Journal #44

Star Wars is the name of a movie which I have recently watched that seems to fit the characteristics of Postmodernism. Actually, Star Wars is a series of movies that has one through six in it. George Lucas is the director and creator of these fine films about a galaxy far, far away a long, long time ago. Such as in Postmodernism, this movie represents an alternate galaxy, or an alternate world. This style of writing is very common in the Postmodernism era as well as the trait of using themes from the past. Star Wars does this by illustrating a classic conflict between the good guys, Rebels or Jedis, and the bad guys, or Galactic Empire or Dark Jedis. This sort of conflict could even be linked to a war in history such as the Civil War, which two sides disagreed. However, with this theme from history, Star Wars uses another Postmodernism characteristic by utilizing unorthodox, or non-traditional forms. Of course, there had never been a true story like Star Wars before, although there had been similarities to older movies such as old westerns. This series of movies really switched it up though with George Lucas creating this entire world and all new characters and environments. Let's not forget about the force as well. Lucas exemplified Postmodernism well with the addition of the force to his movies. The force is a sort of phenomenon harnessed by the Jedi, and it may control all sorts of things. This is kind of similar to Zen-like qualities. Another trait of Postmodernism is the work having multiple meanings to it. Star Wars has no shortage of multiple meanings. While most viewers just take in the literal sense as an alternate world which is purely fiction, some Star Wars watchers may look at the movies as some sort of radical outcry. Now if Lucas really meant it to have multiple meanings is a different question. Of course, since he used themes from the past, he is alluding to events in the past, and may include some of these alternate meanings there.

Modernism Project

Works Cited

Anderson, George Parker. "modernism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds.Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. 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=EAmL1234&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 25, 2011).

Faulkner, William. "William Faulkner "A Rose for Emily"" LitWeb. W.W. Norton and Company, 2005. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/litweb05/workshops/fiction/faulkner1.asp>.

Faulkner, William. "Barn Burning." How To Navigate. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. <http://www.rajuabju.com/literature/barnburning.htm>.

Gaydosik, Victoria. "modernism." Facts On File Companion to the British Novel: 20th Century, vol. 2. 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=GCBNII371&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 25, 2011).

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Charles Scribiner's Sons, 1952. Print.

Liukkonen, Petri. "Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)." Pegasos. Kuusankosken Kaupunginkirjasto, 1 July 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/sandburg.htm>.

Priddy, Anna. "'Barn Burning'." Bloom's How to Write about William Faulkner. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= HTWAWF010&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 25, 2011).

Sandburg, Carl. "Chicago." Carl Sandburg-Chicago Poems. Andyy Barr Productions, 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://carl-sandburg.com/chicago.htm>.

Sandburg, Carl. "In the Back Alley." Carl Sandburg-Chicago Poems. Andyy Barr Productions, 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://carl-sandburg.com/in_a_back_alley.htm>.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1939. Print.

Suttie, Skye L. "'Chicago'." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. 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= EAmL0968&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 26, 2011).

Werlock, Abby H. P. "'Barn Burning'." 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= CASS076&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 26, 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. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin=CASS589&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 25, 2011).

"William Faulkner - Biography". Nobelprize.org. 26 Apr 2011 http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1949/faulkner-bio.html

Journal #43

I want to start out this blog by saying that John Coltrane is truly an animal when it comes to music. Most people do not quite realize just how difficult it is to play some of the music that he plays is really is. Jazz like this seems to be drastically underrated in modern times. Anyway, his song Blue Train creates a lot of imagery to the listener just as any similar literature would. Personally, what I see as a mental picture is a normal, everyday man walking out of his house and down the street into a big city. However, when the saxophone really begins to play, I start to see more of this man's personality. He is not just a boring, everyday man, but he enjoys the sights and sounds of the city life. As he walks down the city blocks, maybe he sees some bright flashing neon signs and things of that nature. The trumpet solo also depicts much of the same imagery to me, except it seems to be a little more laid back. I think the city scene is brought into my head because of the almost upbeat piano, drum, and bass rhythm in the background. As the piece goes on, a piano player has a solo. This, to me, is one of the most expressive parts of the piece. It creates many different sorts of feelings with its dynamic change and rising scales. The mental picture it creates for me is that the man from earlier in the song walks into some sort of bar or club. He is just sort of content in this place in which he has entered and it seems as if he has ordered a drink or something because of the tune the piano plays. Finally, as the song ends, it returns to the same rhythm and style as the beginning of the piece. For me, this tells me that the man's night is coming to a close, and he is returning home on the same street from which he began his night.

Modernism and Realism

Although the literary genres, or movements, of Realism and Modernism were during different times and are truly different overall, they do share many common boundaries. Each also had very different times in which their respective writers thrived which were mainly shaped by the wars of that period. For instance, World War I played maybe the largest role in many writers' work during the Modernism movement (Anderson). In regards to the overall advancement in literature, each period played a very crucial part as it correlated with the developing nation as well.

Realism can probably best be described as, "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). During this time in our country's history, the nation was expanding West toward the Pacific, new industries were sprouting, and the economy was essentially booming, if one could really say that. This provided the authors to write about an array of topics. One well known Realist author is named Mark Twain. During his time of writing, he lived in the Southern part of the country, and he was not too involved with this big westward expansion. He decided to keep a very Realist style which is especially exhibited in his descriptiveness throughout the majority of his work. He really seemed to enjoy detailing many of the river scenes around his home. On of the important details of Realism is descriptiveness because this is truly how the situation occurs most of the time (Werlock). I Walt Whitman were to be put into the category of Realism, he would exhibit the Realism quality of speaking the truth in his poetry. For example, he was a great admirer of President Abraham Lincoln, and when Lincoln died, all Whitman could do was write about what was truly going on not only personally, but the impact on the rest of the nation as well.

One main characteristic that makes Modernism differ between Realism is the fact that Modernist writers essentially had a sort of disillusionment that ultimately controlled everything around them, as compared to Realists who portrayed the world as it really happened. An excellent example of this Modernism view comes from John Steinbeck. He commonly wrote about the effects of the Great Depression on the citizens of America, and many peoples' disillusionment shone through, such as when they thought there would be an abundance of jobs if they just moved West. A great similarity that Modernism shares with Realism however, is a sense of experimentation. This is more prevalent during th time of Modernism when writers were trying new views not only with their overall style, but with the littler details as well. For instance, the heroes in both genres are certainly not the typical hero whom you or I may think of. In Modernism, the hero is usually not at all infallible or perfect, but in fact he is just a normal man with imperfections. But what does make him a hero in literature is his ability to have grace in high pressure situations. This is very similar to the hero of Realism. This man is a normal person, due to the fact that he is life as it really is. Out of everything, Modernism and Realism are quite similar although they were during two very different times in history, which is what ultimately separates them.

Works Cited

Anderson, George Parker. "modernism." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. April 6, 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. Web. April 6, 2011.

Job Shadowing

For my day of job shadowing, I went to Midwest Family Broadcasting, which is the building containing the radio stations Alice at 97.7, 92.7, WMAY, and WNNS along with their sales staff, sound recording stuff, and whatever else you can think of. I was not sure really what to expect first going there because I had always had preconceived notions about radio being some kind of cool studio dreamland, and I didn't know how this would actually work in real life. Although MFB was just another office building, it fully met my realistic expectations. However, it was sort of strange to put a face with the voices I have been listening to for so long. I had been to recording studios and things of that nature before, and I pretty much got the same feeling with these radio studios, except here, everything was much nicer then in my friend's basement for instance. I sure hoped everybody would be nice to a couple of kids like us following them around and bugging them all day, and this was certainly the case. Everybody there seemed to have some kind of joke to crack of story to tell, which provided some much needed relief to an awkward situation in the first place. At first, I was not too sure that I wanted this kind of office job and seemingly just talking into a microphone all the time, but as the day wore on, I definitely saw myself in some sort of radio situation. I learned that being on air is just the tip of the iceberg in the radio business. For example, many people who work there are what you might call "a jack of all trades" because they know how to do everything. As for a full time job i a radio station, I am not sure, but I could see myself as an intern or something to not only learn more about the radio business, but to learn how to work cohesively in a professional environment. This is clearly a job demanding good people skills to be successful, as with many others in today's workforce. I suppose what I learned most of all is that an appearance of a company is truly just a small portion of the work that actually occurs there and the hard working people who do it. Also, too many folders is never a bad thing....

Journal #42

If I lived in the time in which both Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were alive and writing poetry in their prime time, I am not sure what exactly I would think of their respective writing styles. I think that overall I would enjoy reading Dickinson's poetry more because, to me, she is a little less scandalous. Walt Whitman was commonly known for, at least in his later years and after his death, his homosexual writings, and this ideal was not looked upon with open arms by the community of the time period. I think I would fit into this group if I were alive. I guess that it would not be so much that I were homophobic, but I would not appreciate Whitman promenading his homosexual ideals around for the world to see. Also, I personally enjoy the poetry of Dickinson more than that of Whitman. I believe that Dickinson's writing is more vividly descriptive, and, to me at least, it has deeper meaning. Dickinson seems to speak more about not only nature but society as well. I realize that Whitman's main focus is the impact of his idea of self on society. however, personally, I enjoy hearing more about a supposed outsider's perspective on the current society rather than Whitman's idea of self throughout the world. This idea of self, although intriguing, does not excite me very much. It seems as if he makes some absurd statements in which I do not necessarily agree with. This does keep his writing interesting though. In another sense, I think these loaded statements and ideals from Whitman would certainly not sit well in the time period in which we are speaking. Citizens at that time held, for the most part, strong, normally Christian beliefs in which Whitman occasionally misconstrues. I hold my personal beliefs in high esteem, and if some poet like Whitman thrashes them, I will not be too happy. Although emotional, I do not think that Dickinson creates as much controversy overall as Whitman does.

Analysis of Dickinson's "I'm nobody! Who are you?"

Emily Dickinson' poem titled, "I'm nobody! Who are you?" is not only one of her most popular poems, but it is also possibly one of her most complex and misunderstood poems. It is because of its theme that that is most likely so popular. It seems to preach a sense of angst felt by many young people. Its main idea is that the speaker is some sort of an outcast, and she seems to meet another of her kind. The speaker seems to speak of the current society as some sort of Orwellian world or tyrannical rule in which all outcasts or loners will be banished as it is some sort of law. She then goes on to state how seemingly terrible it is to be popular and in the public eye (Dickinson). Perhaps the most complex and interesting topic this poem arouses not only about the society of that time period, but also about Dickinson's life is thoroughly discussed by Sharon Leiter in her literary criticism. She visits multiple theories about the oddity of Dickinson's supposed reclusiveness from which different ideals may rise from each (Leiter). Again, the true meaning of the poem all comes down to the reader's interpretation because they may choose any set of reasons or ideals they feel is most suitable to their life. First, although Dickinson of course did not know just how popular her poetry would be, if at all, at the time of her writing, and today we regard her as one of the greatest poets of all time. So this may add to the reason she portrays herself as an outcast from the "popular" society. However, one cannot help but think that she must have realized her important place in her small literary community at that time. (Leiter). It makes the reader wonder why exactly she would put herself in the lowest of social situations. Let us think about this; it is perhaps that she enjoyed being secluded from most everybody. This aspect of her life can be seen in many of her poems dealing with nature. She conveys a sense of loneliness when describes idle animals as her most valuable friends. In addition, she was commonly known to be by herself for most of her life mainly due to her enjoyment of writing in an isolated location. But then the reader is still left to wonder her appeal to this other seemingly unimportant outsider whom she has approached. It almost appears as if she is a desperate, crazy woman in search of approval from somebody. Of course, we know this not to be true because there is an underlying symbolism to this situation. As Sharon Leiter elaborated, in this time, social trends for women were much different. Women were typically seen as rather unimportant people who needed to tend to their affairs at home. However, lucky for Dickinson, her father believed that women should be educated and in the world. This puts even more mystery into the reason why Dickinson puts on this loner's mask. Personally, I see it as the writer, or speaker rather, speaking out for the little man, or everyman, in society then as in pertains to today's world against the large mass of what appears to be popular at the time. She then goes on in the second stanza to support this ideal by demeaning the idea of being so du jour by using imagery to compare this to a frog in a bog (Dickinson).

Works Cited

Dickinson, Emily. "I'm nobody! Who are you?" Part One: Life. Bartleby.com. Web. 21 Mar. 2011.

Leiter, Sharon. "'I'm Nobody! Who are you?'." Critical Companion to Emily Dickinson: A Literary Reference to Her Life and Work, Critical Companion. 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= CCED064&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 22, 2011).

Journal #41

Emily Dickinson's poem titled "Surgeon's Must be Very Careful" is very short in length, but it carries much meaning with it. Initially it appears that Dickinson is just literally addressing surgeons and their line of work, and she is suggesting the risk of what they do every day. Obviously, they must be very careful with what they are doing because, as Dickinson describes it, "Underneath their fine incisions stirs the culprit - Life!" (Dickinson). The meaningful, and somewhat mysterious, part of this poem comes with Dickinson's specific word choice. Emily Dickinson was famous for choosing only the "best" words for her poetry, or more reasonably, exactly what she was attempting to convey through her words. She needed to select just the right words so the reader may know just what feelings or ideals she was trying to illustrate. A great example of this comes with her use of the word "culprit." Traditionally, this word "culprit" is used in an almost demeaning manner usually with criminals. Of course, it is nowhere near a term of endearment. The reader can infer with her word choice here that there is a large underlying meaning. This meaning is one with much ambiguity. Although the surgeon is the one operating on this patient, and he is obviously trying to cure or save them, it is the patient who brought this upon himself. Surgery usually takes place when someone severely injures themselves, and this is even more true in the days of Emily Dickinson. The patient must have somehow greatly injured themselves to the point where it was beyond normal medical procedure. Also in this poem, Dickinson exhibits her ideals on the value of life itself. She is commonly known for writing about death and death related topics, but in this section, perfectly titled "Part One: Life," she changes this angle. She now writes on the importance of life when she mentions that this surgeon must be extra careful with his knife due to the fact that he may accidentally take this poor soul's life away from him (Dickinson).

Works Cited

Dickinson, Emily. "Sugeons Must Be Very Careful." Part One: Life. Bartleby.com. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. .

Journall #40

Walt Whitman's ideas on the concept of Self as a philosophical topic are very broad, yet simple. He basically says that everybody is equal, or almost the same person, because of the relation back to Christian times. Since God is in him, then he is me, and if he is me, then I am you. I am beginning to understand these concepts, but I still have a different view on this idea of Self. I read a story one time that really sparked my intrigue in topics such as these. The story essentially said that once you die, you go to Heaven, and God is waiting for you there. He tells you that you will be reincarnated and that you have lived many past lives. How many past lives you wonder? Well he goes on to say that you are fundamentally a part of everything living on Earth, and time pretty much ceases to exist. In other words, you are God's lone child. After I read this, it really rocked my world. According to religious teaching throughout my entire life, this seems a little absurd, but it makes me wonder. It sort of sheds new light on this whole idea of Self and who one person really is. Looking around in the world today, I can almost see a piece of me in everybody. It is very strange, but it truly does relate back to Whitman's ideas of everybody being literally the same. Maybe that is what Whitman ultimately meant when he says that since God is a part of us, we are all his children and the same. This personal radical idea of self related to Whitman makes a lot of sense now that I really start to think about it. All people's personality traits are so complex because they all come from a previous life they have lived. Or maybe it is just these characteristics that shape each person, and we are not all one person. It is a mind boggling topic to ponder.

Analysis of Whitman's "City of Ships"

Walt Whitman's poem titled "City of Ships" from the collection titled "Drum Taps" exhibits many common characteristics of Whitman's poetry such as his passion for America, sympathy for Lincoln, and overall commentary on the social situation and trends of the current time period. In the first stanza of the poem, Whitman begins by explaining his love for these different ships in the wharf somewhere in New York. He explains their diversity well when he states, "O the black ships! O the fierce ships! O the beautiful sharp-bow'd steam ships and sail-ships" (Whitman). By explaining these differences in the physical ships, he expresses a sort of diversity. This has a direct correlation to the countries, who at that time had great ties via shipping with the United States. Whitman's enthusiasm for the diversity of these ships represents his worldliness and cultural depth. He truly enjoyed thinking about all of these leading world powers all coming into this one place and their rich culture in their homelands (Oliver). However, as the poem goes on, Whitman introduces the loaded topic of the Civil War in America. Overall, Whitman demonstrates his general ambiguity towards this war. On one hand, he is very patriotic in the sense that Lincoln had declared that this war must be fought, and he whole heartedly agreed, and so he knew what had to be done for the well being of the country in the long run. However, he worked as a medic for a little time near Washington DC, and while there, he saw some unbearable truths about war. He witnessed gruesome things which absolutely repulsed his good thoughts about the war (Oliver). Whitman illustrates this ambiguity in the last stanza when he says, "I chant and celebrate all that is yours-yet peace no more, In peace I chanted peace, but now the drum of war is mine, War, red war is my song through your streets, O city!" (Whitman). Really this quote from the poem is representing Whitman's call to action in times of war, but it fits well with my previous statements in that these were Whitman's initial thoughts. Even throughout the terrible times of war, which by the way had some large effects on the city of ships, New York, that Whitman had earlier professed his seemingly shallow and playful love for. Although the war has a grand effect on New York's ships, or overall diversity especially in economics, Whitman still loves it so. He expresses this when he calls the city, "Proud and passionate city-mettlesome, mad, extravagant city!" (Whitman). This sort of description lands his thoughts into the never ending pile of Walt Whitman American microcosm references. What he is really doing here, really throughout the entire poem, is demonstrating his appreciation of the overall diversity of America rather than simply the city in New York. However, at this time, America did not necessarily exhibit that of which it does in modern times. This fact even further illustrates Whitman's progressive and insightful views. As a whole, this poem seems to be another of Whitman's writing describing of a seemingly simple thing or occurrence truly representing something much more important such as the turmoil of the Civil War on America or the growing diversity of America.

Works Cited

Oliver, Charles M. "'City of Ships'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW093&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 7, 2011).

Whitman, Walt. "City of Ships." The Walt Whitman Archive. 2011. Web. 7 Mar. 2011.

Analysis of Whitman's "Facing West from California's Shores"

Whitman's poem titled "Facing West from California's Shores" is an excellent poem describing not only the Westward expansion and discovery of America directly following the Civil War, but it does a nice job of briefly representing the expansion and discovery of the world in general. Once again, Whitman uses a sort of microcosm of the entire world and society, and this is especially seen when he describes the main character as "I, a child, very old" (Whitman). This basically covers all persons of the world, young and old. Another instance of this style is seen later when Whitman uses the adjective, "inquiring, tireless, and seeking" (Whitman). Except this time, he is portraying the young and developing country of America as it is just beginning to expand and flourish (Huff). Whitman's mentioning of the Asian countries also plays into this factor of the story in a very broad historical sense. If we look back millions of years to the times of Pangea, the land mass containing modern day Europe and Asia essentially spawned the continent of North America when it split off. This is the general topic that Whitman is referencing when he talks about the Asian countries in his poem. However, he also plays the same idea in a different way. When he uses the line "God, the sage, the hero," Whitman effectively sums up hundreds of years of history in countries such as China and India (Huff). This is related to the topic of Whitman's before of saying that they moved from the North to South. In these countries, that is basically what happened over time, a general move from the North of the land mass to the South of the land mass possibly to what he describes as "flowery peninsulas" reminiscent to the islands of Malaysia (Huff). All of this broad history is all wrapped up in this poem in an attempt in exhibiting God in the world. When Whitman uses the line, "God, the sage, and the hero," he is also referencing Christianity over time (Whitman). In the beginning, supposedly God was the start of the entire universe, and literally everything essentially revolved around Him, hence the first phrase of "God." Then, he is describing the evolution of man looking up to God by saying the next phrase of "the sage." It is said that at that time, everyone looked up to God and whole heartedly believed in him and his word which backs up Whitman's phrase or title "the sage." Finally in this larger phrase, we have "and the hero." Overall, this represents man's progressive vies of God and Christianity as what it/He can do for them. He is viewed as a hero because of what he has done for society and what he has done for the population. Finally in this poem, Whitman, or the narrator, is left in deep contemplation after thinking of these ancient Western civilizations. He simply wonders what these people were actually trying to seek this time long ago and why, even today, it does not seem that man has found just whatever they were looking for (Huff). Whitman of course takes joy in pondering things of this nature, and he relates the entirety of the poem to life in general.

Works Cited

Huff, Randall. "'Facing West from California's Shores'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. 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= CPAP0125&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 6, 2011).

Whitman, Walt. "Facing West from California's Shores." The Walt Whitman Archive. 2011. Web. 6 Mar. 2011.

Journal #39

Walt Whitman's poem titled "Bardic Symbols" displays many of Whitman's common themes such as the everyman, America, and Christianity and spirituality, but at the same time it exhibits much confusion due to the symbols he uses. Essentially what happens in the poem is that the narrator is walking along the beach as some sticks wash up on the shore. He studies this debris for a moment and tries to find deeper meaning in it. However, this is a difficult task because he cannot deduce just what it means, and for that matter what the bigger meaning in life is (Whitman). William Dean Howells references this large confusion in his criticism of the poem. His main message is that no one man can interpret this misconstrued message because it is not necessarily their right to just infer what Whitman's true and deeper message behind the poem was because they are not Whitman (Howells). Whitman incorporates his ideals of Christianity, everyman, as well as America into this general idea. First, the ideal of everyman is seen as the narrator is just casually walking down the beach one day (Whitman). This could really be any man because he is portrayed as a normal man. Next, the reader may notice Whitman's views on America almost as a microcosm in this poem. The ocean itself could be viewed as America spitting out symbols to what life is all about, the sticks. It's almost as if America, the ocean, is a vast wasteland of sorts, but on the inside, there is a deeper meaning represented by the sticks. However, this deeper meaning is not absolutely displayed out there obviously to see. This is where the confusion comes into play as William Dean Howells demonstrates. Whitman's views on Christianity work in a similar manner. As many people know, God is portrayed in the modern world as a mysterious figure of sorts, and of course there is the mystery of the afterlife. The sticks work in the same way. Just as Whitman does not know what is exactly happening with the washed up sticks, man does not know for sure just what is going to ahappen after death (Whitman). Howells reiterates this point by stating that it is impossible to guess the meaning of the sticks because Whitman never revealed what his exact meaning was. This is directly related to Christianity's ideal that no one may "correctly" assume the meaning of life because God has not yet revealed it.

Works Cited

Howells, William Dean. ""Bardic Symbols"" The Walt Whitman Archive. 2011. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. .

Whitman, Walt. "Bardic Symbols." The Walt Whitman Archive. 2011. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.

Analysis of "The Runner" by Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman's poem titled "The Runner" is very short in length, but it holds much meaning through its simple structure and vocabulary. It depicts a "well train'd runner" "on a flat road" who is very strong and appears to know exactly what he is doing (Whitman). This man is probably a professional runner, but if we take a look back at the bulk of Whitman's poetry, it is easily seen that he focuses mainly on the middle or lower class of people made up of common laborers. Because of this fact, the man is probably a normal person who is out for a run, but he is a very strong and skilled runner according to the abundant use of imagery such as in line two when Whitman says, "He is lean and sinewy with muscular legs" (Whitman). Whitman does a nice job of describing this scene, but it seems as though it is an unfinished poem because one could find this scene just about anywhere (Huff). However, this is an important aspect of the poem overall. Since this is an everyday occurrence, it depicts the everyday man, as does the runner. The act of running is commonly linked to the trait of perseverance, and this poem exhibits perseverance and determination well. In turn, this everyday man is persevering through this flat land on his run. The "flat land" that he is running across is most likely meant to depict the United States as a whole. It is supposed to be one broad picture of society, a blank slate. So far, we have this everyday man, who seems to be a great runner, running across a great flat land wearing thin clothes. This detail of his clothes is almost hidden in the text, but it is important nonetheless. It points out to the reader that this man is ahead of his time because of the "specialized" athletic clothing he is wearing (Huff). This is a metaphor for the overall advancement of America whether it be in ideals, technology, business, or government. It represents an advancement because at the time in which it was written, thin, breathable running clothes were not really invented yet. This idea of advancement is coupled with that of skill as well. this is apparent in the final line when Whitman says, "With lightly closed fists and arms partially rais'd" (Whitman). As any distance runner knows, the arm drive is a very important piece in a good stride not only to make it more efficient, but to propel the body along with greater ease. The fact that the runner is using this advanced technique shows that he is not only a strong runner, but he is knowledgeable about his craft. When relating this to the understated meaning of the poem, it is easy to see that the runner's skill and knowledge goes along with advancement. For example, as the Industrial Revolution hit, workers had to become more skilled at their jobs, or they may be replaced with machines. This is a great advancement in the skill of workers that happened in America because of the simultaneous advancement in technology just as the runner depicts.

Works Cited

Huff, Randall. "'The Runner'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. 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= CPAP0358&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 2, 2011).

Whitman, Walt. "The Runner." Leaves of Grass. 1891. 217. Walt Whitman Archive. Walt Whitman Archive, 1995. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. .

Journal #38

Walt Whitman frequently used the themes of everyman and symbols of Christianity in his poetry throughout such works as his "Leaves of Grass" and his cluster of poems called "Whispers of Heavenly Death," in which this poem first appeared. The poem, titled "As I Watched the Ploughman Ploughing," exhibits each of these trait, but Whitman weaves them in in a subtle way. He depicts a farm scene when he illustrates a ploughman ploughing, an sower sowing, and a harvester harvesting (Whitman). These are typically simple jobs, and they were very common many years ago when Whitman was writing. Initially, the reader notices a sense of usual occurrences. This sense of the everyman is relevant to readers because most can obviously relate to it as simple workers themselves. This concept of Whitman as stated by Whitman promotes a sense of equality in that I am you, and you are me, and I am them, and they are us. This whole concept stems back to the basic teaching of Christianity, or more specifically Adam and Eve fro the earliest times. Whitman is trying to say that if every human originally came from those two, them we are all essentially related. The sense of Christianity is prevalent throughout the poem. For example, when he mentions the sower, the ploughman, and the harvester, he could really be relating these characters not simply to the everyman, but to the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit (Whitman). According to this analogy, not every mention of a person could be construed as everyman. For instance, "O life and death, your analogies:", the word your could refer back to the ideas of life and death themselves (Whitman). Another Christina aspect is the fact of God watching over people, more specifically the common laborer. This is visible through the fact that the Holy Trinity is doing the Ploughman. In biblical stories, God is depicted as watching over farmers and such, and this is included in this story as well.


Works Cited

Whitman, Walt. As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing (1900). Web. 28 Feb. 2011.

The Ideal of Self in the Writing of Whitman

In most of, if not all of Walt Whitman’s poetry, he attempts to define “self,” or his spiritual connection with his body. This is especially prevalent in his poems in the work Leaves of Grass. Whitman displays his ideals on the topic of self as well as incorporating song into his poetry in such poems as Excelsior and One Song, America, Before I Go. Whitman’s main purpose of writing about this idea of self is to comprehend how death and his life share a link. His personal definition seems to be quite simple in his link between his physical life and spirituality with God, as Longabucco explains, in that if God is within everybody, and he, therefore, is God, and he is we, the readers, then we are God as well, and everything seems to be connected, yet it is not that simple as Whitman seems to convey in his Leaves of Grass poetry. It is because of these characteristics that Whitman is regarded as one of the most influential poets of all time. He challenges readers to think deeper into themselves as a whole, as a spirit, rather than just their physical being. He uses his ideals of self--aided by a quality of song to convey this message to his readers.

Whitman factors in the poetic device of song, similar to repetition, to give his poetry a stronger, more powerful effect. For instance, in his poem titled, One Song, America, Before I Go, he uses a quality of song to express his political views of the time (Whitman “One”) In his poem Excelsior, he begins each of his phrases with the words, “And who” so as to ask a question of competition with the world (Whitman “Excelsior”). Then, in this same poem, he goes on to say in each line that he has done better than all of these wonderful things to illustrate that he is some sort of perfect being (Whitman “Excelsior”). This begs the question raised by Longabucco that is Whitman, and the readers for that matter, God? Whitman certainly portrays his definition of self in this poem using song by saying he is some sort of perfect person. Some critics view this as arrogant or rude, but one must look at his reasoning. He uses hidden logic throughout Leaves of Grass that many readers may not notice initially. He seems to back up his statements transitively so to speak, meaning that there is a roundabout way of proving things (Longabucco).

As a whole, Whitman’s true definition of self in his own terms appears to be misconstrued at times. I believe this is due to the fact that Leaves of Grass itself was written during a period of great thought and growth for Whitman, and it represents sort of a spiritual journey to find this definition of self. However, it appears to me that not only does he speak of himself, but also his themes may be universal. In his poem O Captain! My Captain! He seems to be addressing one of his idols, Abraham Lincoln (Whitman “O Captain!”). However, this could be taken from really anybody’s point of view when finding his or her “self.” This poem may be viewed dealing with anybody’s death just as well as it pertains to Lincoln’s own assassination. This is one of the very broad things about Whitman’s definition of self; he searches for what is right in terms of his own spirituality and what links his body and soul, yet his ideals easily link to the entire population as well (Longabucco). To me, I feel as though Whitman’s true definition of self, according to his poetry, is really up in the air. Since his poems may be universal and open for interpretation, then so is his definition of self. This is sort of a comical paradox because one’s personal definition of them cannot be universal because we are all unique humans. If Whitman were to say personally what his description of self is, it would probably consist of Christianity as well as God in some way, and there would be death playing a part in it, but other than broad subjects, it is hard to say what he really thinks to himself rather than as a human in general.

Works Cited

Longabucco, Matt. "'The Proof of a Poet'—Walt Whitman and His Critics." In Bloom, Harold, ed. Walt Whitman, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=&iPin=BCWWh03&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 23, 2011).

Whitman, Walt. "Excelsior." CassComm. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .

Whitman, Walt. "O Captain! My Captain!." CassComm. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .

Whitman, Walt. "One Song, America, Before I Go." CassComm. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.

Journal #37

The article entitled "Whitman's Image of the Self" was not only very informative as to how Whitman uses this technique of self in his poetry, but it was also very interesting to see another perspective on his style of writing and how his life affected it rather than just my own assumptions. Bauerlein discusses how Whitman is almost arrogant and self-centered through all of this writing, which I may think is false, but I agree with him in that this is certainly necessary to portray this idea of self. It gives a new way to look at this way of writing about one's self because it almost appears to be selfish writing. Bauerlein goes on to relate the harsh life of Whitman to his poetry. Rough topics such as his abusive father and homosexuality are evident in his work through many harsh realizations. I always seem to understand the author's literature more when I know a brief history of their background because I then know just where they are coming from in their message. Bauerlein uses a quote by the author Richard Poirier to essentially sum up the idea of natural style by saying that an author's style should truly stem off like a leaf on a tree to grow and flourish naturally. This was not directed at any one author, but it seems directly linked to the writing of Whitman. His free style of poetry emanates this sense of style with the idea of self. I believe Bauerlein really hits home when she talks about Whitman's word choice. She states that he was often unhappy overall with the complete word selection and rhyming of his poetry, but he disregarded this uneasiness because he simply wanted his message to be heard in any way possible. This is very admirable of Whitman. Many authors spend countless time perfecting every word and phrase they use, but Whitman displays a rawness that emanates the idea of Realism in that the sorld should be displayed as is truly is.

Journal #36

My favorite meal would probably include, well I do not know, but I can can however describe the meal I just ate for dinner. It was pretty delicious, but I would not say that it was my favorite meal of all time. It included beef pot roast cooked in a Croc-Pot, vegetables including broccoli and cauliflower, fruits like pineapple and blackberries, rice, and of course I had water to drink. It was cooked by my mother, father, and myself, but my mother made the bulk of it because she set up the entire beef pot roast apparatus. It was drenched in succulent brown juices that smelled sweet, but it had a "down home" smell to it. But of course, I could not just dive right in to eating it, the warm white rice, which had a sticky feel to it, had to go down onto that green and brown natural plate first. But then, once the rice base layer was down, the tender, juicy beef could flop onto the hot, cozy bed of rice which tucked in the beef like a loving parent. This was not a strictly carnivorous meal though, the next delicious item onto the lonely, cool plate were the vegetables. The broccoli was green and bushy like a rainy forest, and not to mention the crisp carrots and bland, as always, cauliflower. It was just sitting there on my plate thinking it was worth my time, as if I think that cauliflower is some kind of champion vegetable, in its dreams! I gave it a little more respect by dunking it in a small puddle of Ranch Dressing. Lastly came the always tasty fruits. Although I was already quite full from the scrumptious food I had already eaten, I definitely found some room for the, not sour, but fresh and sweet pineapple and blackberries. Usually one cannot find such plump, bubbly, and explodingly juicy blackberries such as these, but the supermarket came through in the clutch this week. The combination of the yellow and purple came together to create one tantalizing array of fruity smelling fruit. Finally, trusty ol' water was there to wash everything down in a river of deliciousness.

Journal #35

I think that I would like to be a reporter in the field tracking down hard hitting news stories similar to Ron Burgundy, but if these news stories were in a war zone, it would be a whole different story. It would certainly be a surreal experience to be in the trenches so to speak with the soldier in real life. Especially in modern times, men are not fighting very organized, for example not usually in actual trenches, and it would also be harder to stay safe and track down the action. Maybe if I were reporting about a war many moons ago such as World War II then it might be easier, but nevertheless scary and intimidating. The good thing about this experience though is that it would be a very great moving, and awe inspiring piece to report on. I would be able to see first hand what really goes on in the heat of war rather than what the media feeds to the public. It seems as though I would simply be a soldier without a gun, uh-oh. There are plenty of stories now about how big news reporters are being captured in Iraq and Afghanistan and such, and they are being held hostage and sometimes even executed. Of course, these are terrible stories, but unfortunately in today's society one must take risks like this to have their voice, and for that matter the truth, heard. I am just not so sure that I would actually go through with the assignment of reporting from the trenches of war. In all reality, it would be a pretty horrible situation even if you had the luxuries of a camera crew and van. The fact of the matter is that the place is still a war zone. It would sure be hard hitting considering the sadness and overall gravity of the situation. Realistically, I would want to be the guy who travels for the news report but not to a place which is severely dangerous.

Realism and Naturalism in London's "To Build a Fire"

Jack London's short story titled "To Build a Fire" is an outstanding representation of a literary work under the category of Naturalism. This subgenre stemming off of Realism focuses almost solely on nature and humans' approach to it as well as Darwin's survival of the fittest theory along with a few other theories oh his (Werlock). London's tale features a man with his trusty Huskie alongside him venturing into the Alaskan wilderness in the middle of winter, and it is very cold. The man's survival instincts are trumped by the dog's in this almost battle against nature (London601-614). A great example of Naturalism right from the beginning is the title of the short story itself. It initially gives the reader an idea that this story not only teaches some wilderness lessons such as how to build a fire, but it must bring the main character into some sort of survival situation in which he must fight to survive in the harsh conditions of nature. This is truly all Naturalism is concerned about. It mainly deals with man's interaction with nature and overall his survival bringing out his most primitive instincts (Werlock).

As the inexperienced adventurer travels out in search of gold, he ignores all signs of danger such as the drastically cold weather which he underestimates (London 601-603). Again, right from the beginning, the reader may imply that the man will have to endure some sort of instinctual struggle with nature. As the story progresses, nature really does nothing drastic against the man and his dog, but is simply sustains its conditions to where the man is not even concerned in the slightest about gold anymore (London 601-614). The classic conflict of "man vs. nature" does in fact take place in this short story, but that is not really what Naturalism is about. Its role in the story is bringing out the man's, and the dog's as well, instincts to where he is almost not even a functioning human anymore, and he is just another animal only concerned with survival. Naturalism as a whole was based heavily on Darwin's ideals (Werlock), and London's story indubitably illustrates his survival of the fittest theory. It is not so much that the protagonist of this story is competing against another organism to survive, but rather against his own will (London 601-614), and due to this, the story overall is a great example of Naturalism.

Although Realism's subgenre of Naturalism is mainly portrayed in this short story, Realism is also prevalent. For instance, Abby Werlock sums up the entire philosophy of Realism as depicting life as it actually exists, and London definitely accomplishes this task. Maybe most are not as extreme, but London is truly chronicling a man's most primitive emotions and instincts through a natural situation. It is reminiscent of Realism's typical middle class ordinary man in an extraordinary situation (Regionalism). The ordinary adventurer looking to strike it rich by finding gold is suddenly placed in extreme survival situation in which his Darwinian characteristics must come into play (London 601-614). Of course, Realism is represented if a subset of it is, but London's work should really be viewed more as a Naturalism work rather than the broader Realism. It displays many traits making this so, and the critical one pertaining to this story specifically is that the man is placed in a situation where his intelligence is almost useless, and he must use his primary instincts in order to survive.

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

"Regionalism and Realism." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 486-494. Print. 26 Jan 2011.

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.

Realism in Robinson's "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy"

The two poems written by Edwin Arlington Robinson titled "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy" both display many characteristics of the Realism literary genre. Each focuses on one central character to depict life as it actually exists (Werlock). However, this fact is all too real and very unfortunate in these two depressing poems. "Richard Cory" tells of the seemingly wonderful life that Richard Cory had, but it appears that something had to give, and so he took his own life (Robinson "Richard" 575). Similarly, in "Miniver Cheevy," the protagonist, Cheevy, drinks his sorrows away about he wishes his life could have been maybe in a fantasy world of medieval times (Robinson "Miniver" 576). Robinson uses these two sad cases to illustrate some unfortunate facts of life, yet they are part of our human nature. This is a common technique used by realists of letting life appear as fact (Werlock). Just as well, Robinson uses language which is linked to Realism such as simple structure and rhyme, yet powerful words and meaning.

The figurative language used in each of these poems makes them all the more effective and emotionally powerful. Although Robinson uses simple rhyme in "Richard Cory" to create a sort of smoothly flowing dream world of a great man, this mood created by the simplicity becomes almost ironic, or startling rather in the end when Cory creates his own fate (Robinson"Richard" 575). This ABAB rhyme scheme is ordinary in Realism poetry because it sticks with the theme of simplicity and overall effectiveness (Barney). "Miniver Cheevy" shares these traits of Realism through figurative language, and it is just as impelling, yet it is a completely different story. This is simply another method utilized by Realism writers of poetry, depicting the story through a similarly bland writing style but with a differing strong message (Barney).

Robinson mainly focuses on basic, yet unfortunate, human nature in his two poems. Since the goal of Realism is to exemplify life as it truly happens (Werlock), Robinson chooses a darker, yet all too real, side of human nature. In "Richard Cory," Cory, the protagonist appears to be a man who has it all put together between nice clothes and gobs of money. However, his unhappiness is masked by the public's swooning and jealousy. He finally decides that people cannot appreciate for who he is, and so he ends his life (Robinson "Richard" 575). Sadly, this happens all too often that someone is really the polar opposite emotionally than what they appear because that is the only thing people are able to see. "Miniver Cheevy" is similar, but it takes place more solely in the mind of Cheevy. Robinson illustrates a man drinking his sorrows away in an attempt to ease his "disappointing" life (Robinson "Miniver"576). Again, this sort of tragedy happens all the time in which people cannot see the real good in their own lives, and all they can think about is how it should be better. Robinson's portrayal of these two lamentable realities experienced by many people today indubitably achieves the goal of Realism described earlier by Werlock of "depicting life as it actually exists" through his powerful messages written bluntly with simplicity.

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.

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

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.

Realism in Dunbar's "Douglass" and "We Wear the Mask"

Paul Laurence Dunbar demonstrates many key values of the literary genre of Realism in his two poems, "Douglass" and "We Wear the Mask." Of these many characteristics, Dunbar highlights the society of the time period, as well as the human nature exhibited by most at that time, and he uses figurative language to add to the effectiveness of the literature. In his poem "Douglass," Dunbar essentially calls on a past African American abolitionist for guidance in helping the current racist situation he and his brothers and sisters are dealing with (Dunbar "Douglass" 570). Dunbar exhibits the overall society of the time well in this particular poem by speaking entirely about the oppression felt by the African Americans. Next, in his poem "We Wear the Mask," Dunbar uses much figurative language to convey the message of wearing a mask of oppression as an African American (Dunbar "We Wear" 571). Along with this portrayal, Dunbar reveals a lot of human nature through this poem mainly consisting of people hiding their true emotions whether it would be for the best or not. In each of these poems at some point, Dunbar depicts life as it is really happening, which is very typical of Realism in general (Werlock). For example, in "We Wear the Mask," Dunbar speaks of African Americans wearing a mask of normality in order to hide their true pain and suffering (Dunbar "We Wear" 571). This aspect really sets the down for the entirety of each poem's message.

The human nature shown in the poem "We Wear the Mask" is very relevant to society as well the people of the time. Dunbar does an excellent job of fusing these two common features of Realism into one poem. Because of the hatred bestowed upon them, African Americans were forced to just sort of go along with the world with a smile on their faces even though they were cruelly oppressed (Dunbar "We Wear" 571). This demonstrates what really was happening in the late 1890's in terms of the different races in society. Many people in modern times hide behind emotional masks just as the African Americans are depicted as doing in this poem, which proves that it is simply human nature to sometimes hide our true feelings when times are tough. "Douglass" exhibits similar signs of the society when it was first written around the same time as "We Wear Masks." He presents similar ideals as his other poem, but in a different manner. He uses a piece of figurative language similar to allusion in which he calls upon Frederick Douglass, a former slave abolitionist, to give him guidance dealing with the oppression of African Americans in his own time period (Dunbar "Douglass" 570). But figurative language is used even more effectively in "We Wear Masks" especially in relation to Realism. Dunbar uses rhyming as well as a simple structure of his poem. This is common throughout Realism to give the work a more "to the point" tone and exhibit life as it really exists (Werlock). With the combination in each of these poems of representation of the society and more specifically the struggle of African Americans, effective use of figurative language, and human nature generally exhibited throughout time, Dunbar's works undoubtedly fall into the category of Realism.

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

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.

Realism in Chief Joseph's "I Will Fight No More Forever"

Chief Joseph's speech on behalf of his people, the Nez Perce, contains many traits which may be related to the literary genre and period of Realism. His simple structure and writing in the speech do not go into much detail, but this is not necessary because his message is very powerful. He is pleading with General Howard to end the battle that has occurred between each of their men. He believes that too many good men have already died just over land (Joseph 533). One may not be able to initially realize the message he is trying to send from the length and simplicity of the speech, but this is very common in Realism, to be straightforward with the text, but meaningful with the message (Quinn). Along with the basic composition of this speech, Realism is portrayed through the hero of the story, Chief Joseph. He is the typical Realism hero in that he is a seemingly ordinary man put in extraordinary situations (Regionalism). The main reason in which Chief Joseph comes off as a seemingly normal human being is that he, unlike many other war heroes of the past, just wants to end all fighting even if it means he "loses" because so many people had died already (Joseph 533). This speaks a lot about his character in that he is very wise and caring.

The overall simplicity of the story seems to be necessary not only from a Realism point of view, but it is necessary to the speech's overall effectiveness. The Chief is a simple man, and if he tried to jazz up his emotional speech, it would not have the same effect. Relating to Realism, it's simplicity is key. Many writers of this time used this technique of basic structure in their speeches mainly and writing as well in an attempt to parallel normal human interaction, because after all, Realism is an overall attempt to depict life as it truly occurs (Werlock). For example, he exhibits his meaningful simplicity in the passage where he states, "It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food; no one knows where they are -- perhaps freezing to death" (Joseph 533). Chief Joseph is emotionally professing his peoples' terrible circumstances, and that there is no need for fighting at a time like this. His tendencies of exemplifying Realism really do make the speech that much more effective.

Usually, the hero in a work of Realism is just an ordinary person who is called upon to do something courageous or extraordinary (Realism). This work's hero of Chief Joseph is quite complex in this way. He could be considered an great man for leading his people in battle, yet he shows his antics of a normal human being by wanting to end all the useless fighting (Joseph). This fact seems to be more plausible since it is in fact a work of Realism, and instead of being very prideful to keep fighting, he tries to do what is best for his people, which is truly the set of extraordinary occurrences. Between this aspect of the speech and his simple yet emotional writing structure, this work could certainly be classified as Realism.

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

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).

"Regionalism and Realism." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 486-494. Print. 26 Jan 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.

Realism and Regionalism in "Spoon River Anthology"

Edgar Lee Masters really bears it all with his lengthy work titled "Spoon River Anthology," but this is not necessarily a bad thing because what he does throughout this composition is demonstrate characteristics of both Realism and Regionalism. Spoon River, Illinois's cemetery serves as the setting for the entire story, which serves as possibly the most important part in this collection of over two hundred individual monologues by different people (Cone). The setting serves as the only similar basis really out of all the people. Also, this setting reveals many traits included in the genre of Regionalism such as, the dialect, characters, and writing style. All of these traits in the stories stem off of the similar setting of the Midwest, which exhibits its culture through the people (Anderson).

The setting is probably the most important aspect of the story. Masters does not spend a great amount of time describing the cemetery in awesome detail, but the reader knows enough to have a good understanding. After all, the setting is a great determining and important factor in Regionalism (Anderson). As the story progresses, the setting, time as well as place, becomes more familiar to the reader, and moreover, it becomes more relevant (Masters).

As compared to the South, the Midwest does not truly have an accent of its own, but it is rather simple and neutral. All the characters in the story share this similar style in writing, or speaking as the case may be. This fact reveals the culture of sorts in the Midwest which has a direct correlation to the story's classification of Regionalism (Anderson). The lack of complexity in Masters's writing keeps the stories easy to follow, and in a way, it adds the the dull landscape of the Midwest. Of course, it is a stretch to say that Masters purposefully wrote without much dynamics in order to represent the setting better, but in the work of Regionalism, the setting is crucial.

Temple Cone suggests that throughout the story, there is an almost hidden Realistic theme of the difficulty of living in America in the twentieth century. It is indeed understandable that the reader may conclude this from the numerous viewpoints of the characters in the story, and if so, the composition exhibits Realism society in this way. Oftentimes, the writing of Realism details the current society as a whole in a realistic way no matter how subtle, and Masters does ultimately achieve this goal (Werlock). Going back to Regionalism, any theme that really stems off of the setting is very relevant to its Regionalism categorization (Anderson). This is because the setting is indirectly affecting the writing of the story in general because of the location, which is what the entire subgenre of Regionalism is based off of.

Overall, the work by Masters demonstrates Realism as well as Regionalism through its setting, tones, and characters' personalities and language. The small, Midwestern town in Illinois seems to be a great location to use simple language and convey a broader commentary on society from Masters (Cone). It is these characteristics though that actually tie this work into the more specific category of Regionalism.

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.

Cone, Temple. "Spoon River Anthology." In Kimmelman, Burt, and Temple Cone, eds. The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 2. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CTAP0520&SingleRecord=True. February 13, 2011.

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.

Realism in Twain's "Two Views of the River"

Mark Twain's excerpt form his story, or memoir rather, titled "Two Views of the River" captures seemingly the essence of Realism as a literary genre, or what it is really all about. The story depicts Twain describing his previous ventures and dreams in life of wanting to someday become the captain of a riverboat on the Mississippi River. However, once this finally happens, and he has worked as this captain for a while, something is missing in his life as if his once loved river had no interest to him (Twain 504-505). This sad realization truly depicts real life and the sadness and depression of human nature. Concerning Realism, this excerpt really contains three main traits, or topics: nature affecting the protagonist's life, human nature is conveyed in a real sense, and Mark Twain fits the description of the classic Realism hero living his own American Dream. These are the basic characteristics which Realism portrays in the literature of its time with an overall sense of reality (Quinn).

Realism takes its most standard form throughout this story because the human nature of Twain's mind deals with the reality of realizing one's dream for an extended period of time. He had loved the Mississippi River for his entire life, and he had wanted to become a riverboat captain just as long. But once he finally achieved this goal, what was left for him? His previously beloved river had now begun to be boring and uninteresting (Twain 504-505). This exemplifies the old saying, "You can't always get what you want" not because you should not have it, but because you learn to appreciate it and cherish it more if it is not yours. Twain makes a great comparison to a wife and his doctor. At first, the doctor loves his wife, and she is beautiful. But after a while of simply doing his job as he should, like Twain, the doctor sees his wife as well as other beautiful women all day long, so he starts to just disregard all beauty (Twain 505). Unfortunately, this happens in life all to frequently, and Twain is attempting to make his readers do some thinking about what they truly want out of life. Of course, this captures Realism beautifully because it is deep and meaningful, yet simply written, and it is also relevant to the real human nature of all people (Werlock).

The physical nature in this short excerpt greatly affects Twain all throughout his life. He constantly describes the beauty and awe of the river itself, and how he is drawn to it (Twain 504-505). This is another typical trait of Realism; nature is almost a side note of the literal story, but it has a huge impact overall.

Although he is eventually depressed, Mark Twain really does live out the typical American Dream as a hero of American Realism being an ordinary man placed into, what he believes is, an extraordinary situation (Realism). He rises from just a boy with a dream to finally fulfilling this dream whether it is ultimately good for him or not, and this is really what people need in life in terms of success.

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).

"Regionalism and Realism." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 486-494. Print. 26 Jan 2011.

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