The Gilded Age

Throughout the week our class has delved into the topic of the Gilded Age, a point in time during the late nineteenth century (from about 1870-1900). It was a time of extreme industrial and economic growth. While this was a time of wealth, poverty remained as an issue and became even more so during this period in time in which wages, wealth, and so forth all shot up. Despite the negative aspects, positive ones still existed as well. This attracted immigrants. People, in hopes of reestablishing their lives, came to America. It seemed to be a drive based on the American Dream; and to begin anew with ones self and their family. The interest of America itself could have been apparent already to those who viewed it dreamily as the "land of the free" and wished to take a drastic step in their lives. While of course any reason is possible for immigration, when evaluating this particular time slot, it was mostly based upon the economical expansion which took place. The chance for change was in the air, and some people took that opportunity. This period in time is, to some extent, connected with our American Literature course as well. We have begun reading a novel titled The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which evidently seems to be set during the "Roaring Twenties", a point in time that came not extremely long after the Gilded Age.

Should We Teach American Values In Public Schools?

A journal entry which presented our class today was whether or not we should allow American values to be taught in public schools. To state off the bat, my answer is no. I do not believe this is something that is even necessary. This is because if we heavily impose something or even just the ideal of it, this can strip cultural and or individual perspective. While this is situational, the fact it can affect someone badly says enough. Whether or not somebody embraces ideals or remains firmly with what they believe in is up to them. To use an example of the narratives we read in class, Luther Standing Bear said that he was able to learn things such as to read and write but still come back to the life he had once known without an issue, and did not come back with anything bad such as addictions. However, the case was not the same for the narrative written by Zitkala-Sa. She had a very terrible experience as they stripped something of her she had cherished; her hair. To summarize the point I am making, regardless of whether or not it is the same for each person, the ability to take away who they are and what they truly stand for is still there. Not only that, but I find the idea of teaching American ideals in public schools to be rather pointless. All kinds of places over the world have diversity that have come from all said places and more. Simply accepting diversity and exploring culture as well as communicating with the people around us can not only teach us of American ideals, but all kinds of cultural morals. If we allow all cultures and people to be what they are- their cultures and themselves, instead of a carbon copy of what we find "normal", I think we'd be able to understand how the world truly is much more.

Why Is Poetry Written?

I think that poetry is written because it is a form of expression. As stated in the packet we had received, "an author is limited to his words to express his feelings and ideas". In this sense, this is no different from when you are writing other texts such as an essays, novels, and so forth. After all, they're composed of mostly words that only come out of our heads, aren't they? Words are all of what we have to create a text from our minds. However, these forms of writing are differentiated for a reason, and that's no exception for poetry. The way I see it, poetry is almost like a secret language. Poets are indeed able to express themselves, their experiences, and others through various ways and kinds of words. However, additionally, it's through words and phrases that mean something specifically to the poet. This is why I am adamant on the idea that although we are open to interpreting poetry as we wish, only the poet may truly understand what it means, as it was their experience, knowledge, and sentiments that created it. While poetry is indeed a form of writing, it has it's individual traits as well. It's expression, a story, a thought; something that wants to be said that can be executed and properly said by the poet themselves. Basically, I think poetry is written for ourselves to open up parts of ourselves in many ways.

Sunday, October 12th

In American Literature we've begun digging into poetry, including a few pieces by Edgar A. Poe. This included The Raven, The Bells, and Annabel Lee. When we were given the assignment to read them, I was under the impression that we'd probably discuss them lightly and then probably progress into the bigger picture of whatever was planned for the lesson. However I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that we actually spent a chunk of class time both reading and talking about one of the poems, Annabel Lee. This is because it's my personal favorite of the three. While it's a little biased as it's a favorite of a dear friend of mine, I still think that despite that it has to be one of the three I really did enjoy. Some might argue that it's easy to comprehend and not all that interesting, but I honestly find the simplicity and it's content in all to be the beauty of it all.
Anyways, aside from Annabel Lee in particular, I liked taking time to focus on Poe's work. Growing up I have read "The Tell-Tale Heart" multiple times, and it was nice to branch out and see some of his other pieces as well as learn a little more about his style of writing or even him himself. Rather than strange, I find him to be an interesting guy. Because of this I was highly considering taking one of his poems for the future presentation we are to do. I enjoyed his writing.

Civil War

On October 3rd, we answered a journal that addressed the question as to whether or not, considering the stakes of the Civil War, was it worth it. I am adamant in regards to the idea that the Civil War was an important piece of history and that it was indeed worth the occurrence. This is because it seemed to be the only thing that moved us forward. As I listened to other people sharing their ideas during class, they brought up the generalized point that slavery might've continued longer than it did if it weren't for the war. I have to agree with this statement, mostly due to the fact that it appears as if violence is the only solution America can find to taking it's step forward. Personally, that's what I find a major issue to be. Even then, with all these wars fought, we're barely making progress- racism still exists almost anywhere today, and it's a real wonder when people will be able to open their eyes and eliminate the ignorance for good. However, despite this, some progress is better than none. Even if it meant going through what had happened to get where we are today, I still believe that is was well worth it. Either it was the best decision to make, or it was not, in which case, you live and you learn. As days continuously pass, there will come a day where people DO learn the things they should have realized long ago. These pieces of history, such as the Civil War, simply take part in that.

Harriet Jacobs

While this week of school I was absent for a majority of class, what I was here for still stuck out to me. We watched a video titled "Slavery and the Making of America", and were told to watch another portion for homework. I was very intrigued by what came next from where we had left off. The film focused on a girl by the name of Harriet Ann Jacobs, a girl who faced trials like no other. Harriet was unique in her own way just as anybody else; very talented, being able to read, write, and sew. However, Harriet was born into slavery due to her mother being a slave. She didn't get to live a normal life; and as we all know, the life of a slave was a depressingly unfair and unsafe one. Harriet had extra burdens and dangers on her shoulder. As time went by she was in the hands of a man namely James Norcom, whom sexually harassed her. This both frightened me and disgusted me as I continued to watch the video. I never realized how there were an astonishing amount of terrifying things happening to slaves beyond what we've already been told in lessons growing up. Still, I can't help but to admire Harriet. Her strengths and ability to withstand all the hardships she crossed are nothing but incredible to me. Harriet's experiences are definitely something for all of us to reflect on and consider from time to time, as a detailed story of one can explain a lot more than what the big picture might entail.

Mill Girls

"Much has been said of the factory girl and her employment. ... Her occupation is as laborious as that of almost any female who earns her own living, while it has also its sunny spots and its cheerful intervals, which make her hard labor seem comparatively pleasant and easy." This is a quote taken from the article, "A Week in the Mill". In the beginning of the week, for our American Studies course, we were assigned to read a little bit about the Lowell Mill Girls; girls whom went to cities to work on establishing their future and earning money. Not only that, but we were to read a couple of the letters that were written. Personally, I was actually pretty interested. Although, I wish I had delved a little deeper than I had. I only read two letters in which both voices had a generally positive attitude throughout their writing. It left me with the impression that the majority of the girls that were at work were quite satisfied if anything, and I ended up resting with that generalization. However, in the back of my mind, I did have a suspicion that I might've jumped to conclusions much too soon. I was right; there were certainly a few that were not completely happy to be in the position they found themselves in. I thought about this more individually; every girl had a different way of viewing themselves and what was around them. While they did have to work, they had their happier times as well. It was however they handled it- whether the girl viewed their life with the glass half empty or half full. Generally speaking, however one handles something is all based on their perspective.

Starting Out

Hi! As this is my first entry, I figured it'd be best to begin with some introductions. I'm Anne, and I'll be keeping this weekly blog for my history class over the course of the following year. Cool? Cool.

Anyways, I think I'd like to begin by reflecting on the very slight parallel between both the American Studies and American Literature classes. I find it pretty interesting how we're able to learn from similar fields of a topic yet understand them and further comprehend them in different ways as the courses take their individual direction. I suppose, for an example that is in more recent to what we are learning, in both classes we have begun to lean towards the topic of slavery, both being brought about in different ways. For American Studies, we read a text- being Thomas Jefferson's "Notes on the State of Virginia" whereas in American Literature we read a text on the endurances of Equiano. I find it not only intriguing how touching base on a similar subject can take it's own route, but how much we're able to learn and the ways we take in such information in the separate classes. In other words, since the classes entail for different types of work, we use the connecting information we gather in different ways. I have to say that's something I enjoy. Push aside from what I've mentioned, it also makes me feel more on track being able to put two and two together. I wonder if this is something that'll remain somewhat consistent throughout the year.