Moderism

Disillusionment

I chose disillusionment because almost everyone these days kinda hides what they feel inside and just want people to know what they are like on the exterior. Some people have the courage to open up to everyone and let everyone know exactly who they are and aren't scared to let them true self out. When I read a book I like to know what the character is actually thinking because it makes the story better. When you know what the character is thinking then you know more about the actual story and you don't spend most of your time over analyzing the story.

Soldiers Home

If disillusionment tells the truth and shows what people truly feel about things then this story was a good example. I think one reason this story is a good example because you get inside the character’s head. You know what he is really feeling and not what he wants everyone to think he’s feeling. In the story Krebs seems kinda sad this quote shows his sadness
"Don't look that way, Harold," his mother said. "You know we love you and I want to tell you for your own good how matters stand. Your father does not want to hamper your freedom. He thinks you should be allowed to drive the car. If you want to take some of the nice girls out riding with you, we are only too pleased. We want you to enjoy yourself. But you are going to have to settle down to work, Harold. Your father doesn't care what you start in at. All work is honorable as he says. But you've got to make a start at something. He asked me to speak to you this morning and then you can stop in and see him at his office."
"Is that all?" Krebs said.
"Yes. Don't you love your mother dear boy?"
"No," Krebs said.
His mother looked at him across the table. Her eyes were shiny. She started crying.
"I don't love anybody," Krebs said.

Krebs just seems like he is a lazy man. He seems like he doesn't really want to grow up, he just wants to be a kid forever. After he returned home from the war he doesn't have any dreams or goals anymore. Its like the war just drained his personality. In the quote above, Krebs tells his mother that he doesn't even love her anymore. Him going to war has drained him of his personality, his feelings and maybe even his soul. He just doesn't care about anything anymore. This story shows the truth about what going to war does to you through a soldiers eyes.

Richard Corey

This poem is showing that you can have all the money in the world and still not be happy. Money doesn't make people happy, plain and simple. So many people envy the rich because they want to be happy like the rich. But what these people don't see is that money isn't everything and it is not what makes people happy. Friends and family are what makes you happy. If the only thing you care about is money then you don't have time for friends and family, you only have yourself and your money. This poem is moderism because its saying that there is more to being rich than meets the eye.

Mending Wall

My first impression when I read this poem was that the wall was some type of hate that everyone has in them. Some have it more than others but everyone has it. Its racism. The character only care about fixing the wall so they wont have to face the true fact that they secretly hate one another. They are hiding behind this wall because they both know deep down inside that they do in fact hate one another. All the want to do is hide it and hiding it is not helping.

A Dream Deferred

This writer of this poem is basically trying to figure out what happens to dreams after they have been dreamt. The writer is trying to get the readers to think about something that doesn't have a true answer. Everyone who thinks about the question "Where do dreams go?" has a different answer than the first person. It is basically saying that there can be no wrong answer to any question, I mean only math questions have one answer, duh.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

The poem is about a black man telling his life. He compares his life to the ancient rivers of the world and all that the rivers have seen through out all this time. He feels the same as the ancient rivers because he believes he has seen all there is to see. I think this poem would be modernism by relation to the Harlem renaissance. Its talks about this black man and how he is lived life and experienced is life just as good, if not better, than a white man.

Incident

This is about a young black boy who moves to Baltimore. He lived there many years and exprienced many things but only one thing stuck out in his mind, when a white boy called his a racial slur. This is definitely disillusionment. It shows how powerful and hateful that word is and no matter how tough you may be on the outside there is that one thing that can hurt you more than anything.

Realism

"The Story of an Hour"

The story gives you great description of the characters. It describes how they are feeling, how they act and the environment that the character is in. "She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams." This quote describes the character very well and I think it described her as well as a photograph.

In this story she is only trying to get society to respect her as herself not as only her husbands wife. She is only accepted as her husbands wife not as Louise but only as Mrs. Mallard. If someone calls her by her name then no one will know who she is but if she is called Mrs. Mallard then everyone knows who she is. This is showing that men had more importantance in society than women.


"The Battle with Mr. Covey"

The writer tells about the setting in great detail. The setting is on a plantation well where else would you find slaves? but anyway, the story takes place at a plantation many years ago. The writer describes a slave in this quote "I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute! " While reading this I could only imagine what it was like to be a slave.

Well the obvious social problem is racism. This story can show people who werent around during slavery how bad it really was. "I had by this time crawled away under the side of the post and rail- fence by which the yard was enclosed, hoping to find relief by getting out of the sun. He then asked where I was. He was told by one of the hands. He came to the spot, and after looking at me awhile, asked me what was the matter. I told him as well as I could, for I scarce had strength to speak. He then gave me a savage kick in the side, and told me to get up. I tried to do so, but fell back in the attempt. He gave me another kick, and again told me to rise. I again tried, and succeeded in gaining my feet: but, stopping to get the tub with which I was feeding the fan, I again staggered and fell. While down in this situation, Mr. Covey took up the hickory slat with which Hughes had been striking off the half- bushel measure, and with it gave me a heavy blow upon the head, making a large wound, and the blood ran freely; and with this, again told me to get up." This quote shows how the masters treated the slaves and how horrible it must have been to be a slave.

Even though no one really knows what it was like to live as a slave this story gives a good example of how people lived and how they were treated. This was actually one of the main reason why people are the way they are these days. I know it is a hard thing to forget but it happened and nothing can change it now. I dont think people should dwell on the past, not focus on the future but to live in the present.

Writing 4

When I was in elementary school I remember my parents and my teachers always talking about the dress code at school. Ever since then during the first couple of days at the beginning of each school year every teacher would have to go over the school dress code. The dress codes that schools tend to force upon students is sometimes a good thing but mostly its not. Dress codes can be beneficial to or take away from the students. Schools these days sometimes tend to take the dress code a little too far which gets students feed up with the school system and they want to actually quit school or move to a different school.

Considering that the dress code is only put into affect when the parents and the board vote on it. If both the parents and the board would take time to listen to what students have to say about the dress code and how it only affects them. Students think that it is un-fair because it only affects them although they are not the only ones at the school. The dress code that the school system has chosen for its schools should affect both the students and the faculty. If the faculty and the students both have the same or similar dress code then the students would not be as angry at the system for just putting all the pressure on them to dress to their standards.

Dress codes that are sometimes too strict tend to take away from the students. Each student has a different personality and if you take away the clothes they like to wear then it takes away their ability to be different. Students don’t want to be like everyone else, they just want to be themselves. If a dress code says that students can’t have piercings or dyed hair then that takes away from the student’s personality. Although, there can be some things that benefit the students as well. Dress code can keep students from wearing clothes that would distract the other students such as clothing that discriminates against people or clothing that “shows too much skin” or vulgar clothing. Keeping these things out of school could potentially help students pay more attention to school rather than just the people that go to school with them.

Many students have actually decided to quit school because of the dress code. In Clarke County the graduation rate is low and adding a strict dress code could potentially make students quit school which would make the graduation rate even lower. Students take pride in what the wear and if the school system takes that away from them they will quit school without thinking twice about it. I, myself, attend a Clarke County school and the dress code that the board and parents are voting on actually made me consider moving schools if it comes into affect. Although, I love everything about my school I still want to wear what I want to wear not what the board wants me to wear. Dress codes can be a good thing but if the dress code is too strict then the students will “drop like flies” no matter if they love their school or not.

Having a dress code can be either a good thing or a bad thing depending on how strict it is. The best solution to many problems with the dress code is to actually let the students and the faculty vote on rather than the parents that don’t attend the school. Although I do not know why someone would want to take away from someone’s personality, I do know that being able to be yourself is a thing which everyone takes in to value.

The Black Cat/ The Raven

I thought that the story was very crazy and disrupting because it was violent. Poe seemed to be "going to the dark side" in this story. It demonstrates well how the Narrators anger go worse and worse. He starts out just hitting the animals, then kills Pluto, and then kills his wife. He just gets worse and worse until he finally gets caught always like it when a story wraps things up well. I could definitely tell that this story was not transcendentalism.

This quote refers to the was Poe thought "I suffered myself to use intemperate language to my wife. At length, I even offered her personal violence. My pets, of course, were made to feel the change in my disposition. I not only neglected, but ill-used them. For Pluto, however, I still retained sufficient regard to restrain me from maltreating him, as I made no scruple of maltreating the rabbits, the monkey, or even the dog, when by accident, or through affection, they came in my way." This indicates that he was quite out of his mind.

I thought that the poem was quite hard to understand towards the middle and the end but in the beginning it was easy to understand. As I read the poem I could almost sense the way Poe was going through during this poem. There were a few lines that stood out to me like "Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store,Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful DisasterFollowed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore--Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden boreOf 'Never--nevermore.'" I thought this part was kinda confusing.

Against Transcendental Philosophy?

The main reason for Nathaniel Hawthorne to be considered a Dark Romantic or against Transcendentalist would probably because of the man his great grandfather. Hawthorne believed that his grandfather, who was a judge during the Salem witch trials, was a bad person because he actually allowed 19 people and 2 dogs to be hanged and 1 person to be stoned to death because he believed that is what God would have wanted. He just knew that his Great Grandfather was very bad man so he believed people weren’t all generally good and people are generally bad.

Herman Mellville was considered a Dark Romantic simply because of what he witnessed as a young child. Mellville was a sailor because his dreams of becoming a writer were slim. He sailed around the world and witnessed many things. While he was young he witnessed cannibals in the South Pacific which made Mellville believe that people were bad and un-pure. Mellville believed if the people in the South Pacific were cannibals there could very well be many other people around the world that were the same way, un-pure.

In Edgar Allen Poe's life there was no such thing as luck, only bad luck came his way. He believed that it was God himself that had made the people that meant the most to him in his life either disown him or die. Poe himself started to act crazy by getting addicted to opium and alcohol. Poe had evil inside of him and he express himself through stories that he had written. Poe had so much taken away from him he probably either hated god or didn’t believe in him at all.

I think I would definitely fall more on the Transcendentalism side because I'm not evil in any kind of way unless someone hurts me significantly then the bad side comes out. I do believe that there are people how contain both good and evil traits. I don't think that there are people who have either all good or all evil traits. I believe that what makes you, whether you are Transcendentalist or Dark Romantic, is because of how you view other people and how you view the actions they wish to take.

A Bend in the Road Pgs 159-368

Sarah finally lets her family meet Miles on Thanksgiving which he met Sarah's mother, father, and brother. After that their relationship began to become more and more serious with the passing days. Miles get a tip on a person that might have been the person that killed his wife, Missy, two years earlier and he begins to act strange towards Sarah, so she kept her distance for a while. Sarah's brother, Brian, comes home from college for Christmas break and reveals a deep secret with Sarah. Brian tells Sarah that he was "the one" he was the one that had hit Missy on that night two years earlier. Sarah doesnt know what to say but she insisted that Brian tell Miles. Brian and Sarah take a trip to Miles' house to tell him the truth about Missy. Miles explodes on Brian and Sarah both. Miles stops talking to Sarah and proceeds to take Brian into custody. On the way to the police department Miles and Brian get into an accident and Brian is injured. Brian stays at home for a couple of days waiting for Miles to come get him and bring him in but Miles never comes. Brian decided to visit Missy grave one last time before he is taken in. Brian gets there and Miles is there also. Miles tells Brian that he is letting him go with the crime because he investigated Brian's story and realized he was tellin the truth about the whole thing and that it really was an accident. Miles and Sarah didnt talk for a couple of weeks and one day Sarah comes home from her mothers house and she sees Miles and Jonah waiting for her inside her apartment.

Worst Case Scenario.

I am currently in high school and have a wonderful boyfriend but if he was to ask me to marry him I would simply say "no." because I have my whole life ahead of me and I actually plan to go to college after I graduate from high school. I havent decided on a school but if the school I decide to go to is far away I would simply keep my answer at no unless my boyfriend is willing to come with me and be by my side and support me while I am at school or actually decide to attend the same college as myself. I think everyone should have the chance to experience life on their own without being under the wing of their parents.

I think that a transcendentalist would do something similar in this situation. Transcendentalists value self reliance and self awareness through trusting their decisions. Transcendentalists believed that the voice in your head was the voice of god, telling you to do what was good and true.

From Self-Reliance: "nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."

Transcendentalism

I thought this was hard to understand because the use of the authors words. Emerson stated that nature is not only just trees, grass, wildlife, flowers, water, etc. Emerson stated that human beings are considered nature as well. I believe that every person should have their own quiet place outside that way the people who really dont appreciate nature could take the time to actually see how beautiful it is and take advantage of the soothing sounds and the beautiful landscape to escape from society. People who dont appreciate nature dont know that if it wasnt for nature we, humans, would not be here living.

Nature is a great example of Transcendentalism because Emerson states: "I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God." which indicates that God sees through the eyes of man.

Self-Reliance is a good example of Transcendentalism because Emerson states: "So God has armed youth and puberty and manhood no less with its own piquancy and charm, and made it enviable and gracious and its claims not to be put by, if it will stand by itself." which says that God has given all men, young and elderly the power to let their actions speak louder than words.

Resistance to Civil Government is a good example of Transcendentalism because Thoreau states: "That government is best which governs not at all" which says that the people should be governed how they think is right and not how society says they are suppose to.