically. It seems as if someone is watching the young lady as he or she sees the young lady, and her longing to go outside and play in the water with the young men.
Response: We discussed this passage in class, and it received a lot of different interpretations, so I wanted to add my own interpretation on this passage. At first, I took this passage at its literal value, and just assumed that it was indeed a lady simply being a "peeping tom" and checking out some guys bathing. However, as the class discussion on this topic increased, I looked closer at the language that Whitman used in this passage. After taking a 2nd look, I came to the conclusion that Whitman used the "lady" as a persona of himself.
Looking at the passage I chose, I thought it was interesting that Whitman would describe the lady as hiding “handsome” as handsome is generally a term that is used to describe men. Furthermore, when he states “I see you,” in my opinion, it does not seem likely that he would be watching a lady look out the window, who in turn is watching men play in the water outside. Rather, he is able to see “her” because he is her. I believe Whitman used his poetry as a means to express his desires, as he writes that the lady would love to go and play with the men, yet stays in her room. Whitman could mean this literally or he could be wanting to let other people know about his sexual orientation, yet he does not tell anyone and stays within his safety bounds.
Furthermore, as discussed in class, during this time period, it was uncommon and looked down upon for people to be of a homosexual nature. Since Walt Whitman highly aspired to be one of the greatest poets of his time, it is not out of the question that he would choose to hide his true identity. Even today, some people have a hard time announcing to people that they are gay, but think of the uproar it would have caused back in Whitman’s time.
English 48B
January 11, 2008
Journal #1 Walt Whitman
Quote: "She hides handsome and richly drest aft the blinds of the of the window/Which of the young men does she like the best?/Ah the homeliest of them is beautiful to her./Where are you off to, lady? for I see you./You splash in the water there, yet stay stock still in your room" (37).
Summary: Taken at face value, these lines would seem to indicate a woman looking outside her house, "checking out" some men who are bathing outside her women. She seems to eye one specifically. It seems as if someone is watching the young lady as he or she sees the young lady, and her longing to go outside and play in the water with the young men.
Response: We discussed this passage in class, and it received a lot of different interpretations, so I wanted to add my own interpretation on this passage. At first, I took this passage at its literal value, and just assumed that it was indeed a lady simply being a "peeping tom" and checking out some guys bathing. However, as the class discussion on this topic increased, I looked closer at the language that Whitman used in this passage. After taking a 2nd look, I came to the conclusion that Whitman used the "lady" as a persona of himself.
Looking at the passage I chose, I thought it was interesting that Whitman would describe the lady as hiding “handsome” as handsome is generally a term that is used to describe men. Furthermore, when he states “I see you,” in my opinion, it does not seem likely that he would be watching a lady look out the window, who in turn is watching men play in the water outside. Rather, he is able to see “her” because he is her. I believe Whitman used his poetry as a means to express his desires, as he writes that the lady would love to go and play with the men, yet stays in her room. Whitman could mean this literally or he could be wanting to let other people know about his sexual orientation, yet he does not tell anyone and stays within his safety bounds.
Furthermore, as discussed in class, during this time period, it was uncommon and looked down upon for people to be of a homosexual nature. Since Walt Whitman highly aspired to be one of the greatest poets of his time, it is not out of the question that he would choose to hide his true identity. Even today, some people have a hard time announcing to people that they are gay, but think of the uproar it would have caused back in Whitman’s time.
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