The Battle with Mr. Covey

“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.”

The quote above speaks for itself. It is so descriptive to the point that it makes your stomach turn. “…but the blood so matted my hair as to stop the wound. After lying there about three quarters of an hour, I nerved myself up again, and started on my way, through bogs and briers, barefooted and bareheaded, tearing my feet sometimes at nearly every step…” I feel that the imagery demonstrated in this quote is enough to make anyone’s eyes open up and realize that there was an obvious problem with slavery.


Slavery has been one of the most important issues in US History. Realists focused on the issues and problems that were going on at that time. It is obvious that The Battle with Mr. Covey is a story focusing on slavery. I think the reason the other master of the slave came into the picture was because Douglas wanted his readers to see that slaves were treated like animals and property. His other master basically said he was giving him to Mr. Covey for a year for pay. On top of that, Mr. Covey was so cruel to him.

I think that maybe Douglas wrote this story to tell people that one day, all the slaves would rebel and the outcome would be worst. The slave in the story fought his master and he was never whipped again. If all the slaves would have rebelled against their masters, the outcome might have been different. “This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning- point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood. It recalled the departed self- confidence, and inspired me again with a determination to be free.” Douglas wanted people to realize that slavery was wrong and that no human being should be treated like that.

The Story of an Hour

“She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window.”

Mrs. Mallard is grieving her husband’s death, but when this scene is described, it shows springtime and something beautiful. I think it may symbolize the beginning of a new life for her without her husband. She realizes that now she is free from being dominated by a male and this is a new beginning for her. Unfortunately, she has heart problems and then in the end dies of heart disease.

The subject of living in a male-dominated society in Kate Chopin’s time is a very important. Many women felt dominated by men and women did not even have a right to vote. The story does not directly say that her husband was a dominant man, but it does have a moment of realization for Mrs. Mallard. “When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: "free, free, free!" The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.” Mrs. Mallard realized she was free and got very excited by it. In a way, this hints that her husband may have been very dominant of her.

Example of Realism

A perfect model for modern realism would have to be the movie The Day After Tomorrow. I think it does not get more real than what is going to happen to the planet if we do not try our best to conserve it the way it is. Global warming is a modern day issue that is very big and focused on daily. Realists believed we should focus more on the real issues that were going on at the time. Global warming is a modern day issue and The Day After Tomorrow is very realistic and does not require imagination for us to see what is actually going to happen. It is very scientifically accurate as to why all these changes in weather patterns will occur. The scene where the large hail begins to fall or when the sea level rises in New York is very realistic of the storm that is approaching. These are events that are inevitable now. It is not impossible to stop these events from happening but the things that everyone would have to do in order to stop it is almost impossible.

The Man I Should Have Married

I just finished reading the book The Man I Should Have Married by Pamela Redmond Satran.It is about a woman named Kennedy who is going through a separation and goes back to someone from the past, Declan. Her husband left her for a younger woman and on top of that, he left her the day after Christmas. In the beginning, that seemed like a bad thing because her husband, Frank, had a stable job at the time at a law firm and provided for Kennedy and her two daughters, Amanda and Maya. The separation, though, was actually the best thing that happened to her. After the separation, she became more independent and even brought her own home. On one of the drop offs of Amanda at her dad's house, she decided to go back to where she lived ten years ago. She also went back to the restaurant of the man whom she had worked for and a little something else, Declan. Declan was better looking than ever and Kennedy wanted to be with him. After many ups and downs in their so called relationship at the time, in the end they got married and moved in with his own daughter, Katherine, into Kennedy's house.

This was a very interesting book to read because it is real life. None of the events that happened are unrealistic regarding relationships and I can relate a lot to Kennedy. Independence is what many women strive but are all caught up in the housewife role that makes it almost impossible. I think this book is a great inspiration for those women who are afraid to move on forward after a separation or a divorce. It shows that we are as strong or even stronger than men not only emotionally, but physically as well. Kennedy was able to renovate her new home completely all on her own and discovered a real passion for renovating. I think this part of the book was included to tell women to find something that motivates you in life. Being able to find something you love to do and that can make you forget your problems is what we all need. I also believe that every woman has a man they should have married, unless they already married him.

Raven

I remember having read The Raven some time ago, but I had never really known much about it. Now I realize all the poetic techniques he uses to capture the reader. He creates a scary and weary mood at the beginning of the poem by describing this tapping at his bedroom door. He goes on by saying that he was almost asleep, so he is not really sure of whether he even heard it. It makes the reader wander if everything that was about to happen was even real or just a dream. He uses a lot of repetition and these lines stuck out to me. “Eagerly I wished the morrow;--vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow--sorrow for the lost Lenore” We hear the repetition of the letter “s” and it creates a sound that is actually a little creepy. I have to use my imagination of course and that was one of the aspects that Dark Romantics focused on.

When he starts speaking to the raven, I actually feel bad for him. He wants this raven to give him answers and the only answer he is getting is a no for everything. “"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee--by these angels he hath sent thee Respite--respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!" Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."” He asks the raven if he will ever rid himself form the memories and the pain he bears for the loss of Lenore, and all the raven can say is “Nevermore.” It feels like the narrator is trying to find some comfort with this raven and the raven just makes him feel worse by saying that the pain he feels will never go away.

The Raven is a good example of an Anti-Transcendentalist writing because it is speaking about a person who is half-asleep. We do not know really for sure that he is not dreaming all of these things. Transcendentalist believed that their intuition was the voice of God and that everything they did was because of God. They believed everything was good. In the poem, here comes this raven who is speaking to the narrator about how the pain he feels will not go away. I think this poem is Edgar Allan Poe’s way of saying, everything is not good and everything we do is not necessarily God’s doing. “Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."” Edgar Allen Poe’s life was not at all the life anyone would like to have lived. He had so many deaths that had occurred around him that he knew everything that happened was not necessarily God’s doing and that it was not good. He has all these sorrows to live with and if I were in his shoes, I would have probably been insane.

Dark Romantics

As soon as I began reading The Tell-Tale-Heart, I thought the narrator was crazy. It is uncertain of whether it is a male or female, but for the purpose of this response, I will assume it was a male. He tries throughout the entire story to convince himself that he is not insane. His actions speak otherwise when he decides to kill the old man in the story. “For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture -- a pale blue eye with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold, and so by degrees, very gradually, I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever.” I think it is so insane to kill someone just because of the old man’s “Evil Eye”. But that was the whole point of this piece of writing. Dark Romantics focused a lot on imagination, but they also believed that everyone had evil inside them and that some were even insane. The old man in the story had an “Evil Eye” that the narrator did not like and therefore the first thought that came to his mind was to kill the old man. Edgar Allen Poe is just trying to prove that not all thoughts are good and that you should not act on every thought that comes to mind.

The part that I thought was really interesting is how the narrator’s plan was so perfect for killing the man. If it wasn’t for his conscious, no one would have ever known he killed the old man. Obviously the man was insane, but to a certain extent intelligent. He found a way to hide the man’s body beneath the floor boards and even managed to fool the police. “Yet the sound increased -- and what could I do? It was A LOW, DULL, QUICK SOUND -- MUCH SUCH A SOUND AS A WATCH MAKES WHEN ENVELOPED IN COTTON. I gasped for breath, and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly, more vehemently but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased….” The narrator was hearing something in his own head that no one else could hear. I think it was probably his own heart beat continuing to go faster and faster just like the old man’s heart rate also accelerated when he was about to kill him. Edgar Allan Poe took us to this moment and very vividly described everything that happened. That is a focus on imagination and as I read the story, I could hear the heart beat of the old man as well as feel the suspense building up inside the narrator.

Which side of the divide do you fall? Are you closer to being a Transcendentalist or a Dark Romantic?

This is such a hard question to answer because of the many things that go on in the world. It would be so nice to believe that everyone has pure good in themselves, but when you look at the news you know that this is just not true. This is why I feel that I am closer to being a Dark Romantic than a Transcendentalist. I believe that we all have a little evil inside ourselves and I think it is just something natural. I do not believe it was because of Adam and Eve, but I do believe sometimes we are selfish and a little evil. Some people are not just evil, but they are insane. I really would love to believe that everyone is good, but that is just something that is not true and that is why I feel I am closer to being a Dark Romantic.

Resistance to Civil Government/Guy in Video

I found the essay, Resistance to Civil Government, to be really eye-opening. It gave me an idea of how the Transcendentalist felt toward government. I love the line about how the best government is the one that does not govern at all. I agree with this statement because a government is necessary, but it only works well when the people are involved and we all make a vote. “The only obligation which I have a right to assume, is to do at any time what I think right…” A couple of lines before that quote, it said that shouldn’t there be a government where it doesn’t decide for you what is right from wrong but one that it enables you to use your conscience. Later on it continues on to say that why do people have a conscience at all if we can’t decide for ourselves. I think this one of the most powerful statements from the essay and that we need to appreciate that we do have a right to voice our opinion now and it was something that was worked on for many years.

Since Transcendentalists believed that the individual human mind was a very powerful instrument, I believe that this quote demonstrates it. “I know this well, that if one thou­sand, if one hun­dred, if ten men whom I could name, — if ten hon­est men only, — aye, if one hon­est man, in this State of Mas­sa­chu­setts, ceas­ing to hold slaves, were ac­tu­ally to with­draw from this co­part­ner­ship, and be locked up in the county jail there­for, it would be the ab­o­li­tion of slav­ery in Amer­ica. For it mat­ters not how small the be­gin­ning may seem to be: what is once well done is done for ever.” This quote basically says if at least one honest person was willing to stand up for themselves and retreat from approving slavery, that it would end it forever. Transcendentalists believed that everyone was connected in a way. If one person was to retreat from that co-partnership, that everyone would, too.

Man in Video
I thought that the man in the video applied transcendentalism to his life in many ways. He was alone in the wilderness and shows a lot of individualism. He built his own cabin with all the amenities he needed and that show he was very hard working. Being in the wilderness in general alone connecting with nature also demonstrates transcendentalist’s beliefs.

Self-Reliance

The piece of writing from Self-Reliance talks a lot about how you should trust yourself. I found it very interesting because of how it says not to just go with everyone else thinks but to really express entirely your own emotions. This quote stuck out to me a lot. “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world…” I like how it says that the only thing that anyone has sacred is their own honesty and principles and I completely agree. I believe that if you don’t have your moral principles and stand up for them, then you really don’t have anything. To different people it might mean different things. To me, the quote says that you should only have to respond to yourself and that when you achieve this, you will have the respect of the world.

This is a good example of Transcendentalism for one main reason: it promotes individualism. This quote in particular talks about how people only half express themselves. “We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents.” To me it means that people are ashamed to be individuals and express their true feelings and that we only express ourselves half way and never completely. Transcendentalists believed that each individual mind was a powerful instrument. I think that when Emerson made the point of people only half expressing themselves proved that point.

from Nature

I thought that the piece of writing from Nature was really interesting to read. He explains so many things about how we take simple things for granted when we become adults. One particular part that I liked was when he said that the property owner’s of a farm did not really own it. He said that the only ones who owned it were the poets who knew how to “unify” all parts of the landscape. I found it interesting because so many of us view a farm as just that: a farm. But, there are others who understand nature in a way that a lot of us can’t and that is a true virtue. I liked when he says that adults can’t really see the sun. To us, it is just something that we see through our eyes, but that to children, it “shines into the eye and the heart of a child.” This stuck out to me because I believe it is very true. Children are so innocent and they view things completely different than we do.


I think this piece of writing really reflects transcendentalism in many ways. It talks a lot about how nature affects everyone’s state of mind. It shows that Emerson believed that he thought God communicated to men through nature. This particular quote is very interesting. “The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with heaven and Earth, becomes part of his daily food.” I feel that it means that the only ones who can truly love nature are the ones who not only see it but feel it as well. I think it is very different to just see beautiful scenery than to really feel it and for it to give you some type of emotion. Emerson is trying to say that God speaks to you when you feel the different emotions nature gives to you.

Romanticism Painting

I chose this painting for Romanticism because it leaves a lot of things to the imagination. On the far left, we see the beginning of a bridge, but we do not see the end. We get a really good idea of what it should look like when we use our imagination though.

The Ropewalk

I think the main point in the poem The Ropewalk is daydreaming and imagination. He thinks about all the different ways the ropes being made are used and all of it is tranquil thoughts. He describes the building in the beginning and the end and the description gives us the idea that he is not happy there. However in the middle, he describes how these rows bring calmness and happiness to others. It is definitely Romantic because of the focus on nature when he describes a lot of the things the rope is used for. Imagination is also a major part because throughout the poem he is daydreaming. The one image that stands out to me though is the school boy. It is such a happy thought watching a child play with a kite. I believe he daydreams just to be able to get through the day.

Thanatopsis

The poem Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryan is perfect example of Romanticism. It focuses on promoting the common people, nature, and imagination. We can see many examples of the focus on imagination and nature. “Go forth under the open sky, and list To Nature's teachings, while from all around-- Earth and her waters, and the depths of air,-- Comes a still voice.” This quote is basically saying listen close to Mother Nature and of course Mother Nature is really not talking, but it implies for us to imagine it and listen to her voice. Nature is another example in this same quote when it talks about the Earth’s water and the air. ”Thou shalt lie down, With patriarchs of the infant world--with kings The powerful of the earth--the wise, the good, Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past, All in one mighty sepulchre” I love this part of the poem Thanatopsis because it says no matter who you are or what you did, you will eventually die and everyone will lie down together. It promotes the common people and tells us not to be afraid of death. The entire poem tries to give some comfort to whoever is afraid of death. It basically says that we are all going to die, but that we should not be afraid of it because you are not going to be alone. You will be more accompanied when you die than when you are alive. I am not afraid of dying, but I am more afraid of what comes after that. However, I did find some comfort in reading this poem and I think everyone at one point or another in their lives should read it.

Romanticism Task 1

I found that in the story Rip Van Winkle there was a lot of nature involved. There were a lot of joyful scenes such as the children running after him whenever they saw him. I liked one particular quote that I thought was interesting. “When the rest of the landscape is cloudless, they will gather a hood of gray vapors about their summits, which, in the last rays of the setting sun, will glow and light up like a crown of glory.” It said there was a lot of grayness in the sky, but the last rays of the sun made it glow and light up into beautiful scenery. To me, I believe this quote meant that in the mist of the grayness, there is light that symbolized hope in my opinion. “He rubbed his eyes—it was a bright sunny morning. The birds were hopping and twittering among the bushes, and the eagle was wheeling aloft, and breasting the pure mountain breeze.” This quote also depicts beautiful scenery. Books were the only way for people to escape the city. It was a time when imagination was key to being able to get away from the noise and riot of the city. Romantics focused a lot on nature in their writings and I think Washington Irving was able to accomplish this in his book.

Virtues

If I were to make a list of virtues to improve my life like Benjamin Franklin did, I would have to use this list.

1. Equality- Everyone is the same and no one is better than any one.
   
2. Respect- Treat others the way you want to be treated.
   
3. Silence- Think before you speak, you don’t know who you might offend.
   
4. Sincerity- Always tell the truth because lies lead to more lies.
   
5. Justice- Two wrongs don’t make a right.
   
6. Humility- Learn to be modest and to not have too much pride.
   
7. Calmness- Try not to loose your temper, because you will only make things worst
   
8. Perseverance- Do not give up on anything you put your mind to do.
   
9. Organization- Organize your thoughts and goals and if necessary, write them down in order to complete tasks.
   
10. Time is money- Don’t waste time. Time is a valuable thing.
    
11. Kindness- Think about others and try to contribute to those who are less fortunate.
    
12. Slow- Do not overwhelm your self. One completed task is better than three begun and not completed.
    
13. Decisions- Think about the positive and negative outcomes of every decision.

I do not believe in perfection for anything to be honest. I believe anything and anyone can improve, but no one and nothing can be perfect. I believe that if I were to follow this list like Benjamin Franklin did, I would be able to improve in many aspects of my life. I believe that if i did follow it, I would eventually get accustomed to it. Sometimes though, it is very difficult to improve even when you have will to do it. The reason for this is because so many outside sources affect us is so many ways. For example, lets say you are not feeling well one day and someone talks to you in rude way. At that moment, most likely you would not think about what you are going to say and be rude back. It is definitely a difficult task to follow a list like the one I did.

Assignment 3 Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was definitely considered a rationalist. He made this be known in many different ways with his different studies and experiments. In my opinion, the list he made of the thirteen virtues was what definitely defined him as a rationalist. He believed that society was run by natural law and that he could improve himself by following the list he made. “I propos'd to myself, for the sake of clearness, to use rather more names, with fewer ideas annex'd to each, than a few names with more ideas; and I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurr'd to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short precept, which fully express'd the extent I gave to its meaning.” Benjamin Franklin not only listed these virtues, but he also described what each one of them meant to him personally. He knew he could improve himself by trying to follow this list.

Puritans and Rationalists

There are many differences between the beliefs of Puritans and Rationalists. Many of these beliefs even still go on today. The Rationalists believed in God, but they did not think he was responsible for everything that happened in the world. Rationalists took a more scientific approach for the explanation of certain things that happened in this world. Rationalists also believed that we all had certain rights that could not be taken away from us. Puritans, on the other hand, believed that there were only certain people who would get certain rights. Rationalist, in my opinion, believed more in equal ism between everyone while the Puritans believed God chose who had these rights and who did not. I believe we live now in world that leans more towards Rationalism. Science and research is a major part of our every day lives. There are discoveries being made constantly about how the world came to be what it is today and explanations for why certain things happen. Some people to this day though, still believe that God is the reason for everything and that he will decide when the universe will come to an end. I remember the when the new millennium came and how so many religious people thought the world would come to an end. The ongoing debate will most likely never end, but I think anything is possible and it is good to keep an open mind.

Task 3 The Puritans

Total Depravity - through Adam and Eve's fall, every person is born sinful - concept of Original Sin.
Hands of an Angry God- “...God is under no matter of obligation to keep him a moment from eternal destruction. So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of Hell. They have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it.”
The concept of total depravity is described in this quote from Hands of an Angry God. It says that God has no obligation from keeping men from destruction because they deserve it. They deserve hell because they were already sentenced to it from the moment they were born.

Limited Atonement - Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone. Irresistible Grace - God's grace is freely given, it cannot be earned or denied. Grace is defined as the saving and transfiguring power of God.
Of Plymouth Plantation- “Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the fast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.”
The concept of Limited Antonement is described in this quote from Of Plymouth Plantation God's grace can be defined in many ways. The Wikipedia describes divine grace as “...God's gifts to all humankind, including, life, creation and salvation.” The puritans believed that it was because of God's grace, that they were able to arrive safely on land.

Puritans

The Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is one of Jonathan Edward’s most infamous sermons. It speaks of God and how all he feels is wrath towards everyone and that everyone is going to hell no matter what. “And they have no interest in any Mediator, there are no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short, they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of; all that preserves them every moment is the mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance of an incensed God.” This quote comes directly from the sermon saying that there is nothing anyone can do to save themselves from this furious God. Jonathan in a way is contradicting himself. He explains that nothing that can be done to be saved, however, later on in the sermon he explains that only certain chose ones will be saved. He never says the qualities those chosen one had to have or if they had to do anything. But, if nothing can be done to be saved, how is it that there is going to be these chosen few.
“Thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it…” This is another big part of Jonathan’s sermon. He believed that men were held up by God over a fire pit and at any moment, for mere pleasure, he could let them go. God is not like this at all. If this were the case, absolutely no one would believe in him. Many of us do and believe his sole purpose is to be able to save us. Jonathan makes it seem like God is having fun taunting with the lives of people.
I believe this sermon was just made up to scare people. I believe that only those who accept Christ as their savior will be saved. God is meant to give us peace and inner calmness, in my opinion. It is said that some people fainted when they heard this sermon. Honestly, I cannot blame them. If I were living in the time they were living in where religion was a big part of every day life, I would have also probably fainted. It is hard to even imagine what was going through Jonathan’s mind. It was definitely made to frighten people, but he could have made it to make people act better to become one of the chosen few. The question that comes to my mind is where is he now?
I do not believe Jonathan Edward’s sermon worked. People believed in God deeply. This is portrayed in William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation. “Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the fast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.” As soon as the Puritans set foot on land, they immediately thanked God. They believed that because of God, they had safely arrived on land. The opinion of one man is not going to change these strong feelings of the Puritans about God.

The Puritans

The Puritans, more commonly known as the pilgrims, were a group of people in the 1620’s who had strict beliefs about religion. They believed that God had wrath towards people, except for those chosen few. The belief was that God saves only those he wishes and everyone else is going to hell. This belief was because of their idea that everyone was a descendant of Adam and Eve. Since Adam and Eve were sinful, everyone else was born sinful as well. They also believed that Jesus died only for a chosen few and not everyone. Another belief they had is that God’s grace is feely given and that it can’t be earned. The Puritans had Saints whom had been “elected” by God and they could take God’s word and interpret it any way they wanted to. No one was to against their interpretation because they were Saints and since they were chosen by God, they could not be wrong.