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.