Journal #14

If I were a soldier in Lieutenant Jimmy Cross's unit, I would carry the standard issue equipment assigned to a foot soldier among several other things. If I were to carry any special artifacts I would have to bring a small crystal that my mother gave me as a good luck charm. I would also bring along one of my grandmothers handmade arrowheads that she had given me before she passed away. This is to remind me of my Native American heritage and to carry my grandmothers strength with me, which is something every soldier would need at a time of war. In order to keep my equipment as minimal as possible, I would keep photographs of my family and my lover with me at all times. Probably the biggest thing I would be carrying though, is a burden. A burden of hope, of trust, of love, and of companionship. Being in a war, morale of the soldiers would be low especially at the death of another platoon member, I would carry a huge burden of knowing it could have been me that died had I been more careless; and an even greater burden of knowing I could have somehow prevented the death of a brother. After all, a unit is a band of brothers through life and death.

Journal #10

While reading Charles Chesnut's "The Wife of his Youth", I had no idea it would end with Mr. Ryder being the character in his story. From the beginning, I felt a sense of white supremacy from him because he was a member of the elite Blue Veins. But by the end of the story I found out that he actually stays true to himself as a loyal and humble gentleman. He never married once and waited several years to be with the wife of his youth, and when he revealed his fair skinned guest at the ball, I was shocked about his decision that he could have had any woman he wanted such as the beautiful Mrs. Dixon. But instead he compromised his values  of the Blue Vein Society in order to be with the woman he loved, which gives Mr. Ryder a lot of character. Even though the story of the woman who has been searching for her husband for 25 years certainly impacted him, I don't think it altered his decision. I was surprised when he did not choose Mrs. Dixon to take his hand in marriage because she was much younger than he, and seemed to be almost irresistible. A man that decides to go against what society believed to be taboo by marrying a former slave, and being the leader of the white dominated Blue Veins, all while staying loyal to the wife of his youth, deserves the title of a true man.

Journam #9

A contemporary connection I have found between today and the years of 1865-1914, is the need for change. In the years after the civil war, literature had boosted as equal rights were slowly given to immigrants and former slaves. This allowed them to be educated and most importantly be literate, giving them the need to express their wants and needs and visions through literature. As the era continued, literature such as poems started to decline and short stories and novels started becoming increasingly popular. Americans wanted new readings that could spark imaginations of others. As technology improves during this time, with the inventions like the radio, the light bulb, and the motion picture, we find that more and more people are less interested in reading and would rather spend their time with other forms of entertainment. This is true today even as more books are becoming available electronically, we tend to be more fascinated with newer technology such as the new Iphone that has recently released. Whether it be politics, entertainment or literature, norms are constantly being challenged daily, and the need for change arises throughout history

Journal #8

Henry Highland Garnet's vision of the American dream is that one day the oppressed people of the country will join together and emancipate themselves and they will not stop until justice is achieved. He states, "It is often asked when and where will the demands of the reformers of this and coming ages end?". Garnet says that we need a great leader that will stand out and represent the people who have no voice and to fulfill Gods duty as a righteous and fair leader. Those people who see our union as corrupt will stop at nothing to change its policies for the greater good of the people. Once this is achieved, our nation will come together as one and other nations will see us as one United America. Reformers of the era would rejoice in brotherhood to come together as one, mostly in the northern states that opposed slavery. But those that would read this is the south would likely oppose the thought of ever considering the black slaves as equals. William Cullen Bryant's poem, 'The Death of Lincoln' reflects on the unjust death of our martyred president. Like in Garnets vision, Bryant saw Lincoln as noble leader that brought together a shattered union. His vision  of the American Dream can arguably come to life, but at the cost of bloodshed. I think that no matter the audiences geographical location, would agree that their stance of Lincolns death was unjust and we should honor him. Readers would be very persuaded by both pieces and would hopefully see the outcome of this quarrel was necessary.  

Blog #5

A common theme in the texts of Sigourney's "Indian Names" and William Apess "An Indians Looking Glass for the White Man" is reform. Although the tones of the two authors vary from mild to harsh, the two authors show a desire for reform within the states. Apess argues that the treatment of Native Americans is unjust and he uses biblical references to back up his argument. "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." He also uses the argument that different races often intermarry and therefor bring both cultures together into one, so why not learn to accept the differences? Apess brings up a great point that Jesus was born a Jew and because of that, was a person of color. White supremacy was a growing concern and they believed that Christianity was a white dominated religion when in fact it is founded upon people of color. Signourney is arguing that the massacre of the Natives and their lands and their names is the reason for American success. Each author provides legitimate arguments about the treatment of Native Americans.

Blog #4

Symbolism is a key feature in literature and the short story "The Tenth of January" utilizes this element.  Some symbols are very subtle and maybe unrecognizable but upon further insight we can find a deeper meaning.  A reoccurring symbol presented throughout the story was the color red. The color red can be symbolized as many different things such as love, desire and envy. The author used the color red to symbolize the protagonists angst against society. "Asenath always wore a cape: there was one of crimson flannel, with a hood, that she had meant to wear to-night; she had thought about it coming home from the mill; and she was apt to wear it on Saturdays and Sundays; Dick had more time at home. Going up stairs to-night, she had thrown it away into a drawer, and shit the drawer with a snap; then opened it softly, and cried a little; but she had not taken it out." I believe "Sene" would wear this cloak to mask her deformity and it showed that she had envy for the prettier girls in town that teased her. "She shrank instinctively at the first sight of herself; and opened the drawer where the crimson cape was folded, but shut it resolutely." She can't bear to even look at herself and the cape represented her loathsomeness for herself. The color red also appears in the factory where Sene meets her ultimate fate. "To lie here and watch the hideous redness crawling after her, springing at her!- it had seemed greater than reason could bear, at first." The fire in the factory was her escape from the cruel world she lived in. She was in agony and the color red flashed before her giving her a sense of hope in her final moments.

Blog #3

"The wife" brings out important values and morals in American society. Marriage is seen as a sacred bond between two people. When Leslie in the short story is faced with the problem of living in poverty, he is traumatized with the thought of telling his wife about his problem. He is afraid that his wife will leave him and become unhappy with him when he bears her with the bad news. Women are seen as delicate, sensitive people, that can easily replace a man with greater status and wealth. But as we find out, the couple lives in poverty together regardless of money and are still happy.