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.