Friday, December 01, 2006
Harriet Beecher Stowe II
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal # 22, Stowe II
1 December, 2006
"Profoundly influenced by Lyman Beecher’s ambition and his deeply pessimistic theology [...] many of his children grew up to make their mark o American culture." (Harriet Beecher Stowe biography 1671)
Ambition and doomsday faith is a bizarre combination of human traits. Lyman Beecher was old school in his faith but quite modern in the way he reared his many children. Having lots of children was a way for him to ensure the spread of his message and continued influence on American life, but how he and his wife had the time to influence each Beecher sibling so deeply is astonishing. What is encouraging is that many of the Beecher siblings turned their father’s pessimistic worldview around into something positive. They became trailblazers in the development of an American identity.
Harriet, being one of the middle children, had a great sense of needing to be seen, heard, and noticed coming from such a large family. It seems that she was not content with the quiet, traditional, female role, but needed an outlet for her passions. The way she and other Beechers went about things has a very missionary nature; like they all received a calling they could not reject. Harriet was smart enough to realize she had a voice and fortunate enough to have a father—and later husband—who supported her needs to express herself.
The Beecher legacy is a template for how many Americans conduct themselves, and a very valuable part of American heritage and an institution rare to this culture. The sense of service is very apparent in American life, much more so than in Europe. Where I grew up people would never give up their free time to volunteer for any cause, no matter how thoroughly they identify with it. Even something as small as spending an hour or two per week at your child’s school is completely unheard of. Regardless of whether steeped in Christian faith or not, the idea of service for the benefit of others is an integral part of American culture and a hallmark of the Beecher’s importance in the nation’s history.
ENGL 48A
Journal # 22, Stowe II
1 December, 2006
"Profoundly influenced by Lyman Beecher’s ambition and his deeply pessimistic theology [...] many of his children grew up to make their mark o American culture." (Harriet Beecher Stowe biography 1671)
Ambition and doomsday faith is a bizarre combination of human traits. Lyman Beecher was old school in his faith but quite modern in the way he reared his many children. Having lots of children was a way for him to ensure the spread of his message and continued influence on American life, but how he and his wife had the time to influence each Beecher sibling so deeply is astonishing. What is encouraging is that many of the Beecher siblings turned their father’s pessimistic worldview around into something positive. They became trailblazers in the development of an American identity.
Harriet, being one of the middle children, had a great sense of needing to be seen, heard, and noticed coming from such a large family. It seems that she was not content with the quiet, traditional, female role, but needed an outlet for her passions. The way she and other Beechers went about things has a very missionary nature; like they all received a calling they could not reject. Harriet was smart enough to realize she had a voice and fortunate enough to have a father—and later husband—who supported her needs to express herself.
The Beecher legacy is a template for how many Americans conduct themselves, and a very valuable part of American heritage and an institution rare to this culture. The sense of service is very apparent in American life, much more so than in Europe. Where I grew up people would never give up their free time to volunteer for any cause, no matter how thoroughly they identify with it. Even something as small as spending an hour or two per week at your child’s school is completely unheard of. Regardless of whether steeped in Christian faith or not, the idea of service for the benefit of others is an integral part of American culture and a hallmark of the Beecher’s importance in the nation’s history.
# posted by Katja @ 8:21 AM 
