Journal #14

Reading Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried made me think about the material things in my life and which ones are really important. I realized that if I were a soldier in Lieutenant Cross’s unit I would carry my Thing One and Thing Two photo album that my mother bought my sister and me on our trip to Universal Studios.

My sister and I have become extremely close since moving to Colorado five years ago. So in order to commemorate our bond, when I turned 18, my sister and I both got matching tattoos of thing one and thing two and since then we’ve been inseparable. If I carried the thing one and thing two photo album filled with pictures of us throughout the years no matter how bad things were I would be reminded of the simple things that used to make us laugh before the war. I would be reminded of the friends and family I have back home.

By carrying personal effects during the war, the soldiers in The Things They Carried were able to hold on to who they were before the war. They could keep in touch with who they really are and prevent what they experience in battle from affecting their relationships in the real world. 

Since reading The Things They Carried I have realized that material things are just physical representations of our emotional baggage that in the real world we may not want to hold on to. However in times of war and turmoil, these manifestations of emotional baggage can give soldiers a connection to the world they left behind and therefore, something to go back to or something to keep them from changing during the war.

Journal #13

Zitkala-Sa’s story is certainly one of perseverance and strength; however, I do not believe that it is an example of the American Dream coming true. Since her first day of school she was persecuted for her culture and beliefs and although she was eventually treated as a peer in college, it took several months for that change to occur. Even when she received an award at her second oratory contest there were clear signs of prejudice in the audience.

Although it is true that Zitkala-Sa was given the opportunity to explore the world outside of her culture her success academically does not necessarily mean her American Dream has been fulfilled. If the American Dream was truly the outcome of Zitkala-Sa’s tale then why did she claim that “the little taste of victory not satisfy a hunger in my heart” (438)?

If this story were truly an example of the American Dream then Zitkala-Sa’s success would not culminate in a brief moment of triumph but with lasting acceptance among the people around her despite her differing beliefs and background. Although the prejudice of the audience gave her the surge of motivation to prove them all wrong, her victory should not have ended with a trophy but with respect.

Journal #12

Funds for the cause were solicited by the reigning sovereigns in person, and the hospital building was completed in 1860. Very near to its site, on Sept. 2, 1838, I was born.

If anyone native to the 'western world' were to read this sentence out of context their first thought would be to assume that it is about the English Royal family; however, the sentence is referring to the monarchs of Hawaii. The language of the sentence shows that an "new world" to the United States or to England may be as developed and sophisticated as they are but because they country has a different religion or culture it is automatically considered to be uncivilized by western society or "the white men".

Journal #11

After the civil war it is true that slavery was abolished; however, in the readings for today it is clear that due to lynching and Jim Crowe laws the quality of life for most African Americans in the south was almost worse in many cases. Therefore, the question I must ask is although slavery was unbelievably cruel and needed to be stopped, would African Americans have been better off if slavery was abolished more gradually?

Obviously slavery was in every way wrong, but for many southerners the sudden abolition of slavery was a huge culture shock and probably caused intense bitterness toward African Americans who they believed to be inferior. This hatred towards African Americans was rooted so deeply that it spread throughout generations. Throughout Claude McKay’s poems we see the hatred coming out through lynching of most likely innocent men, women, and children. The constant fear that must have come from this blatant and unregulated hatred must have been unbearable. More likely than not law enforcement or the court system would have dismissed an African American’s complaints but if they did listen their lives may become that much worse. Is it possible that if the abolition of slavery was a more gradual process white people would have had the opportunity to process not only the fact that their lifestyle was coming to an end but to adapt to the new way of life? If slavery had been phased out, would the former slave owners have been so bitter that they needed to resort to lynching or Jim Crowe laws in order to maintain the ‘status quo’ or would the life of the African American continue to be riddled with fear?

I don’t know what might have happened if slavery had ended more slowly. However, I can’t help but wonder if that would have prevented hate crimes such as lynching from becoming so accepted in our country.

Journal #10

It is evident in both EW Harper’s poem “Learning to Read” and Charles W. Chestnutt’s story “The Wife of his Youth” that literacy and knowledge is imperative to succeeding in an upwardly mobile society. The Blue Vein Society stressed the importance of education in ‘assimilating’ and gaining acceptance in white society. However, as the story of “The Wife of his Youth” unfolds, the reader begins to realize that moving up in society isn’t everything. In fact, it seems that with education comes complications. For example, Mr. Ryder explains that while the darker complexioned society would “welcome us… it would be a backwards step” (Chestnutt). He goes on to say that their Blue Vein Society can only “do the best that we can for ourselves”. Mr. Ryder no doubt realizes that knowledge has clouded his true feeling when a woman with very little education tells her story of complete and utter devotion.

Mr. Ryder insinuates that education changed him. Had he still been the man that he was before the war he would not have hesitated in revealing himself to his wife and lived in blind happiness. However, education and society forced the burden of the advancement of his race upon him. All the while his wife who had no education was certain that she would find the man she loves before she died, that kind of conviction might not be found in any educated person because with education come great responsibility.  Education forces us to question the possible outcomes of certain situations rather than trusting our own natural instincts. After an internal debate, Mr. Ryder came to the same conclusion that Mrs. Dixon came to in only a moment of silence; no matter what education may bring you, it cannot replace love. The wife of Mr. Ryder’s youth shows us that our first instinct is to find love and hold on to it no matter what color you are or the level of education you possess.

Journal # 9

 

Since the emergence of print culture, the media has been a way for reformers and activists to convince the masses of their argument. In the late 1800s and early 1900s these people were best known as “muckrakers”, which was “a reference to digging in the dirt to uncover corruption in politics and big business” (22). The most notable of these investigative journalists was Upton Sinclair whose novel The Jungle, which was meant to uncover harsh treatment of immigrant workers but in effect created the Food and Drug Administration.

Today, although print media is still a prominent method of persuasion, documentary films have become a more widespread form of communicating the world’s faults. For example, the name Michal Moore has become synonymous with bashing the government and big business. His films Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine have gained critical acclaim and even been nominated for Academy Awards. If nothing else these films have certainly stirred popular opinion. Documentaries have attacked several issues in today’s culture such as the environment and the effects of fast food.

What the muckrakers and documentary filmmakers have in common is that they use scare tactics and shock factors in order to sway their audience. Upton Sinclair depicted the Chicago meatpacking district in a way that would have disgusted even the least squeamish of people and eventually created government regulation for food manufacturers (which I think we are all pretty grateful for). Similarly, the documentary Super Size Me followed a healthy man who ate nothing but McDonalds for an extended period of time and emphasized its effects on the body. In my middle school health class we were required to watch the film and I can say from personal experience that the film’s arguments definitely deterred me from eating fast food for awhile.

Journal #8 Response to Elyse Nichols

I agree with your idea that “John Brown’s Last Speech” and Henry Garnet’s “From a Memorial Discourse” describe the violence and loss that was necessary to eradicate slavery. Also, these writings demonstrate the struggles that were always tied to achieving the American Dream. Beginning with the American Revolution the pursuit of the American Dream has involved conflict and violence and the abolition of slavery was no exception.

To many in the northern states the loss of lives would seem a fitting sacrifice to free American from the “national sins” committed by the Americans in the south. Furthermore, to liberated African Americans in the north dying for the freedom of their enslaved friends and family or dying en lieu of slavery may have been an honor.

Both of these texts would have been very inspiring to the handful of slaves that were literate as well as the abolitionists in the north. I believe that the quote "If it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and inject enactments, I say let it be done" would have prepared the abolitionist for the fight that was yet to come and the sacrifices that were yet to be made in order to fulfill the American Dream.

Imagery in poetry can be exceedingly valuable especially in narrative poems because it provides the audience with a picture of the story being told. In the case of John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem The Hunters of Men the speaker describes a hunting party whose prey are fugitive slaves running for the north. The people described in the hunting party are described as “the saint and the sinner, with cursing and prayer,/ The drunk and the sober, ride merrily there” (line 15-16). The hunters come from all walks of life to take part in this horrendous past time. However, the only line that showcases the barbarity of these practices is the one that is repeated throughout the course of the poem: “the hunting of men” (line 2). 

 The contrast between the jovial hunters and the hunted shows that those taking part in the festivities somehow don’t realize that they are capturing human beings; In their mind they are retrieving property. By letting the audience know that it is men being hunted the speaker is alerting the reader and/or the hunters to the fact that fugitive slaves are in fact people who are trying to exercise their right to freedom in the “’land of the brave and home of the free’” (line 21) and that treating humans as animals is contradictory to the ideals that the United States was based on.

Journal 6

As Harriet Jacobs writes in the story of her life “Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for a woman” (780) because a woman who is enslaved is compelled to do as she is told, even if that requires her purity. As she tells her story she begs her readers not to judge her too harshly because she had no other choice. The person that should be judged in her situation is Dr. Flint because he took every opportunity to abuse his power as a man and as a master, which is something that seems very common among men in that situation. However, contrary to his own believe her had no claim over her whatsoever. Because of his tyranny Linda was cheated out of several incidents that would have made her free. Furthermore, his abuse forced her to abandon her role as a mother in order to not only save her children but to escape his persecution. The role of married men as the enforcer of slavery remains constant throughout her accounts, especially when her new ‘master’s’ husband comes looking for her even after she has been gone for years. To the married slave-owning white man, slave women in this story are seen as possessions to be bought and sold at their convenience.

Response to Journal #5

Jackie, I absolutely agree that print culture was integral to not only the start of the American Revolution but to its success. The spread of information throughout the colonies allowed everyday colonists (and not just the wealthy) to receive information regarding political issues like the Stamp Act. Also, it allowed revolutionaries to spread propaganda and pamphlets such as the Federalist Papers.
Print culture allowed Americans to unite in a way that would not have been possible in England at the time. The English nobility censored their writers so that the common people wouldn’t know what its government was doing. Also, at this point in time it was really only the nobles and the clergy that knew how to read. Americans were mostly protestants who valued the words in the bible; therefore, education and literacy became a priority in most colonial households, which allowed Americans to be educated enough to confront the English government.
Without print culture I do not think the American Revolution would have had nearly the same success that it did. The spread of information is integral to any society that hopes to function with any success let alone lead a Revolution.

Journal 4

Symbolism is a tool that authors use to convey meaning beyond the plot. Symbols can allow readers to gain insight into a character’s thoughts or provide a sense of dramatic irony or foreshadowing. For example, in the story “The Tenth of January” Elizabeth Stuart Phelps uses blood imagery to signify that something is about to change in her protagonist Asenath’s mind. Most often the narrator uses blood to describe a source of light, such as flames or the sun, refracting off of a body of water in order to signify that something is about to happen: “An oriflamme of scarlet burned in the west, flickered dully in the dirty, curdling water, flared against the windows of the Pemberton, which quivered and dripped, Asenath thought, as if with blood” (Phelps 4). Shortly after this passage Asenath sees her fiancée looking at her close friend Del in a way that he never did for her. Blood is also used to describe the river on the morning of the fire. The use of blood imagery is a way of describing how flames are reflected on water, which is especially ironic considering why so many girls died in the Pemberton Mill fire.

Journal 3

In his short story “The Wife” Washington Irving describes a couple in the face of poverty to demonstrate that overcoming hardships is part of what it means to be an American. Although the basic construct of marriage had not changed between England and America, the roles of each spouse endured a subtle evolution. In the early nineteenth century, England still revolved around wealth and status; because of this rigid propriety, a man was looked down upon by even his closest of friends if he could no longer provide financial stability and his wife would has been cast out of prosperous society because she could no longer uphold her husband’s good name. In America however, there was no traditional aristocratic society. A man was still responsible for the financial well being of his family, however, it was only pride that stood in the way of a man in fiscal crisis. The fear that he and his wife would be abandoned by his friends and what that would do to his wife is what made Leslie keep his secret for so long. However, he underestimates his wife’s ability to prosper in adversity. In England, a woman in this position would have been considered useless; but in America she would be given the opportunity to console her husband and let her comforting nature blossom.

Journal 2

Although our last reading claimed that the revolutionary war was instrumental in unifying the colonies; I believe that the emergence of print culture played an even bigger role than the war. In today’s culture the written word has done so much to bring people of all backgrounds together. In my opinion the best example, but also one of the most extreme examples, is the Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling’s words brought almost an entire generation together and inadvertently instilled in us a set of values. When people have access to the same books and magazines, it gives even the most diverse groups of people a common thread. All of a with the creation of the printing press English settlers had the same information as the German settlers. Eventually, the diverse group of settlers developed a similar set of values, which allowed them to unite as a nation as well as give that nation a unique identity that set them apart from Europe. This new nation would thrive on the availability of information. Unlike its European counterpart, America did not deprive its citizens of information. Without print culture, America would have never been able to succeed in creating a democratic society because in a democracy, it is essential that citizens have access to information concerning their country.

What it means to be an American

In the past if someone would ask me, ‘What is an American?’ I would respond with the simplest answer possible and explain that an American is simply a citizen of America. Now however, that cursory description hardly begins to explain what being an American really means. There is more to our citizens than just a birth certificate or a passport saying where we are from; because unlike so many places, America has always been filled with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Therefore, you can be from nearly any nationality and still be considered an American.

Being an American is a symbol for people who work hard and strive to create a better life for themselves and their families. Most people find this type of ambition admirable; however, in my time abroad this summer I found that the American dream is not one shared by everyone. Some minority groups that I encountered in England believed that Americans do not represent freedom or ambition but greed and frivolity. I took these ideas to heart and began to question whether or not the American dream has simply turned into a pursuit for power. I quickly realized that in some cases that may be true but most Americans just want to live comfortably and have the option to, with some effort, improve on their current situation.

But the thing that truly sets Americans apart from the rest of the world is our tolerance for foreign ideas. It is because of our democratic society and diversity that we are able to accept one another’s views and cultures.