Transcript Unit 4
Unit 4 Division, Reconciliation, and Expansion (1850-1914) Transformation of the U.S. United States transformed from decentralized, mostly agricultural nation to modern industrial nation Transformation began with Civil War Historical background Disagreements over slavery erupted – Fugitive Slave Act, expansion of slavery West Also present in literature of the time, even fueling the controversy Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin Transformation of the U.S. Union is dissolved – Feb. 1861 Beginning of Civil War America expands Change characterizes period immediately following Civil War Westward movement shifted into high gear with Homestead Act, especially emancipated African Americans, miners, and cattle ranchers First transcontinental railroad completed in 1868 Transformation of the U.S. Disappearing frontier Many Americans moved West to farm Native Americans displaced along with wild life Frontier lived on in legends Changing Society Introduction of electricity in 1880s fueled Industrial Revolution Industrial and Urban growth sparked by immigration (25 million people immigrated between 1865-1915) Extremes of wealth and poverty created Dubbed “Gilded Age” by Mark Twain Transformation of the U.S. Literature of the Period Wartime voices Diaries, letters, and journals – provided richly detailed record of Civil War experiences President Lincoln as writer/orator Frontier voices Bret Harte, Willa Cather, Mark Twain, Jack London Gave rise to Realism (and Naturalism) as writers turned away from Romanticism Transformation of the U.S. Literature of Discontent Social ills of industrialization came under eye and pen of talented writers Woman’s equality & independence Kate Chopin, Stephen Crane, Paul Laurence Dunbar A Nation Divided Civil War era left a lasting impression on our nation’s identity Left legacy of survival in the face of tremendous adversity Moved literature away from Romanticism toward Realism and Naturalism What are Realism & Naturalism? Realism sought to portray life as faithfully and accurately as possible. Realists focused on ordinary people faced with the harsh realities of everyday life Naturalism also focused on portraying truthfully the lives of ordinary people. Naturalists believed that a person’s fate is determined by environment, heredity, and chance Often depicted characters whose lives were shaped by forces they could neither understand nor control, but endured with strength and dignity. This affirmed the significance of their existence A Nation Divided Stephen Crane (1871-1900) Hadn’t been born when last battle of Civil War took place Still known for compelling depiction of the war Leader of Naturalist movement Worked as a journalist, inspiring his works and influencing his writing style Interviewed veterans, studied pictures, battle plans and biographical accounts to write “An Episode of War” An Episode of War As you read, think about how fate was determined by environment and chance Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) rose out of slavery to become one of the most gifted writers and orators of his time Dedicated his life to fighting for the abolition of slavery and civil rights Served as an inspiration and example for both blacks and whites throughout the country Learned to read and write while a slave in a Baltimore home Initially his owner encouraged his education, but later she objected to it Frederick Douglass Escaped to Massachusetts at age 21 Despite fear of being arrested as fugitive slave, Douglass delivered speeches and lectures on the ills of slavery Published his autobiography in 1845 Fled to England trying to gain support for abolitionist movement in America He returned to U.S., establishing a newspaper for African-Americans Frederick Douglass Key terms/Ideas Persuasive Appeals - Persuasion, according to Aristotle and the many authorities that would echo him, is brought about through three kinds of proof or persuasive appeal: Logos – Appeal to reason Pathos – Appeal to emotion Ethos – Appeal to one’s character All three of these work together to make a persuasive appeal Frederick Douglass Key terms/ideas Imagery Irony – Speaking in such a way as to imply the contrary of what one says, often for the purpose of derision, mockery, or jest. Repetition – Repeating of ideas Connotative language – implied meaning behind the literal meaning of a word Denotative language – literal meaning of a word Frederick Douglass Questions to think about as you read: How does Frederick Douglass's skilled use of language paint a realistic portrait of slavery? How successful is Douglass in persuading the reader of the evils that slavery inflicts on both slave and slaveholder alike? Frederick Douglass Think about your own growth. What have been the formative moments of your experience, at what age did these moments occur, and what was the result of these moments? Think about the ways in which they reflect upon their life histories: Do you keep a journal or a blog? Do you write poems or songs that capture important times in your lives? If so, why do you feel a need to record your lives? Ambrose Bierce Writing & philosophy shaped by career as Union officer in Civil War Explored themes of cruelty & death, earning the nickname “Bitter Bierce” As a journalist, wrote political & social satire, literary reviews, & gossip – cynical & malicious Bierce “never troubled to conceal his justifiable contempt of humanity,” according to friend and writer George Sterling Ambrose Bierce Literary Terms Point of View – perspective, or vantage point, from which a story is told The way time is perceived in a story may depend on the point of view from which it is told Objective point of view – readers follow action without understanding any character’s thoughts about the events Third-person limited point of view – narrator relates inner thoughts & feelings of a single character In “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” POV shifts from objective to third-person limited, causing the emotional tone & sense of time to change, too Ambrose Bierce Literary Terms Stream-of-consciousness – narrative technique that presents thoughts as if they were coming directly from a character’s mind Events not necessarily arranged in chronological order, rather occurring from the character’s point of view with their thoughts mixed in Bierce reports thoughts in short bursts, without full sentences, and often without clear or logical connection An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Story begins in Objective POV “A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.” This is just like a scene from a movie in which the viewer would see this as it takes place No outside thoughts are introduced The way Bierce describes the scene demonstrates his cynicism & coldness “The liberal military code makes provision for hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded.” Satirical (exaggeration) An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge More cynicism from Bierce “His face had not been covered nor his eyes bandaged.” As the man is hanging, Bierce makes the transition to third-person limited pov Readers also receive his stream-ofconsciousness (such as when his thoughts turn to his wife & children or he hears the sound of his watch ticking) Readers also learn the man’s thoughts – “If I could free my hands …” This may or may not be happening in chronological order An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Part II Third-person limited POV Reader learns about Peyton Farquhar & his wife – only the thoughts the writer wants readers to know Reader also learns of the conversation between Farquhar & a Federal scout The final paragraph provides foreshadowing What is the chronology of the story? An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Part III Return to the bridge (again out of chronological order) Stream-of-consciousness – he was already dead, awakened later “by the pain of a sharp pressure upon his throat” Readers learn of the pain as Farquhar experiences them “Feeling was torment” – perhaps a description of the author’s own feelings He’s cynical – numbed to the outside world An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge The rope snaps, but Farquhar is not free His struggle continues as he’s not ready to give up his life, even subconsciously Still being told in third-person limited pov Readers do not know anything occurring outside of Farquhar’s experiences/thoughts Hypersensitive – readers learn about his neardeath experience to the point that Farquhar can hear gnats’ wings, see the veins in each leaf, and hear a fish swimming by parting the water An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Farquhar’s experience is revealing to him Perhaps Bierce’s war experience draws parallels to the character’s “He did not know that he lived in so wild a region.” “The thought of his wife and children urged him on.” Probably a common thought among soldiers (Bierce had a wife & children) He finally sees his home & his wife Then all of a sudden silence & darkness – his life had flashed before him, and now he was dead The entire story had been a dream/vision – not reality Diaries, Journals, & Letters Personal records of events, thoughts, feelings and observations written on a day-to-day basis Allow for immediate responses to experiences Historical narratives – provide an intimate perspective on events Distinguish facts from opinions as you read Diaries, Journals, & Letters Is there a noticeable difference between the account of a northerner and the account of a southern during the Civil War? Mark Twain Widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers Real name – Samuel Clemens Worked as a riverboat pilot as a young man – which is where he got the pen name (a river man’s calling meaning “two fathoms deep”) Well travelled, supporting himself as a journalist & lecturer and developing the entertaining writing style that made him famous Mark Twain Famous titles: The Innocents Abroad, Roughing It, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Life on the Mississippi, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Had masterful commandment of the English language Wife died and three of his four children died as well, leaving him unable to reproduce the balance between pessimism & humor in his earlier works Mark Twain Literary Terms Humor – writing intended to evoke laughter Techniques exaggeration & embellishment Using narrator/storyteller who takes serious tone, adding humor by suggesting that the storyteller is unaware of its ridiculous qualities Regional Dialect – language specific to a particular area of the country Ex: Why donchu gowidus? Ex: What didyas eat? The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Examples of humor: Fat, bald-headed and had an expression of winning gentleness and simplicty Man will bet on anything Examples of regional dialect: Feller – fellow or man “I’ll resk two and a half” – I’ll bet … Bret Harte Oops … wrong Bret Harte Bret Harte (1836-1902) Literary pioneer who played key role in creating vivid, lasting portrait of Old West Stories filled with picturesque, intriguing characters and colorful dialogue Provided post-Civil War America with first glimpse of western life, establishing Old West as popular literary setting Travelled west after growing up in upstate New York Observations of rugged, violent life in mining camps, towns and cities of new frontier provided him with inspiration for short stories Bret Harte Literary Terms Regionalism Literary movement in which writers attempt to depict & analyze the distinctive & unique qualities of a geographical area & its people Local color An aspect of regionalism, local color highlights characteristics & details unique to a specific area. Captures the physical environment, as well as the mood of a time and place, and includes the ways in which people talk & how they think The Outcasts of Poker Flat Captures the essence of the Old West Mr. Oakhurst unafraid of danger Romantic ideas of gambling, saloons, Old West mining towns Chivalric qualities – honor, treatment of women, courage Dangers of travel in the Old West Mountainous region – snow, difficult travel, running out of supplies The Outcasts of Poker Flat Regionalism What are some of the qualities revealed about the town of Poker Flat? How do the descriptions of both the physical environment and the characters reflect qualities unique to the Old West? Local color “A few of the committee had urged hanging him as a possible example, and a sure method of reimbursing themselves from his pocket of the sums he had won from them.” What inferences can you make from that passage about the local color? Jack London (1876-1916) Sympathetic toward working class & lasting dislike of drudgery, providing inspiration for novels & short stories Grew up poor, working odd jobs & reading. Finished HS in one year, enrolled in University of California before dropping out after a semester Traveled to Alaskan Yukon in search of gold Unsuccessful as miner, but experience taught him about human desire for wealth & power and about humankind’s inability to control forces of nature Jack London Experiences in Alaska provided material for his writing, becoming one of America’s most popular authors and writing classics (The Call of the Wild, The Sea-Wolf, and White Fang) Best works depict an individual’s struggle for survival against powerful forces of nature Jack London Literary Terms Conflict – struggle between two opposing forces Internal – occurs within mind of character External – occurs between character and society, nature, another person, God, or fate Irony – involves contrast between what is stated & what is meant, or between what is expected to happen & what actually happens Dramatic Irony – contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader knows to be true Often used to heighten sense of conflict To Build a Fire Predicting “It was a steep bank, and he paused for breath at the top, excusing the act to himself by looking at his watch. It was nine o’clock. There was no sun nor hint of sun, though there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a clear day, and yet there seemed an intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle gloom that made the day dark, and that was due to the absence of sun.” (p.609) To Build a Fire What is the narrative perspective? Third-person omniscient – the narrator is aware of everything going on, whether the character’s thoughts or actions Dramatic Irony The old man at Sulphur Creek Warned the character about traveling alone Did not heed the old man’s advice As readers, we should be able to expect his death because of the consistent reminders of the warning To Build a Fire Conflict What internal conflict does the character experience? His own stubbornness to travel in the Yukon alone with temperatures at minus-75 What external conflict does the character experience? His struggle to survive Battle with the numbness in his extremities