Monday, February 28, 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.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

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.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

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.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

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)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

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)

Monday, February 14, 2011

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/

Thursday, February 10, 2011

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.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

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).