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