Journal #9

The contemporary connection seen between today and the years of 1865-1914 is in entertainment. In the past people found entertainment in reading. However, it wasn't always through novels, which were seen as taboo and a form of "modern day pornography" that gives rise to evils. It started in the bible and newspapers and eventually moved to novels. Entertainment therefore, will never be the same for one generation as it is for the next. As the people in the time period of 1865-1914 were exposed to different technological advancements such as motion pictures, they began to slowly drift away from print culture. Just as today, how kids would rather opt to watch a movie, then read the novel the movie was based off. Even though print culture today can be found all over the Internet, kids would still rather watch a tv show or search social websites for friends. Entertainment for people is never stagnant and will continuously change for the rest of civilization.

Journal #8: The Civil War

The two texts that I found similarities in, were strangely the inagural adresses of the both the Union and the Confederacy. The Union's vision of the "American Dream" differed only in the aspect that they felt that slavery was a travesty that caused the Civil War shown in Lincoln's Second Inagural adress stating, "All knew that this interest (slavery) was, somehow, the cause of the war." The Union's view of the "American Dream" still valued prosperity for it's people and dreaded the war, as did the Confederate States. However, the Confederate states felt that their method of obtaining happiness, exporting cotton, was being interferred with by the Union, which caused the succession in the first place. Jefferson Davis put emphasis on their cotton industry during his inagural adress stating, "...their chief interest is in exporting a commodity required in every manufacturing country." Jefferson Davis' inagural adress was more pursuasive, because it evoked a feeling of national pride in the suceeded states. The Northerners of the time period would have viewed his speech as a force to be reckoned with, and they would have noticed that the south was serious in this succession.

Journal #7: The Slave Mother

The Abolitionist slave movements brought about some of the most vivid imagery in novels and poetry. The protagonist writers of the time period used this imagery to fight in the battle for sympathy and empathy of the nation's heart. In the poem "The Slave Mother" by Frances E. W. Harper, she uses all of the right words to portray the agonizing event of a slave's son, being stripped away from her leg by her master. This was common occurrence in these times to remove the familial bonds from the slaves, and great infer that they are not created equal. This imagery can be seen in the 9th stanza lines 33 through 36, "They tear him from her circling arms, Her last and fond embrace. Oh! never more may her sad eyes gaze on his mournful face." The use of the words tear and embrace are very strong imagery words that appeal to the readers sense of the slave's love for her child.

Bonus: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Chapter 10 of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, the narrator expresses her feelings towards her master and the situation as a whole in a shameful, pitiful and desperate account of her plan to escape the bars of slavery. She uses imagery such as "Bitter tears, such as the eyes never shed but once, were my only answer." (779) evoking sorrow and pity for the narrator. This language was chosen to make the reader sympathize and feel the same emotions portrayed in the chapter; empathize. This is different from the writings in Fredrick Douglas' narrative, which is more of a factual account of his experiences of slavery throughout his life. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is more of an emotional account of the tries that slave girls had to encounter.

Comment to post #6

To Paige Wells: Great job showing how the difference in gender even affected slaves back in the day. It is similar to mulatto's troubles when her father passes away and her "negro blood" is discovered changing her life.

Journal #4 Comment

Zach Steen's post for journal number 4 did a really good job of recognizing the symbolism presented in "The Tenth of January". He also doesn't just give a summary of the story but writes his blog based off of his own experiences with symbolism from one of the great American Classics of "The Great Gatsby".

Blog # 3 "The Wife"

In Irving's short story the wife, he personifies women as being the stronger part of the marriage and the support to the man. In his time it was the man's responsibility to provide an income for the family while the wife was to maintain the house and family schedule. George seems to have a falling out of wealth and believes that this will tarnish the couples marriage and possibly lead to her leaving him. What his friend tries to make him see is that marriage is not about material needs but the love that 2 people share for each other. The friend also says that he will see a compassionate and sympathetic side to his wife that he has never seen before, and this hardship will make them become even deeper in love. Even till this day Americans value marriage as a right of passage and something that is necessary. It is an ever present support system that only gets stronger in the face of adversity.

Blog #2 Readers Response

During the revolutionary war Americans became increasingly more patriotic with every battle. Although they are from many different nations, with differing views and religions, they all come together united against a common enemy. Our fore fathers developed a nation that would thrive and prosper through the ages. They knew that this new world had much to offer and they would defend it with their life.
This is similar to going to college, everyone is from a different city or state and think that theirs is the best. For a while people stay in groups from their home city but eventually everyone becomes united under the common name. For the students at TCU, we are all horned frogs first and not connected to home town or state as directly. Everyone that attends TCU, thinks it is the best and it should be fought for, just as our fore fathers felt about our great nation.

Blog #1 American Identity

My definition of the American identity has not been changed from the readings, I am proud of my country and all that she has accomplish in her short life. Our nation has had a few mishaps that we wish we could erase and it is these events that challenge my view of the American identity but they do not change it in any way. One being slavery, which in the poem I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes it says that America will look back on his time period and be ashamed of the harm caused by slavery.  

Many Americans enjoy simple pleasures that countrymen of other nations can only dream of such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. My definition of America is a simple one. It is the land of opportunity where anyone that works diligently and with purpose, can achieve great things. It is a land that is not tied to class systems or monarchs, but rather a free nation in which anyone can prosper no matter the economic situation that they are born into.  America is still a safe haven for all immigrants of all races, the statue of liberty is an American icon of this to all of the original and current immigrants coming through New York. America has never ceased to be the home of the free and the brave, which is why my view of the American identity is unwavering.