Carnival Post on 1820-1865

I found that this is a very interesting literary time period.  This time period is considered to be the renaissance of American Literature.  With writers finally beginning to be put on the map as respected writers from America this is a significant time.  Although this is ture our American Literature has found these text tobe be a little bit more difficult to comprehend especially Dickenson.  I struggled hwen choosing who I would do my carnival post over because not very many people have been posting on the same thing or are up to speed on posts, but from what I saw we have some confusion with Dickenson

In several blogs my fellow classmantes speak about the complexity of Emily Dickinson poems and the difficulty of understanding poetry from this time period forward in general. Although the frustration level varies, but there are just a lot of questions about the meaning of Dickenson's poems. 

In Crista and Esthers blog she both write about her own frustrations with Dickenson and most of it has to do with the interpretations of the poems that she writes.  Julia doesn't really enjoy reading Dickenson but is definitely more open minded to learning and evaluation what she is saying.  She talks about making mistakes and how with poetry it is a little different.  She continues and basically states that when interpreting something that its okay to be wrong.

Nikki had some very good thoughts about the bias that we bring as readers into poetry.  She talks about our ability to connect with poetry from the past can help us to connect and make connections our life now.  She says that there is value in poetry there. 

Overall there are those who don't like Dickenson;s poems at all, but still can find something in them.  Others don't enjoy Dickenson's poems because of the difficult interpretation that is required and often times lack of context within her poems.

The many faces and battles of Stowe

Throughout the book there are many characters who are struggling to discover some type balance of right and wrong.  I think that this is significant not only then but now as we try to be open with different ideas.  One of the things that she was ttrying to convey with this book is that either way they need to do more than just decide but act on what they think.  For example with the Shelby's seem to come to this grounding that they believe slavery is a shame they continue, because it fits their lifestye.  The person that acts on what they believe in the end is the George the Shelby's son.  The fact that he kept his promise is good to know in the end.  There is a really weird storyling that I think has some unrealistic qualities, but it served the purpose that Stowe wanted and is a good illustration of the moral batttle face in the beginnings of American History.

From Uncle Tom's Movement to Arriving at the Plantation

Stowe is very affective when it comes to her conveying what she wants the characters to portray, but I one of the things that I really don't like about this is the way that she does this.  Between Augustine, Marie, and Opheilia the relationships seem to be very set in stone.  Marie just has this very bad character that she continues to focus on throughout the story to the poin that it makes everything that Marie will say seem very predictable.  I do find that Opheilia and Augustine are probably some of the two most interesting characters in the book.

 Opheilia is very well rounded when I think about her character.  She is a little bit more difficult to understand compared to the rest of the characters in the book. She seems to be very strict about how certain things are done but flexible if she desires to be. I find that Stowe is very intentional in her writing and I like that, but some of the things that I enjoy the most about books is learning about the characters, so reading Stowe was something that was a little bit difficult for me.  I like to be surprised and really I haven't found that.

Uncle Tom's Cabin 1-6

I think that in Uncle Toms Cabin the way that the Shelby's have established their life, somehow in the culture, but also seperate through the way that they treat their slaves and the unity among the slaves and the family is specail. The contrast between Goerge's life as a slave in another place is built by the author to contrast the life of the slaves within the Shelby's household.  Eliza seems to live a fairly happy life, she is educated and cared for, but her comfort becomes compromised when she hears talk about her master trading her son. That unity is put in jeopardy by the possibility of the masters decision.
Contrary to this we see the unity strongly between the Shelby's son, George, with Tom the slave who the Mr. Shelby is selling.  It is evident the break that will occur within that peace.  Although the Shelby's seem to be "good" people who treat their slaves fairly they are still slaces and Mr. Shelby selling Tom, even though he felt bad about it, showed an aspect of even the way that he thought.  To sell someone is showing the concept the dehumanization that runs so deep within that culture. 

Obviously he felt bad about selling Tom, but still property over a person. Today that choice wouldn't be seem to be that much of an actual moral question difficult.  The way it was seen then was one piece of property over another.  Mr. Shelby asks why he should be bothered about selling Harry and Tom when everyone else does it and I think the answer to that question solely resides in the fact that it seems to go against his and his wfes morals.  They truly know the wrongness of slavery, but I think Tom was just finding someway to validate his actions with the qoute "well everyones doing it scape goat."  I think Mrs. Shelby really makes a point to her husband when she speaks of what she has taught the slaves as if they were members of their own family.

It is when Mrs. Shelby truly acknowledges her feelings of the wrongness of slavery and the pain that it can cause for so many even when bringing maybe something "good."  That I think she accepts how hard it is to keep the evil of the world and turn it into something that is good.  It is a question that many Christian even today struggle with navigating.  How am I supposed to be" in the world but not of the world."  I think that she is making a point that we truely have to sometimes be those extremists or those abolitionists.

Tom's loyalty to the people there I find it truly amazing how deeply rooted he is in his faith and love of other people that he would sacrifice himself to a truly unknown life.  I think I have decided that I don't really like Mr. Shelby much especially when he talks about his honor.  I think pride is probably one of the least endearing qaulities of the human race. I hate how we often times can't help but be afraid to hurt our pride by revealing something about ourselves.  Even though the thought that he would be considered a someone who had connived with the man and even though he hadn't expected it. The thing he is worried about is his honor.  Really?

Scarlet Letter 13-18

I really find these chapters to be interesting.  The truth finally comes closer to realization and at the same time Hester seems to be healing to a certain extent from her social stigma.  Pearl who is as perceptive as ever really notices the way that the minister holds his hand over his hear and the connection with what Hester told her about the Scarlet Letter.  Hester realizes that she has this obedience to God and his commands, but she has just been a slave in her marriage to Chillingworth, which is something that is significant to do because it is straying away from a puritan belief.  Hester and Dimsdale decide to move away and start off with sort of a clean slate. Hester and Dimsdale both find a lot out about themselves and love.  I am sure that at that point in time they still would have liked to change some aspects of their situation, but it would probably end the same way with those three being together.

Scarlet Letter on Chapters 7 and 8

It is apparent that Hester really does care about Pearl even though Pearl is acting in sometimes disturbing manners with her imagination and the way that she strokes the Scarlet Letter.   The town kind of takes things to this greater extreme to which an offense is just continually punished.  They think that if Peal is this demon then they need to take her away but also that if she isn't they should take Pearl away because of Hester being a bad influence on her.  I think that maybe the A stands for attachment to things that we don't always understand.  Pearl has this attachment to that Scarlet Letter that has caused so much grief for Hester.  At her age  I don't think that she truely understands the significance of that A, but she is attached to this appealing accessory that the town really seems to emphasize and that she grew up knowing.  Then if we think about people and the way that they cling to things that are appealing to them that tend to hurt others.  This could be anywhere from a simple judgemnent of someone to an addiction to something. Not to say that I think Hester is attached to adultery but that the people in the town are attached to identifying her as the scape goat.  Then I think that it is ridiculous for them to sit there and taunt Pearl while judging whether or not she stays with Hester.  That really made me mad.

The Scarlet Letter Chapters 1-6

I find it very interesting how they go about punishing Hester.  The punishment given to her is far beyond one simple day.  Its hard to imagine thinking that you knew these people and maybe some of them like you maybe some of them don't but going out into the square and being ridiculed by them is a much bigger punishment.  Granted she messedu up but where is forgiveness, especially for the child's sake?   I really wasn't expecting it to be Hester's husband who was the stranger in the crowd, but wow. Then when we really meet Chillingsworth and Hester is forced to hide even his identity.  To a certain extent I could see how Hester's sin would hurt his pride but I just don't think that her avoiding the fact that he is her husband is a very pro-active way to deal with the solution. She is very bold especially with the way that she protects her secret.  When I read Hester and her needle and about this talent that God had given her, and the way that it was used in spite of the shame she carried it gives me a larger perspective of people.  Just because we are disabled or sinful in one area really doesn't mean that we should be ostrasized because we still have things to offer.  Hester is a very good example of that and I think that althought that thought seems to be one that should be or at least seems like common sense I think that we can forget that especially when we see someone as seperate because of something they have done or even just who they are.
The next chapter I found very interesting just because it really shows the consequence of the Scarlet Letter not only for Hester but also for Pearl.  Because of this letter, Pearl has also been set apart in from the other children.  Pearl seems to be very inquisitive and already has this amazing ability to sense the problems that surround her, but because she is able to do that, I think that is where her behavior issues lie.  She already has this stigma of an outcast placed on her for something that truely isn't her fault.

The Custom House

Nathaniel Hawthornes writings of the Custom House really made me wonder why he would  write such a thing to introduce the Scarlet Letter.  He identifies that there is some sort of a purpose to why the narrator is telling us this information becuase he rambles a little bit about why he isn't the type of person to write such autobiographical works, but he chose to anyway.  I find the narrators interest with his families past and his ties to Salem really fascinating.  He doesn't talk about Salem in a fond manner, but at the same time of all places he could have chosen to go and work there he was at the Custom House.  He explains his distaste for the dullness of the life at the Custom House and even his lack of respect for his co-workers.  He points out how dirty and run-down it is there, but he sees them really just sitting around chatting or sleeping. Then I realy do think that he becomes to a certain fondness of aspects of their different personalities.  He notices his interests in the things they speak about.  He says that they have this ability to stay in the mundane present talking about dinner or politics.  It is really clear that he uses politics to tintroduce this run-down town of Salem that has clearly seen better days and he kind of reflects upon that and the peoples loyalty to a country that maybe is supposed to protect them from that. Then the narrator stumbles upon this letter in the attic of a custom house of all places.  Then he creates this story off of writings by Jonathon Pue. I think there is significance in the fact that the narrartor did not pull the story out of thin air but looked at the story or manuscript and was able to visualize this fictional account of Hester Prynne.

Ralph Waldo Emmerson (The Scholar)

In the scholar I think that the way that he introduces the idea of a scholar is refreshing because he seems to be looking at it from the bigger perspective.  Most of the time when I think scholar the image that comes into my head isn't the everyday person who is out working in the feilds or even in an office building.  In my perspective or the cliche that remains in my head is that of someone who is secluded, but he presents the scholar to be the opposite.  He presents the scholar as someone who is interactive with the world and the unity of things.  I find it interesting that he says, "The act of thought is transferred through the record."  When he talks about the past I suppose his point is that thought that is valuable is one that knows the thought of the past or else it would end to be a repetitiuve thought.  At least that is how I comprehended his writings on that subject.  In the end I guess it is true though because if we were simply to only think about what we now based on the present without any acknowledgement of the past then we would be stuck in some weird cycle.  Although I think that it would be difficult to be in that cycle when we are raised on the occurances of the past.  For example our parents who lived before us don't simply forget what happened in their lifetimes so in a way it is almost impossible for that big of a gap of unoriginal ideas to occur. Then he continues to talk about the role of books to say that they are to inspire new things.  I find that what he says there is true also because ideas generally are based (or inspired by) some previous knowledge in which different people draw new connections from. He also says that there is supposed to be a balance between a scholars inspiration from books and inspiration from their own experiences.  Then he continues to talk about how a true scholar goes and observes and from that observation they gain wisdom, but true wisdome is gained from the experience of things in nature.

Philis Wheatley

Philis Wheatley just amazes me in so many ways.  She is this woman in the mid to lat 1700s who was just such an influence in spite of the fact that, not only was she a woman, but she was also an African American slave.  She has a different voice in her poems that has this solidity in her understanding of the world. Unlike Bradstreet, Philis is not constantly pointing out her (according to society) inferior condition.  She is bold in her statements pointing towards the truth of equality and the hypocracy that what intertwined within the Christian tradition during that time.  The call to love a neighbor regardless of who they are.  She pointed out the fact in one of her poems that this in fact is not what was being shown by the enslavement of her people.  Another thing I was shocked by was the eloquence to which she wrote with. She seemed to have taken great advantadge of her oppurtunity to study and learn how to read. 

Olaudah Equiano

Equiano is really an inspirational person.  It is apparent from his story in slavery that he had some wisdom or an ability to get on peoples good side.  I find that his drive despite his oppresed state is really amazing.  He seemed to be constantly working towards that goal for years on end until he finally achieved that.  His faith is something else that I think is very unique.  He believes in Christ, but was introduced to Him by these people who kept him bound in misery and practilcally isolation. I find it interesting how he still finds that faith in God. He seems to be just a really trustworthy person.
I think that the worst thing for him aside from losing his family is getting used to a place and then having to face the uncertainty of what the next step will be like.  Not knowing whether he would have come into the hands of people who are semi-kind or barbarically cruel.

Benjamin Franklin

After reading a little bit about Benjamin Franklin I realize that he was a very interesting person.  I was surprised that he started kind of in the printing press. Most of the time I only ever think of him as a man of science or politics.  It is interesting how he has some view of Christianity, but it really isn't clear.  He references to it, but at the same time it almost seems as if he rejects it a little.  Aside from that I see a big emphasis on how he has overcome things and in this letter or address to his son he is trying to show that it is possible for others.  He is very much a person to rely on himself.  He has a very big belief in individualism. 

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

As I read this reading, by Jonathan Edwards, I couldn't help but acknowledge the truth in the convicting words that he was saying.  God is soverign.  He can choose to do whatever he pleases with us and we would deserve it. He makes a point to say that we deserve to go to Hell.  He continues in this statement by informing his congregation that there is nothing that they can do to change that.  I couldn't help but feel as I was reading this that his message seemed more hopeless than hopeful.  He talks about God's grace but briefly.  If I was in his congregation I probably would have really been freaking out about about the fact that I am terrible, and when his emphasis relys so heavily on that point it is hard to hear the tidbits of Edwards revealing God's grace. In a way it shows the difference of the church now and then. Today we put such an emphasis on God as a loving, caring God.  Then it was more driven by the fear and power of God.  I don't believe that is how we should come to salvation.  We shouldn't love God solely on the fact that if we don't and if we don't accept Jesus then we will be in complete misery.  We should love God because of his greatness and his love for us.  Whether this sermon is usual for then I can't say, but if it was the usual Sunday morning sermon I would be terrified daily by the power of God.  I don't think that it would be a healthy fear either.

Edward Taylor

One thing that I really enjoy about Edward Taylor is the imagery that he used in his poetry.  In certain aspects it is really unique, because it requires that the person reading the poetry must to picture what he is describing and evaluate what that represents rather than just displaying it through descriptive words.  I like the way that Taylor uses his poetry to interact with his faith and affirm his thoughts before sermons.  In contrast with Bradstreets poetry I feel like his was a little dry emotionally just because it didn't have that basis. His poetry told more of the story side of things like in the first poem in the reading in which he spoke of mans fall in the beginning of the bible with Adam and Eve through the life of Jesus. Another difference emotionally in his writings and Bradstreets is the way that they convey their feelings.  It is pretty obvious in most of Taylors writings what he is feeling, but with Bradstreet there is more behind that emotion. Bradstreet didn't state clearly what her emotions were all of the time.

Mary Rowlandson

It is hard to know where to begin with Mary Rowlandson. If I would have been her, after going through what she endured, I probably wouldn't have had the strength to re-address the ordeal in writing. I find it strange that she chooses what names to reveal within her story, and when she chooses to reveal them.  I feel like she makes sure to make note the importance of certain days.  Specifically the sabbath and that she clings to the knowledge that God brings judgement but also brings grace.  With that ideal in mind she remains hopeful that she will again meet her husband and be reunited with the remainder of her children.  I think that the way she all of the sudden talked about the customs and listed several things in the middle threw the story off a little bit.  I don't think that in that since she conveyed her story well, but she did demonstrate some of the political knowledge and observations that she had gathered.  It seems as if there must have been some shift, or certain relationships that had been established while she was held captive when she had almost escaped.  It was either that or the people were merely sucking up to her to gain her favor, so she would send them things like tobacco or bread.  I haven't really decided which one of these ideas are true.  I see how much the idea of predestination in the puritan belief is so strong when she refuses to run away with the Native Americans that offered to escort her back to Lancaster because of that belief that she had stayed in captivity(saying that kind of makes her sound like an animal in a zoo).  I also see that they just wait for their children instead of going to them and being the ones to negotiate and trade for them.  One thing that I do like is the way that she uses what she went through to strengthen her and she doesn't wallow in her suffering.    

Anne Bradstreet

I think I really admire Anne Bradstreet.  Through her writing she conveys herself as a genuine person with struggles.  She isn't afraid to make herself vulnerable, not only in the emotional sense but in the social sense as well.  It is truely amazing the way that she writes with such distinguished ideas about truth, but she doesn't just simply state what she knows to be true she wrestles with it and evaluates based on her own perspective.  I think that it was right of Anne to accept that she couldn't simply accept the ideas told to her without evaluating them from an emotional stand point.  She speaks about this in her letter to her children.  It wasn't just through the words that lay on a page in the bible that made her relationship with God real. It was the interaction through prayer, struggle, reading the word, seeing God do things in her life,  and the creation that he God made that makes her faith truly faithful.
For me the poem that really struck me was the one that she wrote in memory of one of her grandchildren.  She describes the idea of a really painful realease in the beginning of this poem, but as it continues she gains a subtle peace.  That  brings me to the other thing that I really enjoy about her poems.  It is because there is an array of emotions as I read it is almost like I am embarking on some sort of journey.  In short I think Anne Bradstreet was a very powerful and genuine women who dealt with what she felt and believed through her poetry.

John Smith and John Winthrop

John Smith seemed to be somewhat of a practical man.  Although this is true, I don't know if I would say that I see him to be that great of a figure.  For the most part I think he shared the common view in that time, which was to spread knowledge and educate eachother  on the basis of hardwork.  During his time with the native americans I can see that they really did take them for granted by calling them savages.  They couldn't see the intelligence they had as far as social interactions went with people like John Smith.  Trading things to gain things.  John Smith on the other hand wasn't necessarily a city man himself he could maneuver the wilderness pretty well for experiencing such new surroundings. 
The thing that I find interesting about John Winthrop who seems to be on the opposite side of the spectrum.  Like John Smith, Winthrop took God into account, but he did not thirst for adventure the way that Smith had.  Winthrop makes very strong arguements about what he believes makes up a good community and how that community should work.  He also speaks about equality and how no poor man is beneath or above a rich man, but then he incorporates that aspect of predestination.  John Smith, however believed that the intention of coming to a new world was to improve the life that people had and to challenge them to do this through the aspect of hardwork.  John Smith's emphasized the importance of individual work, while in contrast Winthrop emphasized the need for a community to work together based on moral code in the bible.  We still see these two ideas constantly conflicting with one another in our daily lives as a country and as individuals.  Some examples of our struggle with these two idead of our country include our education system, economy, and even this struggle of the individual and the family.