Wednesday, February 16, 2011

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)

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