Journal 31

My job shadowing experience was actually really fun. I did not expect to have as good of a time as I did. I job shadowed at a marketing and advertising agency. When I got there, I was immediately greeted by the friendly secretary. Then Wally Hamlin, the CEO, and the vice president greeted me just as friendly. I was immediately taken to the conference room with three other girls from my school who were also joining me on my job shadowing experience. Wally talked to us for a few minutes until one of the employees, Kari, took over. She showed us some of the work she did and then we got to participate in an actual focus group. We all went to separate rooms and got on separate computers. It was fun. After that, we got a tour of the office and met everyone there. They all seemed like really fun, nice people. I went with one other girl, Kirsten, to the account manager. She then gave us one of her projects for the day and let us do it with little help from her. She gave us a big poster and the things the company wanted to make a table display advertisement. It was very fun and exciting, and after we got our basic ideas she showed us the program she used to share it with everyone in the office so the graphic designers would have access to make it come to life. We then went to the graphic designer area and Sarah made our display come to life. Using a program called InDesign, she put all of our ideas to use. It was really cool to see! She then printed it out and gave it back to the account manager so she could approve it. Our display was actually going to be used! It was a really great experience. We then met in the conference room again. Wally told us some encouragement for our future and walked us through how he thinks we should continue in our life. It was really encouraging and exciting to hear him speak. At the very end, he said that in four years, or after we graduate college, to give him a call if we need any help. The office was a really great atmosphere and I had a great time. Marketing is definitely something I may be interested in in the future.

Chicago by Charles Sandburg Analysis

Journal: Walt Whitman

My favorite poem by Walt Whitman is To a Stranger. This poem is short but includes elaborate ideas about Walt Whitman's belief of self.
In his poem To a Stranger, Walt Whitman talks about brief encounters that he has with people and how they can create a relationship. He wrote about how strangers have the opportunity to become good friends. The narrator can create a past with a stranger with his or her imagination. The narrator imagines having a past relationship with people and creates opportunities with them of the future. He imagines enjoying things with them romantically. Walt Whitman believes strongly that strangers can only look at each other and act on their impulses. He writes with the hope that you never know when the next stranger you meet might be your soul mate.
I find this poem very interesting. I am always thinking about strangers and how they could influence my life. When you think about it, all of your friends were once strangers. Your best friend who influenced you to do something could have changed your life forever. All of this from a stranger. From this poem I assume that Walt Whitman met many strangers and tried to create relationships with them.
Passing by people in a bookstore, I always smile. You never know when the stranger you are just meeting could become a life long friend. Just by smiling, you create a friendly environment that may draw some one to be interested in you.
I find that a lot of people are interested in how a stranger could affect your life, but never really talk about it because it may seem a bit creepy or desperate. Keeping this urge to talk to strangers when you find them interesting is something that is best kept private with one's self. I think that this is part of the magic and the mystery of strangers. You never know when a stranger you meet could possibly become a lifelong friend, or in Walt Whitman's case, a lover.

Whitman, Walt. "To A Stranger." Love Poem. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.thedatingadvisor.com/love-poem-to-a-stranger.html>.

Reflection: Chanting the Square Deific

Chanting the Square Deific was written by Walt Whitman in 1865 (Oliver). It was part of his book of poetry called Leaves of Grass.
In this poem, Walt Whitman wrote about God not being a trinity as the Christian Church accepted, but being a quanternity (Oliver). A trinity is a union of three people, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Trinity). Whitman went against the church in this poem and said he had four different sides. Each stanza in this poem represents one of the sides.
In the first stanza, God describes himself at "Jehovah," "Old Brahm," "Saturnuis," and "Kronos" (Whitman). All of these are  a religious king in other religions. Also in the first stanza, God describes himself as merciless.(Oliver). For example, he writes "

Relentless I forgive no man—whoever sins dies—I will have           that man's life"

(Whitman). He is a very harsh man.

In the second stanza, the side of Christ is the topic.This side seems to be a lot nicer than God. He calls himself the "mightier God" (Whitman). I think that this side of God is too nice while the first side is way too harsh. Christ takes all the burdens of sin while God does not accept any of them (Oliver).
Satan is the topic in the third stanza. He is "the brother of slaves" and yet at the same time he is a criminal (Whitman). He claims that nothing will change him. He also has a "soft heart" for the "downtrodden" (Oliver).  Satan is the least important side of the four. There is already an accepting character, Christ, the mean one, God, and the most powerful one who is kind of a wild card, Satana Spirita.
In the last stanza, the last side of God is shown according to Whitman's beliefs. The last side is "santa spirita" (Whitman).The last character is the spirit of the universe. It is on the opposite of Christ in the square of four. This last character includes all of the other three sides inside of it at the same time. Whitman writes in the last stanza "

Here the square finishing, the solid, I the most solid,

Breathe my breath also through these songs."

 On Charles Oliver's literary criticism, he ends with an interesting point. He believes that the last line of the poem suggests that the author is Satana Spirita. Charles Oliver believes that he is not only singing to the people in this poem, but to all the stories in Leaves of Grass (Oliver). That is a very deep point which seems to be true. The last line makes this poem kind of an intro to all the other stories and connects them together.
(Whitman).These two lines sum up Satana Spirita. He describes himself as lighter than the light. He is obviously the most powerful of the three sides. He is very powerful because he somehow contains all three other parts and yet is still opposite to the side of Christ.

Oliver, Charles M. "'Chanting the Square Deific'." 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.

Whitman, Walt. "The Walt Whitman Archive." CHANTING THE SQUARE DEIFIC. 


"Trinity." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trinity?s=t>.

Journal 29

My transcendentalism self is who I am, not what I do. It is not what I do on the outside, but it is who I am and what I define myself as on the inside.
I think my transcendentalist self is mostly what everyone else see's of me on the outside. I do not put on an act and fool people from seeing who I am on the inside. There are a few things that I do not show to everyone on the outside, though. How I act definitely changes from the people I am around. When I'm with my friends who obsess over music, I talk a lot more about the art and the emotional side of life. When I'm with my other friends who focus on humor, I am more of a listener and just have the goal of laughing and having a good time. When I am with my family, I let out all the bad because I do not really care what they think of me. I sometimes am cranky because of how everything else happens throughout the day and take it out on them. i think I take it out on them because I know they will accept me regardless. I am more comfortable around some than others. Around my coworkers, I am more mature and do not really let them see the real me. I feel that unless they are going to be friends with me, I do not need to let them know what is going on in my life. I have made friendships with some of my coworkers, which changes the way I act around them. I am more open around them because they have become friends of mine.

Finding the inner you is something that is really hard to do. It is also really hard to think about. Whitman probably found this difficult as well, although I think he definitely did a better job than I did. I understand why he kept editing it for a long time. He probably was still learning about all the changes in his life. I think that it is a really hard thing to do. Defining yourself always changes because you always change as a person, either for better or for worse.

Reflection: Emily Dickinson's Poem "

Emily Dickinson uses a lot of themes in her poem "Nature the Gentlest Mother" such as the beauty of nature and personification comparing it to a mother. A mother is a caring person and makes sure that everyone is okay, such as nature. In a way, nature is like a mother with how it takes care of the world. She takes care of the squirrels, trees, and other animals. She compares mother nature as being patient. In her first line she writes "Nature, the gentlest mother, impatient of no child, the feeblest or the waywardest, her admonition mild" (Dickinson). This quote from Emily Dickinson shows the gentle and patient side of nature, but also that mother nature can be cruel. Emily Dickinson loves nature and enjoys nature and loves nature, which is why most of her poems are about nature. You can start hearing the crickets by the words that she uses. She gives to the animals around her and prays for them, just like a real mother would. At night, she made sure that all the animals had a place to sleep. In Emily Dickinson's poem, she writes "with infinite affection, and infinite care, her golden finger on her lip, will silence everywhere" (Dickinson). This part of the poem talks about her control over everything and how at night she can silence the whole place. Everyone is at peace and ready for their night. We call nature a mother because it nourishes people. We can get everything we need from nature, just like we should with a mother figure. Nature gives everyone a chance to survive in life. Your mother is also supposed to give you a chance in life and prepare you for the real world. Both nature and a mother give you the best that they can out of what they have. She also adds some imagery in the form of sight. For example, the forest and the hill show us imagery. Another example is the nature restraining the rampant squirrel from the traveler. Nature protects us, such as the scenario with the squirrel. When nature is mad or upset, it brings storms and natural disasters. When a mother is upset, it feels  like a natural disaster. You can tell she is upset when she slams things down or talks with attitude.
In Emily Dickinson's poetry, she talks about the most unworthy flower. She mentions how it does not deserve a  good life, but she is still going to help it live. This is the same with a real parent. When a parent's child does something wrong, they still love them and give them a good life. They try to do the best that they can and try to change them for the better. Her golden finger also shows imagery. You can see the finger on her lips. The color gold symbolizes royalty and higher power, like mother nature. Mother nature is royalty and above all.
Emily DIckinson's poem truly embodies the thought, or idea, of comparing nature to a mother and makes a lot of sense of why we call nature a mother nature.
Dickinson, Emily. "1. “Nature, the Gentlest Mother.” Part Two: Nature. Dickinson, Emily. 1924. Complete Poems." 1. “Nature, the Gentlest Mother.” Part Two: Nature. Dickinson, Emily. 1924. Complete Poems. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. <http://www.bartleby.com/113/2001.html>.

Journal 28

Emily Dickinson's poem "I heard a fly Buzz When I Died" is what my journal topic is about. Emily Dickinson lived by a cemetery. She wrote about love, nature, and death. She believed that death was a horrible thing that involved a lot of suffering. In this particular poem, I think that she believed that the fly was apart of the journey of death. The fly was just waiting for the character to die off so it could feast on it. The fly interrupts the end of the Emily Dickinson's death and this is tragic. The cemetery is a peaceful place that is quiet and that accepts death. She wants death to be peaceful and quiet, but instead she gets her death interrupted by a fly.The fly could interrupt the movement of the soul and send her down and possibly not allow her into heaven. The fly interrupted her peaceful death. Emily Dickinson's narrator in this poem eventually does fall into the black abyss of death. She said that she "could not see to see". I think this line means that she is dead and can no longer even imagine basic functions, let alone do them. If I were dying, I would not want any interruptions. I would want death to be a peaceful thing. I would not want any flies swarming around bothering me, I would want my family around and helping me get through the horrible time. I would hope death would not be painful. The fly would be a big distraction. It could symbolize the distraction of the reason for life. I think that the Emily Dickinson had distractions in her life that effected what she wanted to do with her life. She may have had her own goals for life but got distracted by things that society does. The fly represents everything in her life that went wrong. She has to be bothered by it one more time before she dies. I think that the fly represents everyone's burdens in life.

Journal 27

Emily Dickinson uses a lot of hymns with her poetry. A lot of her poems can be read to the tune of "Amazing Grace." I think that her writing is very relevant to this song.
"Amazing Grace" is about nature and the amazing beauty of the world. This song is song a lot in time of happiness. When people feel that their lives are going good, this song is popular. This song is also sung in churches during worship time. It is a very beautiful song that is very popular.
I think that Emily Dickinson uses this song because it is beautiful and relates to nature just like her poetry does. Emily Dickinson greatly respects nature and a lot of her poetry, if not all, is about nature in some way. Her poetry is about the beauty of nature. She finds nature very important in life. She grew up in a christian family. Even though her writing was a struggle with Christianity, I think that she did respect the religion because she used this song in her writing. "Amazing Grace" is very religious and is basically about how great God is. It is also about how God graces us with our lives. God puts a lot of good into the world for people and this song describes it.
Emily Dickinson put folk ballads into her poems on purpose. I think that doing that action would be very time consuming. You would have to have the correct number of syllables. She took a lot of effort to make her poetry go to the tune of "Amazing Grace."
Emily Dickinson struggled with her beliefs. Even though she grew up with a Christian family, she did not fully believe in God at all points in her life. Everyone struggles with religion at some point of their live, but she struggled more than others. I think that by writing these poems to that hymn she is trying to further find her religion.

Reflection: Emily Dickinson's Writing Style

Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. She was the oldest daughter in a prominent family (McChesney). Her grandfather was important in the government and her father followed his successful ways by becoming a treasurer. Emily's mother was a quite women who took great pride in her family and in a clean house (McChesney). Emily graduated from the Amherst Academy and was extremely well read. Although she was really good in school, her life revolved around her family (McChesney). Her family would have a lot of important guests over and she would entertain them with her poetry readings. She was very popular with her age group, too (McChesney). She found an interest in the bible and works by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Shakespeare, and Anne Bronte (McChesney). Unlike her family, Emily did not follow in her parents foot steps. Instead, she withdrew from activity in the community. She had a nac for literature and wanted to pursue it. She had an artistic way of life as a child. There were many signs that Dickinson was going to grow to become a famous poet that would never be forgotten. Another sign of her nac for writing was that she would be very open with her feelings. She would share her opinions and feelings very openly with people (McChesney). While other teens were concerned with clothes and popularity, Dickinson was on her way to become a philosopher (McChesney).

Emily Dickinson spent her whole life analyzing her life. Experiencing life, she felt the need to find an intelligent way of living (McChesney).A common theme in Dickinson's work is love. She used a lot of her poetry to find an escape from her problems with love or to soar to an unreal realm of life where love was perfect (McChesney). I think that she was a very loving women who should be a role model for all young girls. She also had religion as a common theme in her writing. She had a lot of information from the bible. Nature was another common theme. I think that she got this theme from Ralph Waldo Emerson because he was a strong believer in incorporating nature into everyday life. She would follow the changes of the seasons with her writings. Her writing went where no other writings have gone before. She found a new way to view nature that could paint a picture for you just with her words (McChesney). Dickinson also focused on death and immortality. Her writing was very creative with this topic. A lot of people did not write about death because it is a scary topic. She wrote about how she personally dealt with it which must have been hard because when I lost a loved one I had no interest in talking about it.

With her unique perspective on life, a lot of people during her time viewed her as crazy or as eccentric (McChesney). Knowing that she would write poetry alone in her room made others quick to jump on the crazy wagon.

Dickinson would sometimes use a dash to replace a period or a comma in her poetry. This unique style of writing made her interesting to others. She used the dash instead to emphasize her point (McChesney). She would also add English hymn writing styles in her poetry (McChesney). She made her own style that was very creative and interesting to people to this day.

McChesney, Sandra. "A View from the Window: The Poetry of Emily Dickinson." In Harold Bloom, ed. Emily Dickinson, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BCED03&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 20, 2012).

Reflection: Walt Whitman's Writing Style

Walt Whitman lived in the mid 1800's. He published his first edition of Leaves of Grass in 1855 (Connors). It incorporated a new poetic form and and had subjects that the world have never read before (Connors). Whitman set out to create a new American Poetry (Connors). He stopped with traditional rhyme schemes and wanted to move into a new form. He also made his subject bolder and had a bigger focus on nature (Connors). Whitman created a new style of writing that became very popular. People still try to reach the level of creativity that he did to this day. I think that Whitman was very influential on people and created a legacy.

Believing that nature was the root of all beautiful things, Whitman made sure to include nature n all of his works. Nature was also part of the American Romanticism Movement, so Whitman related to the writer's of that era. An example of his writing is the following:

O powerful, western, fallen star!

O shades of night! O moody, tearful night!

O great star disappear’d! O the black murk that hides the star!

O cruel hands that hold me powerless! O helpless soul of me!

O harsh surrounding cloud, that will not free my soul!

(Whitman). It showed how much nature meant to him. He related nature to everything. It shows the dark side of Whitman in the Romanticism period. It also shows the power that Whitman had and how he believed in the natural world.

Whitman writes as if he is speaking directly to the reader. Whitman used his life to fuel his poetry. His writing was mostly about his life experiences. As a child, he experienced life through an urban view. That probably effected his writing as well. I think that the background you come from greatly affects your way of life. His exposure to different ways of live influenced Leaves of Grass. His writing sought to represent the a higher form of American ideals. The political environment concentration during this time also effected Whitman's writing. When the civil war broke out, Whitman found himself to feel very patriotic, like other Americans during this time. The things he saw during the war effected his writing as well. He visited hospitals during the war at least 600 times (Casale).

One main thing that he did differently with his poetry than other poets during his time was using free verse. Free verse poetry is powered by images and speech instead of by rhyme schemes. A lot of contemporary writers use this form of poetry (Edwards). Free verse has very few guidelines or rules. It is similar to blank verse poetry. The only difference is that it is not written as iambic pentameter (Edwards). Even though the words do not rhyme, they still flow in a very unique way. It is a great form of poetry for those who are individualistic and do not like to follow the patterns of others.

I think that Walt Whitman had a very unique writing style that we can still use today.

Connors, Judith. "Whitman, Walt." In Bloom, Harold, ed. Walt Whitman, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BCWWh02&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 19, 2012).

Whitman, Walt. "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d." When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d by Walt Whitman : The Poetry Foundation. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.

Casale, Frank D. "How to Write about Walt Whitman."Bloom's How to Write about Walt Whitman. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= HTWAWW003&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 20, 2012).

Edwards, Alice Vo. "Free Verse." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. .

Blog Eighteen

The Walt Whitman poem that I chose to read was O Captain! My Captain!. Walt Whitman firmly believed in Abraham Lincoln. Charles Oliver wrote his own analysis on Whitman's famous poem. He claims that this poem was an "occasional poem," meaning that Walt Whitman wrote in on the spot. He wrote it in a hurry so it would be ready in time for Abraham Lincoln's funeral (Oliver). Whitman regretted its popularity for the rest of his life (Oliver). I think it is really sad that he regretted its popularity. I understand that it was not his best work, but I still think that he should be proud of how famous is became. He should be happy if a poem he did not give full credit to became famous because it meant it was a good poem with little effort. That would mean that he was a good poet, at least to me. This poem goes along very well with the Civil War. He writes a few metaphors involving the Union. Whitman meant for the Captain to be the leader of the people (Whitman). The ship ending safe and sound would be the Civil War ending (Whitman).

This poem related to Emerson and Thoreau greatly. Both Emerson and Thoreau were against slavery. They participated in the war so that slavery ended. Whitman was also against slavery. Emerson and Thoreau participated in the war by fighting or by being a nurse. I do not believe that Whitman fought in the war at all. If he did, he did not let it show through his poem that I wrote my blog about. Researching the topic, I learned that Whitman's brother died in war. It was his first taste of war. He helped people in hospitals and became a perfect person to help wounded soldiers back to health. This really relates him to Emerson because Emerson was also a nurse during the Civil War (Oliver). All three men were very similar.

Whitman, Walt. "O Captain! My Captain!, by Walt Whitman." Poetry Archive. Web. 07 Mar. 2012.

Oliver, Charles M. "'O Captain! My Captain!'." 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. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW302&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 8, 2012).

Oliver, Charles M. "Whitman, Walt." 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. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW001&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 8, 2012).

Blog Eighteen

Blog Seventeen

Emily Dickinson wrote a set of poems on the topic of nature. I chose part two, Nature, The Gentlest Mother. This short poem is about mother nature. Dickinson talks about how nature is beautiful and has "infinite affection and infinite care" (Dickinson). One stanza,

"NATURE, the gentlest mother,
Impatient of no child,"

really stuck out to me (Dickinson). I think that this stanza represents nature as a loving and caring mother. According to Sandra McChesney, nature was a foundation of Emily's family life. She greatly respected nature and loved it (McChesney).

Emerson and Thoreau each respected nature. In Emerson's essay on Nature, he wrote that "the beauty of nature reforms itself in the mind, and not for barren contemplation, but for new creation" (Emerson). I think that Emerson loves nature just like Dickinson. Emerson also wrote that "nature never wears a mean appearance" (Emerson). I think that he means that nature is always beautiful, even when some consider it bad weather. Emerson always saw the beauty in nature. It is a reoccurring idea in his work. He believes that nature can never be ugly or negative unless it doesn't have the "spirit" (Emerson). I think that Emily Dickinson would agree with this. Emerson and Dickinson's work does differ from each other. Emily Dickinson wrote nature as a mother that made everything beautiful while Emerson wrote that it was the spirit of nature that made nature beautiful in every single way. They both believed nature was loving and beautiful, but they had different reasons as to why. Emerson defines spirit as "the essence of both mind and nature" (Emerson). Dickinson views nature as a source of joy and beauty. She believes that nature is, at times, connected with death (McChesney). McChesney also said that Emerson cut herself off from people and spent time alone. She probably liked being alone with nature to absorb all of its beauty, as did Emerson.

Dickinson, Emily. "1. “Nature, the Gentlest Mother.” Part Two: Nature. Dickinson, Emily. 1924. Complete Poems." 1. “Nature, the Gentlest Mother.” Part Two: Nature. Dickinson, Emily. 1924. Complete Poems. Web. 07 Mar. 2012.

McChesney, Sandra. "A View from the Window: The Poetry of Emily Dickinson." In Harold Bloom, ed. Emily Dickinson, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BCED03&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 7, 2012).

Emerson, Ralph W. "EMERSON - NATURE--Web Text." Virginia Commonwealth University. Web. 08 Mar. 2012. .

Blog Sixteen

Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire" revolves around nature. A man is walking around in thirty below weather and he has to deal with all the negative effects that the freezing weather brings. For example, he can not even eat because of his frozen beard (London). Walking along with a dog, the main character faces many problems that are nature related.

Thoreau, Emerson, and London all respect nature. They all seem to have their own views on nature. According to Abby Werlock, Jack London's short story is about his respect for the "white silence" (Werlock). He relates it to a man's insignificance in the world and the will to survive (Werlock). I think that both Emerson and Thoreau had the will to survive. They each played a part in war, Emerson being a nurse and Thoreau fighting, because they had their own personal feelings about the wanted out come. They did not only want to survive the war, but they wanted to win. I think that Jack London felt the same way. Putting the main character in such harsh conditions, he would have to have a strong will to survive. Same with Emerson and Thoreau in war.

Harold Bloom wrote that "Everything good in nature and the world is in that moment of transition, when the swarthy juices still flow plentifully from nature, but their astringency or acridity is got out by ethics and humanity" (Bloom). I think that Jack London would agree with this quote. Ethics and the humanities can really play an effect in nature. It is the people and animals that can ruin nature, and it is also them who can see all of the beauty in it. I think that this quote from Emerson would also apply to Jack London.

"To Build A Fire" has many references to nature. Jack London definitely respected nature and knew a lot about it to write what he did. His work was very good and comparable to Thoreau and Emerson's. Emerson and Thoreau had a broader perspective on nature while London seemed to make the view a little more personal. He described the beauty of nature negatively, effecting people in bad ways. That is how they are different.

London, Jack. "To Build a Fire, by Jack London." The World of Jack London 2012®. Web. 02 Mar. 2012. .

Werlock, Abby H. P. "'To Build a Fire'." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS814&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 2, 2012).

Bloom, Harold. "Bloom on Ralph Waldo Emerson." Essayists and Prophets, Bloom's 20th Anniversary Collection. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BLCEP012&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 6, 2012).

Blog Fifteen

"Miniver Cheevy" is about a man who has not achieved much in his life. Instead of taking fault for not doing much with his life, he blames it on the fact that nothing exciting has happened in his life span. He claims that he was just born at the wrong time. If he lived back in the romantic past, he would have been more successful (Robinson). I think that this was just an excuse. Nothing exciting ever happens unless people make it exciting. If you want a worthwhile life, then you have to go out and make it that way. Sitting at home waiting for something exciting will not get you any where. I think the following stanza helps prove my point that Miniver Cheevy was just using excuses to explain his boring life:

Miniver Cheevy, born too late,

Scratched his head and kept on thinking;

Miniver coughed, and called it fate,

And kept on drinking

(Robinson). I think that Emerson and Thoreau were not like Miniver Cheevy at all. Robinson's character Minister Cheevy did not do anything with his life. He waited around and decided that it was fate that he had a boring life. On the other hand, Thoreau and Emerson did the complete opposite. They each participated in war to better their country. That is a very worth while thing to do with life. They each fell in love and were successful with their lives. Emerson and Thoreau did not wait around for something to happen, they jumped into action and made their live exciting.

If this poem reflects E.A. Robinson, it is not a very nice thing to think about a person. Robinson makes his character seem lazy and full of excuses. Maybe Robinson got the idea for the character from a friend or acquaintance. That would make more sense since a writer usually does not write negatively about himself. Robinson wrote about how Minister Cheevy "dreamed and rested from his labors" (Robinson). He may have been having a midlife crisis and deciding how he needs to go find excitement in his life.

Robinson, E.A. ""Miniver Cheevy" by E.A. Robinson." The Poem Tree: An Online Poetry Anthology. Web. 02 Mar. 2012. .

Blog Fourteen

The story "Oh Darling" was written by Anton Chevok. The main character, Olga, easily fell in love. She first fell in love with her father, which I think is weird. She then falls in love with a man, but their love was always suppressed. After he died, she had an affair with another shop keeper. He eventually was reunited with his wife and son and she asks for them to move back in with her. They move back in and she falls in love with his young son. I think that this was very twisted and that Olga fell in love too easily. The little boy felt like her love was too much for him (Chevok).

Thoeau had an interesting view on love. In chapter four of Walden, he wrote " . There were times when I could not afford to sacrifice the bloom of the present moment to any work, whether of the head or hands. I love a broad margin to my life. Sometimes, in a summer morning, having taken my accustomed bath, I sat in my sunny doorway from sunrise till noon, rapt in a revery, amidst the pines and hickories and sumachs, in undisturbed solitude and stillness, while the birds sing around or flitted noiseless through the house, until by the sun falling in at my west window, or the noise of some traveller's wagon on the distant highway, I was reminded of the lapse of time" (Thoreau). I think that Thoreau fell in love easily as well. He wrote about how he fell in love twice. I think that Thoreau fell in love with objects and ideas, not just people like Olga. They are different in that way.

Emerson helped out during the war as a nurse. He helped all the men and got them back to good health. With the harsh conditions and the horrible sights, he must have being a very loving man. He would have to look deep in his heart to put others first and help everyone. I think that Emerson probably fell in love easily as well. In Self Reliance, Emerson wrote a lot about love. He wrote that ""What we love that we have, but by desire we bereave ourselves of the love" (Emerson). I think that he valued love, as did Thoreau. Olga seemed to throw it around a little more in a childish way while Emerson and Thoreau seemed to take it more seriously and value it a little more.

Thoreau. "Walden - Chapter 4." The Thoreau Reader. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. .

Emerson. "Self-Reliance." Ralph Waldo Emerson Texts. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. .

Blog Thirteen

"I Will Fight No More Forever" by Chief Joseph was written as a speech. It was his surrender speech (Chief). In this speech, the chief basically says that he is done fighting. He names off a couple people who were killed during the battles. He talks about all the hardships they have to go through besides war, like the freezing weather and their small amount of warmth to protect them from it. Chief Joseph does not even know if his children are alive or dead. He has been so busy with the war that he has not been able to provide for his children and keep them warm. He then ends with "I will fight no more forever" (Chief). I think that this was a very sad speech. I think that all wars have negative spins and have to eventually come to an end. Since Chief Joseph realized that it was time to end the war because of all the bad things that they should be concentrating on instead, he spoke this speech to his people so that they could also come to the realization that the war was having more of a negative effect rather than a positive. It needed to end.

Emerson and Thoreau have different opinions on war than Chief Joseph did. Both Emerson and Thoreau wanted to fight in war. They both did not think of the hardships of it and rather thought of the good that would eventually come out, such as slavery ending. Emerson and Thoreau were against slavery so they participated in the war to end it. Chief Joseph probably had a good reason for fighting in the beginning, but he realized that it was not worth all of the bad that was coming with the battles. He had to make a smart choice and choose to no longer fight. He wanted his family back. Emerson and Thoreau probably had negative effects on their lives from war too, but the positive was worth it to them.

Chief Joseph. "Chief Joseph." Welcome to Georgia State University. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. .

Blog Twelve

Edgar Lee Master's Spoon River Anthology was a collection of poems. An excerpt from it is a poem called The Hill. The Hill is a thirty five line poem was written about the reason behind death. Where most people would be sad and uninterested in the subject, Edgar Lee Master's wrote in a way that made you curious about the topic. One of his main points was that no matter what you do in life, you will be laying in the ground for eternity next to a complete stranger. He writes, "

One passed in a fever,
One was burned in a mine,	5
One was killed in a brawl,
One died in a jail,
One fell from a bridge toiling for children and wife—
All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill"

(Masters). No matter what you do, you will end up laying dead on a hill with strangers. Edgar Lee Master's seems to view death in a way that most do not. He seems to think that life is pointless in a way.

After Thoreau's brother died, he wrote a letter to one of his friends. In it he wrote,

"Soon the ice will melt, and the blackbirds sing
along the river which he frequented, as pleasantly as ever.
The same everlasting serenity will appear in this face of God,
and we will not be sorrowful, if he is not. "

(Thoreau). He seems to value death a little more than Masters did. In Walden, he wrote

I learned this, at least, by my experiment;

that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,
and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined,
he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

(Thoreau). He seemed to think that life was not pointless and that one should strive for their best confidently. I think that in this passage, he means that one should try hard in life and then he/she will be rewarded.

Thoreau and Masters had completely opposite views on life and death.

Masters, Edgar Lee. "1. The Hill. Masters, Edgar Lee. 1916. Spoon River Anthology."Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. .
Thoreau. "Thoreau Quotes." Psymon. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. .

Blog Eleven

In "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," Mark Twain wrote about how the character Simon Wheeler sat the narrator down and told him a story. Simon Wheeler then tells a tale of Jim Smiley, a curious man who always bet on things. This man had a frog and would take bets on it. Simon Wheeler wanted to know about a girl with the last name of Smiley and asked Jim about her. He did not really know anything about that topic, so he started rambling about a completely random story. I think this could relate to Ralph Emerson's philosophy on discipline. He wrote that "understanding comes through measuring and classifying, through physical experience and common sense" (Wayne). think that Jim Smiley could have used some more common sense. When someone is telling a story, it is normal for you to want to be included in the conversation. A little comment here and there usually does the trick unless you are someone who really needs attention. Most people find this trait annoying. Jim Smiley definitely wanted a lot of attention. If he had some common sense, he would realize that his story was pointless to the question that he was asked. He could have simply said that he did not know her, but instead he wasted everyone's time with a story about a frog. Emerson incorporated nature with common sense. He believed that nature taught you more common sense (Wayne). Jim Smiley seemed like he got along with nature, but apparently nature did not teach him any common sense. Mark Twain seemed to have a negative view on society, so maybe he thought that a lot of people lacked common sense. Thoreau may have seemed to believe that people did not have common sense in a way. He believed that people sometimes lived lives that they didn't even care for (Wayne). I think that they all looked down on society in their own way. They did not think that people were living for the right reasons sometimes, in my opinion.

Twain, Mark. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." 301 Moved Permanently. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.

Wayne, Tiffany K. "Nature." 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. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?

Blog Ten

The Red Badge of Courage is about a battle during the civil war. Henry Fleming, the main character, won an unlikely victory. After defeating his enemy, he reflects over everything that has happened and decides that he was a man of courage. He is then able to feel at peace and is no longer bothered by the opposing side (Crane). Before he felt accomplished he did feel some disappointment of himself for being such a horrible person and leaving a man behind. He wanted to prove a point and did not really have a good reason for fighting.

Telling his story from the point of view of an ordinary soldier, his text was believable to the members of his town. Henry Fleming dreamed of gore and the battles of war his whole life (Personen). Fighting in war himself, he relates to Emerson and Thoreau.

In a literary criticism, " As to other points, against the opinion of the gallant veteran who criticizes the book might be put the opinions of other veterans who have found only words of praise" (D. Appleton & Company). This literary criticism discussed how this story was told and if it was true. People in the town wanted to know where this story was coming from. Some did not believe that he could write this without any experience so they wanted to know where his sources came from (D. Appleton & Company).

Emerson and Thoreau both had their own experiences with war themselves. Emerson fought in war and wanted to end with slavery. Thoreau also did not like the idea of slavery. Thoreau and Emerson were both for the war for their own reasons. Stephen Crane also sided with the Civil War. He fought in it himself. He did not like that the opposing side mocked him. I think that one of the main reasons for fighting in the war was petty, such as because he was being mocked. Emerson and Thoreau seemed to have a big reason to fight that would benefit the whole country. Stephen Crane seemed to want to fight just because he wanted to prove a point.

Crane, Stephen. "Untitled Document." The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. .

Personen, Ari. "Stephen Crane." Www.kirjasto.sci.fi. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. .

D. Appleton & Company. "The Red Badge of Courage: A Correction." Dial (May 1, 1896): 263. Quoted as "The Red Badge of Courage:A Correction" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Stephen Crane, Bloom's Classic Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCVSC055&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 21, 2012).

Blog Nine

Just learning about her husband's death, Louise Mallard goes up to her room for some alone time. As she is crying, she looks out at the world through her window. She has a breakdown. After her breakdown, she finds that she is free. I find this odd because I would not think someone should be happy after her husband dies. Someone comes to the door and tries to get her to come out, but Louise just tells her to leave. She then sits in her room and fantasizes about the upcoming years of her life. She is happy to have this new sense of independence. She then goes downstairs when her husband walks through the door. He was unaware that there was a train accident and he was not in it. Louise then died of a heart attack that the doctors say were of happiness (Chopin).

I think that Kate Chopin seems to feel that marriage oppresses people whether they do it out of kindness or not. Kate Chopin hints that marriage plays a negative roll on both the male and the female. I think that the window that Louise looks out when she runs upstairs symbolizes freedom. There is a whole world out there that she now has to her own.

Abby Werlock thinks that the surprise ending symbolizes a tragic defeat (Werlock). The doctors tell the family that it was "Joy that kills" (Werlock). I think that this is ironic.

I liked this story. I think that Emerson and Thoreau's writings that I have read do not really seem comparable to this story. Emerson was married so I think he valued marriage. I do not think that he felt oppressed by marriage by his poems that he wrote about his wife. They were all great things and about how much they loved each other. Emerson and Chopin definitely shared different views on marriage. Chopin seemed to not like it while Emerson seemed to value it.

Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour" Virginia Commonwealth University. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. .

Werlock, Abby H. P. "'The Story of an Hour'." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS782&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 16, 2012).

blog eight

In Willa Cather's short story, "A Wagner Matinee," a man gets a letter saying that he needs to go pick up his aunt from the train station. The narrator seems to respect his aunt. For example, he writes " . I felt the knuckles of my thumb tentatively, as though they were raw again. I sat again before her parlor organ, fumbling the scales with my stiff, red hands, while she, beside me, made canvas mittens for the huskers" (Cather). He seems to be nervous around the aunt, but in further text he seems to respect her as well. He knows that his aunt is very educated in a musical aspect and in a book smart aspect. Being poor, I think he might be a little intimidated by her because she is so rich and educated.

Knowing that his aunt likes the higher life, he decides to take her to the opera. She seems a little muted about her life, but he keeps pushing her to talk about her high end living. Willa Cather writes " From the time we entered the concert hall, however, she was a trifle less passive and inert, and for the first time seemed to perceive her surroundings. I had felt some trepidation lest she might become aware of the absurdities of her attire, or might experience some painful embarrassment at stepping suddenly into the world to which she had been dead for a quarter of a century" (Cather). She seems to be passive about her life.

Taking her to the opera anyways, she seems to be quietly enjoying it. After it ended, she replied with " I don't want to go, Clark, I don't want to go!" (Cather).

I think the point of this story is to how different lifestyles can all come together and effect each other. I also think it explains how past events can sometimes creep up on you and give you a feeling of nostalgia. Abby Werlock seems to have the same opinion as I do. She says that the nature of her unwillingness to leave is fundamentally ambiguous (Werlock). The aunt never feels regret and only after the feeling of nostalgia from the concert did she feel the sensual awakening (Werlock). This moment in the aunt's life makes her reflect all of her life choices.

Emerson and Thoreau seem to have similar events with their past. They both wrote about their past events in life and described how they feel about it now.

Cather, Willa. "Willa Cather's Short Story: A Wagner Matinee." Read Book Online: Literature Books,novels,short Stories,fiction,non-fiction, Poems,essays,plays,Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. .

Werlock, Abby H. P. "'A Wagner Matinée'." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS846&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 16, 2012).

Blog Seven

In Ambrose Bierce's short story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," he wrote about a hanging about to take place. Peyton Farquhar, the main character, was being hanged for attempting to sabotage a bridge (Bierce). Once he was hanged, he fell into the water and swam to a forest. He experienced a lot of psychological phenomena (Renfro). At the end of the story the reader learns that his entire escape was all in his mind. The story is known for facing death during war time (Renfro).

Bierce was a soldier during the civil war. He said that there were a lot of reasons for the war, but the only reason he really cared about was freedom (Guelzo). He moved up in the rankings over time and become a first lieutenant (Guelzo). This makes him different from Emerson and Thoreau. Emerson and Thoreau wanted the war because they did not like slavery. They were both against slavery for their own personal reasons. In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," no references to slavery are really involved.

Emerson and Ambrose wrote very differently. Emerson seemed to focus on the facts and got straight to the point while Ambrose wrote a fictional story with metaphors describing his view on the war. Instead of just knowing what the author was writing, like Emerson and Thoreau, you really had to think about the references that Ambrose was making and how they were related to the civil war.

Ambrose wrote a lot about the psychological factor of war. For example, he wrote "As he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of the neck; a blinding white light blazes all about him with a sound like the shock of a cannon--then all is darkness and silence" (Ambrose). Before reading this, you learn about a horrible tale of how he escaped death. When the reader reads this, they get a little mad and confused. Imagining something this in depth is not a normal thing, but apparently during war this kind of illusion is a factor of everything a soldier goes through. I do not think that Thoreau really knew much about this, but I am sure that Emerson did because he was a nurse during the civil war and saw all the gruesome acts it brought (Guelzo).

Bierce, Ambrose. "Fiction: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Fiction: Welcome to The EServer's Fiction Collection. FICTION. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

Guelzo, Allen. "Ambrose Bierce's Civil War: One Man's Morbid Vision." History Net: Where History Comes Alive - World & US History Online. Civil War Times Magazine. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. .

Renfro, Y. P. "'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'." In Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0691&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2012).

Blog Six

Robert E. Lee wrote a lot of poems to his family during the late 1800's. In 1863, Robert E. Lee wrote a letter to his with after the Battle of Gettysburg (Lee).

In this letter, he wrote about the Battle of Gettysburg and the tragic events that happened. He wrote, " The consequences of war are horrid enough at best, surrounded by all the ameliorations of civilization and Christianity" (Lee). By this quote, I would think that Lee was against the war. I would be against something that brought horrible consequences and ruined the faith of my religion, but his job in the war made me believe otherwise. Throughout all of his writing, he referenced God and his faith. For example, "I trust that a merciful God, our only hope and refuge, will not desert us in this hour of need, and will deliver us by His almighty hand, that the whole world may recognise His power and all hearts be lifted up in adoration and praise of His unbounded loving-kindness" (Lee). He also talked about how we must do what he wants for us no matter what and he will protect and watch over us (Lee). Robert E. Lee seemed to be a man of great faith.

Emerson is not as much of a fan of Christianity as Lee seemed to be. He believed that Christianity deadened the soul while Lee believed it activated the soul (Alcott). Emerson was raised by a very religious family, but when he was older he denounced biblical miracles (Alcott). He dismissed miracles and focused on soul searching (Alcott).

Emerson and Lee were very different when it comes to the philosophy of religion, mainly Christianity.

Like Emerson, Thoreau also rejected Christianity. It is kind of ironic that he rejected religion because when he died he was very cheerful and happy (Alcott). Sam Staples said that "Never saw a man dying with so much pleasure and peace" (Alcott). He must have been very brave because even strong Christians are sometimes scared of death and the after life.

Lee, Robert E. "Robert E. Lee's Letter to His Wife." Civil War Trust: Saving America's Civil War Battlefields. Web. 07 Feb. 2012. .

Alcott, Amos Bronson. "Ralph Waldo Emerson (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)."Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web. 07 Feb. 2012. .