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. .

Blog Five

Sojourner truth gave her speech, "And I Ain't a Women?" at a women's convention in Ohio in 1851. In this speech, she talked about how everyone is talking about rights and arguing about rights. She mentioned that "That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place!" (Truth). She then goes on asking if she isn't considered a women? Showing the audience her arms and proving that she works and plows the field, she makes a point that "Negro women" are in a different category than white women (Truth). Arguing her point with true statements, I bet that she really got the crowd up and going. I think that if I was listening to her speech, I would be moved and want to help this problem. Her speech really helped change America.

Sojourner truth was against slavery, as you can tell in this speech. Writing about how she had to lose her children to slavery, she reached her audience on an emotional level. She was alone in the world except for Jesus (Truth). Her views on slavery went hand in hand with Emerson and Thoreau's views on slavery. Emerson and Thoreau looked at slavery through a macro level while Sojourner Truth made the truth of slavery more personal to her audience. She brought the life of children into her story along with the sorrow she felt when she lost them. Her view on slavery probably appealed to women while Emerson's and Thoreau's work probably appealed more to men. When a women realizes the kind of torture Sojourner went through when she lost her children, they probably thought about how they would feel if they lost their own children.

They have similar philosophies, but they all look at slavery at a different level. I personally like Sojourner Truth's level better because she stared slavery into the eye when she lost all of her family to it. Emerson and Thoreau had their own experiences with slavery as well, but there stories were not as personal as Sojourner Truth's.

Truth, Sojourner. "Internet History Sourcebooks." FORDHAM.EDU. Fordham University. Web. 07 Feb. 2012..

Blog Four

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Keep Your Hand on the Plow," and "Go Down, Moses" are all short songs that were sung by slaves to encourage hope during their slavery. They would sing these songs while they were working to gain hope for a better day.

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" has a few verses that really stick out to me:

"If you get there before I do,

Coming for to carry me home,
Tell all my friends I’m coming, too.
Coming for to carry me home."

These verses really show the hope that the slaves had. All they wanted to to was to go home. All of these short songs had the same message.

Emerson was very anti slavery. He said that "I think we must get rid of slavery or we must get rid of freedom.... If you put a chain around the neck of a slave, the other end fastens itself around your own" (Baym).

Thoreau was also against slavery. In his writing, "Civil Disobedience," he wrote that "They are the lovers of the law and order who observe the law when the government breaks it" (Thoreau.) He encouraged people to follow their moral compass instead of following the law (Wayne). I think that he was right in that aspect. The law is not always morally correct. Sometimes it is okay to break it if you are following your own personal beliefs.

Emerson, Thoreau, and these anonymous writers all believed that slavery was wrong. I think it was great how Emerson and Thoreau did not just follow what other people were doing, even though it was wrong. I think that they did the right thing by standing up for what they believed in. It is hard to stand up for something you believe in when everyone else seems to be against it, but these two men did. They stood up for slaves and helped expose the evil nature of slavery. They helped slavery by exposing these things and getting people to think out of the box instead of believing in whatever the government tells you to believe in.

Baym, Nina, Ronald Gottesman, Laurence Holland, Francis Murphy, Hershel Parker, William Pritchard, Norton Anthology of American Literature, Second Edition. W. W. Norton and Company, New York: 1986.

Thoreau, Henry David. "Thoreau's Civil Disobedience - 1." The Thoreau Reader. Web. 25 Jan. 2012.

Wayne, Tiffany K. "'Slavery in Massachusetts'." Encyclopedia of Transcendentalism. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 348. Print.

Blog Three

Walt Whitman's poem Calvary Crossing a Ford, Whitman writes about a metaphorical line that takes an long, metaphorical path. In Whitman's poem, he writes about soldiers (Huff). The speaker seems to be viewing the path at a distance. He can see them coming, but when they get to him he writes that "the guidon flags flutter gaily in the wind" (Whitman line 8).

Randall Huff analyzed this poem with the main subject being the calvary, which were the jet fighters of their day (Huff). The metaphorical line is really a line of soldiers and it is the soldiers that are embarking on this path. The scene is not dangerous, as you learn from the last line. Since the flags are "fluttering gaily," they are no threat (Huff). Ironically enough, this is men at war who are actually peaceful. I think that Whitman is a confusing poet sometimes, and this poem is definitely a confusing one. I would not think that men at war were at peace, but he writes as if these men are having relaxing walk fluttering their flags around (Oliver).

Walt Whitman's brother went to war when the Civil War began. He was wounded and then lived with Walt (Huff). I think that Whitman may have been against war after this since it hurt his brother, but he seemed to take more of an interest in it. He volunteered as a nurse and helped cure the injured. I guess he took the high road with his brother's injury.

Whitman more or less supports the war and the goals of it. He is optimistic about the results. He strongly believes in supporting the union at all costs (Oliver). He wants the war as a first priority in the North (Oliver).

Emerson was against slavery and was for women's rights (Emerson). His philosophy on war was very different than Whitman's.

Both authors want freedom and they want it badly. They also both use animals as metaphors (Emerson). They want freedom in different ways. Emerson wants more personal freedom and freedom from rules while Whitman wants freedom for his country, like Abraham Lincoln.

Whitman, Walt. "118. Cavalry Crossing a Ford. Whitman, Walt. 1900. Leaves of Grass."Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More

Huff, Randall. "'Cavalry Crossing a Ford'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

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.

"Emerson, Ralph Waldo." Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Blog Two

The Gettysburg Address was a monumental speech given by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 (Barney). When he gave it, the audience seemed to be uninterested and Lincoln felt as if it was a failed speech. It was only after that people realized that this speech was one of the most compelling speeches (Barney).

Lincoln strongly believed in the philosophy of common sense (Kempf). Common sense is thinking constantly, consistently, logically, and should make life better in more ways than one (Kempf). I think that common sense is very important and I agree with his philosophy that everyone should have common sense.

Lincoln writes in "The Gettysburg Address" in a way that he eases in with common sense. He talks about things that you should be able to figure out yourself. For example, he wrote "We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this" (Lincoln). He then goes in to a deeper part of his speech starting with "but, in a larger sense..." (Lincoln).

Thoreau believed in common sense too. He believed in personal and spiritual growth (Barney). He did not agree that society should be focused on money and on the economic side of things (Barney). I think that they are alike that you have to have common sense to survive, but I think that Thoreau would wants a more simplier world where Lincoln wants a better world where people have common sense and get along. Thoreau is more anti things while Lincoln just wants to fix them.

In "The Gettysburg Address," Abraham Lincoln seems to talk about what we did in the past, what we have because of that, and what we have to do to make life better. In just three short paragraphs, he moves a nation.

Thoreau, Emerson, and Lincoln all wanted freedom> Thoreau and Emerson wanted freedom individually while Lincoln wanted freedom as a country. Lincoln looked at things as a group while Thoreau could sometimes be more personal with his philosophies.

Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "Gettysburg Address."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.

Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln." NetINS Showcase. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

Kempf, Edward. "Abraham Lincoln's Philosophy of Common Sense." Abraham Lincoln - Daguerreotype of Young Abraham Lincoln. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

Blog One

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland (Dorbolo). Jon Dorbolo describes Douglass as "a man possessed of exceptional intelligence and perception (Dorbolo). His philosophy is that he thinks slavery is horrible and he thinks it should be abolished. His writings show the horror of slavery.

Ralph Waldo Emerson believes that all things exist in a flowing way (Brewton). He strongly believes in self reliance and independence. He believes that originality is truly just a bunch of pieces of information from other sources coming together (Brewton). I think that that is true. Nothing is truly original these days. Everything is an idea from an idea from an idea. Being original is obsolete.

Both of these men believe in independence. They seem to both believe that along the journey of life, people should learn from experiences (Brewton). For example, in Frederick Douglass' work he writes "Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? that he is the rightful owner of his own body?" (Douglass).

These men disagree on where this independence and soul searching should come from. Emerson believed that you should develop through your soul while Douglass thought you should develop through your mind (Dorbolo). For example, Douglass references the soul searching when he is talking about freedom and the fourth of july, "...I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul.." (Douglass).

Emerson believed that you should do what you do for yourself and not for other people. He believed that no one should care about what other people think (Brewton). I think that Douglass did care what other people think because he wanted everyone to be against slavery. In his essay "The Meaning of July Fourth to the Negro," he talks about how against slavery he is. He tries to expose the horrible ethics of slavery. Even though his writing is dark, he ends on a bright note. Douglass wrote "No abuse, no outrage whether in taste, sport or avarice, can now hide itself from the all-pervading light" (Douglass). I think that Emerson could learn to look on the bright side like Douglass did. Emerson seemed to just hate on everything, while Douglass ended with two paragraphs of good that the world has done.

Dorbolo, Jon. "Great Philosophers: Frederick Douglass." Oregon State University. 2002. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.

Brewton, Vince. "Emerson, Ralph Waldo [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web. 04 Feb. 2012

Douglass, Frederick. "Africans in America/Part 4/Frederick Douglass Speech." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.