The Passing of Grandison allowed Chestnut to show the complexity of the relationship of the slave to the master and the view of the free black by the Southerner. Before his trip to the north with Dick Owens, Grandison was the most loyal of slaves according to the Colonel, and could not be swayed by the aboiltionist. That is the only reason why he was sent with Dick to New York instead of Tom. The loss of Grandison was more of a crushing blow to the ego of the Colonel as he thought that he could never abandon his masters.
Dick was right in assuming that even the most fervently loyal slaves would value their freedom above the happiness they thought they had while enslaved. Throughout the story Grandison was given many chances to flee by Dick, but he never took his opportunity. In retrospect, his freedom was probably not something that he wanted to be given, rather, he wanted to earn it on his own terms. Dick and Grandison's sentiment were probably shared by many people during the end of the Antebellum, with slaves believing they were content with their lives, and some young slave owners feeling indifferent towards owning slaves and freeing them.
Dick's lack of motivation was also shared by some in the North and South. While there were radical abolitionists who worked diligently to free slaves and help them establish themselves, many were not motivated to action. Dick was motivated only to impress Charity and probably was not against freeing slaves. He even says that his family can afford to lose one slave and that they have plenty.

Throughout the novel I cannot remember a point in which Mark Twain tells his audience exactly how old Huck is. His independent nature and knowledge or survival methods lead the reader to think that Huck has had to be on his own for a while, which could mean that he is in his teenage years. His relationship with Widow Douglas and Miss Watson indicate that he needs to be cared for a lot, and that he is still of school age. That tells us that he could be much younger.
Twain seems to have purposely left the age of his protagonist ambiguous to reiterate his naivety and his malleability in his belief system and morals. It would be very difficult, if not impossible for an adult to be open enough to experience the transformation that Huck went through. Huck's impressionable mind had not yet formed its ideals about religion and morals, and his time in hiding with Jim allowed him to rethink everything that he had been taught in his brief life, and he was able to develop his own belief system.
The ambiguousness of both he and Tom's age forces readers to be less critical of their actions. As the reader learns view to Tom and Huck as young children, their immoral choices are less likely to be judged as harshly, such as when they kept Jim locked up even after they knew he was free. Their choice to play out Tom's elaborate plot is seen as a child's imagination running wild at the worst time possible, but during this time this plot and their previous moral code and belief system were not uncommon. Twain seems to show readers that the actions of the people during this time may be seen as a child-like ignorance, but they cannot be judged as such. If a child like Huck is capable of making his own decisions so should the adults of his generation.

"Drums! Beat! Drums!" supports Neely's position as to Whitman being a "Mystic Nationalist". Whitman more probably supported the Emancipation Proclamation because it is an act to reunite the Nation, but he may not have agreed with the actual document in itself. Even for President Lincoln the most important issue was to reinstate the Union, and not freeing slaves.
Whitman's earlier poems hint at him being a stronger proponent for the end of slavery, but he never portrays himself as a dedicated abolitonist during his life or during the Civil War. Whitman probably strongly supported President Lincoln because they shared similar ideals regarding the Union and the purpose of the war.
"Drums! Beat! Drums! is a fervent call to arms and declaration of pending victory for the Union, and he notes that all people should be a part of the union victory, as they will all here the drums beat. It is not necessarily speaking of the call to free the slaves.
Whitman's poem was one that draws on the emotions of readers and supporters of the Union. In the first stanza the drums "burst like a ruthless force". He calls for people to abandon their normal activities and devote themselves to the cause of the Union. Their way of life is being threated by the Confederate secession, and Whitman feels it should be defended by all.
In Whitman's stanza he calls for all people to play a role and fight for their liberties and a part of the Union. He urges people to not give sympathy to the forces, and for their passion for their country heard in the drums resound through all noises, even loud enough for the "trestles to shake the dead where they lie waiting the hearses".

February 23, 2007

Herman Melville's Benito Cereno was one of the first American mysteries that invited readers to figure out the suspenseful endings or surprise twist. Melville's protagonist, Captain Delano, lays out the foundation for the generic heroes in modern day scary movies and stories. Throughout the entire novel Delano is seen as the overly naive protagonist that the audience know will eventually save the day. Many readers can figure out the ending earlier on, and so they spend much of the novel hoping that the Captain will soon find out the secret behind this mysterious ship. It has the feel of the "I know who the killer is" or the "He's right behind you, run!" moments in the scary movies and novels. Readers find themselves wanting to jump in and tell Delano what is going on without completely ruining the plot of the novel.
The novel is also surprising in the actual subject matter that it covers. I find it incredibly surprising that Melville to the chance to write about something that was probably a fear of many people during his time period. The slave trade was a booming conglomerate during his time, and millions of dollars in revenue were made from the sale of slaves and the actual labor they provided was the backbone of the early American economy. The idea of slaves killing their owner and revolting on-board a ship was probably a more than taboo idea for slave captors as they would be the victim of this presumably violent revolts, and the plantation owners would fear this for the loss of thousands of dollars because of the unattained slaves.
Melville's audience would have found this story incredibly scary because it plays on the fears of the people during his time period. Readers during this time may feel a different sentiment. I feel for the protagonist because he goes out to the slave ship out of curiousity and an genuine desire to help. However, the act of the slaves revolting is almost a bit of poetic justice. They were taken by force into slavery, and were able to take their freedom back by that same force.

February 8 2007

Mercy Otis Warren's use of British satire as a method of mocking the British was effective for her audience of colonial revolutionaries. When read in the context of the time and climate of the American colonies. Her play would have been een as propaganda in support of independence from Great Britain, and not as simply as a form of artistic expression. I find it interesting that she personfies the negative characteristics of the Tories in the female form, and the positive qualities of the patriots as a man. In one of the last speeches of Meagre's, her brother is compared to Brutus for his bravery and willingness to stand against his "oppressors" (18). Those fighting for the rightly cause of independence and liberty were called man throughout the play. The evil and oppressive nature of the British and the Tories is compared to that Claudia, a historical figure that was capable of murder and deceit towards her husband.
Warren's method of classifying traits as either male or female can be attributed to the time period in which she grew up. While she was allowed schooling, it was unofficial because she only took the place of her brother, and she wasn't allowed to attend college. She was, however, able to break the social norms and become one the few leading political activists of her time. This position she is in is still discredited by her peers because she was put in her position only after the beating of her brother. Had her brother not been incapacitated, she probably would not have been granted the opportunity to have her works published in newspapers, and affect those around her. From this work, there is no formal call to action for her fellow patriots. Warren makes a mockery of the Tories, but does not suggest any plan of retaliation. Her play serves as inspiration to patriot, and reminds them at victory and liberty are within their grasp.

Febuary 2, 2007

Benjamin Franklin has always been a figure that is revered by Americans. His contributions to the founding of the United States have made him the "founding father" of the nation Throughout his autobiography, however, he comes across as self-righteous and vain. What started as an autobiography for his son to know his father's and his family's past, slowly became more of a memoir, which seemed like step by step guide to success. In a nation based equality and liberties, Franklin seems to focus on the obvious faults and areas of lacking in others.
Franklin's contribution to the United States cannot be overlooked, however. He writes his autobiography as if he knows how important he is to his nation and how much his contributions mean to others. It was important to him to dictate how he was remembered by the rest of the world. This could be seen as another example of his self-righteous nature. Instead of just letting his achievements speak for themselves, he instead decides that he is the only one that can accurately tell the story of his live, however subjective that may actually be

Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia makes a bold effort at challenged the previous accepted notions of difference in the races as purely nature caused, or genetic, and forces his peers to face their own ideas of difference between races, and how much accuracy their is behind their previous theories that had been accepted as social norms and scientific facts. It is interesting to think of Jefferson's audience, the British elite, and how they would receive his notes about the North American colonies. His audience probably thought that his new theories were some what audacious. Jefferson believes that the Indians the the Europeans are different only because of the environment in which they live. He claims that the Indians would be just as thriving of a race as the whites had they the same opportunities that were granted to the white people. This probably caused much controversiy among his peers.
His notes make strong suggestions that question his societies ideals of superiorty and inequality among races. Jefferson offers advising for how to help the Indian's "better" their lives. I find it fascinating that he thinks that the natives need to better their lives. He fails to note the well organized and civilized societies that the natives already have in place, although they are different from the European life.

Week of Jan 15-Jan 19 2007

Jonathan Edwards's A Devine and Supernatural Light focuses on the signs one should look for to tell if they are truly a saint of God and are touched by God's graceful light. Edwards hopes to reiterate that not all "lights" are those of the Holy Spirit, rather, at times men are just are being touched by their own conscious, or that the light of the Holy Spirt works with the more human conscious and nature to influence individuals that are not saints.
It is interesting to note that Edwards moves away from a more philosophical arguement that most ministers of his era would have used, but instead, he hopes to create a more concrete argument with strong evidence, almost in the same manner of a scientist. He forces his patrons to fully examine every aspect of their daily lives, and question whether or not those moments of guilt or a sense of enlightenment were signs from God, or just our conscious and laws of nature getting involved. According to Edwards, all thoughts, feelings, and ideas flow from God through nature and our consciousness, but only those truly blessed have a direct relationship and connection to the Creator.

English 122

Hey everyone! I'm Heather and I am a junior from Greenville, NC. I am a psychology major. I love english classes and reading literature. I am excited about this course