"Story of an Hour"

"Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin is a very absurd story. Kate Chopin is making a stand for women's rights. The main character in this story is Louise Mallard. She learns that her husband has been killed in a train crash, and immediately she is in tears. After a while she realizes that it is not as bad as she thinks it is. She realizes she is free from her husbands controlling will. Chopin writes, "There would be no powerful will bending hers"(Chopin 555). This story was written in 1894 and women had little to no rights in that time period. Mallard has a turn around in her emotions when she realizes she is free. She says, "'Free, free, free!'"(Chopin 554) Mallard obviously was not too excited about her marriage with her husband. She cared about him but she was not extremely fond of him. Chopin writes, "And yet she loved him-sometimes. Often she had not."(Chopin 555) Most likely she loved him in the beginning of their marriage, but now she was seeing her husbands true colors coming through. Chopin was showing that women wanted more from their marriages, and more from their lives in general. She was a women activist. She was making a point that women need to be treated better, and that they also deserve freedom.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was also a women rights supporter. Growing up he was parented by his mother, his father had died when he was young. In a analysis of Emerson it says, "His mother supported his family after the untimely death of his father."(Harvard) There was obviously a lot of influence of women in his life. His Aunt Marry came on "extended visits"(Harvard) very often. In the work about Emerson it says, "Emerson singed the "Declaration of Principles'"(Harvard) This was a document put forth by the National Women's Rights Convention. Emerson had strong feelings about women's rights and did not care what others thought of him.

Harvard. "Women’s Rights | Emerson - Living Legacy." Harvard Square Library. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. .

Chopin, Kate. "Story of an Hour." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

O Pioneers

Willa Cather’s excerpt from “O Pioneers!” gives the reader a brief glimpse of the hard life of a pioneer. It displays the strength of family out in the wild frontier. In spite of the death of the Bergson’s father they still preserver. Cather writes, “For the first three years after John Bergson’s death, the affairs of his family prospered. Then came the hard times that brought every one on the Divide to the brink of despair”(Cather 489). The family stuck together in the good times, but they also stuck together during the hard times. She writes, “The first of these fruitless summers the Bergson boys bore courageously.”

(Cather 489) The Bergson brothers stuck together after their father had died. They kept the farm going through the tough and unsuccessful growing season. Cather writes, “It was no fault of theirs that that they had been dragged into the wilderness when they were little boys”(Cather 489) Even though they had no choice on coming to this new land, they still work hard to keep the family farm going. Cather is really stressing the importance of the strength of family. It is important that the Bergson boys keep the farm going to support the family, and to honor the wishes of their father. He came all that way to try and make a better life for him and his family.

Ralph Waldo Emerson believes that a man is stronger by himself, fighting for himself. In his writing “Self-Reliance” he says, “It is only as a man puts off all foreign support, and stands alone, that I see him to be strong and to prevail.”(Emerson 322). Emerson is not saying that a man should not have a family and set out to provide for them. He is saying that the man should be there to provide and support for his family. The man is strongest when he does not have to rely on any out side help. When John Bergson died he left the farm to his sons, and they may have to rely on the support of other people forcing them to not be as wealthy or as strong as they would be by themselves.

Cather, Willa. "From O Pioneers ." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Emerson, R. Waldo. "Self-Reliance." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

“An Occurrence at Owl Bridge Creek”, by Ambrose Bierce, is a very suspenseful and exciting story. The way Bierce made the story jump back and forth is particularly interesting. The imagination Bierce must have had to write a story is outstanding. The main character in the story, Peyton Farquhar, was a very patriotic man. Even though he is not supporting the right cause, he is still very passionate about what he believes. Bierce writes, “he was naturally and original secessionist and ardently devoted to the southern cause.”(Bierce 391) Farquhar was not able to fight for the Confederacy, but he still wanted to help any way he could. Bierce writes, “No service was too humble for him to perform in aid of the South” (Bierce 392). No matter what Peyton Farquhar was asked to do to aid the Confederacy, he would do it. Farquhar was tricked by a Federal scout, but he did not know it. That is what led him to be captured. In doing what he could to slow the advancing Union army, Farquhar was caught trying to burn down a bridge. Bierce creates the image of a southern hero, and the reader is intrigued by what he has done. Peyton Farquhar was not able to join the Confederate Army, but he was still fighting for what he believed to be right.

Henry David Thoreau is the opposite of Ambrose Bierce. In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau is clearly disappointed in his government, “I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government.”(Thoreau 223) At that time none of the states had seceded form the Union, and the government still supported slavery. Thoreau did not appreciate the fact that he had to pay taxes to something he did not support. Ralph Waldo Emerson writes in “Self-Reliance”, “It is only as man puts off all foreign support, and stands alone, that I see him to be strong and to prevail.”(Emerson 322) Emerson and Bierce have a similar philosophy. Farquhar was alone in his act, and Emerson sees that as a strong attribute.

Bierce, Ambrose. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Emerson, R. Waldo. "From Self-Reliance." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Thoreau, D. Henry. "From Civil Disobedience." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth’s speech, “And Ain’t I a Woman?” is a very powerful and emotional speech. It is obvious that Sojourner was fired up when she made this speech. There is an obvious political message behind her speech, and that is the fact that women should be treated equally. Sojourner connects slavery with women’s writes by saying if she has to do the same work as a man, why can she not be given the same rights as a man. She says, “I have plowed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman?”(Truth 370) She has to do the same exact work a man (if not more as a slave) and she is treated more poorly then a slave man. Sojourner is making to point that if she works as hard as a man, eats as much as a man, and takes the punishment as well as a man, she should be able to have the freedoms of a man. More importantly she is trying to gain rights and freedoms for slave women. Truth says, “Nobody every helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or give me any best place! And ain’t I a woman?”(Truth 370) There is even more segregation between slave men and women. She is saying nobody ever helps her when she could use it. However white women are helped in almost everything they do. Sojourner is combining equality between black and white women, as well as equality between men and women.

Henry David Thoreau has a similar philosophy in his work “Civil Disobedience”. He writes, “Is a democracy, such as we know it, the last improvement possible in government? Is it not possible to take a step further towards recognizing and organizing the rights of men?”(Thoreau 227) Here Thoreau is pushing towards the rights of all man kind, which is similar to Sojourner Truth pressing for change in women’s rights. They both want better treatment and more respect from their superiors.

Thoreau, D. Henry "Civil Disobedience." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain’t I a Woman?" Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Letter to His Family

When Robert E. Lee wrote this letter he was torn by the shape of his country. There were already states seceding from the Union when he wrote this letter and he feared that more would soon follow. General Lee did not want violence to be the way this revolt was settled. Lee writes, “I hope, therefore, that all constitutional means will be exhausted before there is a resort to force.”(Lee 385) He knows that a war would not be helpful to this young country at all. It is ironic that he is saying that, and we the reader already know what happens after he writes this letter. General Lee has such big pride in his state, and it is obvious when he writes, “If the Union is dissolved, and the government disrupted, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people; and, save in defense, will draw my sword on none.”(Lee 385) Lee does not want to engage in violence. That is the last thing he wants. He writes, “Secession is nothing but a revolution.”(Lee 385) Lee knows that what the Confederacy is doing, and nothing good will come of it. He says that the constitution is not meant to be broken, but the Confederacy is doing it anyway. In spite of that fact General Lee is still standing by his state of Virginia. His love for his state, and the people in it, is greater then the love of the Union.

Ralph Waldo Emerson seems to disagree with Lee’s decision. In his work “Self-Reliance” he says, “He is weaker by every recruit to his banner. Is not a man better then a town?”(Emerson 322) Emerson believes that you should fight for yourself and not your community. General Lee believes that it would be unforgivable to fight with his friends and family, even if he knows it is for the wrong side. Lee’s love for his state of Virginia, was greater than his love of justice.

Emerson, W. Ralph. "From Self-Reliance." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Lee. E. Robert. "From Letter to His Family." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” is an old slave hymn sung by the slaves as they work in the fields, and has a beautiful tune. It was also sung by many famous artists like Johnny Cash. In a critical analysis of “Swing low, Sweet Chariots” Randal Huff writes, “In line 3 the speaker looks over the landscape of the Holy Land, distilled here to the single country of Jordan so often mentioned in the Bible, and finds "a band of angels" coming after him/her to carry him home.”(Huff) Some say that this refers to when the Hebrew slaves were brought out of slavery by Moses,(Exodus 13:17) People believe that the African American slaves are crying out to God to relieve of their misery, just as the Hebrew slaves were before God sent Moses. In that bible passage there is no reference to a chariot. In the song one of the main lines is, “Swing low, Sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home.”(Anonymous 364) In 2 Kings 2:11-12 the prophet Elijah is taken into heaven by a chariot of fire. We do not know which one it is, and it may be a combination of both. The slaves were all eager to be set free and they knew the only way that would happen is if the died. They were asking God to take them home peacefully. In this hymn, and “Go Down, Moses” and “Keep Your Hand on the Plow” there is such a reverence and a firm belief in God and his power. In “Go Down, Moses” it says, “Thus saith the Lord”( Anonymous 347) and in “Keep Your Hand on the Plow” it says, “Got my hand on the gospel plow, Wouldn’t take nothin’ for my journey now…”( Anonymous 348) These hymns display the strong faith the slaves had.

Emerson and Thoreau have a different angle. They do not have a strong belief if any in God. In “Nature” Emerson makes the scenery more important then God. He writes, “the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or parcel of God.” (Emerson 192) Emerson puts himself in the same class as God. Thoreau writes in “Walden”, “and have somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of man here to “Glorify God and enjoy him forever’”(Thoreau 214) Thoreau dismisses the fact that we were put here on Earth to glorify God forever! Both of theses writers are so contradictory to what the slave hymns are saying.

Anonymous . "Go Down, Moses." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Anonymous "Keep your Hand on the Plow." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Emerson, W. Ralph. "Nature." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Anonymous. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Thoreau, D. Henry. "From Walden." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Calvary Crossing a Ford

The poem, “Calvary Crossing a Ford” by Walt Whitman, does not appear to have any real metaphoric significance. It is simply a poem describing soldiers crossing a river. In a literary analysis of the poem by Charles Oliver he writes, “readers may well feel the tension, perhaps even irony, between the scene of time stopped momentarily for these soldiers and a coming battle in which they know men will be killed.”(Oliver) Whitman was trying to display a serene moment it war, showing that in spite of all the gruesome fighting and bloodshed, there are still moments where one can relax and find rest. Walt Whitman writes, “each person a picture, the negligent rest on the saddles.”(Whitman 341) He is depicting a still moment, there is no hurry to get anywhere, they only wish to rest. Whitman is displaying something very similar to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s work, “Nature”. They both convey a moment of peace if you take the time to stop and notice it.

In “Nature” Emerson writes, “In the tranquil landscape”(Emerson 192). The landscape and nature are peaceful in themselves yet man does not take the time to realize it. Emerson writes, “The sun illuminates only the eyes of man, but shines into the eye and heart of the child.”(Emerson 191) Men take for granted how beautiful the sun really is, but the child is fascinated by its beautiful mystery. Emerson wants people to slow down and appreciate the true beauty of nature. That was a good lesson for his culture then, but it is a better lesson for us now. It seems like everyone is always in a hurry and never wants to stop and appreciate the tranquility of the world we live in. Whitman also has a very similar philosophy. Even though they were in a time of war, one could still take the time to stop and appreciate the simple pleasures in life. They are both trying to tell their readers that if we only took the time to slow down and take in the beauty they would be amazed.

Emerson, W. Ralph. "From Nature." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Oliver, Charles M. "'Cavalry Crossing a Ford'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.(February 9, 2012)

Whitman, Walt. "Crossing Calvary a Ford." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

The Meaning of July Fourth to a Negro

Fredric Douglas’s work, “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” is very supportive of the abolitionist movement. Fredric Douglas was a very outspoken abolitionist himself. He was called to speak on the Fourth of July about the freedoms that American citizens had been granted. Douglas does not appear very happy to speak on this subject however. He says that the freedoms are only enjoyed by the white people. Douglas says that his people(blacks) have a completely different view of the Fourth of July. He asks, “Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day?”(Douglas 367) Fredric Douglas felt that he himself was still enslaved because his people were still enslaved. He says that it is ironic that they have brought a slave, someone who has no freedom, in to speak on liberty. Fredric Douglas is very clear that he feels like a slave, even though he is a free man. He says, “I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave’s point of view.”(Douglas367) Douglas says that for him the Fourth of July is a very hypocritical day. The free people celebrate the freedoms that the United States poses as well as the people inside of the U.S. but there are so many African-American people still enslaved. The ideas that this country were based, freedom and equality, on are not applied to the African-American people.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was not an Abolitionist, but he was anti-slavery. Henry David Thoreau was also against slavery. He was imprisoned once because he would not pay taxes to the government that supported the immoralities of slavery. A biography on Emerson says, “he himself was speaking more forcefully than ever against slavery.”(Wayne) It also says earlier in the writing that Emerson, “made some of his first public remarks against slavery.”(Wayne) after the death of a black editor, Elijah Lovejoy. Emerson was not in any way a supporter of slavery, and he thought that there were better ways to end slavery then Thoreau’s idea to not pay taxes.

Douglas, Fredric "From The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Wayne, Tiffany K., ed. "Emerson, Ralph Waldo." Critical Companion to Ralph Waldo Emerson: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2010. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. (accessed February 9, 2012).

The Gettysburg Address

In Abraham Lincoln’s dedication of the ground where the Battle of Gettysburg, “The Gettysburg Address”, he makes a very inspirational statement when he says, “But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground.”(Lincoln) He goes on to say that the men who have fought in that battle, both living and dead, have already dedicated that ground. Lincoln says they are there to remember what those men had done for us, they are the ones who have made Gettysburg hallowed ground. He says, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they (the soldiers) did here.”(Lincoln) First, that is ironic considering the fact that the Gettysburg Address is such a well known work. Lincoln is saying that the reason that battle ground is hallowed and dedicated to what that battle represented is because of the men who fought and died there. It is because of what they have done that we remember so vividly what happened there. Lincoln’s philosophy is that what man has done is what makes someplace special and hallowed. Abraham Lincoln also says, “this nation, under God”(Lincoln). Lincoln is giving reverence to God and saying that no one is above him. Our nation is what it is because of God he controls it and we are under God’s reign.

Emerson takes a different approach. In one of his most famous works, “Nature”, he says that nature itself is what makes a place hallowed ,or holy, if you will. Emerson writes, “Within these plantations of God, a decorum and sanctity reign”(Emerson 192). He says that men tarnish its grandeur. Emerson writes, “The sky is less grand as it shuts down over less worth in the population.”(Emerson 192) He believes that because the people do not hold nature in such a high regard, it becomes less beautiful for them. Contrary to what Lincoln said Emerson writes, “the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part, or parcel of God.”(Emerson 192) Where Lincoln says that we are under God, Emerson believes that he is part of God. Emerson is saying that he is equal to God, and that nature itself is more beautiful and powerful then God.

Emerson, R. Waldo. "From Nature." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.