Journal #31 - Job Shadowing

My job shadowing experience was very interesting. I was able to shadow a bunch of different people in a couple of different fields of work. I had the privilege of going to Illinois Department of Central Management Services. Don Warren, the manager of the whole building, took me on a tour of the CMS data room. The room was on the third floor of the building, and only certain people had access to the room. It was around 30,000 square feet of raised flooring, which is used so that the cables can be run under the floor for organization. He explained that the rows of tape data was being transferred to digital storage, so a lot of the space would soon clear up for more servers. Some of the computer equipment was water cooled, which I found to be very interesting. After finishing the tour, Mr. Warren dropped me off with workers in the building. The first person that I shadowed was an IT person. Through out the course of an hour or two, he showed me what his normal day was like. He started by installing applications onto a couple of the different servers in the building, but while he was working on that, he received an email asking him to fix a field on one of the state sites. He also was working on another major project, so he had a lot going on at one time. After I finished shadowing him, I was moved to the networking group. Even though it has nothing to do with the job, they were really funny and relaxed. They took me back up to the data room, but this time they walked me over towards the LAN area. They talked to me about fiber optic cables and the technological advances that are coming around, which was the first thing that I actually understood all day. They talked about fiber cable that instead of sending one wavelength of light through it to pass data, it would send 70 different wavelengths of light in the tube, and because they were all different wavelengths, the data would not interfere with anything. It was really cool stuff. I was most interested by the LAN group. The final person that I was able to shadow was a guy who worked with Unix. I was only with him for a few minutes, but he was the most basic introduction to the field, which was very helpful. He told us that he mainly worked with Unix servers, as opposed to Windows servers. He was very insightful to all the questions that I had to ask him. Overall, I really enjoyed my time job shadowing, but I will be going into the Engineering field for sure.

Video Blog - Langston Hughes

Bibliography Citations:


De Santis, Christopher C. "'The Negro Speaks of Rivers'." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1256&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 3, 2012).


Hughes, Langston. "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 1997. Web. 03 May 2012. <http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15722>.

Favorite Whitman Poem

http://whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1891/poems/194  -- This is my favorite Walt Whitman poem.

"O Captain! My Captain!" is my favorite Walt Whitman poem for many reasons. One of the major reasons that it is my favorite is because of the multitude of ways that it can be interpreted. Taken at its literal meaning, the poem describes a ship that is returning from a journey. The ship has sought and found what it was searching for, but the captain did not make it back alive. He lies cold and dead on the deck of the ship. Many people come and place flowers on the deck of the ship in honor of the captain, who was probably respected by many. Again, the poem repeats that whatever the captain and his crew were searching for was found, but the captain is still dead.

Taken at a very specific interpretation, the captain can be assumed to be Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's mission, the item the ship was searching for, was to reunite the Union during the Civil War. The captain in the story was killed after the ship came back from its mission, meaning that its goal was completed. Lincoln was assassinated, but not until after the end of the Civil War. Many people came to mourn the death of the captain. Thousands of Americans mourned the death of Abraham Lincoln. The poem can also be taken 180 degrees in the opposite direction. The ship in the poem could represent the Confederacy. The captain, much like the captain in the south, is represented as slavery. When the Confederacy came out of the civil war, slavery was dead to the Union. Many southerners were upset by the end of slavery, and Confederacy was no longer a country.

The most popular interpretation of the poem is probably the first of the two, but I believe that both are very valid interpretations. Whitman uses the strategy of repetition, repeating the phrase "fallen cold and dead" through out his poem. Whitman's poem was written in a time following the Civil War, which is why the previous two interpretations come to mind over others. Overall, "O Captain! My Captain!" is a great poem.

"Chanting the Square Deific" - Analysis

Walt Whitman spent a great deal of his life searching for his transcendental self. A large part of his transcendental self was the religion that he was introduced to in his life. Whitman's poem "Chanting the Square Deific" is a different view on traditional religious views. The Christian faith believes in a trinity, consisting of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Whitman's poem was a depiction of a "square deific" (Whitman). The four aspects of the square deific are God, Christ, Satan and the Soul (Oliver). Whitman provided a rough outline of his transcendental self, using the square deific, by describing the for parts of his being.

God, the first stanza and side of the square deific, is depicted as many different gods from other cultures. The "God" characterization is very similar to a father character. The God in Whitman's square deific believes "whoever sins dies" (Whitman). The God does not believe in forgiveness, and even after the days of no redemption for humans, will continue to give out criticism to the people (Whitman). The God does not sound like our version of God because this God is not an understanding God. This God is a merciless God, and he described himself as such. When compared to a father character, God must be strict. It is the father's job, much like God's job, to have little remorse towards all people. 

The next side of the square deific is almost the complete opposite of the God. The Christ is a completely understanding and compassionate Christ. He acknowledged that  he had been crucified many times, and would be again (Whitman). Christ was a "half man/half God" character, much like the other examples from the poem. Hercules and Hermes, both half God characters, are referenced in the poem (Whitman). The Christ sacrificed many things for little in return, and even offered wisdom as well as affection. Christ will "absorb" all the sorrow and suffering in the world, all for the soul's sake (Whitman). This side of the square deific is one of the most important. Christ is a comparison for selflessness. Christ is a person who is more concerned with others than himself, which is a characteristic of transcendental self that a person should aspire to have. Christ would give everything up for someone else, just like a truly good person will give up themselves for another person.

Satan is the side opposite God in the square deific. Satan, according to the Bible, is a fallen angel. Satan is the "brother of slaves," confirming that he is a fallen angel. Since the poem is written in first person, Satan would refer to his "brothers," the other angels, as slaves to Christ (Whitman). Whitman stressed the importance of both good and evil in the deific, demonstrating that a truly well rounded person will have both good and bad qualities. Satan would not change his ways, leading the reader to assume that stubbornness is a common quality in a person's transcendental self, upon deep reflection. Whitman wrote that Satan was "in the depths of my heart, proud as any" (Whitman). Whitman was concluding that even he, not wanting to admit it, had a darker part of his true being deep down.

The Spirit side of the square deific is a much more abstract concept to analyze. However, Whitman even wrote that the Spirit was "the most solid" (Whitman). The Spirit represents many things, including the people, life and the light. God transfers himself through light or fire, meaning that God transfers himself through the Spirit. The Spirit is a "breather of life" (Whitman). The Spirit is responsible for giving life purpose, a very important part of Whitman's transcendental self. The soul is, in essence, Whitman's transcendental self because contained in the Spirit are the other three sides of the square deific. Would that really make it a square deific, or just a trinity like many other religious forms. Were we even talking about religion at all?

Oliver, Charles M. "'Chanting the Square Deific'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW082&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 3, 2012).

Whitman, Walt. "Chanting the Square Deific." The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Kenneth M. Price. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. <http://whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1891/poems/247>.

"I Felt a Funeral, In My Brain" - Analysis

Emily Dickinson was known for writing a great deal of poetry on the subject of mortality, and this poem is no exception. "I Felt a Funeral, In My Brain" was a poem that was a large metaphor. The poem was not a simile because it did not use words such as "like" or "as" to compare the funeral in her brain. The funeral was in her brain. Dickinson used many metaphors throughout her poem to discus the funeral in her brain. Many of her metaphors came when describing the difference between her actual self and her intangible self. In the first line of the poem, Dickinson says "I felt a funeral, in my brain" (Dickinson). She uses a metaphor to refer to her physical self, such as her brain, but in line 8 she uses the term "mind," which refers to an intangible part of her body. The mind is not a physical thing that can be grabbed, or be "numb" (Dickinson).

There are many different ways to interpret the speaker of the poem. It can be assumed that the speaker is going through a very traumatic event in their life. The funeral going on in her head was very traumatic for the speaker, and she did not like it at all. The poem could be the metaphor for the traumatic event. It is also possible that the speaker just has a really bad headache and wanted to write about it. The speaker, assumed to be Dickinson, was not a social person, so she probably did not appreciate being around all the people at the "funeral" in her mind. The speaker begins the poem at a funeral in her brain, and as the poem progresses, they end up passing through a wood floor, through the speakers soul. At the end of the journey, the speaker is found to be alone with silence as her only companion.

Many of Dickinson's poems are on the subject of mortality. She was obviously very afraid of death, or maybe she was very curious about what would happen to her after hear death. Her poetry created a scenario to explain life after death in a way that could ease her fear, such as depicting a small funeral in her head, with little people carrying the casket with "lead boots" (Dickinson). Because Dickinson was known for creating scenarios such as the one in this poem, many of her poems can be described almost as dreams. They obviously cannot literally happen, and the setting of the poem shifts so rapidly. Her poem could have ended with the speaker waking up, or was the speaker even alive? This poem is about a funeral, but it described the event "like a drum" (Dickinson). Drums are seldom used in church-related music. The fact that the image is reiterated through out the poem is a contradiction to normal funeral proceedings. The beating of the drum could be an image for a life event that the speaker wanted to bury, but could not forget.

Dickinson, Emily. "I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain (280)- Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More." Poets.org. The Academy of American Poets. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. <http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15391>.

Journal #29 - Transcendental Self

A prominent philosophical leader once said, "we are who we are." Who is Chris Moore? Is he an athlete? Is he a scholar? Is he a musician? Or is he all of those things? Do any of those things even truly matter? To truly discover who Chris Moore is, we must take a journey into the life of Chris Moore. Understanding the this complex human being will not be an easy task. Upon initial observations, certain characteristics can be noted. Chris Moore works very hard for everything that he wants. Through out his life, he has not had things handed to him. Chris Moore is a generally good person. He will go out of his way to do things for people. Helping people out is something that he feels is important. Treating others the way he wants to be treated is something that he believes strongly in. Upon a much more detailed examination of Chris's character, it begins to become much more clear who Chris really is. Chris is someone who does not like conflict. He does everything he can to avoid all conflicts. This tells a lot about his character and moral integrity. 

No one is harder on Chris than himself. He always strives to be the best he can be, no matter what the subject is. Chris does not let him do things halfway. He also strives to do everything that he can do. He is a strong believer in the motto "you only live once." Chris is viewed by others very highly. People see the things that he does and he is liked by many people. Adults speak highly of Chris because of his ability to do things when asked. He has great manners around everyone, especially women. It is to be noted that he has a very high level of respect towards women. He finds the way that some people act around them to be very disturbing. 

It can be clearly stated that Chris Moore is a very complex person, inside and out.

Journal #28 - "I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died"

Dickinson's poem "I Head A Fly Buzz When I Died" was a very interesting poem. The opening line of the poem would not trouble any person who believed that the personality is a large part of a person's soul. Dickinson's main goal of the poem was to show that poetry is not used to depict photographic images, but to engage the readers intellect and provoke thought. The poem begins telling that the character heard a fly buzzing at the exact moment that she died. She recalled that the room became very still, and used the simile "like a lull in a storm." That line could be used to describe the complete quietness that she felt as soon as she died or also the relief form the pain that she was feeling during her death. Dickinson final line in the poem, "I could not see to see" has conflicting interpretations.

Journal #27 - Dickinson's Writing Style

Emily Dickinson was a very interesting person, to say the least. She was confined to her house for much of her adult life, which had a dramatic impact on her writing style. Dickinson would have only been able to write about  events that she could witness from her bedroom, such as her fathers funeral. His funeral was held on her front lawn, and Dickinson watched the event through a window. "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn that was written by an English poet by the name of John Newton. The song's overall message says that forgiveness and redemption can be given regardless of the severity of the sin and that the soul can be delivered to God through mercy. "Amazing Grace" is one of the most popular songs in the English library, and it is no coincidence that many of Emily Dickinson's poems can be sung to the tune of the song. All songs are really just poems set to music, so it would make sense that Dickinson used a very unique writing style which included a lot of slang words. Her use of slang and shortened words would allow them to fit into the form of a song much easier. Dickinson was a very prominent patriot, which would make sense that she would use the song as a model for her poems. She was a Revolutionary War veteran who received a purple heart for her valiant work in the battle of Bull Run. Her main job in the armed forces was to work the cannon, which was when she did most of her poetry writing. Her slacking job on the cannon probably contributed to the German's loss in the American Revolution. She had a very bad experience during one of her meals, where she found a fly in her soup, and that caused her to become a germaphobe, which was ultimately why she stayed locked in her room. Emily Dickinson was a very influential poet after her death and the fact that many of her poems can be sung to the tune of "Amazing Grace" hints towards her themes in redemption and forgiveness.

Emily Dickinson's Writing Style - Analysis

While Emily Dickinson went through her life almost completely unnoticed by society, she is now known as one of the most influential poets of all time. Dickinson was a very confusing writer, and many professionals have used various methods of explaining her character such as her life and her writing (Melani). Dickinson was a very complex person who by age thirty, almost never left her home, or even her bedroom. She even listened to her father's funeral, which was held on her front lawn, from an open bedroom window (Melani). Not many people knew of Dickinson's writings, but that was mainly due to the fact that she hardly ever left her bedroom. That lack of socialization, however, was partially what allowed her to write poetry; it gave her a place to write as well as a lack of other things to do besides write poetry (Melani). Dickinson was very peculiar with the poetry that she wrote. Many of her poems went unfinished, while multiple versions of others exist. She also was known to occasionally write poetry as prose and prose as poetry, as well as make grammatical errors (Melani).  Dickinson was searching for something that she could only find in the confines of her own home. In her writing, Dickinson was looking to find something in herself.

Dickinson was known for breaking the traditional rules of grammar. She occasionally would leave out helping verbs or punctuation, which was one of the reasons that many people loved her poetry. Her style mirrored what many modern poets also used. On the other hand, however, some people found her writing style confusing and could not comprehend her writing, which turned them off from her poetry (Melani). One major downfall of Dickinson's seclusion was that since she was confined to her own house by herself, she lived in her own consciousnesses. She would have the ability to create new meanings for certain words, which would create more confusion and misinterpretation for the reader (Melani). She would also use words just "for the sake of words" (Melani). Some of the vocabulary used in her poem may have been in a dictionary during her life time, but is not used in today's society (Melani). Dickinson was known for using the meter of "English hymns" (Melani). Many famous American composers, such as Aaron Copland, have set her poems to their compositions. She also liked to change the part of speech of certain words, using adjectives as nouns or vice versa (Melani). She would also use the hyphen to stress missing words or place emphasis on a section of a poem.   

Dickinson was not known for writing about social or political events (Melani). Because she was confined to her home for most of her life, there really was no way that she could have even been aware of those types of events in the world. One major theme that seems to occur in many of her poems, however, is the concept of self-identity (Melani). That theme can be very obviously observed in her poem "I'm Nobody."








Melani, Lilia. "Emily Dickinson: An Oerview." Http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu. 25 Feb. 2009. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/dickinson.html>.

Walt Whitman's Writing Style - Analysis

Walt Whitman has been considered by many as a "tweener." This slightly humorous name is given to authors who do not fit into a specific literary period, but fall between two periods. Whitman fell between the Realism and Modernism periods. Realism writing focused a great deal on the characterization more than the plot of their stories. Most examples of Realism writing pertained to real life events or events that could be plausible. The characters in Realism writing show their personalities and how they react to things. Modernism writing is slightly different from Realism writing. Literary works that represent modernism writing style weren't always presented in a logical order. Loss was also a major theme in Modernism writing. There was a great movement from religion and the narrator cannot always be assumed to be telling the truth.

Walt Whitman began his writing career as a journalist for the Brooklyn Eagle (Price). He seemed to know all there was to know about politics, which would lead a reader to assume that he was a realism writer. Journalists were supposed to write about life events that were happening as well as details about those events. Soon after, he was offered a job at a journal in New Orleans, and he moved down to take the job (Price). The poetry that he wrote following his trip was very bland. Whitman never seemed to be inspired, such as in his work "Sailing the Mississippi at Midnight" (Price). Whitman's writing style reflected Realism characteristics during this period in his life. His journal seemed to depict every day items, but soon after his movement to New Orleans, he was struck with a profound transformation (Price). Whitman became more open to the Democratic party's views, which may have fostered the experimentation with unorthodox poetry (Price). Whitman seems to be favoring Transcendentalist characteristics with his free verse poetry. Whitman's poetry was commented on by renowned Realist thinkers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson (Price). Whitman even labeled his book Leaves of Grass as "al fresco poetry, poetry written outside the walls, the bounds, of convention and tradition" (Price). Transcendentalism writers were some of the first to break the traditional methods of literature. Whitman was doing exactly what the Transcendentalist writers had done many years before. Whitman's style of free verse poetry was closely related to the ideas of the Transcendentalist writers, even thought they were popular before his time. Walt Whitman was known for adding to his work Leaves of Grass, as well as rearranging them. Modernism writing tended to not follow a specific order. Whitman was able to rearrange his poems, making the order unimportant. That characteristic leads a reader to believe that his writings could be Modernism writing. Walt Whitman used nature as a major topic of many of his poems, which would be a typical topic for Transcendentalism writers to use.  Overall, I believe that to call Walt Whitman a "tweener" would be an unfair label. He has very distinct characteristics from the Transcendentalist literary period as well as the Realism literary period. He doesn't show very strong characteristics from the Modernism literary period, which is why I believe that it is unfair to associate him with such. 

Price, Kenneth M., and Ed Folsom. "About Walt Whitman." Welcome to English « Department of English, College of LAS, University of Illinois. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/s_z/whitman/bio.htm>.

I'm Nobody! Who Are You?- Analysis

Emily Dickinson was a very famous Realism writing period poet. During her life, however, she was not famous, which is partially the motivation behind this poem. This simple, 8 line poem revolves around the title. It starts with the simple phrase "I'm Nobody! Who Are You?" The poem continues on for the character to imagine what it would be like to be "somebody" (Leiter). The poem is very short, but it is a great representation of Realism writing. A major component of Realism writing is very great detail and development of the characters, and not as much emphasis on the plot of the story. This poem really did not have a plot, but ended up characterizing the character in the poem, assumed to be Emily Dickinson, at the same time (Leiter). The whole struggle with the poem is the thought of being a nobody. Dickinson grouped herself into the category of "nobody," and in her life time, she was correct. The irony of the poem was that after her death, many of her poems became very famous, and she is today a paradigm for many different styles of literature.

The struggle that Dickinson finds through out the poem is being a nobody, but she doesn't have a major problem with it. In fact, she even finds out that she is not alone. The second line of the poem reveals that the reader is also a "nobody," but the two cannot tell anyone, otherwise they will be kicked out of their society. Since they become a pair, they really are not "nobodies" anymore, which is why they cannot tell anyone (Beyond). While the poem is very short, it is distinctively divided into two separate sections. The first section has a very sad tone, with the character discussing the fact that she is a nobody. The second section, however, has a much more positive attitude. The character, now realizing that there are other "nobodies" out there, has a much more confident look on life (Beyond). The short Dickinson poem has become one of the most quoted poems of the time period.


Leiter, Sharon. "'I'm Nobody! Who are you?'." Critical Companion to Emily Dickinson: A Literary Reference to Her Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCED064&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 12, 2012).


Beyond Books, Apex Learning Inc. "1f. "I'm Nobody! Who Are You?" by Emily Dickinson [Beyond Books - Reading Between the Lines]." Beyond Books. 30 July 2007. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. <http://www.beyondbooks.com/lit71/1f.asp>.

When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer - Analysis

Walt Whitman was known for being a writer not specifically bound to a specific literary period. He helped to bridge the gap between Transcendentalism and Realism, as well as a gateway out of the Realism writing period as well. Whitman's poem "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" is a great example of Realism writing. The poem is a single sentence, but it is a very deep poem. The poem begins with Whitman describing a lecture hall filled with applause after an astronomer finishes his lecture (Oliver). The main character found the lecture to be quite boring, and slowly gets up to leave (Oliver). Once outside, the narrator looks up into the vast night sky and realizes, in awe, how huge the universe really is (Oliver). The main character in this story goes through a slight transformation through out the poem. At first, he is very reluctant to listen to the astronomer describing how large the universe was. Upon leaving, however, after viewing the sky and stars first hand, the character becomes very aware of exactly what the astronomer was talking about in his lecture. Realism writing usually shows a connection between nature and man or emphasizes the characters more than the plot, but because this poem was so short, it was not as detailed as many Realism writing selections. The main lesson learned by the character in the poem is that life cannot be taught to a person. Life must be learned first hand to truly understand things. The poem was written in a time in American history where every aspect of society was experiencing changes, and this poem was a direct mirror of what society members were experiencing. Whitman used a technique, that I've found common in realism poetry, of juxtaposing two common places. He compares the closed space of the lecture hall to the vast, open world. Whitman uses those two setting to stress the importance of living life to gain experience, and that nothing can be taught to a person as well as it can be learned.

Oliver, Charles M. "'When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer'."Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW573&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 12, 2012).

To Build A Fire - Analysis

One of Jack London's most famous short stories, To Build A Fire, was actually written twice. The original version had a named protagonist, while the second version consisted of a nameless protagonist and a dog that was also without a name (D'Ammassa). The plots of the two were very similar, where the main character was in the process of making a long trek in the snow and subzero temperature. In both stories, but in different ways, the protagonist ends up with his feet wet, forcing him to build a fire. The second version includes an unsuccessful main character, who is forced to rely on his dog for warmth when he is unsuccessful in creating a fire. He creates a plan to kill his dog and warm his hands in it, but the dog suspects uneasiness and will not let him get near him (D'Ammassa). The narrator is forced to be doomed by his poor decisions that he made and lives, or dies, with the consequences.

The first version of the short story was written with very little detail, and in a very short, choppy format. The first revision included a writing style that was very detailed and opened the reader up to more information pertaining to the main character (D'Ammassa). Also in the first revision, London depicts his theme very obviously than in his original draft. The man is completely out of touch with reality and loses all sense of survival skills (). The main idea of the story is that while the main character did finally learn his lesson, he was not able to save himself from the doom that he created for himself. London also portrayed a message that followed the philosophy of "survival of the fittest." At the time that this story was written, many people believed in a theory known as social Darwinism. This theory was adapted from Darwin's theory of evolution, but applied to a social sense. This theory is directly related to the time period, which was when realism writing was the popular writing style.

D'Ammassa, Don. "'To Build a Fire'." Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAdvF140&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 8, 2012).

Edwin Arlington Robinson - Analysis

Edwin Arlington Robinson wrote two very interesting poems that both depicted realism writing characteristics. One of his very popular poems, "Richard Cory," had a very intense ending that really drove the meaning home. "Richard Cory" was a poem about a man who was supposedly "like royalty" to the towns people of "downtown" (Cusatis). The main character, Cory, takes a trip downtown and the poem notes that he inspires the people in the lower class. This poem was written during the Gilded Age in history. Gilded literally means "covered in gold." One misconception that goes along with that is that the society was only "covered with gold," and was not completely gold. A major portion of the society lived in poverty, while the rich business men, the gold part of society, lived the "high life." This poem was a perfect comparison of what the Gilded Age was really like. The final like of the poem basically said that Cory went home after the day of being downtown and "put a bullet in his head," meaning that the poverty was simply too much for him to handle (Cusatis). Cory's characterization is an example of how some people really lived their lives, which is why the poem can be considered a realism writing example.

Robinson is also known for his poem "Miniver Cheevy." This poem is very different from the previous poem, and is much less morbid. His poem is known for displaying dissatisfaction with the modern society of the the time period when it was written (Barton). Robinson uses the technique of juxtaposing the society of the time period to the society of past eras to depict his annoyance with the popular society. He basically showed his displeasure about growing up in his time period, and expressed how he wanted to grow up in a previous decade.This poem is definitely realism writing at its finest. Robinson wrote about the society that he lived in from his point of view, as are most all realism writing examples. Robinson also illuded to his dissatisfaction with the cultural and artistic life of the modern age (Barton), which would have been characteristics of literary periods before the Realism period.

Barton, Edwin J. "'Miniver Cheevy'." In Kimmelman, Burt, and Temple Cone, eds. The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 2. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CAP298&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 6, 2012).


Cusatis, John. "'Richard Cory'." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds.Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1333&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 6, 2012).

The Darling - Analysis

Anton Chekhov's story "The Darling" was a very debated story when it was written. Chekhov wrote the story during the Realism writing period, which was very different from the transcendentalist writing period. The Transcendentalist writers were great critics of the modern society because of the level of conformity. Transcendentalists believed that every person should strive to find their own identity in society. Chekhov's story "The Darling," when it was published, was a very controversial story that not even his friends could agree on its meaning (Bloom). One of the popular theories on the interpretation of the story is that the main character, Olenka, is portrayed as a "gentle slave" (Bloom). Through out the story, Olenka marries and becomes completely involved with a husband, and as soon as the husband leaves or dies, she immediately becomes completely absorbed in another man. The first man that she falls in love with is a man named Kukin (Bloom). She initially creates an interest for Kukin when he complains about the weather. That event could be used as an event to foreshadow the future events that Olenka would be eventually completely absorbed in Kukin's business. After Kukin's sudden death, Olenka falls into a depression for three months, until she meets Pustovalov, another man whom she falls in love with (Bloom). Similar events take place, and once again, Olenka is completely absorbed in Pustovalov's life and interests. Pustovalov dies, and Olenka is thrown into a depression once again. The cycle completes one more time, and Olenka is left once again with a man she is completely absorbed in. Another interpretation of the story would be that Olenka was devoted to another human for her entire life without asking for a single thing in return (Bloom). She would have been seen as a heroine, not as a slave. Her actions were perceived as selfless, and were deserving of recognition, which she never once asked for. She simply loved other human beings, unconditionally, asking for nothing in return. This story leaves a pleasant thought on the modern woman of the time, making her out to be a selfless person, despite the many marriages. 

Bloom, Harold, ed. "'The Darling'." Anton Chekhov, Bloom's Major Short Story Writers. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2001.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BMSSAC28&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 5, 2012).

I Will Fight No More Forever - Analysis

The speech "I Will Fight No More Forever" was given by the Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph. After his father's death in 1871, Joseph became the chief of the tribe (Joseph 531). The tribe was very aggressive and prone to war, but they kept peace with the white men for a great deal of time. Following the gold rush, however, the government reclaimed a great deal of the Nez Perce's land. Chief Joseph was very angered by the outcome, but he and his tribe were forced to march towards Canada (Joseph 531). Joseph and his tribesmen were allowed to return to their home, but not for a great deal of time.

Chief Joseph's speech basically summed up that he did not want to fight anymore, hinting at the name of the speech (Joseph 533). Joseph discussed how people of great importance had died and that he did not want to keep up the fighting and death. His speech also told of the children and women who were forced out of their homes and had to travel, with no food or blankets (Joseph 533). Joseph also assumed that they might be dead. He ended the speech with the final line "I will fight no more forever" (Joseph 533). Joseph's speech represents Realism writing in many ways. Realism is the "attempt to depict life as it actually exists" (Werlock). Joseph's speech was a very brutally honest depiction of the lives of the members of his tribe. Realism writing will contain details that help depict the events as clearly as possible, such as the events included about the deaths of the members of the tribe (Werlock). Joseph's speech shows slight parallels to Romanticism writing because of its Native American background. The Native Americans were very in touch with the spirit of nature, which was a very prominent focus of Romanticism writing. Overall, however, this speech by Chief Joseph is a clear example of Realism writing. Realism became prominent after the Civil War, which was the time period in which this speech was given.

Chief Joseph. "I Will Fight No More Forever." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 531-533. Print.


Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 2, 2012).

Spoon River Anthology - Analysis

"Spoon River Anthology" is a very different type of book that is composed of a great deal of free verse poems about people who are "sleeping on the hill" (Masters 514). Masters grew up in Petersburg, Illinois, and this story is composed of people from another small Illinois town. The "Spoon River" was a small tributary to the Illinois River (Cone). One of the characters from his book is Lucinda Matlock. That free verse poem was supposedly about Masters mother (Cone). The poem used a great balance of happiness as well as sadness. The line "we were married and lived together for seventy years" is immediately followed by "raising the twelve children, eight of which we lost" (Masters 516). Realism writing always has the characteristic of depicting life as it occurs, and Master's poem book depicted the lives of around 200 people from the small Illinois town. The final line of the poem "Lucinda Matlock" reads "it takes life to love life" (Masters 516). This special quote helps the reader to realize Ludinda's overall outlook on life. She believes that no one can judge life with out living it first. No one can say that they hate their life if they are not really living it to the fullest. Masters second poem "Fiddler Jones" also depicts somewhat of the same message. The poem is also supposed to depict the life of yet another member of the small Illinois town, which is another example of why this poem is Realism writing. Fiddler Jones was a farmer, which was common for a person to be in the time period that this story was written. He talks about how he has to "till my forty acres" (Masters 517). Fiddler Jones was the perfect example of a farmer at the time, which was the purpose of Realism writing. Master's Spoon River Anthology was well received by many people and is still in printing today. It has also been adapted into some forms of plays.



Masters, Edgar Lee. "Lucinda Matlock." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 514-516. Print.



Masters, Edgar Lee. "Fiddler Jones." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 517. Print.



Cone, Temple. "Spoon River Anthology." In Kimmelman, Burt, and Temple Cone, eds. The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 2. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CTAP0520&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 2, 2012).

The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County - Analysis

The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County is quite a change of pace from our usual stories during the realism literary period. The story is what is known as a "frame story," where the narrative begins and then another story is "framed" inside it (Bloom). The story begins with the narrator of the tale going to meet a man by the name of Simon Wheeler (Bloom). When the two men meet, a mix up with the name of a past friend gets the narrator telling a story about a man named Jim Smiley (Twain). Smiley was a man who had a gambling problem, but it always seemed to work out perfectly. Smiley was able to gamble on horses, dogs and chickens, and he always won the bets. One day, Smiley caught a frog, and for three months, he dedicated himself to training the frog to jump (Twain). Once again, Smiley was very successful with the bets he placed on his frog, and even named him Dan'l Webster (Twain). One day, a stranger came to the mining camp that Smiley lived on and challenged Dan'l Webster to a jumping contest. He bet that there was a frog in the county that could out jump Dan'l Webster. Since the stranger didn't have a frog, Smiley placed the $40 wager down and went to find a frog to compete with. While Smiley was gone, the stranger filled the frog with lead, and when Smiley returned, Dan'l Webster didn't jump at all. The stranger took his money and left, and Smiley then realized that his frog was full of bird shot (Twain). The narrative inside the narrative ends with Smiley running after the stranger, full of anger.

This story seems to be a stray away from realism writing simply because of the silly subject matter. Upon further investigation, however, the story is based on a similar event that occurred at a mining camp in 1865 (Rasmussen). Realism writing tells the story of events that actually occurred, which is why this story is closely related to realism writing.




Bloom, Harold, ed. "'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County'." Mark Twain, Bloom's Major Short Story Writers. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1998. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BMSSMT03&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 29, 2012).


Rasmussen, R. Kent. "'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County'." Critical Companion to Mark Twain: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCMT0347&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 29, 2012).


Twain, Mark."The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009.498-502. Print.

The Red Badge of Courage - Analysis

Realism was a style of writing that became prominent after the Civil War, in the period of 1865 to the mid 1890's (Barney). Realism writing has the distinct characteristic that it depicts events in time as they literally happened, not as an author wanted them to happen (Werlock). Realist writers experimented with setting, points of view and symbols to create stories that accurately described the world they were living in (Werlock). While the object of realist writers was to depict the world around them in a very accurate way, they wrote about events through their perspective of them, not purposely changing details but writing them from their influence (Maunder). A famous realism writer was Stephen Crane, who wrote The Red Badge of Courage. The story depicts a specific Civil War battle, even though it was never named, and is told from the perspective of Henry Fleming, a Union Soldier (Smith). As he entered the war, he soon realized that it was not as glamorous as the stories that he had read (Smith). The Red Badge of Courage is an example of Realism writing for many reasons. The author wrote the story from the view point of Henry Fleming, who discovered the hardships of the war. Realist writers wrote about the world around them with only their own influence, which was prominent through out this story. To some, the novel can be seen as the story of a boy becoming a man through out the war experience (Hafer). Perspective is a large part of realism writing which is why this story is filled with irony. The badge that Henry received was not a badge of courage, but a badge of shame that he received after being struck by one of his own comrades in battle (Hafer). Henry also only depicts courageous acts when he is not feeling well. He only stays in battle when he isn't completely aware of his surroundings, which shows that he really isn't a courageous person. Realism writing is only seen through the eyes of the beholder, and while realism writing is supposed to depict life events in an unbiased way, The Red Badge of Courage can be read from a very different point of view.




Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "realism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 27, 2012).


Maunder, Andrew. "realism." Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS456&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 27, 2012).


Smith, Joyce. "The Red Badge of Courage." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= ETL0268&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 27, 2012).


Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 27, 2012).

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge - Analysis

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek" was a very interesting story by Ambrose Bierce, who was a Civil War veteran. He was wounded in battle and after his injury, he went to California to study (Bierce 387). His war experiences helped him to

The Story of an Hour - Analysis

"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin was a very feminist influenced story. The story began with the introduction of Mrs. Mallard as a very unstable woman who had heart issues (Chopin 554). Her husband had just died in a train accident, and her sister was the one to tell her the news. As soon as she heard, she wept profusely in her room (Chopin 554). She spent a great deal of time sitting, slumped in her chair thinking back on the fact that she was alone (Chopin 554). Suddenly, a thought rushed into her head, and she realized she was free. She muttered under her breath "free, free, free!" (Chopin 554). She realize that she was no longer under the control of her husband. She did acknowledge that she would be sad again when she was forced to see his dead body at his grave, but she knew that she would spend the rest of her life in happiness (Chopin 555). Mrs. Mallard wouldn't ever have a man to control her. The story ended with Mrs. Mallard opening the front door, to reveal her husband, unharmed from the accident that he was not even near (Chopin 555). She then died from what the doctor claimed to be "the joy that kills" (Chopin 555).

This story is a true reflection of women's rights during the time period. Even though is was perceived that Mrs. Mallard died from the joy she felt from seeing her husband again, there is another take on the event. She actually died from the shock of seeing her husband again, but not in happiness. She was so ecstatic that she would be able to be a free and powerful woman, and the thought of her husband being back in her life caused her to die. Since she was a powerful woman, she would rather die than give up her freedom as a woman. Chopin translated her ideas as a feminist into her story "The Story of an Hour."


Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 551- 555. Print.

A Wagner Matinee - Analysis

Willa Cather's writing style was very obviously influenced by transcendentalist period philosophers. Her short story "A Wagner Matinee" takes place mostly in Boston. The narrator Clark became in charge of looking after his aunt when she came into town for a legal matter. Many years before, she left the Boston Conservatory, where she was a teacher, to get married and move to Nebraska. Since then, she had never been 50 miles from her farm. Aunt Georgiana had always been nice to Clark, and he remembered that from his childhood, so he decided to take her to a concert because of her past love for music. At the concert, Aunt Georgiana was moved by the music. She was reminded of the love that she once had with music, and it was almost like an "out of body experience" (Werlock).

Emerson and Thoreau were both known as very prominent transcendentalist philosophers during their lives. Breaking the story down into very simple aspects, even the name "Georgiana" is a form of the name "George," which is derived from a Greek word meaning "farmer" as well as "worker of the earth" (Werlock). Transcendentalists were known for their connection with nature, tying the simple name of the character into the influences of the author. Aunt Georgiana also left her job as a teacher at the Boston Conservatory to move out to a rural farm, yet another connection to nature as well as transcendentalist influence. Cather used nature to help set up the contrast in her story. Just like the music that Clark and Aunt Georgiana listened to at the concert, the contrasting landscapes of Nebraska and Boston helped to shape the contrast in the plot of the story (Werlock). Cather, along with her family, moved to Nebraska as well when she was nine years old. Her story may have come from her personal experiences in the move. The conflict between the opposing scenery in the different areas of the nation (rural and urban) were a major point in many of her stories, especially in "A Wagner Matinee."


Willa, Cather. “A Wagner Matinée.” Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 521-526. Print.


Werlock, Abby H. P. "'A Wagner Matinée'." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS846&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 21, 2012).

Letter to his Family - Analysis

And Ain't a Woman - Analysis

Sojourner Truth was a very well known prowoman spokes person from the mid nineteenth century. She was invited to speak at the Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York in 1851 (Truth 369). She chose not to prepare her speech ahead of time, and she was a strong voice for women everywhere.

Her speech began by saying that between the slaves in the South and the women in the North, the white man, who is responsible for creating the laws concerning civil rights, will soon be "in a fix" (Truth 370). She was saying that soon, the government would have to make decisions about the rights of both women and slaves (Truth 370). Sojourner's main point was that people treated the slaves very differently than free people, including women. She repeated through out her speech the phrase "and ain't I a woman?" (Truth 370). She made a valid point, saying that even though she is a woman, she is not treated the same as other women because she is a slave. She also brought religion into her speech, saying that God must have come from a woman in the beginning, so women should be equal to men.

One of Ralph Waldo Emerson's accomplishments in his life was his speech that he gave at a women's rights convention in Boston on September 20, 1855 (Wayne). While he believed that group efforts usually hindered progress with reforms and thought that it should begin on a personal level (Wayne), he did speak at the convention. Emerson was also known for writing his essay Self-Reliance. The title implies that people need to rely on themselves more often. In Truth's speech, she claimed that "women need to be helped into carriages" (Truth 370). She wanted to push for women to rely on themselves, much like the philosophy of Emerson. He never specifically spoke out against the unfair treatment of women, but he was encouraged to speak about his philosophies on the "feminine genius" as well as the woman's "right to individuality" (Wayne).

Wayne, Tiffany K. "'Address at the Woman's Rights Convention'." Encyclopedia of Transcendentalism. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= ETRA002&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2012).

Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain‘t I a Woman?." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 368-370. Print.

Three Spirituals - Analysis

"Swing Low Sweet Chariot," "Go Down Moses" and "Keep Your Hand on the Plow" are all three African American spiritual songs. The songs were all from the time period before the Civil War, where the African Americans were enslaved. The songs were spread by word of mouth, so no author is specifically cited ("Three Spirituals" 344). The spirituals incorporated religious aspects, such as "the text of Christian hymns" ("Three Spirituals 344). The main purpose of the spiritual songs was to hide a hidden message in the lyrics.

"Swing Low Sweet Chariot" refers to the freedom of the slaves. It uses a biblical representation to hide the meaning from the slave masters. The poem contains a line that reads "I looked over Jordan and what did I see" ("Swing Low" 346). That line refers to the enslaved Jews, in the Bible, crossing the Jordan River on their way to freedom. The enslaved Africans were peering into the North in search of their freedom. Since Thoreau and Emerson were both transcendentalists, it is obvious that they were influences to the author(s) of the song. Transcendentalism includes a "belief in the presence of God in nature" (Quinn). This song relates religion into the lives of the enslaved Africans in their search for freedom. "Go Down, Moses" is once again another reference to the Bible, comparing the enslaved African Americans to the enslaved Hebrews. The line "Let my people go" is repeated many times throughout the song ("Go Down" 347). Thoreau believed that the people had a right to speak out against the government in times of unjust ruling, such as slavery. He voiced his opinions in his essay "Civil Disobedience." The song would have been written by a person who thought that the unjust government needed to be stopped. "Keep Your Hand on the Plow" is a song that tells the slaves to hold on and keep their faith, and that their freedom will come soon ("Keep" 348). The biblical reference refers to two apostles that were imprisoned and God sent an earthquake to set them free ("Keep" 348). Thoreau found himself in jail and was set free by another person in his essay "Civil Disobedience."

"Go Down, Moses." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 347. Print.

"Keep Your Hands on the Plow." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 348. Print.

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 6. Print.

"Three Spirituals." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 344-345. Print.


Harding, Walter. A Thoreau Handbook by Walter Harding: pp. 131-173 (New York University Press, 1959). © 1959 by New York University Press. Quoted as "Thoreau's Ideas" in Harold Bloom, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BCHDT05&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 10, 2012).

Cavalry Crossing a Ford - Analysis

Walt Whitman's poem "Cavalry Crossing a Ford" is his perspective of the Civil War. Whitman was a nurse, and he cared for both Union and Confederate soldiers during the battles (Whitman 340). The poem is written in with a very free rhyme scheme. That characteristic can closely relate to the very free ideas that are associated with Transcendentalism. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a very well known Transcendentalist who influenced many writers. Whitman was first inspired by Emerson to become a poet after he read in one of Emerson's essays that "the perfect poet has a new thought; he has a whole new experience to unfold" (Whitman 340). The poem does tell of a Civil War battle, but he does not describe any fighting. Whitman's poem describes a "silvery river" as well as "a line in long array where they wind betwixt green islands" (Whitman 341). Whitman shared Transcendentalist views with Thoreau. Both men had a strong belief in the power of an individual. Thoreau believed that "there are, for Thoreau, only individuals" (Harding). The poem described the soldiers as "each person a picture, the negligent rest on the saddles" (Whitman 341). Whitman wrote about the importance of the individual in the civil war battle. Even though the soldiers knew they were going into a battle where men would die. Emerson was searching for an ideal poet, and Whitman was definitely that poet. All three of the men shared their transcendentalist views in their writing, and Whitman displayed it in his poem "Cavalry Crossing a Ford."

Whitman and Thoreau were similar people. Thoreau was not afraid to perform manual labor or work (Harding). Whitman, even though he was an intellectual person, also was not afraid to work, as he was a nurse during the Civil War. Thoreau's philosophy on working was that "The aim of the laborer should be, not to get his living, to get a 'good job,' but to perform well a certain work" (Harding). Whitman was a nurse, but he was not a nurse for a specific side of the Civil War, and he treated people from both sides. Whitman was a supporter of not just doing his job, but doing his job well; the philosophy was also shared with Thoreau.

Whitman, Walt. "Calvary Crossing a Ford." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 340-341. Print.


Harding, Walter. A Thoreau Handbook by Walter Harding: pp. 131-173 (New York University Press, 1959). © 1959 by New York University Press. Quoted as "Thoreau's Ideas" in Harold Bloom, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BCHDT05&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 10, 2012).

The Gettysburg Address - Analysis

The Gettysburg Address was a speech given by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863 (Lincoln 401). He began the address by stating the date of foundation of our great nation, and began into a statement that "we are engaged in a great civil war" (Lincoln 402). The next lines of his speech stated that the war would be the true test of our nation's strength, and that the lost lives should be honored with a place of burial in our country (Lincoln 402). The main section of Lincoln's address closely related to some of the philosophies of Henry David Thoreau. In Thoreau's essay "Civil Disobedience," he describes a time where he spent a night in jail because he would not pay his poll tax (Barney). Thoreau was very outspoken on the issue of slavery, as was President Lincoln. Both men were very verbal with their anti-slavery ideas. Another similar philosophy that the two men shared was an idea that the American people needed to act in order to get things done. Lincoln's address said that "is is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced" (Lincoln 402). Lincoln wanted the Americans to act out and finish the work that was started by the early soldiers. Thoreau was a proponent that the citizens had a civil duty to act out against the government when it was necessary. Lincoln wanted America to make it through the civil war and become their own nation, much like when Thoreau wrote his essay "Self-Reliance." His essay was about becoming an individual and not striving to imitate others. Lincoln's address was aimed in the direction of creating a new, single union after the civil war. Thoreau wrote in his essay "Our houses are built with foreign taste" (Thoreau 181). He then finished the excerpt stating that all people should imitate nothing and should strive to be individual. Our country was struggling with the civil war in an effort to be individualist.

Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 400-402. Print.


Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 180-181. Print.

 Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "'Civil Disobedience'."Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0453&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2012).

The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro - Analysis

Frederick Douglass's speech "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" gave a very different perspective on a very common topic. In an excerpt from the speech, he began, "The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common" (Douglass 337). That statement set the tone for the rest of the excerpt, noting that July Fourth, while being a holiday to white men, is not a joyous occasion for all men. He even went as far as saying that "This Fourth July is yours, not mine (Douglass 337). Douglass made it very clear that because the African Americans were enslaved, they were not considered citizens of the United States and did not feel as passionately about the Fourth of July. One of Ralph Waldo Emerson's essays, Self-Reliance, is a clear message from Emerson that as Americans, even though we all originally came from another nation, need to strive to be individuals (Emerson 181). Douglass's essay touched on a similar idea. He discussed how the African American's did not see the holiday in the same way that white men did, and in a sense, he was asserting the difference between white men and African Americans. Emerson believed that Americans should "insist on yourself; never imitate" (Emerson 181). Douglass also discussed how a slave views the Fourth of July. He said that it is seen as "gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim" (Douglass 337). Douglass, a former slave, knew the hardships that the slaves faced, and was outraged that the slave owners could celebrate their holiday that was considered to him as "a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages" (Douglass 181). Douglass was overall very upset with the view that the nation had on July Fourth. With the ideas of Emerson in mind, Douglass made a statement for himself, as well as all slaves. Douglass made it known that the slaves did not share all ideals with the white men, setting them apart.

Douglass, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 336-337. Print.


Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 180-181. Print.

Civil Disobedience - Analysis

Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience was a very outspoken essay on Thoreau's views on the American government. During Thoreau's life time, the major political issues were dealing with the Mexican-American War and with slavery, both of which Thoreau was not a fan of. He was very outspoken about both issues, saying that the Mexican-American War was a sign of aggression by the American government. Thoreau spoke out in protest by not paying a poll tax, which landed him into jail for a night. One of his friends finally bailed him out and the ordeal was over, but he continued to protest his ideas towards the government.

A very popular concept at the time of Thoreau's publication of Civil Disobedience was the concept of Manifest Destiny. The concept had three main points, but one main concept sticks out and pertains to Thoreau. A part of Manifest Destiny told that God was on the side of American expansion, and the people had to do what ever they could to expand the nation. Thoreau was up in arms with the fact that our country was in the middle of the Mexican-American war, which was fought partly because of the belief in Manifest Destiny. Some would say that the concept was almost imperialist, but to the same token, Thoreau was doing just as much wrong as the Mexican-American war was doing to our country. Thoreau spoke out and acted based on his moral compass and his personal beliefs, but our country was in the war over Mexican territory because of the concept of Manifest Destiny, which gave people the right to expansion. Thoreau was getting mad at the war and acting out in the same ways that the war itself was acting towards the other country. He thought that he was doing something for the greater good, but in turn he was doing the exact same thing.

I find that Thoreau hinted at semi religious points throughout his essay. His main idea was that people had a higher power to obey, even higher than the law. He also thought that people had a sense of morality that they would refer to when living their lives. Again, a part of Manifest Destiny was a religious base, which makes Thoreau sound even more like his opposition.

Another important point to be made is on Thoreau's comments on political reform. He claimed that little reform acts would do nothing to the overall picture of society, while he continued to form his own act of rebellion by not paying his tax. He, in turn, did the exact same thing that he was criticizing in his essay. Thoreau went back on a lot of his ideas, but he did show many characteristics of Transcendentalism writing. His main focus was a sense of personal worth over society, or in this case government.  Thoreau also provides a new basis for revolutionary ideas, which he proposed throughout his essay (Thoreau). Thoreau was influenced by writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was a very prominent transcendentalist writer who came up with many of his own ideas himself, which is why this essay is definitely an example of transcendentalist writing.

Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "'Civil Disobedience'." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0453&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 25, 2012).

Thoreau, Henry D. "Thoreau's Civil Disobedience - with Annotated Text." The Thoreau Reader. Richard Lenat, 2009. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. <http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil.html>.

Journal #26 - Breaking the Rules

There are many times that it is acceptable for the rules to be broken. I mean, rules were meant to be broken, so lets have a party. Obviously if breaking a rule will save a person's life, then it should be broken. If there was a rule that you had to throw knives at all Chicago Blackhawks fans, I would obviously choose to break that rule. It is also acceptable to break a rule when it conflicts with a personal interest or belief. In Thoreau's case, he felt insecure with the state of the national government, which was why he spoke out by protesting the poll tax. He did not agree with the Mexican-American War, which was why he ended up spending a night in jail until one of his friends could bail him out. NHL goaltender Tim Thomas was a part of the Stanley Cup winning Boston Bruins, and when they were invited to the White House to meet the President, he chose not to go. He believed that our government system was corrupt and that the corruption occurred on every level, not just by the president. He also stated that his decision had nothing to do with his political party, as he believed that both parties were equally responsible for the corruption. He chose to break the rules set forth by the team, and he was not reprimanded for his actions. A big deal was not made of his actions and everyone moved on, even though he clearly made a choice that was against the normal decision that should have been made. That is a perfect example of how there is a time and a place for breaking rules, and if done correctly, there aren't always consequences for breaking rules. Whenever I break rules, I always am the first person to get into trouble. It doesn't matter what I do, I can't ever get away with anything. I personally try not to break rules, but there is definitely a time and a place for everything.

The Minister's Black Veil - Analysis

Nathaniel Hawthorne refers to his story The Minister's Black Veil as a parable. A parable is a story that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson, and as most Dark Romanticism period literary pieces do, this story had a deeper meaning than what was on the surface. The parable begins with a preacher walking into his service wearing a black veil. The color black is usually associated with death or mourning, or generally sad and scary things. Black is worn at funerals and mainly associated with death. The fact that the preacher was wearing not just a veil, but a black veil is the authors way of depicting the veil as dark, and even the preacher as a dark character. When they ask him to remove it, he says that he simply cannot remove it. The author does not specifically say why the preacher is wearing the veil, but it is possible that the veil symbolizes more than just a covering of his face. The veil could stand for some sin or shame that the preacher has encountered in the past and cannot let go. Even up until his death at the end of the story, the preacher would not take off the veil. He is even buried in it, taking his "sin" to the grave with him.

It should be said that it was nothing that the preacher did that made the people stray away from him, but simply the black veil that he wore. He did nothing that would scare away people, he only wore a black veil over his face. That theme relates this story back to Dark Romanticism. Human nature caused people to stray away from what could have been a perfectly socially acceptable man, but because he had a stigma, his veil, people were afraid of him. He, in a sense, caused his own demise, but the other characters in the story helped to play an equally important role. They did not understand, so they chose to ignore him.

Abby Werlock discusses many valid points in her literary criticism. She promptly noted that the title of the story concluded that it was a parable, but there are two types of parables. Christian parables are stories that have a moral or spiritual meaning, but Greek parables are simply stories that are told "side by side" to one another (Werlock). She also notes that in the footnote from Hawthorne, he tells that the story "parallels a narrative about Mr. Joseph Moody, another clergyman who covered his face because in his youth, he had accidentally killed a friend, but that this story has "a different import" (Werlock). Which type of parable is it? Both would be clear choices either way, but it is difficult to create an argue to definitively defend one side or the other.

Through out the story, the townspeople are too afraid to ask the preacher why he is wearing the veil, so instead they gossip about the possible reasons. They discuss in private, behind his back, why he would want to wear such a thing and even conclude that it may be to cover up some kind of sin. In the process, however, they themselves create sin gossiping about the preacher. There may not have been a reason at all, and if so, the towns people would have done even more wrong than the preacher wearing the black veil, possibly covering up nothing at all. That is why this story is Dark Romanticism.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Minister's Black Veil." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. .  Print

Wright, Sarah Bird. "'The Minister's Black Veil'." Critical Companion to Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCNH403&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 23, 2012).

Werlock, Abby H. P. "'The Minister's Black Veil'." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS581&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 23, 2012).