Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Mark Twain



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
February 24th, 2009
Mark Twain: Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses

Mark Twain was born Samuel L. Clemens in Florida, Missouri in 1835. He is forever remembered as one of, if not the most famous American writer in history. Clemens adopted the name "Mark Twain" after he had worked as a river boat captain along the Mississippi River. "Mark Twain" literally means the edge between safe and dangerous water. The meaning behind this pen name is not only a reference to his roots, but a metaphor for the Twain's own character. He consistently tested the boundaries of American literature and broke major ground all with a humorous yet precise style of writing. Twain was clearly a genius of the English language and it is the manner in which he uses this to portray the American people is truly what makes him stand out from other writers.

"Cooper was certainly not a master in the construction of dialogue. Inaccurate observation defeated him here as it defeated him in so many other enterprises of his. He even failed to notice that the man who talks corrupt English six days in the week must and will talk it on the seventh, and can't help himself" (301).

Summary:
Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses represents Twain's critique of the use of language in literature by his contemporaries and explains why he felt confident writing in a style that was so different from everyone else. James Fenimore Cooper is a well known author of historical fiction, often describing a hero who overcomes forces of the wilderness through his cunning strength and survival skills. In this work, Twain lists all of the reasons he dislikes Cooper's work, mainly pertaining to the unfulfilled feeling he gets from the writing itself. Twain interprets Cooper's work to be highly overrated and full of cliques and inconsistencies.

Response:
One of Mark Twain's greatest accomplishments is how he managed to incorporate true American speech into complex literature. The raw, unaltered speech found in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn truly portrays America how it was, not how it was characterized to be. By allowing "real" characters to experience and explain deep moral issues, Twain separated himself from other writers and created a new definition of American Literature.
Mark Twain felt that a major flaw of Coopers was his "inaccurate observation". Twain felt that Cooper's inability to see and portray Americans accurately completely discredited the writing. Twain spends a good portion of Fenimore Cooper criticizing the inconsistencies in the character's speech. The character Deerslayer thinks eloquently and profoundly in one instance, yet speaks with the improper English slang. To Twain, these contradicting ideas are hilarious and unforgivable.
Huckleberry Finn can be viewed as the piece of writing retaliates against Cooper. Huck is the true voice of the novel and the reader experiences the story completely through his perspective. The reader is not removed from the mind of this uneducated runaway and this is what makes the novel so profound. There are no jarring inconsistencies, or cliches, the writing is completely honest to the time and the character. The lessons learned in Huck are realistic, not contrived. By staying true to the time period and not embellishing the language so the sake of literature, Twain has managed to create a piece of writing that is far more meaningful that those "epic" adventures writen by Cooper.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Edith Wharton



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
February 19, 2009
Edith Wharton: The Other Two

Edith Wharton is best known for her two novels, The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence.  The themes of these novels, as well as her other works deal with the elite class of society and the dilemmas they face despite the level of luxury they reside in.  Wharton herself was raised in a very privileged family and lived a lifestyle similar to many of her leading heroines.  Once she managed to end her unhappy marriage in 1913, she devoted the rest of her life to her writing and her involvement in relief organizations during World War 1.  

"People shook their heads over him, however, when one grudging friend, to whom he affirmed that he took the step with his eyes open, replied oracularly: "Yes- and with your ears shut" (831).  

Summary:
This quote appears early in the story, shortly after we are introduced to the newlywed Waythorns.  Mr. Waythorn is clearly a very successful man who offers his new bride a very luxurious lifestyle.  The couple has returned early from their honeymoon due to Lily, Alice's daughter's struggle with typhoid.  We also quickly learn that this is not Alice's first marriage, in fact it is her third.  This quotation explains the reactions Waythorn's friends had upon hearing he was planning to marry Alice and the social disgrace that is associated with divorce.  

Response:
The role of the public opinion just as influential in both Wharton's The Other Two as it is in James' Daisy Miller.  The very nature of the society these people lived in involved the constant criticism of whether something was proper or not.  The struggle each character faces in choosing whether or not to let the public opinion influence his or her actions is the very basis of the moral dilemma in each story.  The "correct" behavior of an affluent woman in society is tested by both Alice and Daisy in their own sense. 

At a time when divorce was a new and highly scrutinized practice, Alice Waythorn had already had two.  By moving from husband to husband Alice gained attention from the public and not in a positive light.  The "scandal" of her remarrying for a third time not only tarnishes her own public reputation but also the reputation of her soon to be husband.

The quote above address Mr. Waythorn specifically, and reveals just how disapproving society was of his choice to marry Alice.  By taking the step "with his eyes open...and ears shut" (831), Waythorn is making the conscious decision to ignore the gossip around him.  He has chosen a woman who has clearly acted without fear of public scrutiny and he decides to do the same.  His sincere belief that she only has feelings for him despite her past motivated Waythorn to shut out any doubt he may have heard from others. 

However, as the story progresses, Waythorne begins to doubt his original decision as he realizes that perhaps the public warning was correct.  To his disappointment, Alice truly is a manifestation of her complicated past and was not able to "shed her past like a man" (841), as Waythorn has sincerely hoped.  

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Henry James



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
February 17, 2009
Henry James: Daisy Miller: A Study

The setting and way of life described in Henry James' fiction is much like the lifestyle he lead himself; privileged, wealthy, educated and of high society.  Born in New York City in 1843 with a wealthy business man as a father, Henry was able to experience the highest quality of life.  His ultimate goal was to be a "literary master" by European standards, however he did not reach the height of his popularity until after his death.  James spent the majority of his life in Europe, where he was also educated as a young man.  The time he spent in England gave him the opportunity to observe the behavior of Americans in Europe, recorded in one of his earliest works, Daisy Miller: A Study.  This work was highly scandalous for its time and was banned in American for many years for its shocking portrayal of the behavior exhibited by an American woman.  

"He said to himself that she was too light and childish, too uncultivated and unreasoning, too provincial, to have reflected upon her ostracism or even to have perceived it.  Then at the other moments he believed that she carried about in her elegant and irresponsible little organism a defiant, passionate, perfectly observant consciousness of the impression she produced" (424).

Summary:
At this point in the story, Winterbourne's infatuation with Miss Daisy has reached its height.  They have both been living in Rome for some time and Miss Daisy's relationship with Giovanelli appears to have become more serious.  The two spend every minute of the day together and Winterbourne feels he has become more distanced from the girl he admires more than ever.  Although James does not portray Winterbourne as a jealous man, one can determine he is becoming thoroughly frustrated by Daisy's actions.  He attempts to understand the motives of this woman but becomes increasingly perplexed as he attempts to analyze this "American girl".

Response:
As Winterbourne reflects over his impression of Miss Daisy in his head, it is clear that he has as much difficulty reading her as he did the moment he met her.  His contradicting descriptions illustrate the warping effect this women has had on his mind.  Although Winterbourne has a great deal of respect to the rules of society he has learned in Europe, I believe there is something in Daisy's carefree attitude that attracts him.   
On one hand, Winterbourne represents the rest of the upper society who judges Daisy for her improper behavior.  Although he may like her, Winterbourne admits that she is "a young person of the reckless class".  Winterbourne often finds himself feeling protective of Daisy, wishing she would act more lady-like or at least become aware of the image she is projecting.  He is often criticized for being attracted to Daisy by his aunt and Mrs. Walker because of her behavior, and finds himself frustrated for being caught in this dilemma. 
Alternatively, Winterbourne also shows a form of respect for the level of self- confidence Miss Daisy has.  He often gets the impression that she is well aware of the image she portrays and simply doesn't care what others think of her.  By freeing herself from the confines of society's standards, Daisy is able to have the experiences she desires.  To Winterbourne, who has always obeyed society's rules, this idea is strange yet attractive.  He somewhat envies Daisy's state of mind and finds it makes her much more alluring.
Throughout the entire story Winterbourne changes his impression of Daisy repeatedly.  She is to him, an oxymoron or a very complex puzzle.  Her behavior is scandalous by the standards of the European elite, yet her charisma is undeniable.  Her ability to brush off the criticism or perhaps remain completely unaware of it is a quality he learns to admire the closer he becomes with Daisy.  

Friday, February 13, 2009

Stephen Crane



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
February 13, 2009
Stephen Crane: The Open Boat

On January 1, 1897, Stephen Crane sailed as a correspondent aboard the Commodore.  On its journey from Jacksonville, Florida to Cuba the steamboat sank and Crane along with the other three travelers escaped in a ten-foot row boat.  The Open Boat, published in June 1897 is a fictional account of this epic, near death experience.  Crane writes to describe the value of human existence, a lesson he learned when he thought he would surely drown.  

"But she was different, flatly indifferent.  It is, perhaps, plausible that a man in this situation, impressed with the unconcern of the universe, should see the innumerable flaws of this life and have them taste wickedly in his mind and wish for another chance.  A distinction between right and wrong seems absurdly clear to him, then, in this new ignorance of the grave-edge, and he understands that if he were given another opportunity he would mend his conduct and his words, and be better and brighter during an introduction or at a tea" (1013-1014).

Summary:
At this point in the account, the men had been on the row boat for quite some time.  They have been tempted with the hope of rescue and miserably denied it.  Their physical exhaustion has reached an extreme and the reality that they will drown is clearly setting in.  In moments they will jump from the boat and swim for shore and their fate lies in the hands of the ocean from this point on.  The value of existence becomes bitterly clear to Crane at this moment, as his sarcastic attitude describes the desire for a second chance.

Response:
In my eyes, Crane's nihilism, pessimism and sarcasm all clearly emerge in this passage.  He begins the passage by personifying nature as completely  indifferent and unconcerned with his existence.  Crane has expressed this idea before in his novel The Blue Hotel, stating that we are merely lice clinging "to a whirling, firesmote, ice-locked disease-stricken, space-lost bulb".  The image of humans as equivalent to lice, devalues them significantly and nihilistically portrays the meaning of life.  In these moments of near death, Crane decides that in the context of the universe, humans mean absolutely nothing and trivializes his thoughts of "a second chance" at a life that means nothing.  
 
As Crane goes on, he describes the reality one is able to perceive, only in the last moments of life.  Once death is near, one is able to understand their mistakes and see their life objectively for the first time.  The irony is, that of course there are no second chances at life and this last minute insight is merely a tease for the person who experiences it.  By writing that he would be "better and brighter during an introduction, or at a tea", Crane's sarcasm becomes very apparent.  His sudden desire to fix his behavior in the most meaningly tasks illustrates his bitter attitude towards life.  From this experience aboard the Commodore, Crane has gained the insight that only those who have brushed with death have.  Unfortunately, it appears that Crane's orginial pessimism has only been heightened and perhaps justified.  

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Stephen Crane



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
February 10, 2009
Stephen Crane: Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

Stephen Crane is known as one of the main proponents for the idea of naturalistic writing. Although his personal life was far different than the lives of his characters, Crane was able to produce writing with very dark, literal interpretations of the "depths of society" (7). Unfortunately, Crane's literary career was cut extremely short with his death by tuberculosis at the age of twenty-eight. However, his works such as Maggie: A Girl of the Streets still remain as accurate representations of the poverty stricken environments many people endured in this country.

"To him the police were always actuated by malignant impulses and the rest of the world was composed, for the most part, of despicable creatures who were all trying to take advantage of him and with whom, in defense, he was obliged to quarrel on all possible occasions" (965).

Summary:
At this moment in the novel, Jimmie has grown from an impressionable child into a hardened, "young man of leather"(964). He has been hired as a driver and finds himself continuing to get in fights with numerous people he interacts with. His short temper and inherent mistrust in all people justifies his numerous acts of physical violence. By this time Jimmie has lost his father and has been forced to become the head of the household. This added stress also fuels his sudden outbursts of extreme anger.

Response:
After reading this description of Jimmie's interpretation of the people he interacts with, I could easily draw similarities to the ideas of Thomas Hobbes on human nature and the ideas of Social Darwinism. Hobbes believed that "man is aggressive, competitive, ever-striving being, moved by the compulsion to fill his unlimited appetites" (Greenberg, 38). This idea that, for the most part, the average person is evil and reckless, clearly supports the idea of Social Darwinism that emerged from Crane's time period. Crane describes Jimmie as the epitome of Hobbes' fear of human nature. His natural violent ways support the idea that those who are naturally unfit for society are doomed for failure.
In response to his view on human nature, Hobbes believed that those who govern society are a select minority who are not plagued by these evils and they must be responsible for maintaining peace and order. In terms of Social Darwinism, this minority also exists but as an justification for economic inequalities. One can interpret Stephen Crane's "Maggie" in the same context.
Crane's angry, alcoholic pessimistic characters such as Jimmie and Mary are products of Social Darwinism. They follow their instinctively violent ways and have found themselves on the fringes of society in return. Maggie, the only character described to have potentially escaped this pattern of failure, also falls victim to a devastating fate. Her fantasies of social growth are ruined by her naieve trust in the people around her. Once again, this idea of the "survival of the fittest"' comes into play and justifies that tragic lifestyle these people faced.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
February 5th, 2009
Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton: The Squatter and the Don

Maria Ruiz was the first Mexican American author to become published in English.  She was born in Baja California in 1832, the granddaughter of a wealthy, aristocratic Mexican commander, similar to Don Mariano in her novel, The Squatter and the Don.  Maria Ruiz was a well educated woman who witnessed the changes the state of California experienced in response to the western expansion after the Civil War.  Her writing focuses on not only social and political tensions between the Mexican Americans and the white settlers, but also on environmental issues as well.  The Squatter and the Don can be interpreted from many viewpoints, but as an environmental critic, is reveals the importance of living harmoniously with the land.  

"Don very properly says, this is a grazing county, no legislation can change it.  So it would be wiser to make laws to suit the county, and not expect the county will change its character to suit absurd laws..." (100)

Summary:
This comment closes the meeting between the Don and the white squatters described in the novel.  In this meeting, the Don as proposed a plan which will serve as a compromise between himself and the squatters.  In this plan he recommends that the farmers replace their wheat fields with cattle and orchards to utilize the land they are given.  The Don feels that with these crops, the natural resources they have with be fully utilized, waste will be minimized and profits will increase. 

Response:
From the viewpoint of an environmentalist, the Don's proposal is based upon most natural, environment friendly values we are taught today.  The idea behind environmentalism is so take advantage of the natural resources provided by the earth and to live ones life in harmony with nature.  The production of artificial products and the waste of natural ones damages the earth and limits the capacity of what is achievable.  By suggesting that San Diego county is "a grazing county" and insisting that raising cattle will be most profitable, the Don is unconsciously preserving the environment.  Whether or not environmental concern is a priority for the Don, his ideas about utilizing the resources rather than altering them is clearly indicative of a conservationist view.

Both Maria Ruiz and Sarah Orne Jewett focus on the preserving their home lands as they remember them.  Each writer incorporates the natural environment as an essential aspects of the way of life and in the success of each society.  When this natural equilibrium is altered by either killing natural species or growing crops that waste resources, the value of the land is depleted.  The act of living harmoniously with the land and resistance to industrial damages are clear themes in each of these writer's works.  

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Sarah Orne Jewett



Melanie Freeman
English 48B
February 3, 2009
Sarah Orne Jewett's A White Heron

Sarah One Jewett is often viewed as a regionalist writer who represented the culture of her hometown of South Berwick, Maine in her works.  Her writing celebrates the natural beauty of the environment around her, often describing the influences of the neighboring ocean.  Although Jewett's writing is multi dimensional, her clear references to the changing landscape of her hometown portray her ecological critique of the Industrial Revolution.  Jewett memorializes the distinct ways of life and physical environment before technology dominated the New England region to show how drastically the physical land and way of life has been altered.  

"Half a mile from home, at the farther edge of the woods, where the land was highest, a great pine tree stood, the last of its generation.  Whether it was left for a boundary mark, or for what reason, no one could say; the woodchoppers who had felled its mates were dead and gone long ago...." (526).  

Summary:
This description of the pine tree occurs after the young sportsman meets Sylvia and her grandmother and becomes a guest on their farm.  He tells them that he studies birds and would love nothing more than to find and shoot a white heron.  He offers Sylvia ten dollars if she will show him the bird and for the time being she considers it.  After spending the day hunting along side the sportsman, Sylvia pictures the image of this tree while lying awake in bed and realizes how significant her climbing of this tree is.  

Reflection:

Sylvia describes this old pine tree as though it is worthy of great respect.  This tree is representative of the land before the influence of technology and literally and figuratively stands about the entire forrest.  By climbing this tree, Sylvia feels that she will be able to see everything clearly, including the location of the white heron.  This tree will give Sylvia access to all of the secrets of the forrest, as long as she proves herself strong enough to climb to the top.  

I feel that this pine being "the last of its generation" is representative of Jewett's disapproval of the ecological damage created by the Industrial Revolution.  This tree becomes such an essential character in the story and is often personified to give nature significant value.  The idea that the white heron is found living in this tree and that there is only one heron left is also very evocative of Jewett's role as an environmental critique.  The "woodchoppers" have clearly damaged this bird's natural habitat so drastically that it is at the point of extinction from this area.  

The white heron, a symbol of virginity and purity, can also be read as a symbol of pure, natural land.  Once human influence has altered or damaged the environment, the purity of the land is also damaged.  When Sylvia decided the keep the location of the heron a secret, she is vowing to maintain the natural order of the land and do her best to keep it safe from the strong influence of the economic, male- driven society.