Post Modernism Project

Hinckly, David. "Eddie Vedder On The Record Pearl Jam's Private Front Man Opens Up About Rock Stardom And Where His Music Is Heading - New York Daily News." New York News, Traffic, Sports, Weather, Photos, Entertainment, and Gossip - NY Daily News. NewYorkNews.com, 10 Aug. 1999. Web. 24 May 2011. .

Vedder, Eddie. Better Man. Pearl Jam. Rec. 12 Jan. 1993. Brendan O'Brien, 1994. CD.

Vedder, Eddie. Daughter. Pearl Jam. Rec. 16 Mar. 1993. Brendan O'Brien, 1993. CD.

Werlock, Abby H. "Postmodernism." Bloom's Literary Reference. 2011. Web. 24 May 2011. .

Journal #44 Post-Modernism Movie

So, today, i am supposed to be writing about a post-modernism movie. I guess that a post modernism movie that i can write about would be a movie called Forrest Gump. If you have not seen the movie known as Forrest Gump, then you really need to go watch it because it truly is a great movie. Um, really all this movie is about is a man who lives in the 60's and somehow encounters basically every important political event known to man within those times. To me this really reflects a lot of aspects of post modernism because of the characteristics that this movie tends to contain. For example, this movie takes many non-traditional forms. For example, in the movie, it essentially takes a first person point of view from the point of view of Forrest Gump because a lot of movies tend not to do that. Also, in the movie, the character of Forrest Gump is a character who is slightly slow mentally, The interesting thing about the character of Forrest Gump is that because he is a little slow mentally, he always tends to notice the silly truths about human nature. For example, a funny point of view that Gump tends to have is the fact that when he is outside of a protesting school about integration, he does not understand why people are protesting this or why people are making such a big deal out of this. The funny thing that is revealed from this simple minded point of view is that fact that we then realize that Forrest is right and that there really should not be a big deal made over integration within public schools. So, anyway, i guess that this is my analysis of the movie Forrest Gump. From the argument that i made and the fact that this movie was made in Post Modernism times, that would clearly make this a Post Modernism film. I guess that this is the end.

Modernism Project

Dugan, Brenna. "What Is Modernism?" Utoledo.edu. The University of Toledo, 10 Apr. 2008. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. .

Grimke, Angela White. "The Black Finger." Old Poetry. 2009. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995. Print.

Lorcher, Trent. "Modernism in Literature: What Is Modernism?" Find Health, Education, Science & Technology Articles, Reviews, How-To and Tech Tips At Bright Hub - Apply To Be A Writer Today! 26 Dec. 2009. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. .

O'Connor, Flannery. "The Life You Save May Be Your Own." Southern Methodist University. Feb. 2007. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

Werlock, Abby H. P. "modernism." 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. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. .

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.

Journal # 43 Jazz Song

When i listen to this song, i feel like i am going through a very long maze. For example, the start of the song would be perfect for one who is starting off a maze. At first, the song is very nice and sweet as well. So, it is almost like saying that when you start the maze, you are doing pretty well because you have not really hit any obstacles yet. After that though, the tone of the song changes almost as if you have hit your first obstacle. The tempo of the song tends to change as well. This kind of represents the tone of the song because when someone runs into a corner, they truly do tend to panic. I think that when this happens, the music is perfect because it really describes the tone of how someone is feeling when someone does not know what to do next. After this, the music is calm again almost as if the person has found out what they are supposed to do in this maze. So, this is the point of the song when the saxophone takes over. I like to compare this part of the song to a song that was made back in the day called "Freebird." This song reminds me of that one because at the end of the song there is a huge guitar solo that takes about ten minutes. If you have not heard this song, then i suggest you to listen to it because it may possibly be the most awesome guitar solo one has ever heard. But anyway it reminds me of that song because of the way the saxophone solo tales over the entire song. So, yeah. Once this happens, i feel that the person who is in the maze is now on his his way to being almost done with the maze. So, yeah, i feel that that is what this song represents. a maze.

Modernism vs. Realism

Realism and Modernism are two very different categories of literature. Realism was written in an earlier time period than Modernism, and therefore, the two subcategories of American Literature are very different from each other. For example, one of the events that inspired Modernism was World War I. When World War I began, it kind of changed the point of view of the the world and the point of view that Americans even on their own nation. Before this specific event, many Americans self very safe at home and also felt like Americas was going through a very good time. After the war started though, the point of view of the World and a lot of Americans changed. For example, when the war started, people in the United States became scared. This war overall showed the mankind still had many flaws to overcome. For this reason, the style of writing from authors and also poets changed after the War. Things became much more sad because there were millions of people that died every day all due to human error and dying in war and other places. Also, this was one of the first times that Americans felt helpless. Citizens knew that the war was not going to end very soon and that the country would just have to continue sacrificing lives when it came to the war. For this reason, the mood of writing changed during the war. Happy stories soon became sad and also people started to lose hope in things that they once believed in. it was almost like the country was losing lots of moral. This was not the only reason why the tone in writing had changed over the years though. there were actually other events that had made the country and even the world change its point of view. For example, in the United States the 1920's were great for Americans. Economic times were good and also people were happy. Suddenly, at the end of the decade, one of the worst times in American history began-The Great Depression. In this era, times were obviously not good at all. The stock market had crashed, and many people who had become rich form the stock market had become poor, and also deflation had taken place. After, this happened, the tone of writing definitely changed. Writers changed their tone, from kind of stating what was true and how things really seemed, they started writing about the more sad things in life because things did not feel like they were ever going to look up for people in the world. Very common, in modernism writing, endings seemed to be very sad. For example, in the book "The Grapes of Wrath" it seems that at the end of the story, all is lost for the Joads after the storm. They really do not have a home anymore, and the baby has died. Fortunately, also common in modernist writing, there is a glimpse of hope at the end of the story where Sharon nurses a man to health, which is a main difference between modernism and realism.

Job Shadowing Experience

My job shadowing experience was pretty fun. I went with Tucker to the Prairie Capital Convention Center to job shadow a guy named om from Audio Techni Services. Even though there was not much going on at the center, it was still a pretty fun experience. For example, Tucker and i got to go onto the catwalk at the top of the center and we got special access to places i have never seen in that building before what we learned from that tour was that most of the audio equipment in the center is extremely outdated to the point where no one uses three quarters of it. I was amazed to hear that. After the tour, Tom took us back to the warehouse where the company stores most of its stuff. First, we got a tour of that, and then Tom just talked to us for about an hour or so. He told us that in the warehouse, they had well over one million dollars of equipment. What i learned is that while you make a lot of money in the business of setting up concerts, you have to spend tons of money on the equipment you need.

After that, Tucker and i went to Blue Stream Records in Petersburg. While this was pretty fun, it was kind of boring because there was a lot of sitting around involved. We got to meet the two in charge of the studio, which is not complete yet, and they kind of told us what they were all about. After that, they recorded us for a little while just talking, and we got to mess around with some studio effects. After that, we talked and hung out some more and then Tucker and i went home. What i learned from this was that recording takes a lot of practice and time and money actually as well. I don't know if i would ever want to go into this profession, but it was a good experience anyway.

Journal #42 Whitman vs. Dickinson

If i lived in the time of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, and i had to choose which poet i enjoyed to read more, i would probably chose to read Whitman more than i would like to read Dickinson. This is true because of many reasons. First, i would much rather read the works of Walt Whitman than Emily Dickinson because i usually tend to enjoy the things that Walt Whitman writes about much more than Emily Dickinson and also Whitman tends to have a much more interesting point of view on his poetry than Emily Dickinson does. For example, within his poetry, especially the works on nature, Whitman tends to describe what thew setting, or what he is writing about means to him almost. Within his poetry, he creates something special for the reader by making very interesting comparisons that he finds in nature to real life. To me, this leaves a better impression on me, and it also creates a type of personalized tone that only he is able to establish. On the other hand, when I read Dickinson's poetry. It tends to be wrapped around her own small, isolated, world which is a place that i cannot comprehend to be. For example, even though when Dickinson writes, she tends to relate things to other things in the world, i cannot really comprehend what she is trying to say in a lot of poetry simply because when i read her writing, it seems like she is in a world of her own, which she nearly is. This i cannot really relate to in her poetry, and therefore, i really do not like the writing of Emily Dickinson. The other reason why i tend to like Whitman's writing more than the writing of Dickinson is because is because i tend to like the type of language that is used within the works of Whitman. When i read the poetry of Whitman, i tend to feel more in tune with him because of the clear words that he uses to describe his emotions and what he is writing about.

Analysis of "Nature, the gentlest mother"

After reading the poem, "Nature,the gentlest mother," by Emily Dickinson, it is very clear for the reader, that Dickinson was in love with nature. In fact from this poem, it can almost be inferred that Dickinson was fascinated with nature. In this poem, Dickinson compares nature to a mother, by using personification("Emily"). When beginning to read this poem, the reader or audience would wonder why Dickinson was comparing nature with a mother. Well judging from the tone of the poem, Dickinson tends to believe that nature is very soothing and also very relaxing. For example, within the poem, the author states, "NATURE, the gentlest mother,
Impatient of no child,
The feeblest or the waywardest,—
Her admonition mild(Dickinson)"
From this quote, it is very easy to see the point of view that Dickinson has on nature. From this quote, it is also very clear why Dickinson tends to compare nature to a mother or the instincts and tendencies of a mother. For the rest of the poem, really all that Dickinson is doing is she is making comparisons of how nature relates to beauty by using personification for the reader to give the reader many clear ideas of how beauty relates to nature. For example, in the poem, the author is quotes, "How fair her conversation,
A summer afternoon,-
Her household, her assembly;
And when the sun goes down(Dickinson)."
From this quote, it is very easy for the reader to see some example of hoe the author of this poem, Dickinson, relates simple and other divine things to the concept of nature. For example, when the author compares the idea of the summer afternoon being nature's home, this shows that the author wants to point out that the main thought of nature comes when one thinks of a summer afternoon, or as another example, the heart of nature is seen in a summer afternoon because summer afternoons are so peaceful, beautiful, and divine as well("Emily"). Another quote from this poem that reflects Dickinson's point of view within this poem is as follows, "When all the children sleep
She turns as long away
As will suffice to light her lamps(Dickinson);" From this quote, it is once again very easy for the reader to see the special comparisons that Dickinson makes between nature and the characteristics of a mother. In this quote, the author is referring to stars when she uses the word lamps, because she has said that the children have gone to sleep meaning that it is now night, and that will itself will be enough to bring out these lamps or light them. Finally, Dickinson end the poem by quoting, "Then, bending from the sky,
With infinite affection
And infiniter care,
Her golden finger on her lip,
Wills silence everywhere." In this quote, the author is once referring to the transition in nature from day to night. This quote ends the poem very well because it reflects maternal instincts as well as well as referring to beauty in nature. When the author says "with infinite affection and infiniter care," This is referring to tucking a child into bed("Emily").

Dickinson, Emily. "1. “Nature, the Gentlest Mother.” Part Two: Nature. Dickinson, Emily. 1924. Complete Poems." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. .

"Emily Dickinson Nature Poems for Analysis: Let's Explain Emily Dickinson's Poems." Find Health, Education, Science & Technology Articles, Reviews, How-To and Tech Tips At Bright Hub - Apply To Be A Writer Today! Web. 24 Mar. 2011. . (Dickinson)

Journal 41, Analysis of "A Wounded Deer Leaps Highest"

For my poem analysis, i chose to do the poem "A Wounded Deer Leaps Highest" by Emily Dickinson. Within this poem, Dickinson describes how she met a hunter who describes how the wounded deer leaps the highest. At first, the reader tend to wonder how this makes sense. One would think that since the deer is wounded, that it would not have the energy to leap high, or even have the will or the power to leap at all. Well, this theory is explained in the rest of the poem when the hunter to whom Emily Dickinson is talking to makes comparison to how this effect tends to be true in life. For example, the author states, "The smitten rock that gushes,
The trampled steel that springs:
A cheek is always redder
Just where the hectic stings!" From this quote, it is very easy to see how this interesting comparison comes to be true in life. For example, it tends to be very true that the sting on one's cheek tends to be the most red where it hurts the most. I found this very interesting because this is the point within the poem, where the comparison that a wounded deer jumps the highest begins or finally makes sense to me. To me, this comparison that the hunter makes, makes the most sense to me out of all of the comparisons that the hunter makes throughout this poem. When the author wrote this poem, she could have wanted a reader to look between the words or she may have wanted to make her work stand for something rather than this encounter that she had with the hunter, but i do not think that she actually meant to do this no matter how many other critics may think so. Because the man that she claims to have met was a hunter, it would make perfect sense if this is what literally happened to Dickinson because she seemed to exile herself from society, so if she literally had this experience, then i would not be surprised.

Criticism of "A Glimpse"

After reading the very short poem called 'A Glimpse" by Walt Whitman, it is very easy to see how this poem reflects the many ideas of Self in which Whitman tends to portray within most to all of his literary works. For example, within the poem, Whitman uses the idea of Everyman within this poem to describe the simplicity of the situation in which the author is in and also he describes the people who the situation in which the author is in experiences. Whitman does not explain that these two people have very separate feelings of the situation that they are currently in, but they each have the same feelings in which the other person has. Foe example, in the description that Whitman uses for Self, he goes to describe that everybody within the world shares the same emotions, personalities and desires. Within the idea of Self, everybody is one. This former passage describes the idea of the Everyman because within the poem, the two characters in which the author is referring to share the same emotion to the situation in which they are in, and therefore, this poem reflects the simple idea of the Everyman, which is a topic that is commonly used within Whitman's poems. Another characteristic of Self that is found within the "A Glimpse" is the characteristic of nature. For example, within this poem written by Whitman,the author describes the glimpse of light that he sees and also he describes how the sights in which he sees through the glimpse make him feel. Even though this may be a stretch to reflect to nature, I believe that it does reflect to nature because of the simplicity of the quote. For example, the author states, A GLIMPSE through an interstice caught,
Of a crowd of workmen and drivers in a bar-room around the
stove late of a winter night, and I unremark'd seated in a corner, Of a youth who loves me and whom I love, silently approaching and seating himself near, that he may hold me by the hand,
A long while amid the noises of coming and going, of drinking and oath and smutty jest," From this quote within the poem, it is clear that this quote is very simple, and that the author, Whitman, is using it to reflect the way he feels about what he sees and to describe the simplicity of the scene. This reflects nature because of the simple way in which the author describes the scene. This would be considered nature, because basically in Whitman's definition of nature, it does not have to be outdoors or literally nature to be described as nature within his work. Really, in the definition the Whitman uses to describe nature, it really just has to be something that can be considered simple or divine. Unfortunately, these are the only characteristics that i saw within this work of the idea of Self. It was a very short one, so i understand how he could not fit all of the characteristic in that he wanted.

Criticism of "Bardic Symbols"

So, i read "Bardic Symbols" by Walter Whitman and i must sat that i am completely baffled. I mean, i do not think that this poem makes sense. Literally all that the author is doing throughout this entire poem is just describing nature as he sees it and relating it to other things. Quite frankly, i do not believe that this poem is really that special because in modern times, this is a very very common topic for many poems. I mean, all that the author is really doing throughout this entire poem is just walking through a beach and just reflecting on nature. It is these poem in which i think it is very ridiculous that this author can truly say that he reflects Self within this poem when there are so many others like it. I guess that the main example of Self that is used within this poem is obviously nature because of how much Whitman uses everyday things to relate to the nature that he sees as he is walking along the beach. Another example of Self that is used by the author Whitman within this poem is the idea of the Everyman. For example, within the poem, the author relates to the everyman by uses many examples of nature to relate to the very common emotions of everyday people. In this poem, Whitman truly does relate to the common emotions of people, which does make the poem relate to the everyman, but at the same time, in my opinion, this makes the poem very generic because it seems like Whitman is not really bringing his own ideas to the table when writing the poem. From the fact that that this poem is just about relating nature to very common things and also not bringing his own ideas to the table, as the reader, i found this poem to be very dull because of the generic topic in which the poet writes about.

Reflection on "Trickle Drops"

From the poem "Trickle Drops" written by Whitman, it is very easy to see how this poem reflects the idea of Self in which Whitman commonly uses in his poems and writing. For example, in this poem, Whitman uses many aspects of Self to portray the point that he is trying to get across to the reader, but at the same time, the idea of nature is clearly used most by Whitman in this poem by the way that Whitman uses the idea of blood and the beauty of it in his work. For example, in this poem, Whitman talks a lot about blood to explain the relationship that his life has between beauty and pain within his work or even multiple works(Whitman). He describes the drops as beautiful and divine, and he almost uses the tone of voice that explains that he really truly does want to shed blood, or also enjoys shedding blood because of its natural beauty. Within this poem, Whitman also uses the idea of Everyman to portray the point that he tries to make. For example, within this poem, he may not be referring to himself when describing the beauty of bloodshed and the sense of relaxation that it gives him(Whitman). He may be referring to the pain that the Everyman tends to go through on a daily routine and also may be referring to the idea that every person must have a way of shedding this pain or getting rid of it in someway. This is why Whitman tends to describe the beauty of shedding pain or as he claims, blood, because when the Everyman feels that certain sense of relief when shedding pain, it tends to make something beautiful because of that return to normalcy in which the Everyman experiences after he has been hurt by something, or that relief of pain that the everyman goes through(Whitman). In this poem, even though Whitman tends to be referring to the loss of blood which may sound almost concerning to readers at first, the tone that Whitman uses in the poem almost portrays something else besides bloodshed(Whitman). While the reader could make many comparisons to the idea of bloodshed and debate if Whitman is actually talking about actually bloodshed, The base form of of this idea would not be receiving happiness at the end of a tough period of a life or what not, but it would simply be portraying the idea that people can always overcome certain obstacles(Whitman). This is also what Whitman may be referring to when he reflects on the beauty that bloodshed causes. He may be referring to the beauty of the human factor, or the fact that even in the worst situations(Whitman). The beauty of this is not that people will instantly become extremely happy when this overcoming of obstacles occurs, but the simple beauty is not happiness, but the certain fact that one has shed the blood, or overcome the obstacle, and is ready to move on with his life. (Whitman)

Whitman, Walt. "48. Trickle, Drops. Whitman, Walt. 1900. Leaves of Grass." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. .

Blog on "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing"

So, i guess i kind of understand how this poem relates to Christianity. It relates to this religion because Whitman relates farming and plowing to life and death. As we all know, living in Central Illinois, just because someone plows the crops, does not mean that they can never grow crops on that land again. Farmers will grow crops every year because the land does not go bad after one year of growing crops and harvesting. This relates to a guy i know named Jesus. Jesus woke up one day, and he was all like since humans are not being as good as they should be being, so he took it upon himself to die for all of humanity's sins. This relates to the poem because of the way that Whitman describes the harvest in his short poem. I really do not know how else this poem really relates to the idea of Self in which Whitman likes to represent inside of his works. I honestly do not know how this poem really reflects the idea of the everyman because of how short the poem is. I guess one go stretch as far to say that this poem reflects the idea of the everyman because of the way that every man tends to experience life and death, but i do not really like to use that comparison. In this poem, all that the author is really doing is just comparing life and death to farming and harvesting. I mean, that is really all this poem is trying to say. I honestly do not see any other examples of the idea of the everyman because the poem, once again, is so short. I guess that another idea of Self that Whitman uses within this poem is Nature by the way that he compares life and also death and the rebirth to things in nature such as farming and growing, and also harvesting crops. It seems to be that this is all i could find about the idea of Self.

Reflection of Poems That Describe Whitman's Self

From these multiple poems, it is very easy to see the reflection of the idea of self that Whitman shoes in his poems. When Whitman expresses the idea of self, he stresses especially that society and nature combined, are all part of the present, the past and the future as well. Also, when reflecting on the idea of self, Whitman uses the similarities of man in multiple examples such as multiple people or even multiple findings in nature. To him these events and findings all reflect the simple idea of self, which he clearly shows in his writing.

For example, in the poem "Myself and Mine," Whitman relates the experiences of many and of himself to reflect the idea of self by the way he ties all of the ideas found in the poem into the point that he makes at the end, where he finally starts questioning the differences between two or even more personalities if they both feel the same way. He also starts to question the identities of the nameless beings that he speaks of within his poem and concludes the poem by basically showing the reader that he has actually just given many example of self within the poem and he has also described the very idea of self.

In the poem "One Song America, Before I Go," Whitman once again reflects his idea of self by the way in which he writes his poem. Since Whitman believed that self resembled not only the past or present, but also the future, this poem reflects the very idea that Whitman had of self. For example in the story, Whitman is describing almost of how he wants to describe to the nation that since thing have gone very well in the past for the nation and that also our nation has overcome many obstacles to get where we were when this poem was written, then the future is simple to predict for the country in the very eyes of Whitman because of the way he views self. Self not only reflect the present and the past, but also the future. This means that what Whitman really wants to "sing" to the nation before he goes is the fact that everything is going to be fine and dandy for the nation in the future because of the way that certain events unfolded in the past and because of the way that our nation learned to overcome certain obstacles.

One more example of how Whitman's idea of self is reflected in Whitman's poems is by the way that Whitman makes the final analogy in the poem "As I Watch'd The Ploughman Plouging." Within the final line of this short poem,. Whitman makes an analogy of how life relates to how much crop a farmer grow compared to the harvest at the end of each season which relates to death. This reflects the idea of realism by the way that he makes this analogy of nature to life and death. The basis for the idea of self is that not only life, but also nature goes into the idea, and since Whitman relates these two things together in the end of the poem, the poem relates to the idea of self.

Blog on "Whitman's Language of Self"

I found the article "Whitman's Language of the Self" very interesting to read because of the way the author uses specific examples from Whitman's work to express the the language of the self that Whitman uses in his works. Within this article, the author gives examples of specific instances of how Whitman uses very specific characteristics of the idea of Self within his works. For example, the author tends to mention a lot throughout the article that Whitman uses the simple idea of personality quite a bit within his work. The author goes on to explain that within his work, Whitman uses not only the personality of himself to set the ground for certain works he has written, but also Whitman, uses the personalities of the idea of Self as a whole. This means that basically he goes on to use the personality of anyone who has anyone to do with the story as an example of a personality within his respected works, which he uses to portray the idea of Self to the reader. Also within his essay, the author explains that not only does Whitman use the idea of personality to explain his portrayal of the idea of self, but he also uses the idea of nature as well. For example, the author of the article goes on to say that very commonly in one of his works, Whitman will describe one of the characters he has created within a story who has troubles. This character will then go on to find beauty within nature which will then help that certain character out with the certain conflict or quest that the character is trying to overcome. From this example it is very easy to see how Whitman uses the language of self within his work. Most commonly, though he will use the idea of personality of also the idea of nature to portray the idea or concept of self that he would like to reveal within his specific works.

My Favorite Food (Steak)

Ok, so i do have a favorite food. That favorite food is steak. Steak is very good. Wow i do not think that i can handle talking about this after lunch because my lunch was not very big after all and i am still very hungry. Anyway my favorite type of steak is the classic ribeye from Longhorn Steakhouse. I really like it because it is a 12 ounce steak but it is pretty spicy and it tastes very delicious. I like to order it cooked medium because when you eat it, the flavor basically melts in your mouth. It smells very delicious when the server brings the steak out for you to order. You can basically smell to flavor that it creates when it comes off of the grill. It smells so good. In fact i am getting very hungry at the moment by just thinking about eating one. When you get a steak from the restaurant in front of you, you are always thankful that you made the right choice. One may ask, "But Kirk, how do you know if you made the right choice by ordering the ribeye?" Well, i will be the very first person to tell you that if you order the ribeye from Longhorn Steak, then you know that you have automatically made the right decision because it is so gosh darn good. So that is how you know if you make the right choice. Ok, so, i guess that all of these reasons above is why the ribeye from Longhorn Steakhouse is my favorite. I mean if you have a steak that is very good tasting, very good smelling, and also very good looking, it is very clear that this is my favorite food ever! I mean, anyone who has ever had one of these things will have to agree with me that these are some of the best tasting steaks ever! So, i guess that this is why i love this steak so much.

What It Would Be Like To Give An Interview In A Trench

Personally, i believe that if i were a reporter doing a story on a war while in the trenches with the soldiers i would be scared. This is kind of a random topic. But anyway, if i did do that, and i was a reporter, i probably would not interview troops who are in the middle of battle, and also i would not interview them in a trench because i would be afraid for my life. This is because if i was in a trench when a war was going on and the enemies knew where the trench was, i would be very afraid that there would be a chance that i might get hurt because the enemies might launch an attack on the trench when i was there interviewing the troops. I honestly do not think that i have ever seen an interview of an active troop in the middle of a war when the interview is taking place at the base of the troop or troops. But basically, if i was giving an interview within a u.s. base and there were people around whop were considered to be dangerous, then i would be very scared. I do not think that it would be very fun giving an interview when having to worry about your life and when you are very far away from the ones that you love and the thing that you love to do. So, i guess that this is why i do not want to be a very famous reporter when i grow up, or i guess when i get older. This is because overall, i would honestly hate to go to a place that is not safe, where i feel alone, just to give one interview or story in general. Also, i would be very mad at the corporation who thought that they could send me to such a place without me expressing disapproval. I just would not enjoy that at all.

Analysis of "To Build a Fire"

The short story, "To Build A Fire" by Jack London, is a wonderful story about a man and his dog who go out into the Yukon in search for gold(London 601-614). During, this search unfortunately, the man and his fellow dog encounter very extreme weather conditions, and therefore are forced to have to deal with the battle to survive in the harsh conditions(London). Because the main conflict is between man and nature and so much of the story is focused on nature, this story would fit under the category of naturalism. Naturalism is a subset of realism that involves nature than anything in the story and usually ends up with a conflict between man and nature, or naturalism "has been devoted to documenting, with apparent objectivity, the extreme experiences of characters existing on the margins of society (Werlock "Naturalism")." This subject was actually partially influenced by writers such as Jack London himself along with some others as well. As the story progresses even though the battle against the weather or nature does not get that much worse for the man and his husky, it slowly wears the man down, doing a toll on him and his dog(London 601-614). The rest of the story is about the man abandoning his search for gold, and instead trying to find a shelter or some type of safety(London). To a reader it may seem pretty obvious from the beginning of the story that the man will have a battle with nature because of the foreshadowing that London gives with his early entries and even the title of the story, but in the end the story is not about the element of surprise, the naturalism is always about how strong someone can prove them self to be against nature, or becoming one with nature, as Jack London proves in textbook fashion, in his story "To build a Fire(Werlock, "Naturalism")." Not only does this story reflect naturalism because of the main conflict between man and nature, but it also represents simple realism by the way the Jack London uses simple language to portray his main message within the story(Werlock, "Naturalism"). For example, London quotes, "He held on through the level stretch of woods for several miles, crossed a wide flat of niggerheads, and dropped down a bank to the frozen bed of a small stream. This was Henderson Creek, and he knew he was ten miles from the forks. He looked at his watch. It was ten o'clock. He was making four miles an hour, and he calculated that he would arrive at the forks at half-past twelve. He decided to celebrate that event by eating his lunch there(London 607)." From this quote it is very easy to see the simple writing style that London uses to get his thoughts across to his readers. He does not use very complex writing at all, but at the same time, he tends to go into lots of detail about what the character is doing and what he is think to make the character seem almost life-like(Werlock, "Realism").


London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 601-614. Print. (Werlock, "Realism")

Werlock, Abby H. P. "naturalism." 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= Gamshrtsty0501&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 16, 2011).

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. Feb 15, 2011.

Analysis of "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy"

The poem "Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson is a poem about a man named Richard Cory who is very pleasant, educated, and seems to be the richest man in town where the setting is according to the narrator(Robinson"Richard" 575). Well one night, when people are taking the things that they have for granted, Richard Cory kills himself by shooting himself in the head(Robinson"Richard" 575). This story states off by not sounding like it is a realism story because of hoe cheerful it sounds, but in the end it turns into a realism story because in the end, the poem ends up reflecting how "life truly exists(Werlock)." Besides just the simple story of the poem proving that this is a realist work, the actually grammar and context proves that this poem is a realism poem by the way the author keeps the writing style within the poem very simple while at the same time, he uses a lot of figurative language to describe the status and appearance Richard Cory(Robinson "Richard" 575). For example, within the poem Robinson states, "He was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked; But he still fluttered pulses when he said 'Good Morning,'and he glittered when he walked(Robinson "Richard" 575)." From this quote it is easy to see how the author uses figurative and very descriptive language in the story while at the same time, he keeps the writing style basic and easy to understand. For example, the author, Robinson, uses figurative language when the he says, "He glitters when he walks(Robinson "Richard" 575)." This statement does not mean that Cory literally glitters when he walks. When the author says this, he is describing the effect that Cory has on people and the certain appeal that he is able to have on many people. The next poem, "Miniver Cheevy," is very similar to "Richard Cory" in the fact that the catch and main purpose of the poem is actually at the end of the work. "Miniver Cheevy" is a poem about a boy who wished that he was in the middle ages when swords and horses and castles were still around(Robinson "Miniver" 576). this work is an example of realism because of the way that the poem, once again reflect life "as it truly exists(Werlock)." For example, in the story, at first, the author has the audience confused because the author goes on to talk about how this person wants to be living in the middle ages, but in the end, he finally realizes that there must be a reason why he was not born back in those times, and then he finally decides to continue on with his life(Robinson "Miniver" 576). This shows realism because even today in society, when people cannot get what they want, they will just have to accept the face and move on without the thing that they truly wish they had. Another way that this work reflects the work of realism is the way that the author uses very simple language to portray the message of the story(Werlock).

Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Richard Cory." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 575. Print.(Werlock)

Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Miniver Cheevy." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 576. 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. Feb 15, 2011.

Analysis of "Douglass" and "We Wear the Mask"

"We Wear the Mask" by Dunbar is a poem about slaves who have been discouraged and who have to live very hard lives while working in fields and also while they get little to no pay and have no rights(Dunbar "We Wear the Mask" 571). The poem describes how the world thinks that they are happy working in fields for a living and that they are perfectly content without rights, but no. They are not. They truly are not at all(Dunbar "We Wear the Mask" 571). This poem reflects many aspects of realism. First of all, it reflects realism by the way it "shows life by how it truly exists(Werlock)." For example, according to the tone of the author, Dunbar, within the poem, everyone thinks that slaves are perfectly happy being slaves and not having rights and things such as those. This reflects realism because the author finally stops the pretending and comes out and says that all slaves are truly unhappy with what they do and that they only seem content because they must "wear a mask" and hide behind the pain that they truly feel(Dunbar "We Wear the Mask" 571). Another that this poem reflects realism is by the way the poet uses similes to make his language much more descriptive and to make the purpose of his writing much more clear. For example, in the poem, the term "wear a mask" does not mean that while slaves were out in the fields, doing their jobs, they literally wore masks. This means that they had to act differently when working to cover up the pain and unhappiness that they truly felt by being a slave(Dunbar "We Wear the Mask" 571). A topic that comes up in this poem that reflects realism is the American Dream. During the times of the Civil War and right before the Civil War, this idea became extremely popular with slaves and people who were immigrating to the United States(Werlock). This was the idea that everyone in the land had the right to be free and also had Civil Rights. This obviously was not true because slaves did not have rights. This idea comes up in the poem because the slaves that are being referred to all have the dream to one day be free and to also one day have civil rights. The poem "Douglass" also by Dunbar reflects realism in many ways. In this poem, Dunbar describes a letter that he has written to Douglass about the fear he has for his nation going into the Civil War(Dunbar "Douglass" 570). This very topic in itself relates directly to realism by the way it reflects life "as it truly is(Werlock)." For example, when going into the Civil War, people were not pretending to not be worried about what was going to happen to their family, their government, and their nation. If so then, this poem would not make any sense at all people the fact of the matter was that people were extremely scared when it came to think about the Civil War. Therefore, this poem reflects realism because of the way that almost everyone in the nation at the time could relate to it and could understand its purpose.

Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "Douglass." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 570. Print. (Werlock)

Dunbar, Paul Laurence. "We Wear the Mask." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 571. 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. Feb 15, 2011.

Analysis of "Spoon River Anthology"

"Spoon River Anthology" is a story written by Edgar Lee Masters about Spoon River, a cemetery in central Illinois(Masters). Within this story, Masters writes from many different points of view from many different characters(Masters). This story would be considered to be a regionalism work of literature simply because of the effect that culture of Illinois and the Midwest have on the story and the society within it(Anderson). Since Masters writes this story through the monologues of many different types of people,the culture of Illinois is very well established from the beginning for the reader to the point where he or she can easily relate to the characters in the story and their routines, beliefs, and culture(Anderson). Since the story is written through the points of view of many people about the same subject, it is very easy for the reader to recognize the bleak and somewhat neutral dialect of Illinois. For example, compared to other regions of the nation or other areas, such as the South or the West, the Midwest has a very light, and somewhat uninteresting dialect. Even though this may be the case within the story, it actually helps readers understand or grasp the story because the light accent makes the language so common and free flowing. This is very important to regionalism writers because when the realism period came around and the romanticism period ended, not only were author extremely focused on trying to write a story that would interest reader and that they would enjoy, but also, they tried to make their stories very easy to relate to be people of a certain region(Anderson). Because the Midwestern accent is so very light, and not very distorting of the common English language, this story is very easy to grasp, and therefore the purpose and insights of the story can be understood by all of its readers. For example, "His characters speak of guilt and loneliness, of the disappointments and thwarted ambitions caused by parenthood, insufficient talent, and bad luck, of the grief of loss and the pain of betrayal, and of the misery inflicted by small-mindedness, bigotry, and misunderstanding. More than anything, though, Masters' characters seek to tell the truth about their lives(Masters)." From this quote, it is very easy to see how this story is easy to understand and also how the dialect of the Midwest is so light. For example, in the above quote, there are no distorted words or phrases due to the dialect of the region in which this story by Masters takes place. Therefore, it is very easy to understand and all readers should be able to understand the purpose of the story through its clarity. This story would fall into the category of Realist because from the above quote it is also very easy to see that realism is supposed to show life as it truly is(Werlock). Because the quote above gives concepts that even today people in society must face making, this topic and story very real and easy to believe.

Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True. February 13, 2011.(Werlock)

Masters, Edgar Lee. "Spoon Rivers Anthology." Bartleby: Great Books Online. 2011. Online. http://www.bartleby.com/84/index.html. February 13, 2011.

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. Feb 13, 2011.

Analysis of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"

The story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" written by Mark Twain is a short story about a man who meets another Southerner who tells stories of a man who has been cheated in a bet on how far a frog can jump. In the short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" written by Mark Twain, it contains many different characteristics of regionalism. This story would be considered to be regionalism because it contains certain events or a dialect from a certain area or other certain areas of a region or a nation. For example, Twain is quoted as saying,"He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and said he cal'klated to edercate him; and so he never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump. And you bet you he did learn him, too. He'd give him a little punch behind, and the next minute you'd see that frog whirling in the air like a doughnut see him turn one summerset, or may be a couple, if he got a good start, and come down flat-footed and all right, like a cat. (Twain 499)" From this excerpt it is easy to see how the dialect of the region has been included to relate to the people of that certain region(Anderson).
This story contains regionalism also by how Twain portrays one of the main characters in his story, Simon Wheeler. Simon Wheeler is a traditional man from the who carries the Southern dialect and attitude with him(Twain 500). This trait is what links this story most to the idea of regionalism(Anderson). Since Twain has included almost a life-like character in his story that is from the South, then when readers from the South read this story can relate to the happenings of Simon Wheeler. The easterner in the story also reflects very heavy regionalism. By the way he acts within the story, and due to the experiences that the characters in the story have with him, it is safe to say that according to Twain, in the times when this story was written, Easterners may have been rude and a little snobby(Twain 501). Since Twain has created very realistic characters when it comes to Simon Wheeler and to the Easterner, the reader of this story can relate to the characters in the story if they are from the certain region, making the writing much more clear and easy to relate to for these people(Anderson). This is the main goal of realist writing. Since realism is writing that tries to express life as it is, then the author, Twain accomplished the purpose of the story when including Smiley in the story(Werlock). Even though the reader or audience does not know if he is real or not, Twain does a very good job of making his character come to life and trying to make Smiley's experiences seem true. For example, when Twain is describing the event when Smiley gets cheated out of winning the bet with the frogs, he makes the situation seem almost real by the way Twain bring the character to life by having the character fit the exact description the Twain has given him. In this way, Twain has also accomplished the goal of realism because of the way he makes the events in the story and the characters seem real(Werlock).

Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, 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= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).

Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 498-502. 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. Feb 13, 2011.

Analysis of "The Awakening" and "Story of the Hour"

"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin is a story about a woman who wakes up in the middle of the night and begins to cry and cannot seem to stop the crying(Chopin "The Awakening" 491). To the reader or to the audience, it is very easy to see how this story reflects realism. For example, the writing within the story is extremely simple(Werlock). Realist writers would often use this technique in their writing because not only was the purpose of their writing to tel the reader a story, it was also to make the writing very clear to the reader and to make the story very easy to understand or the reader or the audience(Werlock). Also there is not much figurative language within this story. Like the very simple writing, authors of realist works tend to do this simply because they want to make the language in their story very simple for the reader. For example the author quotes,"It was then past midnight. The cottages were all dark. A single faint light gleamed out from the hallway of the house. There was no sound abroad except the hooting of an old owl in the top of a water-oak, and the everlasting voice of the sea, that was not uplifted at that hour. It broke like a mournful lullaby in the night(Chopin "The Awakening" 491)." From this quote it is very easy to see how the author uses very simple language in the writing. There is no figurative language used in the quote, and the grammar is very simple. The other characteristic of this story that relates to realism is the overall tone of the story. The tone is very very depressing. All the main character is doing throughout the entire excerpt is crying. This reflects realism because when the period started, people got tired of living in the false world of romanticism and wanted to see the world of how it truly was. This shows how the world truly was because the story was not coated in beauty or darkness. It was just very simple. After reader "The Story of an Hour" by Chopin, similar, to the earlier story, reflects realism in many ways. Once again, like the other story, it has a lot of simple writing to keep its context along with its purpose clear to the writer. For example, in the story, the author quotes,"There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it; she did not know. It was too subtle and too elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air (Chopin, "The Story of the Hour" 444-445)." From this quote, it is once again easy to see how this story uses simple writing and almost no figurative language. Also, this story reflects realism because of the way that the tone is portrayed within the story. Since the story is has a point of view where it sees the world how it truly is and it does not distort any part of the story, then the work is clear realism(Werlock).

Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 491. Print.

Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 554-555. 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. Feb 13, 2011. (Chopin, "The Story of the Hour")

Analysis of "The Red Badge of Courage"

"The Red Badge of Courage," by Stephen Crane, is a story about a man who is going into a battle in the civil war, while describing to the reader the condition and feeling of himself as the main character(Crane 493). After reading "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane, it is easy to see how the story not only reflects realism, but it also reflects naturalism as well. Naturalism "has been devoted to documenting, with apparent objectivity, the extreme experiences of characters existing on the margins of society (Quinn)." For example, compared to realism, the conflict in naturalism stories is usually if not always between man and nature. That fact is what gives away the fact the this story is a naturalism story. The conflict is clearly between man and nature. For example, the author quotes, " Buried in the smoke of many rifles, his anger was directed not so much against the men whom he knew were rushing toward him as against the swirling battle phantoms which were choking him, stuffing their smoke robes down his parched throat(Crane 493)." From this quote, it is extremely easy to see how this story is a naturalism piece of writing. In the story when the man is in battle, he claims that his anger is not directed towards the many men that are shooting at him with their rifles, but rather towards the smoke in the air, which is making it extremely hard for the character to breathe. One of the characteristics of realism that this story shows evidence of is the feeling that the man who is going into war has. What makes this story truly a realism story is the way the author describes the feeling the man has as he is charging into war. For example, the author quotes, "Presently, he began to feel the effects of the war atmosphere-a blistering sweat, a sensation that his eyeballs were about to crack like hot stones. A burning roar filled his ears(Crane 493)." From this quote it is easy to see why this work is considered realism. This is because in realism, authors tend to see the world how it truly is and rather not how they want it to be(Quinn). This is very unlike romanticism by the way the author speaks about war. If this were to be romanticism, then the author would probably try to find a way to find beauty within war(Quinn). The quote above also proves that the author liked to give detail to his stories by using figurative language. For example, in the above quote, the author uses a metaphor to describe the felling that the main character of the story has in his eyes. This is common in realist writing because when authors wrote works in the realism times, they wanted to make their work as clear as possible to anyone who wrote it. Therefore, authors and poets in the realist times would included a lot of figurative language so that the purpose of the writing would become very clear for the reader or audience.

Crane, Stephen. "The Red Badge of Courage." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 493.

Quinn, Edward. "naturalism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gfflithem0538&SingleRecord=True. Online. February 13, 2011 (Crane)

Analysis of "O Pioneers" and "A Wagner Matinée"

The excerpt from "O, Pioneers" is a fine example of not only realism, but regionalism as well. This is because in the the excerpt, the author is talking about a certain region or area of the country, and telling her story using very specific examples from the area or region in her story(Anderson). For example, the author is quoted as saying,"The thing to do was to get back to Iowa, to Illinois, to any place that had been proved habitable. The Bergson boys, certainly, would have been happier with their Uncle Otto, in the bakery shop in Chicago(Cather O Pioneers 389)." From this quote, it is very easy to see how this work by Willa Cather reflects regionalism. By using specific locations such as Iowa, Illinois, and Chicago, it shows that the work is focusing obviously on a specific region of the country. Another example of realism that this work shows is the American Dream. The American Dream in realist writing is the view that anyone who has the luck to come to the United States of America has a change to experience the land of opportunity and become wealthy. The author of this work shows examples of the American Dream by the way she describes the hardships that the characters are going through. For example, within the excerpt from the story, Cathe quotes,"Then came the hard times that brought everyone on the divide to the brink of despair; three years of drought and failure, the last struggle of a wild soil of the encroaching plowshare(Cather, A Wagner)." From this quote it is easy to see how the family in the story is working so hard to get their taste of the American Dream. The other story by Cather "The Wagner Matinée," also reflects many characteristics of realism. Like the other work by Cather, not only does that story reflect realism, but it also reflects regionalism as well by the way the story uses very specific locations and dialect of a certain area or region of a country. For example, within the story, the states,"This communication, worn and rubbed, looking as if it has been carried in a coat pocket that was none too clean, was from my Uncle Howard, and informed me that his wife had been left a small legacy by a bachelor relative,and that it would be necessary for her to go to Boston to attend the settling of the estate.(Cather "A Wagner" 521-526)" From this quote it is easy to see how this story reflect regionalism writing by the way the author uses specific areas and dialect to portray the meaning or the message of the story(Anderson). The main way that this story by Cather reflects realism is by the simple existence of human nature that Cather includes within the story. For example, when the two characters are at the matinée, Georgiana stars crying from the beauty of the music and says that when it is over, she does not want to leave the auditorium and have to carry on in a grey, world without music. This represents realism by the way the character sees the world for how it truly is compared to how she wants it to be(Cather "A Wagner" 526)(Barney,Paddock).

Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True. February 13, 2011.

Cather, Willa. "O Pioneers!" Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 489. (Cather, O Pioneers)


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. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True. February 8, 2011. (Barney,Paddock)


Cather, Willa. "A Wagner Matinée." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 521-526. Print.

Analysis of "A Letter to His Son"

"A letter to His Son" written by Robert E. Lee is about a letter that Lee wrote just before the American Civil War to portray the worries he has about the position that the nation is in to his son (Lee 385). Within this letter, there are many examples of traits of realism. For example, within the letter, Lee tends to use very simple writing. This is a characteristic of realist writing because when realist authors or poets write their works, they tended to write it in a way so that everyone who would read it could understand the story and its purpose (Barney, Paddock). Unlike other realists works though, this letter by Lee contains a lot of figurative language. For example, within the letter, Lee is quoted as saying, "the fruit of his noble deeds will be destroyed and that his precious advice and virtuous example will so soon be forgotten by his countrymen(Lee 385)." From this example, it is easy to see how Lee uses figurative language such as similes to portray the meaning of his letter. The author includes figurative language within his story because it included much more detail towards how he feels towards an issue and makes the meaning of the story or letter much more clear. Another trait of realist writing that is included in "A Letter to His Son" by Lee is the American Dream. In the story, Lee refers many times to how much he is worrying about the state of the country and also how worried he is they the country may be on the brink on a civil war. This reflects the American Dream because it shows that since he is worrying about things such as the state of the country and his own individual rights, that he is worried about the American Dream not being true anymore because of the separation in the country (Barney, Paddock). Another characteristic of realism that this letter shows is actually the hero. The idea of the hero is shown in this story by the way that Lee states, "I shall return to my native state, and share the miseries of my people; and safe in defense, will draw my sword on none (Lee 385)." From this quote, it is very easy to see how Lee reflects the exact idea of the hero in realist writing. This quote shows that even though he is very angry with what is happening with the country, he will not become overpowered by that anger and try to hurt anyone that he does not agree with. he final trait of realism that this letter contains is government. This article speaks to the government by the view that Lee takes when speaking about what the country is having to face during that time (Barney, Paddock). For example, he says that the country may very possibly fall to an "anarchy" or a country that has no government (Lee 385). He says that even though our country is still considered to be a democracy, a country cannot be considered very free when it takes an entire war to make it free.


Lee, Robert E. "Letter to His Sons." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 385.


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. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True. February 14, 2011. (Lee)

Analysis of "Two Views of a River"

"Two Ways of Seeing a River" is a story by Mark Twain, which reflects the two points of view in which the author has has taken when seeing the river on which he enjoys to travel(Twain 504-505). Not only is this just plain realism, but this story is considered to be a certain type of realism which is known as Naturalism. This story would be considered naturalism because in this story, not only is the story mainly about nature, but the main conflict is also between man and nature, making this a naturalism story(Diamond). The main characteristic that proves that this story is an example of realist writing is the fact that Twain uses very simple writing throughout all of the story(Diamond). The fact that differentiates this works from many other works of realism because unlike other works of realism, "Two Ways of Seeing a River" contains a lot of figurative language(Diamond). For example, within the story, the author is quoted as saying," A broad expanse of the river was turned to blood; in the middle distance the red hue brightened into gold, through which a solitary log came floating, black and conspicuous; in one place a long, slanting mark lay sparkling upon the water; in another the surface was broken by boiling, tumbling rings, that were as many-tinted as an opal; where the ruddy flush was faintest, was a smooth spot that was covered with graceful circles and radiating lines, ever so delicately traced; the shore on our left was densely wooded, and the sombre shadow that fell from this forest was broken in one place by a long, ruffled trail that shone like silver; and high above the forest wall a clean-stemmed dead tree waved a single leafy bough that glowed like a flame in the unobstructed splendor that was flowing from the sun(Twain 505)." From this quote, it is easy to see that Twain uses many similes and metaphors that truly colors this story and makes it its own. Another characteristic that this story has that reflects the characteristics of realism is human nature. One example of human nature that this story displays is the fact that people can lose sight of things at a certain time of their life(Quinn). This is included in the story when Twain compares what he wishes he would have been thinking when going down the river compared to what the character is actually thinking when going down the river(Twain 505). Society impacted this story by the way that the overall thoughts and ideals changed in the nation when the realism period came around(Quinn). For example, since the people of society were tired of seeing the world distorted in writing, and the shift occurred when people wanted to see the world how it truly was(Quinn). Other than these traits of realist writing, "Two Ways of Seeing A River" really does not contain many other traits of realist writing other than the traits already written about above. For example, there really is not much included in this story about government or religion, making the traits already written about above.

Quinn, Edward. "realism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. 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= Gfflithem0706&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).(Diamond)

Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 504-505. Print.


Diamond, Marie Josephine, ed. "naturalism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWW410&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).

Analysis of "I Will Fight No More Forever"

"I will Fight No More Forever" by Chief Joseph reflects Realism in many ways. For example, the first characteristic it displays is the fact that the speech by Joseph does not contain much figurative language(Joseph 553). This is a characteristic of Realism because during the times of realist writing, authors were focused mainly on trying to present what they had to say in a very clear, simple way(Quinn). The speech given by Joseph fits right into this category. Another characteristic of realism that this speech contains is the fact that the author of this speech, Joseph, is exhausted from the war that he has just gone through and he has grown extremely frustrated with the obstacles that he has tried to overcome(Quinn). For example, within the speech, he states, " Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever(Joseph 553)." From this quote taken from his speech, it is easy to see that Joseph has grown extremely tired with the obstacle that he has tried to overcome, and he is now willing to give up because it has taken such a toll on him(Joseph). Another characteristic that is found within Chief Joseph's speech is human nature. For example, as stated in the speech, " It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death(Joseph 553)." From this quote, it is easy to see how nature comes into play when speaking about the subject of this speech. It is clear that the weather and the bitter cold has affected the Chief when making the decision to surrender from the war that he and his settlement is in (Joseph 553). It has affected him because of the way people have been dying from the horrible cold and also by the way people have been abandoning the settlement to find a warmer place that is nearby. The final and one of the most clear characteristics of realism that the speech given by Chief Joseph contains is government. This is not the use of government in the same aspect as the U.S. government though. This speech contains the idea of government because of the fact that the speech is given by the chief of his own settlement. This is very important to the speech because of the impact that Joseph puts on the speech simply because he is the chief of the settlement. If he were not the chief and he were still giving this speech of surrender, then it would not have the same stinging effect that it does because it would not show how the war has affected everyone in the village. Since it is the chief who is giving the speech, this shows that everyone in the village has been affected by this battle. Even the chief of the village has been so discouraged by this battle, that he will never fight again. When the chief of a village says this, it always has an everlasting effect the the audience or reader.


Joseph, Chief. "I Will Fight No More." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. 533. Print.(Quinn)

Quinn, Edward. "realism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. 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= Gfflithem0706&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).

Analysis of "And I Ain't a Woman?"

After reading "And I Ain't a Woman?" by Sojourner Truth, there are many characteristics within the speech that makes it clearly a work of realism. For example, in the speech, Truth keeps her language very basic and easy to under stand while not using much figurative language even though she tends to make many comparisons in the speech between her, as a female slave and a male slave. This is a characteristic of realism because in the realist period, writers were focused on keeping their writing very clear and simple while no using much figurative language because the main purpose of a lot of writing in the realist times was to get the entire audience to understand the purpose of the story(Truth 370). This story may actually be classified within the branch of realism known as regionalism because of how Truth uses the dialect of the area she lives in to portray her message(Anderson). For example, within the speech Truth uses grammar that is not considered to be proper today, but in the times when this speech was given, it was natural to use words such as "ain't" and "'cause." A characteristic of realism that truly reflects this speech by Truth is the American Dream(Truth 370). The American Dream is reflected in this speech by Truth by the way she speaks about freedom and her need for the world to be fair when it comes to Civil Rights that everyone else in the country seems to have. She claims that it is wrong for slaves-especially woman slaves-to be segregated against when being compared to male slaves because females have to overcome just as many or if not, more obstacles than males slaves do. Also, it is not fair for women slaves to be segregated against because they do all of the exact same work in the fields that the male slaves have to do. Another aspect of realism that is included in this speech by Truth is religion. This is very easy for the reader or audience to see because of the way that Truth states: "I have borne 13 children and seen most of them sold to slavery, and when i cried out with my mother's grief, non but Jesus heard me!(Truth 370)." This statement within Truth's speech shows the obvious bond to Christianity and to Jesus that she has. With this excerpt, also comes the entry of the Hero into this speech by Truth. When truth states that only Jesus has heard her, and by the way that Truth speaks about Jesus in her speech, it seems that she has turned to Jesus to help her become free from slavery. This is very common in realist writing because before and during the Civil War, when slaves were working on plantations, they had no one or nothing to turn to to get a perspective on life(Truth 370). Because of this, it was very common for the slaves to turn to religion for a point of view on life or for some sense of security.

Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True. February 13, 2011.

Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 370. (Truth)

Swing Low, Go Down Moses, and Keep Your Hands on the Plow Analysis

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an African American spiritual poem that was popular in the Civil War era and the rest of the realist period(Swing 346). A spiritual song is a song that slaves would sing as they would in fields that were passed down orally from generation to generation. Though the writing style is simple and it also does not contain much figurative language, it reflects a characteristic or realism for this reason (Werlock). When realist authors write or make a work or poem, they will try to keep the writing style simple and not use much figurative language because they want the writing to be as clear and as easy for the reader or audience to understand as possible. Another way that this work reflects realism is how it represents the American Dream (Werlock). The idea of the American Dream in the realist period signified the idea of civil rights and freedom for all citizens except for slaves(Swing 346). This song was very popular among slaves just before the Civil War because it signified the concept that all slaves wanted which was freedom and civil rights. "Go Down Moses" is another spiritual African American song popular during the realist period(Go 347). Like "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Go Down Moses" is very simple and does not use much figurative language which, once again, reflects the realism behind it. This poem also represents the American Dream because it signifies the African American need for freedom in the United States like the first song lyrics. The one characteristic of realism that "Go Down Moses" does contain that the first song does not is that "Go Down Moses" contains a religious reference when referring to Moses(Go 347). This is a Christian reference that is contain in the Old Testament of the Bible(Go 347). Religion is a characteristic of Realism because during the times before the Civil War, slaves who were looking for answers in life turned to religion because they really had no other places to go to get a perspective on their lives (Werlock). "Keep Your Hands on the Plow" is another spiritual African American song that like the other two included in this blog, reflects realism because of the basic writing style of the lyrics. Like the others, the lyrics of this song are extremely basic and they also do not contain much figurative language which is a very common characteristic of realism. Like the lyrics to "Go Down Moses," the lyrics to "Keep Your Hands on the Plow" contain a religious reference. Since the songs relates to Jesus and speaks about Him a lot, there is an obvious Christian tie in these song lyrics(Keep 348). Also, like the other poems in this blog, this poem also represents the American Dream because of how the song lyrics reflects the want and need of freedom for African Americans (Werlock). These lyrics actually contain the idea of the Hero by how the writer of these lyrics speak about Jesus. The writer of these lyrics wants Jesus to look after him or her and set them free.

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 346. Print.

"Go Down, Moses." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 347. Print.

"Keep Your Hand on the Plow." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 348. 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/

Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address Analysis

"The Gettysburg Address" written by Abraham Lincoln reflects many characteristics of the Realism period(Lincoln, "The Gettysburg" 402).. For example, the speech by Lincoln does not use much figurative language and the language used in very general (Barney). That is one characteristic of Realism writing. In realist writing, the author or authors are not very focused on giving details (Barney). They want to portray their meaning very clearly and therefore, they do not give much figurative language on what they are trying to say and also what they are trying to portray to the readers or audience of the speech he is giving. For example, "But in a larger sense we can not dedicate - we can not consecrate - we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled, here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but can never forget what they did here(Lincoln, "The Gettysburg" 402).." The idea of the hero has a lot to do with this speech that Lincoln has given. For example, when giving this speech, it was very important for Lincoln to inspire the audience what the battle had done for the nation and what it means for the many men who died just because they for fighting for the freedom of the African Americans. Government is also a very important topic when it comes to the "Gettysburg Address" because Abraham Lincoln was president when he gave this speech at Gettysburg and he truly portrayed how the Battle at Gettysburg helped out the Government of the United States of America (Lincoln). When writing the "Gettysburg Address," Lincoln did not include anything about religion in his speech. After reading the Second Inaugural Address by Abraham Lincoln, it reflects a lot of the same characteristics of Realism that the first did (Barney). For example, the speech is very short and does not use much figurative language as the "Gettysburg Address" does as well. This is a common characteristic of Realism because in Realist writing, authors and poets tried to keep their writing simple so that it could be understood to anyone who reads it. Since this speech was given close to the end of the Civil War, the idea of the American Dream had a lot to do with the purpose and content of the speech (Lincoln, "Second" 339). For example, within the speech, Lincoln is explaining how a day will soon come when the war will be over and that our nation has done a great job of trying to protect itself and that our country must continue to keep with peace not only with each other when the war is done, but also with other nations as well (Lincoln, "Second" 339). The idea of the American Hero also comes into play with this speech because of how President Lincoln sends the message of being extremely proud of his troops. Therefore, the hero of the speech would be the American troops who fought in the Civil War because of how they protected the country. Also, the idea of government is included in the speech of Abraham Lincoln because Lincoln was the President of the country at this point in time, and therefore that reflects the idea of government within the speech. Similar to the "Gettysburg Address," this speech has no evidence of religion or religious value because President Abraham Lincoln neglected to put any in his speech (Lincoln).

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. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True. February 8, 2011. (Barney)

Lincoln, Abraham. from "Second Inaugural Address." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 339.

The Meaning of July Forth for the Negro Analysis

"The Meaning of July Forth for the Negro" by Fredrick Douglas reflects Realism in two specific ways. One way would be that the speech uses very simple writing. For example, throughout the speech, the author, Douglass, is very straightforward when explaining that the Forth of July really does not mean much for the negro because African-Americans really did not have very many rights at all because they were basically all slaves and law did not require them to have any civil rights whatsoever. This is why Douglass says that when a man says that America is a land where everyone is free and everyone has opportunity, he is a hypocrite. This is simply because not everyone did have right in this time era. African Americans did not and they also did not really have much opportunity other than being a slave in the United States(Douglass 336). The other reason that this would be considered Realism is because of the time period in which it was written. This speech by Fredrick Douglass was written on a Forth of July during the Civil War. The beginning of the the Civil War was when Realism began. The Civil War was the period of time in the United States when people began to see the world for how it truly was because of the effect the world had on the Civil War(Douglass 336). Government was clearly a focus when Douglass wrote this speech. This is because the main emphasis of this speech is the fact that African-Americans really have nothing to be happy about when it comes to celebrating the Forth of July because it really does not have much meaning the the Negro because they do not have rights(Douglass 336). The audience of this speech is basically the government because that is who is not giving the African Americans rights. This speech is basically complaining to the government about how the Negros in the United States of America when they have really not done anything to not deserve rights because they are officially slaves who work out in fields just to try to make a living. The American also comes into play when reading this speech because that is basically what the entire speech is about-the American Dream. The American Dream is what writers talk about when they refer to the fact that America is the land of freedom and opportunity(Douglass 336). This idea is clearly not true when it comes to African Americans and Negros because once again, they have been forced into slavery. Douglass is referring to this American Dream because it really is not true for African Americans and for that reason, African Americans did not truly enjoy or celebrate the Forth of July. Even though this speech is not focused on the idea of the hero, i think that the main hero of this speech would have to be Fredrick Douglass. This is because he was the first one who actually confronted the government about how they are all hypocrites and how they basically lie when it comes to celebrating the Forth of July.

Douglas, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 336. Print. (Douglass 336)

Regionalism

Regionalism is a type of writing, similar to Realism, that focuses on a certain area or region in which the story takes place (Anderson). Unlike simple Realism, which can focus on a very general idea or setting, Regionalism is much more specific when it comes to the choice of setting or other details of the story in that nature because Regionalism writing is much more focused on the specific details of the story because very often in Regional writing, the main moral of the story is based on that specific region or the lifestyle that takes place in that specific region (Anderson). For example, during the Civil War era, a common setting for regionalist writing would take place in the South where slavery was still legal and very common on farms or plantations (Anderson). This would be a very common theme in Regionalism because the author would use examples of hardships and the shunning of civil rights for African-Americans as a basis for the author's own story or book. Similar to realist writing, a regional story would usually be based on the mere struggle that the main character would face in the area in which the book took place. Also common in regionalism writing would be the type of language or dialect used in that certain region in which the book or story took place (Anderson). One of the main points of regionalism was to make the story more believable to the ones who were reading it. For example if the character in the story was facing a conflict that many in a region had faced, then that story would be much more believable to the reader of audience. This was one of the main appeals of Regionalism. If a person could read about a character or person who overcame the very same obstacle that the reader was facing, then it gave the reader belief that he or she could overcome the very same obstacle in their own life.

Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, 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= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2011).

Naturalism

Naturalism "has been devoted to documenting, with apparent objectivity, the extreme experiences of characters existing on the margins of society (Sommers)." It is a type of writing used in the late 1800's to the early 1900's that was derived from Realism. The main difference between the two different styles of writing are that while Realism is based on the nearly average life of the middle class character in society, naturalists usually "focused on the desperate existence of characters trapped in slums or in other oppressed settings (Sommers)." Therefore, naturalist writing was based on the struggle of a character rather than just telling about his or her life as the author sees it. Realist writing is usually based on characters living in society where they are put in a struggle with a force within that society that is very often overwhelming or miscomprehended. Once a naturalist writer has laid out the main conflict for a character in a story, most of the writing from that point on is based on how the character faces the challenges, or grows throughout the rest of the story (Sommers). Therefore, most of the beauty or appeal that comes from naturalist writing comes from the simplicity of seeing the character in the story mature and grow in the eyes of the author or audience as he or she faces or comes to deal with the conflict. Usually the city is the most favored setting of realist writers because of the many examples of flaws of society found within one. In many stories written my naturalist authors, one of the main conflicts that the character would face was the need to get away from people because the main character in the story would easily notice the many flaws in the society (Sommers). The characters' main goals or ways with dealing with the many flaws that they have noticed would be to just escape from society. Also, to try and fix many of these flaws that was faced by the character would be a very common theme.

Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. 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= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 8, 2011).

Realism

Realism is "the attempt to depict life as it actually exists, not as the author wants it to be in the present or the future, or imagines it was in the past (Werlock)." This means that it is much different than the former Romanticism writing period because in Romanticism, the author clearly depicts life as it is truly seen rather than the distorted way in which romantic writers claimed they saw it. This includes the vision of the American Dream and also the vision of the Hero. Since Realism is the attempt to depict life as it actually exists, not as the author wants it to be in the present or the future, or imagines it was in the past, it gave readers a new idea of the American Dream (Werlock). Rather than wanting to expand westward, the new idea of the American Dream first appeared in realist writing when freedom just in general was a massive appeal to the citizens of the United States rather than moving west. The idea of the Hero was also introduced through the realist writing. The hero was introduced as a man of usually middle class who always fought certain moral to always tend to do what was right (Werlock). Realism is usually distinguished as writing that shows society's true colors or shows how society truly seems to be. Unlike Romanticism, which basically shows the society how the author just simply wants it to be. The change from Romanticism to Realism came when writers like Mark Twain and Kate Chopin started releasing very famous works. Instead of having a romantic view on the world, they saw the world almost from a neutral point of view, beginning the change in writing style from a Romantic point of view to a Realist point of view (Werlock). This change occurred because people of society agreed with the thoughts of these authors and embraced these ideas and got tired of seeing the world as perfect as the authors from the Romantic period did. (Werlock)


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 January 31, 2011).

Journal #34 ACT Writing

So, this blog is about how to write to ACT essay. It is funny because i was informed just recently that there are some essays that do not have a writing portion, and therefore the writing portion of the ACT is actually not required by some colleges. But whatever, anyway, when writing an essay for the ACT, the first thing that you will always want to do is that obviously you will always want to read the prompt very carefully. You need to know what the writer of the prompt is talking about and you will know which side you will want to take. Now, the common mistake that people make when they start to plan out for an essay is that people will only plan out to write about the one side that they support. If you look at the grading scale for the writing portion of the ACT, you will realize that for one to get the highest score possible, the writer of the essay must cover both sides of the topic. When i say cover, i do not mean that the writer of the essay must support both sides of the essay. I mean that you must explain why the side that you are against will not work. Once again, for the writer to get a six, he or she must have this information included in the essay. When writing writing the essay on an Act, one thing that is much different about it from an actual essay is that you can use personal experience when trying to use support for the main argument in an essay. This means that the writer can use words like "I" and "me" that shows that the author had personal experience with these events and can explain what it has to do with the argument and also how it supports the author's argument. Well i guess that those are the main things that one would need to know when writing an ACT essay.

Journal #33 The Post Be-Bop Disco Era

I really do not know what started in the area that we live in today. I could say something like the selling of horseshoes, but that is kind of very boring. So, i will talk about something that started somewhere else. Actually no i will not because i now can think of something that actually did start in this area. That is officially the post be bop disco era. Don't act like you haven't heard of it! It's kind of a big deal. So, around the city of Springfield, Illinois in the year of 2011, a band called "The Panzies" created a revolution. They created a new type of music that was almost jazzy with a hint of funk. Now to whoever is reading this, you have to realize that The Panzies had a bigger impact on the post be bop disco era than Nirvana had on grunge. So yeah, they were kind of a big deal. So, anyway, this band started making music in 2008, but did not get a record deal until 2010 when they signed with Island Records. They did not realize that The Panzies were going to be such a bit hit. But anyway, when they released their first self-titled album, they also released their first ever single-"The Battle of the Noodles." Now Americans, being typical Americans, fell in love with this song. In fact, within the first week it came out, it became a gold selling single. Now, that is what i call pretty impressive. So, anyway, instead of being the typical one hit wonders, the Panzies had three other singles on their debut album. Today, there are many stories about what has happened to the Panzies. It has been two years since the Panzies have released their first album. It is rumored that they are actually working on their second album, but that has not actually been confirmed yet. Anyway, in conclusion, that is the story behind the new born post disco be bop era that is still spreading fast around America today.