I Know the Amplitude of Time

Walt Whitman was an interesting character. He is considered to be the Father of American poetry and I can see why. His poetry has been unlike anything we have read in class yet.

While Thoreau and Emerson's work and thoughts seemed quite contemporary for their time, Whitman's seems even more revolutionary. If I was given his poetry without a name attached, I would not expect it was written in the 1800's. In one instance, his poetry is filled with sexual innuendo, something that seemed very uncommon during his time period.

While some of his poetry seemed quite wordy and a bit hard to get through, I still appreciate Whitman's skill. He has a great way of using words and his poetry definitely has a romantic tendency to it.

There were definitely areas where I was a little put off by Whitman's poetry. But I can't help appreciating Whitman for the impact he had on American poetry.

Burst Agonized and Clear

Emily Dickinson has been, rightfully, given the title as a leader in American Poetry. She writes with a very eloquent hand, leaving the reader with nothing but admiration on finishing a poem. I appreciate how deep her poetry is. It's even more amazing how short her poetry can be but still be loaded with meaning.

I typically am not one who enjoys dissecting poetry. Most often I like think poetry is like music, it's meant to be spoken. And, like music, while there still some meaning to it, it's often only after the 3rd or 4th time of hearing it the meaning clicks. But with Dickinson, I can't wait to dig in and find what she is trying to say. I enjoy how some of it is blatantly obvious, but many times it's often symbolic too.

Her poem titled 67 seems to represent a story of struggle and triumph, even if that triumph results in death. I particularly like the line that says,

"As he defeated - dying -

On whose forbidden ear

The distant strains of triumph

Burst agonized and clear!"

To me, this poem seems to suggest the struggles of a war. In the first stanza she discusses how success is greatest for those who never have it. "To comprehend a nectar/Requires sorest need." She seems to be comparing the desire to succeed to that of food. It reminds me of when a person who is hungry eats compared to one who is not hungry but eats anyway. The one who is starving is much more likely to enjoy the food than the one who is full.

The second stanza talks about the "purple Host," flags, and victory. All of these images seem to remind me of a battle scene. And, of course, the last stanza (as written above) makes me think of a soldier who has fallen but is still able to witness cheers of triumph as he sees his country succeed.

I'm sure there are many different interpretations to this poem. But i think that's the real beauty about poetry. It's like art - open to the interpretation of the reader.

A Story of Wall Street

Bartleby - Really, what kind of name is that? Either way, I really kinda love it!

Before this selection, I had never read anything by Melville. I really, really enjoyed this selection, however. I was a little frustrated with the fact that we never really learn who Bartleby is, outside of working in the Dead Letters office, but the more I thought about it the more I began to appreciate that.

Though the title of the story is "Bartleby" I believe it is more of a story about the narrator. Bartleby comes to work for him and is, at first, a great worker. But as time progresses, he "prefers" not to do his work anymore and ends up being an extra load in the office. It seems like Bartleby's personality reflects the narrator.

It almost seems as though the narrator sees things in Bartleby that portrays elements of his own personality. The reflection of the narrator's personality in Bartleby only seems to add to the Narrators kindness. The narrator willingly takes care of Bartleby because they both are alone. Really, I feel like this is a story of loneliness, just as much as it seems to be a story about the Industrial Revolution. Or, maybe it is a story about the loneliness that comes from the Industrial Revolution.

It is sad to hear that Melville didn't feel like he could write as much philosophically because of its lack of success. He seems like the kind of grandfatherly figure you could sit with all afternoon listening to stories about great adventures in times gone past, while still having great wisdom and a sort of philosophical air about him.

Someday, I swear, I will conquer Moby Dick.

An Idealization of It All

Overall, I though Uncle Tom's Cabin was fabulous. I thought Stowe did a great job of displaying the hardships of slavery and the view point of an African American, while still portraying white American's with some sympathy also.

The one part that really bothered me, however, was the over idealized ending. What are the chances that all these separated families would just happen to meet on the same train? The realistic qualities tend to fall short at this point in the novel. It is almost as if she throws it in just to redeem the negative aspects throughout the whole book.

I think my favorite part of the novel was Tom's astounding faith. This is man who has absolutely no reason to have such an everlasting faith in God, and yet he continues to love Him with his whole heart. Of course, there are moments in which his faith falters a bit, yet he is always returns. I know I could definitely learn from Tom. His experience reminds me that it is in the times of that we are in our lowest that we are closest to God. This can definitely be displayed through Tom's life.

I can definitely see why Uncle Tom's Cabin would have had an impact at the time of its publication and I can most definitely see why it is a classic novel. Hats off to you, Ms. Stowe.

To Go Peaceably Out Of It

Uncle Tom's Cabin is a classic American novel that describes life as a slave. I have had teaches make references to the novels in a vast majority of my classes, however I have never actually had the chance to read the novel.

One section that particularly stuck out to me was on page 15. It says:

"O, I understand the matter well enough. I saw your winking and whispering, the day I took him out of the factory; but you don't come it over me that way. It's a free country, sir, the man's mine, and I do what I please with him, -that's it!"

I find it incredibly ironic that a slave owner would give a speech about America being a free country. A man who cruelly beats his slaves, refers by the degrading name of "nigger," and abuses black men for being intelligent.

There have been several times throughout the novel that I felt moved. Stowe did a fabulous job of taking me out of my little bubble and placing me into a foreign life, a life I could never relate to.

In one class period we discussed the sentimentalism behind Stowe's writing. Some have said they found it a bit unnecessary but I would have to disagree. Her audience was primarily focused at white slave owners. The sentimentality is needed to take that audience and place them into the life of the people they call "slaves." It provides an intense emotional bond between the reader and the characters.

There have been many times while reading the book that I wish I could temporarily travel back, before the Civil Rights Movement and contemporary society to see life from the viewpoint of the readers when the novel was first published. In today's society we have been so exposed to slavery and its evil that I feel we are numb. I think the novel would have been even more compelling that it is had I not already read authors such as Martin Luther King Jr.

As a final thought, I'm going to leave a few of my favorite quotes from the first half of the book:

"The woman did not sob nor weep. She had gone to a place where tears are dry; but ever one around her was in some way characteristic of themselves, showing signs of hearty sympathy."

"The quiet tone in which the woman pronounced these words might have led to a superficial observer to think that she was entirely apathetic; but there was calm, settled depth of anguish in her large, dark eyes, that spoke of something far otherwise."

"And the little woman looked so handsome, with the tears sparkling in her eyes, that the senator thought he must be a decidedly clever fellow, to get such a pretty creature into such a passionate admiration of him;"

"Mr. Wilson's mind was one of those that may not unaptly be represented by a bale of cotton - downy, soft, benevolently fuzzy and confused."

Hypocrisy

Whenever I pick up the The Scarlet Letter I can't help but notice the major theme of hypocrisy. It is everywhere - all these people passing judgement on Hester for her sin, when they have committed the same sin, or even worse! They are incredibly misled.

I find it interesting that the Puritan society was considered to be so religious and pious, yet they don't practice one of the biggest messages of the Bible - forgiveness. Rather than forgiving Hester of her sin, accepting her as a flawed human being (as we all are), and showing her the love of Jesus, the shun her, push her away for society, and use her as an example of what happens to those who sin. Sick!

I can't help but wonder how Hester felt towards Dimmsdale during all of this time. She holds a dark secret above him and could easily tear his world apart. Yet, she loves him and because of that, she keeps his secret. But 7 years is a long time, and I think if I were Hester, I'd lose that feeling of love and it would quickly turn to anger and frustration. Why should Hester have to go through it alone, when he is just as responsible? And yet society loves him, considers him a wonderful and pious man, and use him as an example of how life should be lived.

Obviously, Dimmsdale suffers his part, though, which I think would relieve some of the anger and frustration. I have a lot of respect and admiration for Hester for coming out as the better, stronger person.

The Very Dance of Her Spirits

Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter seems to be packed full of messages and themes, most of them dealing with moral and ethical dilemmas and the acceptance of sin. It is like he is tossing the Puritan image out the window and encouraging, not necessarily sin, but the basic fact that all people sin and that sin is inevitable. Hawthorne sends the image that we all need to realize (more specifically religious/Puritan individuals) the idea that people are not as pious or perfect as you may initially think they are. Sin is inevitable.

For example, Hester's sin was discovered and she had to openly display her adultery for all to see. Dimmsdale, on the other hand, never admitted his sin to the people and was tortured by his guilt and the misleading image he presented. Because of this, HEster seems to come out as the stronger person. People see the scarlet letter and assume she is a terrible person, but she does everything to contradict their judgements. Meanwhile, Dimmsdale always has to carry around the weight of a lie.

I think in the same way, Hawthorne means we should all attempt to be more like Hester, by accepting our sin and using it to make us stronger or changing our flaws to the best of or abilities.

A Wig of Majestic Frizzle

Spring break has come and gone and now we are diving into Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. For this past week, we were required to read through The Custom House and the first two chapters of the book.

I found the Custom House to be very... Random. I was not quite positive what all it actually had to do with the overall story of The Scarlet Letter. At the end, Hawthorne describes how he came about the story itself and also the process of writing it, which seems pretty relevant. However, the first half of the chapter was mostly about Salem and the people he worked with. I know that it was intended to provide credibility to the story, but I can't help and think it could have been done in a much shorter manner.

The fact that it was suppose to lend credibility is also completely defeated by the footnote that says "There is no actual evidence that any of these events occurred outside of Hawthorne's mind."

There were some lines throughout Custom House that I did enjoy, however. Here's a few:

"...It would be quite as reasonable to form a sentimental attachment to a disarranged checkerboard." pg. 11

"Sagaciously, under their spectacles, did they peep into the holds of vessels! Mighty was their fuss about little matters, and marvellous, sometimes, the obtuseness that allowed greater ones to slip through their fingers!" pg 15

"In once case, however, it is real sunshine; in the other, it more resembles the phosphorescent glow of decaying wood." pg. 16

"It is sorrowful to think how many days, and weeks, and months, and years of toil had been wasted on these musty papers, which were now only an encumbrance on earth, were hidden away in this forgotten corner, never more to be glanced at by human eyes. pg 24

"My imagination was a tarnished mirror." pg. 28

I also found the part where Hawthorne talks about all the time he spent with various authors, including Thoreau, Channing, Emerson, and Alcott. When I first read it, I thought he meant it figuratively, before I realized he was actually friends with all of them. What a thought! Imagine all these, now very famous authors, sitting around discussing literature. What I wouldn't give to have been there!

I Am A Rock

I remember being a child and how the days seemed to always creep by. Slowly, ever so slowly, they would pass and by the time summer was over, I couldn't wait to go back to school. I had felt like had I had traveled the world over the summer, that I had explored every crevice of my hometown that I could find. I remember waking up and eating a quick bowl of cereal before I would give up the day to the outdoors. It is funny how some things never leave your memory. I will admit, I was a careful child, and yet I always managed to come home with a newly developed bruise or deep green grass stain.

And because of all of these childhood memories, there are things in nature that will always be linked to those carefree, wild-at-heart days. The smell of freshly mowed grass will always put the image of my father behind a lawn mower into my head. The smell of chlorine will forever be linked to my hometown pool and the many adventures I had there. Seeing a patch of rocks piled on the road will always remind me of the time I fell on my bike and scraped the entire side of my leg (I was horrified and thought fir sure I was going to die or at least need stitches - neither of which happened).

Granted, I never grew up on a farm out out in the country. I've lived in a town or city my whole life and the one time I went hunting was a horrific experience. Therefore, I can say my experiences in true nature are somewhat limited to camping trips and childhood explorations. I do not think, however, that this hinders my experience. In fact, all I have to do is step outside my door to feel the wind on my cheek and the sunshine hit my skin to know nature. All I have to do is slip off my man-made materiel shoes and step my feet onto the prickly grass to know how beautiful it is.

Winter is an amazing thing. It comes slowly and goes quickly, leaving behind it a mess of dirt, dead grass, and floods. Yet it is one of the most amazing experiences, one that I would not trade for 365 days of straight, 70 degree weather. Oh, how I would miss watching the snow fall to the ground, seeing the flakes as they gather on my glove, each one of them their own individual shape and size. I would long for the smell of freshly brewed coffee as it wafted through the house while the weather channel blared in the background, bringing with it news of the up and coming snow storm.

One of my favorite parts of winter, however, is watching it leave. Winter months always seem to creep by ever so slowly. Cold days requiring hats, jackets, boots, and gloves seem to last forever. Yet, one day I wake up, look around, and all has changed. Suddenly the sun is not so far away and instead of feeling distant rays, there is a stunning warmth. On these days, you can sit outside an watch the snow as it melts and forms a stream all of its own. These times are so glorious, as I sit outside, enjoying the longer days, I watch the rebirth of the world around me. The grass changes from a dead, brown color to a brilliant green, trees bud into life, red robins appear with fat bellies, reminding me that spring is blossoming. And I get to watch it all happen!

As an adult, I don't think it's as easy to view the outside world with the childlike innocence I once had. Age and education have taught me things about nature that I would not have thought comprehending as a child. And yet, even if the innocence is gone, the appreciation will last forever. I may know how or why something happens, but I will never be able to understand the full gloriousness of it. All I can do is sit and watch the world as it cycles, always amazed at its ever changing elegance, thanking God for allowing me to witness His beauty first hand.

As I was thinking about this blog post after class on Friday, this song happened to come up on my ipod and I thought, "Thoreau would really appreciate this." So, in honor, I am posting it in memory of Thoreau and also for your own enjoyment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My9I8q-iJCI

"We are Determined to be Starved before we are Hungry"

With America's economy as it has been, it was pretty refreshing to read Thoreau's "Economy." I think it would be beneficial for the country as a whole to go back and read it, in fact.

Now, of course there is no denying that life in the 1800's was vastly different than it is today. I believe, however, we can learn a lot from our ancestors, particularly Thoreau's perspective. All throughout "Economy" he stresses the how beneficial it is to live a life of simplicity. He says,

"Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously course labors of life that it's finer fruits cannot be plucked by them."

How true is this, even today! American's are so concerned with having the best of the best, toiling at jobs day in and day our just to make money to buy useless things. Our society is concerned only with having the "best of the best" that we often live a life of endless searching, never content with the things we have in the here and now.

I think we would all benefit from taking advice from Emerson. Personally, I think life would be much more enjoyable were we able to focus our attention on the every day beauty of life, like nature and God's glory, rather than the latest fashion or having the biggest house on the block.

Both "Economy" and "Where I Lived" where very inspirational pieces to me. Thoreau was much easier to read than Emerson. His words flowed well, one into the next, and I greatly appreciated his use of language. Thoreau is definitely an author I would read again.

When He Can Read God Directly

While I enjoyed "American Scholar" by Emerson very much, I don't think I would be speaking honestly if I said the same thing about "Nature." There were pieces of it that I enjoyed here and there, but overall I found it a bit difficult to understand.

I found the part where he talks about books to be particularly interesting. In one part he says,

"Meek young men grow up in libraries, believing it their duty to accept the views which Cicero, which Locke, which Bacon have given, forgetful that Cicero, Locke, and Bacon were only young men in libraries when they wrote these books." (pg. 523)

When I fist read this, I literally laughed out loud. There is a lot of truth to it, but I think at the same time Emerson is too keen on passing of the importance of books. Maybe my credibility in that statement can be thrown out the window because I'm an English major, and therefore, books are held in the highest respect to me. His description here about books, however, is incredibly beautiful:

"It came into him - life; it went out from him - truth. It came to him - short lived actions; it went from him - immortal thoughts. It came to him - business; it went from him - poetry. It was - dead fact; now, it is quick thought. It can stand, and it can go. It now endures, it now flies, it now inspires. Precisely in proportion to the depth of mind from which it issued, so high does it soar, so long does it sing." (pg 522)

And while the way in which he sort of brushes off books bothers me a bit, I have to admit he makes a good point when he says that it is not really books that give us knowledge but experience. He says "Books are the best of things, well used; abused, among the worst. What is the right use? What is the one end which all means go to effect? They are for nothing but to inspire."

I can definitely see how Emerson was an inspiration to writers in early American literature. It's almost as though his words act as a sort of call-to-action for writers. He some what stresses an urgency for authors to understand that America is a new country and it must forge it's own identity, especially in literature. I especially like when he says,

"Genius is always sufficiently the enemy of genius by over-influence. The literature of every nation bear me witness. The English dramatic poets have Shakespearized now for two hundred years... When he can read God directly, the hour is too precious to be wasted in other men's transcripts of their readings."

While I didn't really enjoy "Nature" overall, I am grateful for having read it. I think it has given me a better understanding of other authors. If I was given the chance, I would totally sit down and have a cup of coffee with Ralph Waldo Emerson. I think it would go one of two ways: incredibly awkward or inspiring conversation.

Life is our Dictionary

For American Lit this week, we had to read "American Scholar" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I loooved it!

His way of writing is very... Spacey? I'm not sure this is the right word for it, but I am going to go with it. Granted, some of that may have come from the fact that I read it at 2 in the morning but.. I still enjoyed it very much.

I think I marked up his "American Scholar" more so that I have any other selection. There were just so many great quotes. Some of my particular favorites were:

"Thus far, our holiday has been simply a friendly sign of the survival of the love letters, amongst a people too busy to give to letters any more.

In the degenerate state, when victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker or, still worse, the parrot of other men’s thinking.

The sacredness which attaches to the act of creation - the act of thought - is instantly transferred to the record. The poet chanting, was felt to be a divine man.

To create - to create - is the proof of divine presence. Whatever talents may be, if the man create not, the pure efflux of the Deity is not his; - cinders and smoke, there may be, but not yet flame.”

These are just a few out of loads of quotes I marked. Even as much as I liked him, his prose was somewhat difficult to understand at times. He speaks with a very philosophical dignity, a type of transparent abstraction. I think that is part of what gives it its beauty, however. Even if I don’t necessarily agree with everything he said, I very much appreciated his use of language. He writes absolutely beautifully.

I thought the part where he talked about book worms particularly humorous. I am an English major and I am typically proud to have the title of “book worm” but Emerson’s opinion on the subject matter made me consider it more thoroughly. I am still proud to claim that title, but his points force me to remember that I should not be reading a book and automatically regurgitate the opinion of the author in my own life. It is a reminder of where the “critical thinking” objective that USF is so big on comes into play.

My finishing thoughts are these: I love Emerson, I will probably read more of his work outside of class, and I think USF should include “American Scholar” in LAR classes.

I'm Not Myself

Ah, how glad I am that we are reading some fiction now. Don't take me wrong, I enjoyed some of the earlier selections we've read, but none quite so much as "Rip Van Winkle."

I was trying for the longest time to remember where I had first heard this story but I have succumbed to failure. I know I have never read it before but I knew the whole story line before we were assigned it in class. Who knows. It was probably some cartoon or story book I saw/read as a child and it just stuck.

I thought Irving's perspective on domestic life was quite amusing. I really enjoyed how Dame Van Winkle was painted as the villain, and then to make those connections with Irving's own life. In the introduction it said, after Irving's fiance died, he never married and that single life seemed to suite him well. Reading Rip Van Winkle makes me wonder if he was actually more happy to be single than he would have been married!

Rip Van Winkle seems to be one of those stories that is meant for children but has lines and content that only adults would get. Like Shrek (or for that matter, most animated movies today). It's obviously fantastical but at the same is very heavily rooted in symbolism. I very much appreciated the symbolism in the story, actually. I think it's a lot of fun to dig through stories like this and figure out what the author was intending. Not only that, it's just a FUN story in general!

I found this photo of a guy that played Rip Van Winkle in a very early film adaptation. Which lead me to this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pelZ43T6Y3E

It's quite amusing. There's no sound because it was made in 1890 but it's more fun to add your own anyway.

Ferris Wheels, Giant Prizes, Cotton Candy, Oh My!

Imagine this: the smell of powdered sugar as you pass the funnel cake stand, the shriek of laughter, a loud "pop" as a dart flies through the center of a balloon, the sound of tinny music while a ferris wheel slowly spins around and around. That's right folks - it's the carnival!

While this carnival may not be nearly as exciting or have quite as many visitors as that of a real carnival but it is still a joyful, merry festival of words! At least, that's what it was like as I was going through and reading everyone's blogs in order to write my carnival post for this section.

There was, as expected, a vast array of opinions on each of the stories we read. However, there were several themes that I saw reoccur on different occasions. One of the first and most popular topics was of slavery. Of course, this was almost a given as quite a few of the stories we read in class approached slavery one on level or another and almost all of them caused some sort of a reaction among the class.

People also seemed to take quite an interest in the authors of each of the stories and their lives. Wheatly, Equiano, Franklin, and Edwards seemed to be of the most interest.

Wheatly was probably the most popular of all the authors. People were especially curious about her life, particularily as an educated slave and female writer. Many bloggers also questioned what her life would have developed into had she survived longer than 30 years.

Equiano appeared to be the second favorite author. "Compelling" was the word of choice when it came to describing Equiano's selection. I would have expected reactions to be somewhat alarmed at his story, however, it seemed that most people found Equiano's tale to be less horrific than others they had read or heard.

Franklin was also another popular pick. There was a wide range of opinions, however, on how much people actually liked it. Most people seemed to have found his attempts to better himself the most interesting part of his Autobiography.

Overall, I was surprised there was not more discussion over the influence of religion in general. While it was considerably less addressed in this section than the previous one, it was still a hot topic of the time period. I expected to see a much larger amount of blogs reacting to Edwards than what there actually are. It could be just because I found him to be so interesting. I sometimes forget that every one else did not feel the same way.

All this talk about carnivals has made me hungry for a fresh bag of cotton candy. Sadly... I think I have to wait for the snow to stop falling, the ice to melt, and temperatures to raise above 32 degrees before I can begin searching for real carnivals. Oh, the anticipation!

I haven't exactly figured out how or why just yet, but I have really come to appreciate poetry since the start of American Lit. It could very well just be because I have really enjoyed all the poetry we have read so far? Maybe it's the fact that, unlike most of the poetry classes I took in high school, we don't beat them over and over again with a hammer.

In any case, I can now add Phyllis Wheatly as a "like" to my slowly growing list of poets. I really enjoyed her poem "Thoughts on the Works of Providence." This stanza especially jumped out at me:

Creation smiles in various beauty gay,

While day to night, and night succeeds to day:

That Wisdom, which attends Jehovah's ways,

Shines most conspicuous in solar rays:

Without them, destitute of heat and light,

This world would be the reign of endless night:

In their excess how would our race complain,

Abhorring life! how hate its lengthened chain!

From air adust what numerous ills would rise?

What dire contagion taint the burning skies?

What pestilential vapors, fraught with death,

Would rise, and overspread the lands beneath? (pg. 423-24)

I just found this stanza to be very hypnotizing. I love the way in which she describes the differences and benefits between day and night and the beauty that comes with each, and then uses them both to point it back to God's graciousness.

I wish Wheatly would have lived longer. It would have been very interesting to see what sort of writer she would have turned into. She was so influential as both a woman and African American writer. I read somewhere that she only lived to be about 31, so imagine what else she could have done had she lived longer!

I found this picture of her on Google:

It was interesting because it was the only one of her I could find that didn't have her sitting with her hand at her chin and a pen in her hand.

I also found this picture of a statue of her in Boston:

But, of course, this has the image I described before. I'm discovering a common theme here....

It's curious that I haven't heard more about her. She is described as an incredibly influential writer, and yet I do not ever really recall hearing about her anywhere. The only thing was, when I was in middle school, I read a somewhat biographical yet still fictitious book about her life that I vaguely recalled while we were discussing Wheatly in class. (The whole time in class I could NOT remember what the book was called and it was driving me crazy, but thanks to Sarah Odens, who coincidently also read the book, the problem has been solved. If you're curious about it, check out her blog because it rocks!)

I'm curious enough about Wheatly that I think I'm going to make it my goal to learn more about her. Wish me luck!

Who Really Decides What it Means to be Barbaric?

And we have now finished the final week before an exam... Is it just me or does time really fly by? Before we know it, it will be midterms... That's a scary thought.

But on to literature.... I'm very glad that we are getting into more works by early African American writers, particularily those that discuss slavery. I really enjoyed Olaudah Equiano's selection from "Narrative of the Life." It was absolutely horrifying and fascinating at the same time.

I thought it was quite comical how in the beginning when Equiano was captured and taken onto a ship run by white people, he was afraid they were going to eat him. He frequently called them "barbaric" in fact, which I find very ironic. The "white" perspective of African's was that they were barbaric, uncivilized, and untamed. But here we have a "black" perspective viewing the white man as the very same thing. And in this case, I think I would have to agree with Equiano. The white community did some very barbaric things in this time in history.

In class, we discussed the whole "American Dream" perspective and the difference between Franklin and Equiano's experiences. During the discussion, I couldn't help but be continually drawn to this line from Equiano:

This gave me new life and spirits: and my heart burned within me, while I thought the time long till I obtained my freedom (pg. 173).

I think that line alone sums up the difference between the two. Franklin, though he was the youngest, was fortunate enough to be born into a white family, which gave him the opportunity to pursue just about anything he chose with some, but very little, restraint. And even more so, he DID just that! Meanwhile, Equiano's "American Dream" is for his freedom alone! What an amazing thought! I know I take for granted the fact that I am a free person, that I can go to school, chose a career, follow the life path of our own desire, do what I want. To read a story such as Equiano's can be a humbling experience. It reminds me of how lucky I am.

I think I need Bifocals

Ok, yes, I know Benjamin Franklin was a founding father. It is obvious he was also brilliant for several different reasons. But despite all of these things.. I cannot honestly that I enjoyed his work. At all. In the least bit.

I found it incredibly dull, and very tedious. He had some really great things to say.. I just really had to push my way through it. And was anyone else annoyed with the random words capitalized throughout his narrative? Ah! It drove me crazy! I would be reading through and admittedly, maybe drifting off a little bit, and then I would come across a capitalized word and think that I had started a new sentence and not even realized it! Maybe, in the end, this was a good thing though - it kept me alert to a certain extent.

Crevecoeur, on the other hand, I found very intriguing. The first section was a little slow moving, but once he got into the slavery, I found it very intriguing. It's interesting that he was opposed to slavery. It doesn't seem like there were many white American's who spoke out against slavery at that time.

The part where he discussed the preacher speaking against slavery was especially intriguing (pg. 322). It's one of those examples of how, many times, people just want to hear that they're doing the right thing, even when they aren't.

As a closer, I know Benjamin Franklin invented a lot of things (and of course experimented - we've all heard the story of the kite getting hit by lighting in elementary school) but I didn't know what all, so I looked it up and this is what I found:

The lighting rod

The Franklin Stove

Bifocal glasses

Urinary catheter

One of the first ideas for the refrigerator

Sources:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/interesting-facts-about-benjamin-franklin.html

"The Inward Ardor of my Soul"

We had to read Jonathan Edwards' "A Personal Narrative" and "Sinners at the Hands of an Angry God" for class today and let me just say... Wow.

I think Edwards is my favorite author we have read yet. I don't think I've ever felt so simultaneously amazed and repulsed at the same time. His "Personal Narrative" was beautiful. It was so elegantly written and he puts himself out there in a very vulnerable way.

One part I found particularly admirable was on page 174:

The inward ardor of my soul seemed to be hindered and pent up, and could not freely flame out as it would. I used often think, how in heaven, this sweet principle should freely and fully vent and express itself. Heaven appeared to me exceeding delightful as a world of love. It appeared to me, that all happiness consisted in living in pure, humble, heavenly, divine love.

Edwards definitely had a way with words.

While I find "Personal Narrative" to be very appealing, "Sinners" was a different story. I don't argue that it wasn't well written - it was fabulously written and I think Edwards does an amazing job of getting his point across. However, I think it was almost too much so.

To be frank, "Sinners" was absolutely terrifying. Even as I was reading it, I could picture what a congregation's reaction to this would be. He paints God to be this raging being, full of wrath and anger who is ready to condemn the human at any second. On page 198 he says:

...God is under no manner of obligation to keep him (natural man) a moment from eternal destruction.

If that isn't frightening enough, he goes on to say:

There are black clouds of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm, and big with thunder; and were it not for the restraining hand of God, it would immediately burst forth upon you...

The wrath of God is like great waters that are damned for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course once it is let loose.

He even mentions the condemnation of children! Now, I'm not saying children cannot be condemned, but talk about wanting the scare the pants off a child - this speech will do that!

The whole sermon revolves around God's wrath, anger, condemnation, damnation, and every other bad -nation would you can think of. The problem I have with it is that Edwards fails to also mention God's grace, mercy, and love.

If I were an unbeliever and new nothing about religion and heard this speech, I would not (as Edwards probably hoped) turn to Jesus for salvation. I would run the opposite way screaming in fear! I think he makes good points about God's wrath, but I also he needs to mention the love He has for us through the cross.

Overall, I really did enjoy Edwards. His "Personal Narrative" as by far my favorite we've read so far, and even if "Sinners" was a little off and slightly frightening, I still appreciated reading it.

The Problem of "It"

I think it is amusing that I have psychology class right before American Lit, because I always end up tying them together in one way or another. It sometimes makes me literally laugh out loud. It partly influenced my decision to pick "Puritan Orthodoxy and the 'Survivor Syndrome' in Mary Rowlandson's Indian Captivity Narrative." Woofta, could that name get any longer?

Anyway, I found this article very intriguing. When I first read Rowlandson, I enjoyed her narrative very much - it was upbeat, exciting, adventurous, and she overcame adversity, all of these important ingredients to a good story. After finishing the journal article, however, I began to look at the story in a slightly different light.

It makes perfect sense, of course, that Rowlandson would have experienced the symptoms of "Survivors Syndrome." However, I find it curious that because of her role in Puritan society, she was expected to display her story as a divine sort of experience - which she does well. All throughout the story she consistently refers back to God and how he provided for her. But while I was reading it, I was so wrapped up in the "wow, I'm amazed at this woman and the way she devotes her praise to God despite her struggles" that I never stopped to think that she actually could have experienced some psychological trauma.

The article was also interesting in the fact that it gave me a better sense of what she was like as a woman and what she actually endured during her captivity. Historians do not know a lot of Rowandson, but this article helped me to be able to put a face to her outside of her narrative. I began to see her more of a real person, and because of that I felt like I also believed her story more.

I particularly appreciated the section where they described why she referred to her daughter as "it" throughout the narrative, rather than calling her by her name. The article says she more than likely experienced survivors guilt and by calling her daughter Sarah by "it" made it easier to cope with her guilt she felt over her death.

I have to say, I have a lot of respect for Mrs. Rowlandson. I can't say that I would come out of an experience such as hers as well off as she did.

When I Come Around

I'm going to put it very plainly - Cotton Mather was one interesting dude. As I read his selection, all I could see was a thin man standing at a pulpit, banging his fists against a podium, yelling "Yes, Jesus!" at the top of his lungs, frightening all those sitting in the congregation into repentance.

And I will be the first to admit that I could be completely wrong in this evaluation. After all, when I think "Puritan" I usually also think "timid." Whether any of this is true, or just a stereotype built up in my head from who knows what, I have no idea.

But back to Mather... The reason I got this image of him was simply

because of the passion you can feel leaking through his words. You can tell he cares very much about God and the salvation of the people around him. However, as we know now, he may have been too quick to accuse people of "devilish" activities.

I found it interesting that, all in the same day, I had class discussions over Cotton Mather and the idea of hindsight bias. In my psychology class, we talked about how people often times can be asked a question about something and not know the answer, but as soon as they hear what the answer is automatically say "oh, yeah, I knew that." It's a bias - we hear the answer and even though we didn't know it, it suddenly becomes obvious.

It is easy for us t

o look back and see just how wrong Mather was. I mean, after all, he accused a woman of witchcraft, which eventually led to her death and the Salem Witch Trials. This is a big accusation! And looking back now, we see how ridiculous it was. But.... I can't help and feel sorry for Mather.

Living in a newly discovered land - with no maps, no GPS, no wi-fi, no cell phones - would be terrifying. We are spoiled today. Not only do we have all of these things but we also have scientific discovery. We understand the things that go "bump in the night" much more than they would have in the 1600's. I don't think it is difficult to understand why people had fears of supernatural activity during that time. I think, in complete honesty, I would have been just as afraid as any of them.

Now, this is not me justifying his actions. I do not at all think that anything Mather did was necessarily right. I can, however, have empathy for him. I don't fully understand where he was coming from, but I can see why he did what he did. It's that hindsight bias coming into play again.

I think it's something that is comparable to, say, the Iraqi war. People might look back in 200 years and say "What were they thinking!?" In our defense, and in Mather's defense, we were doing what we thought was the correct thing to do. Don't we all deserve a little bit of a break for that?

I found this picture on Google. Is it wrong for me to think that this just affirms my first suspicions about his character?

"Thy love is such I can no way repay."

Anne Bradstreet - a-mazing. I have to say I enjoyed reading Bradstreet much more than I had Smith and Winthrop. It was very exciting to read a woman's work when you think of the Puritan time period.

I have a lot of respect, in particular, in the way she sarcastically addresses her position as a woman writing poetry.

"I am obnoxious to each carping tongue

who says my hand a needle better fits,

A poet's pen all scorn I should thus wrong,

For such despite they cast on female wits;

If what I do prove well, it won't advance,

They'll say it's stol'n or else it was by chance"

You tell them, girl! I can't imagine what life would have been like for Bradstreet. I cannot say that I know what if feels like to be judged because I am a woman. I have lived a life in which women, for the most part, are equal to men. I cannot help but have the utmost respect for women like Bradstreet who are willing to stand up for themselves not only as the home figure, but also as a writer.

I also found this stanza very beautiful:

"Shall I praise the heavens, the trees, the earth

Because their beauty and their strength last longer?

Shall I wish there, or never to had birth,

Because they're bigger, and their bodies stronger?

Nay, they shall darken, perish, fade, and die,

And when unmade, so ever shall they lie,

But man was made for endless immortality."

Bradstreet definitely had a gift for words. It is very evident in the few poems we read by her that she is absolutely in love with God. I really admire her vulnerability, in the way she admits that she sometimes has doubts about her faith but always ends up seeing that God really is everything.

The life Bradstreet led was one completely different from today, and yet it is so easy to relate to what she writes. As a woman, I too sometimes find it difficult to find where I really stand in society. It is hard to come to terms with the role that God has given me as a female, along with being a sort of "educated career woman." Who would ever expect that in 2010, I could share the same feelings as someone in 1678? It is a strange, yet oddly beautiful thing.

John Squared

After finishing my reading for Monday, I was especially surprised with the exerts we read by John Smith. When I hear the name John Smith my mind automatically repeats my childhood memories of the Disney movie Pocahontas. After finishing the stories by John Smith, I realized how far from reality the Disney movie actually was.

I always imagined John Smith, based on the Disney movie, to be a quiet, kind, handsome man. After reading the stories, however, I've discovered he is exactly the opposite of what I had thought. The attitude Smith has in From The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles is very arrogant. In fact, I found myself to be incredibly frustrated the entire time I was reading it. I was really bothered by the way he continually referred to himself in first person. After all, it is a story written BY him and ABOUT himself. If his intention was to make the story seem more legitimate by doing this, I think he failed. Miserably.

I was also bothered by the way he always seemed to be doing the "right" things throughout the story. Instead, it is always some outside force having an influence on what happens. I also did not appreciate the way he seemed to exaggerate the story. Did you really, honestly fend off 200 "savages" using one as a shield, John Smith?

Winthrop, on the other hand, I found quite enjoyable. While many of the ideas he suggested for a "perfect" society are pretty far from possible, I could not help but appreciate his passion. He was far more humble than Smith and I found it very interesting the connections the two had, yet how different they really were.

We discussed in class how Smith's idea for the New World was a sort of "American Dream," where as Winthrop imagined it as a place to build a model society. It is like two ends of the spectrum, one representing capitalism and the other altruism. The two are complete opposites of one another and I think think both are difficult to achieve. However, if I had to chose, I think I would prefer to follow Winthrop's idea.

In a PERFECT world there would be a way to establish a middle ground between the two. But, of course, we don't live in a perfect world and rather we have to make the best with what we can.