Thursday, November 30, 2006
Abraham Lincoln II
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal # 21, Lincoln II
30 November, 2006
"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free." (Abraham Lincoln 1610)
This snippet is from Abraham Lincoln’s 1858 speech A House Divided, one of Lincoln’s pre-presidential speeches. He addresses the effects of slavery on the nation as a whole, a premonition of things to come.
If people still see the U.S. as a nation in the throes of youth, during Lincoln’s time the country was a newborn with a severe case of colic. Faced with a disorganized array of states, territories and seceding areas, Lincoln had a tough challenge ahead of him. While not yet elected at the time of this speech, Lincoln’s words seem to suggest he knew that the nation was up the proverbial creek.
The phrase "half slave and half free" (1610) can be applied to the residents of a nation partaking in injustices such as slavery. The slave owners of the South were themselves enslaved to their way of life, their economy, their culture, yet free to make the decision to perpetuate it or not. The Northerners were enslaved by the legacy of their slow reaction to the human atrocities of the South and their commitment to forge a new nation, a task much harder than anyone could have fathomed. Their freedom was hard earned and associated with tough choices.
The most striking thing about this quote is how it correlates to today’s yet divided nation. While the United States is no longer "half slave and half free" (1610), it is half red and half blue. Interestingly, it almost seems as if those old divisions just changed labels, but remain as deep-running basic separations with slightly altered geographical centers.
Grounds for war in the past, the notion of "a house divided" (1610) is cause for concern, as 150 year-old rifts are hard to mend. Of course, nowadays, the U.S. prefers to outsource its wars whenever possible, keeping only a few vaguely identified fires burning at home: the war on drugs, the war on poverty, the battle of the bulge. Puritan John Winthrop talked about the "city upon the hill" (later famously quoted by John F. Kennedy), an untouchable entity above all others. This city may be avoiding violent combat on its own turf but its separatist and inhumane legacy may cause its eventual downfall.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_on_a_Hill
ENGL 48A
Journal # 21, Lincoln II
30 November, 2006
"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free." (Abraham Lincoln 1610)
This snippet is from Abraham Lincoln’s 1858 speech A House Divided, one of Lincoln’s pre-presidential speeches. He addresses the effects of slavery on the nation as a whole, a premonition of things to come.
If people still see the U.S. as a nation in the throes of youth, during Lincoln’s time the country was a newborn with a severe case of colic. Faced with a disorganized array of states, territories and seceding areas, Lincoln had a tough challenge ahead of him. While not yet elected at the time of this speech, Lincoln’s words seem to suggest he knew that the nation was up the proverbial creek.
The phrase "half slave and half free" (1610) can be applied to the residents of a nation partaking in injustices such as slavery. The slave owners of the South were themselves enslaved to their way of life, their economy, their culture, yet free to make the decision to perpetuate it or not. The Northerners were enslaved by the legacy of their slow reaction to the human atrocities of the South and their commitment to forge a new nation, a task much harder than anyone could have fathomed. Their freedom was hard earned and associated with tough choices.
The most striking thing about this quote is how it correlates to today’s yet divided nation. While the United States is no longer "half slave and half free" (1610), it is half red and half blue. Interestingly, it almost seems as if those old divisions just changed labels, but remain as deep-running basic separations with slightly altered geographical centers.
Grounds for war in the past, the notion of "a house divided" (1610) is cause for concern, as 150 year-old rifts are hard to mend. Of course, nowadays, the U.S. prefers to outsource its wars whenever possible, keeping only a few vaguely identified fires burning at home: the war on drugs, the war on poverty, the battle of the bulge. Puritan John Winthrop talked about the "city upon the hill" (later famously quoted by John F. Kennedy), an untouchable entity above all others. This city may be avoiding violent combat on its own turf but its separatist and inhumane legacy may cause its eventual downfall.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_on_a_Hill
Abraham Lincoln
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal # 20, Lincoln
30 November, 2006
"One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war." (Abraham Lincoln 1617)
In his Second Inaugural Address in 1865, Abraham Lincoln pointed to slavery as the ultimate cause of the recent Civil War. He emphasized the fact that the physical division of the nation, in terms of where slavery was and was not an accepted practice, was a contributing factor to the aggression. His word choices paint slavery as holding magical powers of Southerners, even while all, even the Southerners, knew the subsequent grave effects of holding fellow humans in bondage.
The power that slavery held in the South, as suggested by Lincoln, brings to mind the morale offered in the Old Testament story of the Golden Calf. The similarities are many: the orientation of life around a doomed institution; a power too attractive for people to resist; the temptation of something so easily attainable it was impossible to deny, even with the gnawing subconscious knowledge that it was wrong. The power Lincoln speaks about was the promise of pure profit on plantation owners’ part, and its peculiarity lying in the fact that the perpetuators knew it was unsustainable and morally unacceptable.
I always tell my children not to let other people get them into trouble. Here, Lincoln points to the South as the troublemaker that got the whole nation punished. The old school yard scenario in which one person started it, but all the kids got sent to the principal’s office is a fitting comparison. Lincoln’s "Union" (1617) allowed the institution of slavery to become part of its culture and history by reacting too late to the moral dilemmas it presented.
ENGL 48A
Journal # 20, Lincoln
30 November, 2006
"One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war." (Abraham Lincoln 1617)
In his Second Inaugural Address in 1865, Abraham Lincoln pointed to slavery as the ultimate cause of the recent Civil War. He emphasized the fact that the physical division of the nation, in terms of where slavery was and was not an accepted practice, was a contributing factor to the aggression. His word choices paint slavery as holding magical powers of Southerners, even while all, even the Southerners, knew the subsequent grave effects of holding fellow humans in bondage.
The power that slavery held in the South, as suggested by Lincoln, brings to mind the morale offered in the Old Testament story of the Golden Calf. The similarities are many: the orientation of life around a doomed institution; a power too attractive for people to resist; the temptation of something so easily attainable it was impossible to deny, even with the gnawing subconscious knowledge that it was wrong. The power Lincoln speaks about was the promise of pure profit on plantation owners’ part, and its peculiarity lying in the fact that the perpetuators knew it was unsustainable and morally unacceptable.
I always tell my children not to let other people get them into trouble. Here, Lincoln points to the South as the troublemaker that got the whole nation punished. The old school yard scenario in which one person started it, but all the kids got sent to the principal’s office is a fitting comparison. Lincoln’s "Union" (1617) allowed the institution of slavery to become part of its culture and history by reacting too late to the moral dilemmas it presented.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal #19, Stowe
25 November, 2006
"But stronger than all was maternal love, wrought into a paroxysm of frenzy by the near approach of a fearful danger." (Harriet Beecher Stowe 1677)
The quote above is a very significant description of the bond between mother and child from Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The scene takes place at a time of great duress when the mother, Eliza, is feeling a powerful need to—and somehow is able to—protect her son from the slave trader and escapes the plantation.
This excerpt struck me as sad because Stowe herself never really got a chance to build a bond with her own mother who died when she was a little girl. She did not experience the deep unspoken levels of love and commitment between a mother and her child until she herself had children. Those of us who are fortunate enough to be mothers know that a mother is nothing less than a highly attuned and evolved woman: the rarefied essence of womanhood. I think that is why she cast Eliza as the heroine in Uncle Tom. She placed not only a woman but a mother in the most paramount role in the novel, partly perhaps because she only understood the precious relationship from the mother’s angle and was unable to explore it from the child’s point of view.
Nevertheless, the quote gives the reader an unadulterated sense of the true terror gripping Eliza at this very pivotal moment in the story. Here, Eliza makes and active decision, solely based on the potential benefits of her child. I keep hoping that Eliza will be strong enough to refuse to be paralyzed by fear. I want her love to usher her forward. Her urge to protect her child is strong, but is it strong enough to make up for all those years of little education, low self-esteem and disposability?
ENGL 48A
Journal #19, Stowe
25 November, 2006
"But stronger than all was maternal love, wrought into a paroxysm of frenzy by the near approach of a fearful danger." (Harriet Beecher Stowe 1677)
The quote above is a very significant description of the bond between mother and child from Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The scene takes place at a time of great duress when the mother, Eliza, is feeling a powerful need to—and somehow is able to—protect her son from the slave trader and escapes the plantation.
This excerpt struck me as sad because Stowe herself never really got a chance to build a bond with her own mother who died when she was a little girl. She did not experience the deep unspoken levels of love and commitment between a mother and her child until she herself had children. Those of us who are fortunate enough to be mothers know that a mother is nothing less than a highly attuned and evolved woman: the rarefied essence of womanhood. I think that is why she cast Eliza as the heroine in Uncle Tom. She placed not only a woman but a mother in the most paramount role in the novel, partly perhaps because she only understood the precious relationship from the mother’s angle and was unable to explore it from the child’s point of view.
Nevertheless, the quote gives the reader an unadulterated sense of the true terror gripping Eliza at this very pivotal moment in the story. Here, Eliza makes and active decision, solely based on the potential benefits of her child. I keep hoping that Eliza will be strong enough to refuse to be paralyzed by fear. I want her love to usher her forward. Her urge to protect her child is strong, but is it strong enough to make up for all those years of little education, low self-esteem and disposability?
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Harriet Jacobs
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal #18, Jacobs
22 November 2006
"Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women. Superadded to the burden common to all, they have wrongs, and sufferings, and mortifications peculiarly their own." (Harriet Jacobs 1770)
The excerpt from Harriet Jacobs’ 1861 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, zeroes in on Jacobs’ own ideas about the role of women, specifically enslaved women.
Jacobs suggests that the torturous life of a female slave is compounded by the fact that she is a woman. The very essence of being female is inextricably linked to hardship and suffering, and not only that but being female is also a source of shame and disgrace. Doubtlessly, this has to do with women’s additional responsibility towards the health and well-being of other people, namely their children. The emotional and psychological burden of bearing babies but not "owning" them, not being able to provide for them, not being able to educate them, must crush these women’s spirits like millstones.
Mothers are naturally imprinted to love their little creatures, however the very reasons for their existence may be hard to accept. Living in an environment rife with sexual violence could turn the most caring mother against her own kin. For a slave like Jacobs there was likely very little choice involved in any step of her sexual career, from first blush to ultimate rape.
Incidents shows that although a slave, Jacobs had a lot of spunk. She speaks of sexuality, attraction and a woman’s right to take lovers as she pleases. She professes the need for a real kind love, unfettered by slavery. Stating "there is something akin to freedom in having a lover who has no control over you" (1767), Jacobs means, perhaps, that such a love would liberate women from the additional burdens afforded them by slavery.
The link is to an image of the original runaway advertisement for Harriet Jacobs, issued by Dr. James Norcom.
Sources: http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=harriet+jacobs&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8 (search)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1541b.html (image)
ENGL 48A
Journal #18, Jacobs
22 November 2006
"Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women. Superadded to the burden common to all, they have wrongs, and sufferings, and mortifications peculiarly their own." (Harriet Jacobs 1770)
The excerpt from Harriet Jacobs’ 1861 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, zeroes in on Jacobs’ own ideas about the role of women, specifically enslaved women.
Jacobs suggests that the torturous life of a female slave is compounded by the fact that she is a woman. The very essence of being female is inextricably linked to hardship and suffering, and not only that but being female is also a source of shame and disgrace. Doubtlessly, this has to do with women’s additional responsibility towards the health and well-being of other people, namely their children. The emotional and psychological burden of bearing babies but not "owning" them, not being able to provide for them, not being able to educate them, must crush these women’s spirits like millstones.
Mothers are naturally imprinted to love their little creatures, however the very reasons for their existence may be hard to accept. Living in an environment rife with sexual violence could turn the most caring mother against her own kin. For a slave like Jacobs there was likely very little choice involved in any step of her sexual career, from first blush to ultimate rape.
Incidents shows that although a slave, Jacobs had a lot of spunk. She speaks of sexuality, attraction and a woman’s right to take lovers as she pleases. She professes the need for a real kind love, unfettered by slavery. Stating "there is something akin to freedom in having a lover who has no control over you" (1767), Jacobs means, perhaps, that such a love would liberate women from the additional burdens afforded them by slavery.
The link is to an image of the original runaway advertisement for Harriet Jacobs, issued by Dr. James Norcom.
Sources: http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=harriet+jacobs&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8 (search)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1541b.html (image)
Monday, November 20, 2006
Frederick Douglass
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal # 17, Douglass
20 November, 2006
"At this moment, I saw more clearly than ever the brutalizing effects of slavery upon both slave and slaveholder." (Frederick Douglass 2059)
This excerpt is from chapter VIII of Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself first printed in 1845. An account of Douglass’ experience as a slave, and later as a free man, the text allows the reader a glimpse into the darkest corners of American life. Here, Douglass talks about how slavery affects not only slaves, but the slave-owners, too.
His recognizing that slavery has severe consequences also for slaveholders makes Douglass seem very humane; in essence the comment equalizes slave and slave-owner in that they are simply human with human needs, faults and desires. It is a benevolent view-point not often found, and not really expected in a former slave who has suffered at the hands of his fellow man. Douglass claims that the idea of slavery itself is the cause of the evil that visits upon slave owners; they are not evil to begin with, but become so through the societal and cultural expectations inherent in slave holding. This does also suggest that slaveholders can be reformed and converted away from the culture of owning slaves to a more merciful stance of employer.
Douglass asserts that slavery destroys all that is good in human nature and society. It masks the natural human bonds between people that are based in equality of need and promotes an inequality based in power. Slavery did not destroy only the lives of generations of Africans but also the lives of generations of new Americans. Additionally, slavery had effects of national importance; it divided the country and possibly prevented rapid American progress had the nation been unified. I think Douglass, who identifies himself as an American in the title of this text, grieves the loss of all that human potential most; all the things that the new nation could be but was not. Because of slavery, the country lost at least 200 years of potential nation building.
ENGL 48A
Journal # 17, Douglass
20 November, 2006
"At this moment, I saw more clearly than ever the brutalizing effects of slavery upon both slave and slaveholder." (Frederick Douglass 2059)
This excerpt is from chapter VIII of Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself first printed in 1845. An account of Douglass’ experience as a slave, and later as a free man, the text allows the reader a glimpse into the darkest corners of American life. Here, Douglass talks about how slavery affects not only slaves, but the slave-owners, too.
His recognizing that slavery has severe consequences also for slaveholders makes Douglass seem very humane; in essence the comment equalizes slave and slave-owner in that they are simply human with human needs, faults and desires. It is a benevolent view-point not often found, and not really expected in a former slave who has suffered at the hands of his fellow man. Douglass claims that the idea of slavery itself is the cause of the evil that visits upon slave owners; they are not evil to begin with, but become so through the societal and cultural expectations inherent in slave holding. This does also suggest that slaveholders can be reformed and converted away from the culture of owning slaves to a more merciful stance of employer.
Douglass asserts that slavery destroys all that is good in human nature and society. It masks the natural human bonds between people that are based in equality of need and promotes an inequality based in power. Slavery did not destroy only the lives of generations of Africans but also the lives of generations of new Americans. Additionally, slavery had effects of national importance; it divided the country and possibly prevented rapid American progress had the nation been unified. I think Douglass, who identifies himself as an American in the title of this text, grieves the loss of all that human potential most; all the things that the new nation could be but was not. Because of slavery, the country lost at least 200 years of potential nation building.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Edgar Allan Poe II
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal # 16, Poe II
November 17, 2006
"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, while I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door." (1518)
This excerpt is from Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, one of the most recognizable opening stanzas in American literature. A beautifully measured piece of verse, it lulls the reader into the world of the poem’s subject, and in addition, its imagery provides an instant setting.
At first glance, the verse seems to be about death, as is suggested by several clues: midnight, weak and weary, nearly napping, chamber (of death), the tapping of the other world. This seems an obvious reading of the poem: the person sitting in his chamber at the end of life simply waiting for death to arrive. Only when death comes knocking does he rouse enough to pay attention anymore.
Another possible reading is one where Poe is criticizing the end of learning or knowledge. The poem’s character is poring over old volumes of text, calling to mind Emerson’s "sepulchres of the fathers" (Nature, 1106), that are no longer valid or interesting. Perhaps Poe is calling for a new awakening in literature, science and learning, before our minds suffer a tragic death. Of course, the text could also be read from a political or religious angle.
The verse begs the question whether one should open the door and let what ever is out there in, or try to keep IT out at all cost. If it is death, do we give in or struggle for a precious little more time? If it is new knowledge do we embrace it or reject it? The Raven questions our value systems and can be applied in a number of different ways, epitomizing the empty signifier.
Check out the link I found on Wikipedia of Gustave Dore's illustration of The Raven.
ENGL 48A
Journal # 16, Poe II
November 17, 2006
"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, while I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door." (1518)
This excerpt is from Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, one of the most recognizable opening stanzas in American literature. A beautifully measured piece of verse, it lulls the reader into the world of the poem’s subject, and in addition, its imagery provides an instant setting.
At first glance, the verse seems to be about death, as is suggested by several clues: midnight, weak and weary, nearly napping, chamber (of death), the tapping of the other world. This seems an obvious reading of the poem: the person sitting in his chamber at the end of life simply waiting for death to arrive. Only when death comes knocking does he rouse enough to pay attention anymore.
Another possible reading is one where Poe is criticizing the end of learning or knowledge. The poem’s character is poring over old volumes of text, calling to mind Emerson’s "sepulchres of the fathers" (Nature, 1106), that are no longer valid or interesting. Perhaps Poe is calling for a new awakening in literature, science and learning, before our minds suffer a tragic death. Of course, the text could also be read from a political or religious angle.
The verse begs the question whether one should open the door and let what ever is out there in, or try to keep IT out at all cost. If it is death, do we give in or struggle for a precious little more time? If it is new knowledge do we embrace it or reject it? The Raven questions our value systems and can be applied in a number of different ways, epitomizing the empty signifier.
Check out the link I found on Wikipedia of Gustave Dore's illustration of The Raven.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Edgar Allan Poe
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal # 15, Poe
November 16, 2006
"There were times, indeed, when I thought his unceasingly agitated mind was laboring with an oppressive secret, to divulge which he struggled for the necessary courage." (1543)
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher offers the possibility of a multitude of readings and at the core of all of them is the tormented mind of Roderick Usher. Here, the narrator observes the extent and depth of Usher’s suffering.
Roderick Usher is clearly a prisoner of his mind. He suffers paranoia, alternating periods of mania and depression and hypersensitivity. Whether his terrible state results from disease (genetic, mental, physical, spiritual), guilt or drug use is open to discussion. Poe writes about a "terrible influence which for centuries had moulded the destinies of his family" (1542), suggesting perhaps an inherited disorder or illness. Usher also seems throttled by guilt, an obvious cause of which would be some type of sexual deviation, such as incest. One could also argue that Usher is gay, "struggl[ing] for the necessary courage" (1543) to come out.
Another source of guilt is his failure to carry on the Usher name. His sister’s death leaves him "the last of the ancient race of the Ushers" (1538), something that would weigh heavily on the mind of a young aristocratic male. Yet another issue in the text is opium abuse, mostly suggested by Roderick’s shifting behavior. This, too, is a likely deficit in Usher’s distressingly unbalanced checkbook.
Poor Roddy carries many burdens in this story. He can hardly tolerate the state of self-revulsion he is in; indeed he is collapsing in front of our very eyes. Nowhere can he find the courage he needs to ‘fess up; not even in his oldest and most enduring friend. Cast aside like so much human garbage, Roderick is the pinnacle of martyrdom and the poster boy for the downward spiral.
ENGL 48A
Journal # 15, Poe
November 16, 2006
"There were times, indeed, when I thought his unceasingly agitated mind was laboring with an oppressive secret, to divulge which he struggled for the necessary courage." (1543)
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher offers the possibility of a multitude of readings and at the core of all of them is the tormented mind of Roderick Usher. Here, the narrator observes the extent and depth of Usher’s suffering.
Roderick Usher is clearly a prisoner of his mind. He suffers paranoia, alternating periods of mania and depression and hypersensitivity. Whether his terrible state results from disease (genetic, mental, physical, spiritual), guilt or drug use is open to discussion. Poe writes about a "terrible influence which for centuries had moulded the destinies of his family" (1542), suggesting perhaps an inherited disorder or illness. Usher also seems throttled by guilt, an obvious cause of which would be some type of sexual deviation, such as incest. One could also argue that Usher is gay, "struggl[ing] for the necessary courage" (1543) to come out.
Another source of guilt is his failure to carry on the Usher name. His sister’s death leaves him "the last of the ancient race of the Ushers" (1538), something that would weigh heavily on the mind of a young aristocratic male. Yet another issue in the text is opium abuse, mostly suggested by Roderick’s shifting behavior. This, too, is a likely deficit in Usher’s distressingly unbalanced checkbook.
Poor Roddy carries many burdens in this story. He can hardly tolerate the state of self-revulsion he is in; indeed he is collapsing in front of our very eyes. Nowhere can he find the courage he needs to ‘fess up; not even in his oldest and most enduring friend. Cast aside like so much human garbage, Roderick is the pinnacle of martyrdom and the poster boy for the downward spiral.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Nathaniel Hawthorne II
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal #14, Hawthorne II
November 14, 2006
"At that instant catching a glimpse of his figure in the looking-glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others. His frame shuddered--his lips grew white--he spilt the untasted wine upon the carpet--and rushed forth into the darkness. For the Earth, too, had on her black veil." (1284)
This quote--from The Minister's Black Veil--refers to when, at the wedding, Mr. Hooper has made a toast to the happy couple. As he is ready to toast them he catches his reflection in a mirror and spills his wine.
What does he see reflected in the mirror? Hawthorne indicates that the horror of Hooper's veil "overwhelmed" others but "involved" Hooper himself. He is one and the same as the evil it represents, suggesting that the veil is Hooper's personal yoke. He cannot but give in to what he sees there.
One could question whether Hooper is even alive. His white lips, the untasted wine, his frightening reflection and the apparently mourning Earth all point to that perhaps Hooper is dead, but unwillingly and unpeacefully so, trying to remain a part of village life. The people in attendance are overwhlemed, perhaps by grief over the loss of their pastor (or by joy for the happy couple). The text is like a creepy ghost dance of ambiguities, possibilities and dead ends.
The sentence end with the chilling statement that the Earth also has on a black veil. As mentioned it could mean that the dear reverend is no longer alive, however it seems more serious than that. The image of an Earth wearing a black veil calls to mind some type of all-encompassing, deep-running sorrow over the sad state of humanity, perhaps relating to the abolition issue, although Hawthorne was not as outspoken on this issue as were his friends Thoreau and Emerson. Hawthorne's perspective could be considered less narrow than Emerson's or Thoreau's due to the extensive traveling he undertook both on American soil and abroad. His journey's may have offered him insights not available to homebody Thoreau or lost-in-the clouds Emerson, I would think his stay in Liverpool, especially, would put humanity into perspective what with the lack of English child labor laws, etc.
I am unable to separate Mr. Hooper from the image and symbolism of the Earth. I think they are each other's representation and shadow.
ENGL 48A
Journal #14, Hawthorne II
November 14, 2006
"At that instant catching a glimpse of his figure in the looking-glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others. His frame shuddered--his lips grew white--he spilt the untasted wine upon the carpet--and rushed forth into the darkness. For the Earth, too, had on her black veil." (1284)
This quote--from The Minister's Black Veil--refers to when, at the wedding, Mr. Hooper has made a toast to the happy couple. As he is ready to toast them he catches his reflection in a mirror and spills his wine.
What does he see reflected in the mirror? Hawthorne indicates that the horror of Hooper's veil "overwhelmed" others but "involved" Hooper himself. He is one and the same as the evil it represents, suggesting that the veil is Hooper's personal yoke. He cannot but give in to what he sees there.
One could question whether Hooper is even alive. His white lips, the untasted wine, his frightening reflection and the apparently mourning Earth all point to that perhaps Hooper is dead, but unwillingly and unpeacefully so, trying to remain a part of village life. The people in attendance are overwhlemed, perhaps by grief over the loss of their pastor (or by joy for the happy couple). The text is like a creepy ghost dance of ambiguities, possibilities and dead ends.
The sentence end with the chilling statement that the Earth also has on a black veil. As mentioned it could mean that the dear reverend is no longer alive, however it seems more serious than that. The image of an Earth wearing a black veil calls to mind some type of all-encompassing, deep-running sorrow over the sad state of humanity, perhaps relating to the abolition issue, although Hawthorne was not as outspoken on this issue as were his friends Thoreau and Emerson. Hawthorne's perspective could be considered less narrow than Emerson's or Thoreau's due to the extensive traveling he undertook both on American soil and abroad. His journey's may have offered him insights not available to homebody Thoreau or lost-in-the clouds Emerson, I would think his stay in Liverpool, especially, would put humanity into perspective what with the lack of English child labor laws, etc.
I am unable to separate Mr. Hooper from the image and symbolism of the Earth. I think they are each other's representation and shadow.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Nathaniel Hawhorne
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal #13, Hawthorne
November 13, 2006
"But, even amid his grief, Mr. Hooper smiled to think that only a material emblem had separated him from happiness, though the horrors which it shadowed forth, must be drawn darkly between the fondest of lovers." (1286)
This excerpt is from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Minister’s Black Veil. Here Mr. Hooper’s intended Elizabeth, has just left him to his own devices after he has refused to remove the veil that shrouds his face, even for her. I am struck by how the desolate feeling of the sentence somehow captures Mr. Hooper’s own quelled and unnamed emotions. The quote captures the distinct sense of ambivalence evident throughout the story. Mr. Hooper grieves, yet smiles, his happiness seems easily attained, yet foreshadows horrors.
The "material emblem" refers to the veil itself, a black crape material, but also to something deeper. The veil, if seen as a symbol for Hooper himself, suggests that Elizabeth may have understood him better than anyone else, and thus, based on her behind the veil-knowledge, she decides to abandon him. The veil could represent a number of different barriers to Hooper’s perceived happiness: physical, psychological, sexual, social, political, economical. Whatever they were, it seems evident to me that Elizabeth, who returns to Hooper’s side at the time of his death, knew him intimately but was unable to handle what he dished out.
The secrets between lovers are inevitable, according to Hawthorne. Not only are they a "must" but they are also of an evil and/or dark nature. What is it in human nature that creates this disharmony between "the fondest of lovers?" Is this due to a lack of honesty? A failure to relate? Overwhelming expectations? Self-depreciation? And who are the lovers? Is it Hooper and Elizabeth? Hooper and himself? Hooper and the maiden? Hooper and God? Hooper and the Devil? The Devil and God? Hooper and some unnamed entity or person? Humanity and Faith? Hooper and his congregation?
It seems that there are more questions than answers in this one sentence and I think it well captures the essence of the entire short story. It hints at intimacy regretted, futures not attained and loves not permitted. More than anything it speaks to the torment of a single mind, unable to break free of its unmentionable fetters.
ENGL 48A
Journal #13, Hawthorne
November 13, 2006
"But, even amid his grief, Mr. Hooper smiled to think that only a material emblem had separated him from happiness, though the horrors which it shadowed forth, must be drawn darkly between the fondest of lovers." (1286)
This excerpt is from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Minister’s Black Veil. Here Mr. Hooper’s intended Elizabeth, has just left him to his own devices after he has refused to remove the veil that shrouds his face, even for her. I am struck by how the desolate feeling of the sentence somehow captures Mr. Hooper’s own quelled and unnamed emotions. The quote captures the distinct sense of ambivalence evident throughout the story. Mr. Hooper grieves, yet smiles, his happiness seems easily attained, yet foreshadows horrors.
The "material emblem" refers to the veil itself, a black crape material, but also to something deeper. The veil, if seen as a symbol for Hooper himself, suggests that Elizabeth may have understood him better than anyone else, and thus, based on her behind the veil-knowledge, she decides to abandon him. The veil could represent a number of different barriers to Hooper’s perceived happiness: physical, psychological, sexual, social, political, economical. Whatever they were, it seems evident to me that Elizabeth, who returns to Hooper’s side at the time of his death, knew him intimately but was unable to handle what he dished out.
The secrets between lovers are inevitable, according to Hawthorne. Not only are they a "must" but they are also of an evil and/or dark nature. What is it in human nature that creates this disharmony between "the fondest of lovers?" Is this due to a lack of honesty? A failure to relate? Overwhelming expectations? Self-depreciation? And who are the lovers? Is it Hooper and Elizabeth? Hooper and himself? Hooper and the maiden? Hooper and God? Hooper and the Devil? The Devil and God? Hooper and some unnamed entity or person? Humanity and Faith? Hooper and his congregation?
It seems that there are more questions than answers in this one sentence and I think it well captures the essence of the entire short story. It hints at intimacy regretted, futures not attained and loves not permitted. More than anything it speaks to the torment of a single mind, unable to break free of its unmentionable fetters.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Henry David Thoreau II
Katja
Journal #12
ENGL 48A, Thoreau
November 9, 2006
"What is the price current of and honest man and patriot to-day? They hesitate and they regret and sometimes they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect. They will wait, well disposed, for others to remedy the evil, that they may no longer have it to regret." (1795)
This statement gets right to the beef of Thoreau’s argument, i.e. the distinct lack of active and conscientious citizens. He claims that such a citizen really has no true value, neither as man nor patriot, and he does in fact call such people cowards. Perhaps this sentence states the reason for Thoreau’s writing Resistance to Civil Government at all.
Thoreau is clearly fed up with his fellow-citizens’ habits of just skirting around the hot issues of the time, primarily the abolition of slavery. The statement could also be seen as a pique towards his friend Emerson who took a softer socio-political approach than did Thoreau. Latecomers to the abolition issue did not sit well with Thoreau, who took this cause very seriously.
I think what Thoreau was prescribing for society was quite radical at the time. To actively work for the rights of others was a pretty low priority to most people at the time. Sitting pretty in their comfortable homes, these—in Thoreau’s eyes—dishonest and unpatriotic men felt no need to jeopardize their status in order to gain freedom for slaves. Thoreau does nothing less than call them a bunch of gasbag losers. He felt very strongly that citizenship was a privilege that needed to be cultivated and utilized.
Unfortunately, we still see this lack of active involvement in today’s society. Citizens and residents alike fail to live up to standards set by a quasi-democratic government, not recognizing the fact that their very participation is required to actually make such a government truly democratic. Thoreau would be sorely disappointed in the lackadaisical attitude of contemporary U.S. citizenry who fail to even get out and vote with any regularity. Even at the grassroots level there are few members of society who are passionate enough about an issue to get involved. Correctly, Thoreau thinks it unpatriotic to not work in some capacity for the betterment of your country.
I think this document should be required reading for all eligible voters. Those who know better do better.
Journal #12
ENGL 48A, Thoreau
November 9, 2006
"What is the price current of and honest man and patriot to-day? They hesitate and they regret and sometimes they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect. They will wait, well disposed, for others to remedy the evil, that they may no longer have it to regret." (1795)
This statement gets right to the beef of Thoreau’s argument, i.e. the distinct lack of active and conscientious citizens. He claims that such a citizen really has no true value, neither as man nor patriot, and he does in fact call such people cowards. Perhaps this sentence states the reason for Thoreau’s writing Resistance to Civil Government at all.
Thoreau is clearly fed up with his fellow-citizens’ habits of just skirting around the hot issues of the time, primarily the abolition of slavery. The statement could also be seen as a pique towards his friend Emerson who took a softer socio-political approach than did Thoreau. Latecomers to the abolition issue did not sit well with Thoreau, who took this cause very seriously.
I think what Thoreau was prescribing for society was quite radical at the time. To actively work for the rights of others was a pretty low priority to most people at the time. Sitting pretty in their comfortable homes, these—in Thoreau’s eyes—dishonest and unpatriotic men felt no need to jeopardize their status in order to gain freedom for slaves. Thoreau does nothing less than call them a bunch of gasbag losers. He felt very strongly that citizenship was a privilege that needed to be cultivated and utilized.
Unfortunately, we still see this lack of active involvement in today’s society. Citizens and residents alike fail to live up to standards set by a quasi-democratic government, not recognizing the fact that their very participation is required to actually make such a government truly democratic. Thoreau would be sorely disappointed in the lackadaisical attitude of contemporary U.S. citizenry who fail to even get out and vote with any regularity. Even at the grassroots level there are few members of society who are passionate enough about an issue to get involved. Correctly, Thoreau thinks it unpatriotic to not work in some capacity for the betterment of your country.
I think this document should be required reading for all eligible voters. Those who know better do better.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Henry David Thoreau
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal # 11, Thoreau
November 7, 2006
"Is a democracy, such as we know it, the last improvement possible in government?" (1807)
Henry David Thoreau asks this question at the very end of his 1849 essay Resistance to Civil Government. Heeding his friend Emerson’s call for more forward thinking, Thoreau pivots the entire future of politics on the very point of this question. Doubtlessly it has generated much thought over the years and perhaps served as inspiration for great activists like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
Let us begin by defining democracy. Merriam-Webster Online offers: 1 a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.
Following the quote above, Thoreau calls for respect for the individual, in contrast to the more inclusive concept of democracy. This focus on the individual seems to me a very modern notion when taking into account the theories of Sigmund Freud that became important later in the 19th century. Clearly, Thoreau felt that democracy was not enough to create the type of equality he was looking for. In fact, earlier in the text he rejects the notion of majority rule—a standard democratic feature—and even calls for anarchy. A contemporary of Leo Tolstoy, Thoreau shared many of the same ideals of non-violent resistance and a desired absence of hierarchical political systems.
Thoreau’s question regarding the state and future of politics and equality are timeless and universal. No matter how great the strides we make are, we can still do better and there is always progress to be made. The quote cannot be seen as a statement of finality or disillusionment, but must be seen as an idea filled with potential.
ENGL 48A
Journal # 11, Thoreau
November 7, 2006
"Is a democracy, such as we know it, the last improvement possible in government?" (1807)
Henry David Thoreau asks this question at the very end of his 1849 essay Resistance to Civil Government. Heeding his friend Emerson’s call for more forward thinking, Thoreau pivots the entire future of politics on the very point of this question. Doubtlessly it has generated much thought over the years and perhaps served as inspiration for great activists like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
Let us begin by defining democracy. Merriam-Webster Online offers: 1 a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.
Following the quote above, Thoreau calls for respect for the individual, in contrast to the more inclusive concept of democracy. This focus on the individual seems to me a very modern notion when taking into account the theories of Sigmund Freud that became important later in the 19th century. Clearly, Thoreau felt that democracy was not enough to create the type of equality he was looking for. In fact, earlier in the text he rejects the notion of majority rule—a standard democratic feature—and even calls for anarchy. A contemporary of Leo Tolstoy, Thoreau shared many of the same ideals of non-violent resistance and a desired absence of hierarchical political systems.
Thoreau’s question regarding the state and future of politics and equality are timeless and universal. No matter how great the strides we make are, we can still do better and there is always progress to be made. The quote cannot be seen as a statement of finality or disillusionment, but must be seen as an idea filled with potential.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Ralph Waldo Emerson II
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal # 10, Emerson II
6 November, 2006
"To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society" (1107)
"To the body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, nature is medicinal and restores their tone. The tradesman, the attorney, comes out of the din and craft of the street, and sees the sky and the woods, and is a man again." (1111)
The first quote is from chapter 1, (Nature) and the second quote is from chapter 3, (Beauty). Here, Emerson touts nature as a restorative resource available to all. Immediately, Henry David Thoreau’s Transcendentalist experiment on Walden Pond comes to mind. Thoreau stayed at Walden Pond, on Emerson’s property, from 1845-47.
While Emerson’s assertion that nature is a balm for a sore soul is at least partially true, one wonders again about how inclusive his statements are. How large a part of the American population at that time could leave "his chamber" (note "his," doubly exclusive!) in order to seek solitude? A great number of slaves were naturally excluded, and so were women by Emerson’s own acknowledgement, as were children, the infirm and the poor. In all, it seems this notion only applies to those able to leave their chamber, whether financially, legally or corporeally, indeed not a great number.
The second quote also confirms the Emersonian stratification of society. Work is "noxious," but fortunately for Emerson he never needed to do much of it. In addition, Emerson allows only those of a certain status to escape the overwhelming city streets to the curative effects of forest living. The hard-working housewife, farmer, blacksmith, sailor, beggar need not apply.
I do not know if Emerson’s friend Henry David Thoreau was an attorney or not, yet somehow he managed to qualify to live in a handmade (I guess that makes him a tradesman) cottage in the woods on Emerson’s private land. There he researched the healing effects of nature and wrote about it in his famous account of that stay. I wonder if this social experiment was Thoreau’s own idea, or perhaps Emerson’s. Nature was published some nine to ten years prior to the Walden Pond experiment.
In truth, Emerson’s ideas regarding the importance nature should have in people’s lives are quite valid. He calls for a return to nature so that humankind may be re-informed of the deeper spiritual connections between themselves and the Earth. However, early Victorian language and sentiment gets in the way of his message.
ENGL 48A
Journal # 10, Emerson II
6 November, 2006
"To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society" (1107)
"To the body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, nature is medicinal and restores their tone. The tradesman, the attorney, comes out of the din and craft of the street, and sees the sky and the woods, and is a man again." (1111)
The first quote is from chapter 1, (Nature) and the second quote is from chapter 3, (Beauty). Here, Emerson touts nature as a restorative resource available to all. Immediately, Henry David Thoreau’s Transcendentalist experiment on Walden Pond comes to mind. Thoreau stayed at Walden Pond, on Emerson’s property, from 1845-47.
While Emerson’s assertion that nature is a balm for a sore soul is at least partially true, one wonders again about how inclusive his statements are. How large a part of the American population at that time could leave "his chamber" (note "his," doubly exclusive!) in order to seek solitude? A great number of slaves were naturally excluded, and so were women by Emerson’s own acknowledgement, as were children, the infirm and the poor. In all, it seems this notion only applies to those able to leave their chamber, whether financially, legally or corporeally, indeed not a great number.
The second quote also confirms the Emersonian stratification of society. Work is "noxious," but fortunately for Emerson he never needed to do much of it. In addition, Emerson allows only those of a certain status to escape the overwhelming city streets to the curative effects of forest living. The hard-working housewife, farmer, blacksmith, sailor, beggar need not apply.
I do not know if Emerson’s friend Henry David Thoreau was an attorney or not, yet somehow he managed to qualify to live in a handmade (I guess that makes him a tradesman) cottage in the woods on Emerson’s private land. There he researched the healing effects of nature and wrote about it in his famous account of that stay. I wonder if this social experiment was Thoreau’s own idea, or perhaps Emerson’s. Nature was published some nine to ten years prior to the Walden Pond experiment.
In truth, Emerson’s ideas regarding the importance nature should have in people’s lives are quite valid. He calls for a return to nature so that humankind may be re-informed of the deeper spiritual connections between themselves and the Earth. However, early Victorian language and sentiment gets in the way of his message.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal #9, Ralph Waldo Emerson
6 November, 2006
"Our age is retrospective. It builds the sepulchres of the fathers." (1106)
In this quote from the very beginning of Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson establishes his perception of the age he lives in; an era rife with the history of times gone by that honors the memory and achievements of his predecessors, yet lacking in forward perspective. Later on he calls for his fellow-human beings to set their own standards and to look into the future: "why should not we have a poetry and philosophy of insight and not of tradition" (1107). His desire was for renewal and rebirth in American thought.
While Emerson seemed to want to escape the influence of others’ accomplishments, he still remained tied to the past by his religious faith. Indeed, Emerson did reference many of his contemporaries but his work is equally as colored by references to the Bible. As evidenced by the word choices above—sepulchres and fathers—Emerson held a strong faith. A sepulchre is a grave or burial vault, which immediately calls to mind Jesus being buried in the cave. The whole sentence above becomes a problem because Emerson himself is perpetuating what he wanted to avoid: the constant allusion to the past. One must assume, given Emerson’s keen intellect, that the quote above is intentionally crafted to provoke the reader’s thoughts.
Surprising, also, is the gender exclusivity of Emerson’s statement. For such a radical guy, who is friends with women, it seems rather odd to not include the sepulchres of the mothers. He may want us to think outside the box. By excluding the mothers from history building, where are they included? Because Emerson refers to nature as "her" and "she" in a few places (1128), he may have been influenced by the nature as goddess archetype seen in very early literature, such as Beowulf.
Emerson had a rather indirect way of conveying his message, unlike his peer and friend Margaret Fuller, whom, at the end of her 1843 work The Great Lawsuit, states "And will not she soon appear? The woman who shall vindicate the birthright for all women" (1654). The two authors are essentially saying the same thing, calling for the same action, however Fuller immediately directs the reader where to go.
Ralph Waldo Emerson had a quite limited and finite opinion of how his contemporaries viewed the world, however upon closer investigation he may have fallen into that trap himself. His thoughts and ideas were grand but hard, even for himself, to actuate.
ENGL 48A
Journal #9, Ralph Waldo Emerson
6 November, 2006
"Our age is retrospective. It builds the sepulchres of the fathers." (1106)
In this quote from the very beginning of Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson establishes his perception of the age he lives in; an era rife with the history of times gone by that honors the memory and achievements of his predecessors, yet lacking in forward perspective. Later on he calls for his fellow-human beings to set their own standards and to look into the future: "why should not we have a poetry and philosophy of insight and not of tradition" (1107). His desire was for renewal and rebirth in American thought.
While Emerson seemed to want to escape the influence of others’ accomplishments, he still remained tied to the past by his religious faith. Indeed, Emerson did reference many of his contemporaries but his work is equally as colored by references to the Bible. As evidenced by the word choices above—sepulchres and fathers—Emerson held a strong faith. A sepulchre is a grave or burial vault, which immediately calls to mind Jesus being buried in the cave. The whole sentence above becomes a problem because Emerson himself is perpetuating what he wanted to avoid: the constant allusion to the past. One must assume, given Emerson’s keen intellect, that the quote above is intentionally crafted to provoke the reader’s thoughts.
Surprising, also, is the gender exclusivity of Emerson’s statement. For such a radical guy, who is friends with women, it seems rather odd to not include the sepulchres of the mothers. He may want us to think outside the box. By excluding the mothers from history building, where are they included? Because Emerson refers to nature as "her" and "she" in a few places (1128), he may have been influenced by the nature as goddess archetype seen in very early literature, such as Beowulf.
Emerson had a rather indirect way of conveying his message, unlike his peer and friend Margaret Fuller, whom, at the end of her 1843 work The Great Lawsuit, states "And will not she soon appear? The woman who shall vindicate the birthright for all women" (1654). The two authors are essentially saying the same thing, calling for the same action, however Fuller immediately directs the reader where to go.
Ralph Waldo Emerson had a quite limited and finite opinion of how his contemporaries viewed the world, however upon closer investigation he may have fallen into that trap himself. His thoughts and ideas were grand but hard, even for himself, to actuate.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Emerson
OK, I'm really trying to get Emerson, but I'm failing miserably. I'm having evil flashbacks to this period in English literature class, which I also had a hard time with. There was some reference to Shelley, and that's when I checked out. The text flails wildly between obtuse and grandiose and has so many rhetorical questions it drives me MAD! More on this topic later, I just needed to kvetch.
