Spoon River Anthology

Edgar Lee Masters grew up in Petersburg, Illinois and the small town city environment influenced his writing of the Spoon River Anthology (Masters 514). As he was growing up, Masters read the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Dickens (Masters 514). Reading some of the epitaphs in Spoon River, I can detect some Emerson in the passages. In "The Village Atheist", the atheist read "the Upanishads and the poetry of Jesus", but just because it was in writing, does not mean that it is true ("The Village Atheist"). Emerson also had that philosophy regarding writing on paper. When President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves, Ralph Waldo Emerson was not on board (Hawthorne). Emerson believed that just because a piece of paper said people were free, they were not free. He thought that being free was a "mindset" and that individuals became free when they lived their lives as though they had been liberated (Hawthorne). The Spoon River Anthology reminds me of the Canterbury Tales. Both tales have many parts telling about different characters. While the Canterbury Tales involved stories told to others for entertainment, Spoon River Anthology involved a town of people telling their first person "epitaphs" ("Table of Contents") ("The Canterbury Tales"). Masters' Spoon River is a gossipy kind of tale when the members of the town called Spoon River told of the town gossip and did not keep any secrets to themselves ("Table of Contents "). The Canterbury Tales contained stories about different people and a certain event in their life with increased bragging or intensity as the people telling the tales tried to "one up" the previous person ("The Canterbury Tales").

The Spoon River Anthology was the first of its kind in America as other literature of the time period involved romantic, touchy feely, and sentimental writing (Masters 514). That is what made the book so popular when it was published. Some critics went as far as saying that Edgar Lee Masters was "America's first poet" as the book was told in first person free verse poems (Masters 514).



Chaucer, Geoffrey. "The Canterbury Tales." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.

Hawthorne, Julian. "Emerson as an American." In The Genius and Character of Emerson. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1885. Quoted as "Emerson as an American." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 28 Feb. 2012.

Masters, Edgar Lee. "Before You Read." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 514. Print.

Masters, Edgar Lee. "The Spoon River Anthology Table of Contents." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.

Masters, Edgar Lee. "The Village Atheist." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.

"Two Views of the River"

Mark Twain, born Samuel L. Clemens, grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, not to far from here, and growing up in the "west" influenced his writings (Twain 496). While Mark Twain was riverboating down the Mississippi River, the rest of the country was in an Industrial Revolution (Divine). "Two Views of the River" an exert from Life on the Mississippi was published in 1883 (Twain 496). In 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge under the guidance of financial supporter Boss Tweed, five time zones in the United States are created by John D. Rockerfeller, J. P. Morgan and Canadian railroad companies to help trains run smoother across the large country, and is published just after Booker T. Washington opened up the Tuskegee Institute (Divine). To think that Mark Twain was cruising down the Mississippi, observing the fauna, flora, and beautiful sunsets while the East Coast was experiencing great monopolies and political machines running cities, while the West Coast was still mining for gold and coal and building railroads eastward. Even though slavery was no longer legal in America, Mark Twain's tales of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn involve racial difference and inequality (Divine). Mark Twain's novels let the rest of the country know what was going on in the middle of America and on the river that gave the land life.

"Two Views of the River" is part of Mark Twain's memoir, Life on the Mississippi (Twain 504). He recounts how he viewed the river and nature around it with intense imagery of rivers turning to the color of "blood", "gold", then "black and conspicuous" when a log floated into his view (Twain 504). As Twain sailed the Mississippi and became more consumed with getting his steamboat safely to the final destination and less observant of the beauty of the life surrounding him (Twain 505). By comparing his experience to that of a doctor not being able to see past possible infections, disease, and ailments in his fellow man, Twain relates his experience to all readers as they might never might a Mississippi steamboat pilot, but with a high probability have met a doctor before (Twain 505). Henry David Thoreau would have been a friend of Twain as both men believed in the beauty of nature and how it affected everything around it (Harding). Twain could have visited Thoreau at Waldon Pond and they could have expressed their views on nature with each other.



Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, R. Hal Williams, H. W. Brands, and Ariela J. Gross. America Past and Present AP Edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.

Harding, Walter. A Thoreau Handbook by Walter Harding: pp. 131-173 (New York University Press, 1959). © 1959 by New York University Press. Quoted as "Thoreau's Ideas" in Harold Bloom, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 26 Feb. 2012.

Twain, Mark. "Before You Read." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 496. Print.

Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 504-505. Print.

"from The Red Badge of Courage"

Stephen Crane was a Naturist just like Henry David Thoreau (Crane 492). Both men were Realists, but focused their writing more on the working class and the poor people and their struggles (Crane 492). Crane and Thoreau believed that "human destiny was shaped by powerful forces, including heretitiy, social and economic pressures, and the natural environment" (Crane 492). The men believed that humans had little control over their lives. That is why Thoreau wanted to better understand nature and how it affects the world and human lives, so he stayed isolated in the woods for two years, two months, and two days (Harding). In "The Red Badge of Courage", Stephen Crane gave an example of Naturalism by exposing the protagonist, Henry Flemming, to a "new environment" of battle and how Crane believes that since men do not have control over their lives, they should always exhibit "courage, honesty, and poise" no matter what life throws at them (Crane 492).

Henry Flemming is a middle class soldier who experienced war through vivid "colorful" descriptions (Cox). As he was filled with a "red rage", Private Henry Flemming swept through the battle field killing with his rifle, even though his bare hands would be a better weapon to satisfy his blood lust (Crane 493). Henry Flemming bravely fought in the battle even after his regiment retreated (Cox). Stephen Crane wrote about the war and how some of the soldiers, like Henry Flemming, gave into the blood lust and bravely fought the battles that some men could not finish (Cox).

Ralph Waldo Emerson was also a Naturalist. He expressed his views through "Nature" and believed that all morality comes from nature (Hawthorne). Henry David Thoreau differed in opinion as he believed nature was where the "restoring force" when society was the poisoning force and men should be closer to mother nature (Harding). Stephen Crane viewed nature as the force that controls human lives and because of that, people should always act with the best character because if nature decides your destiny, then you should live life to the fullest and to the best of your ability (Crane 492).



Cox, James M. "The Red Badge of Courage: The Purity of War." Southern Humanities Review 25, no. 4 (Fall 1991). Quoted as "The Red Badge of Courage: The Purity of War" in Bloom, Harold, ed. The Red Badge of Courage, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

Crane, Stephen. "from The Red Badge of Courage." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 492-493. Print.

Harding, Walter. A Thoreau Handbook by Walter Harding: pp. 131-173 (New York University Press, 1959). © 1959 by New York University Press. Quoted as "Thoreau's Ideas" in Harold Bloom, ed. Anna Sakach. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 24 Feb. 2012.

Hawthorne, Julian. "Emerson as an American." In The Genius and Character of Emerson. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1885. Quoted as "Emerson as an American." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 24 Feb. 2012.

"The Story of an Hour"

Wow. That was a very interesting story. Kate Chopin really expressed a woman's view of marriage in an almost discreet and unsuspecting way. "The Story of an Hour"is about a woman who learns about her husband death and goes to her room to mourn (Chopin 554). Instead of mourning alone, like what her sister Josephine thinks that Mrs. Mallard is doing, Mrs. Mallard is realizing that she is finally free and can be independent again (Chopin 555). When Mrs. Mallard "composes" herself and goes downstairs, supported by her sister, she is shocked by her husband walking in the front door (Chopin 555). The doctors say that Mrs. Mallard died of "heart disease - of joy that kills" (Chopin 555). Mrs. Mallard died because of the sudden despair, self pity, and depression that completely overrode the joy and pure happiness that she felt because she thought that she was "free, body and soul, free!" (Chopin 555). The story really drove home the message of women's role in society during the late 1880s. Women could not do anything without their husbands. When Kate Chopin's husband died, she had to petition to court to be the legal guardian of the children that she bore (Chopin 552). Women could not hold their own property, their wages belonged to their husbands, and if a divorce were to occur, a very rare case, the husbands would automatically have custody of the children (Divine). Women were payed lower wages then men and had very equal rights (Divine). Kate Chopin brought the issue of equality in marriage and in the work environment through her stories, some of which were found so "vulgar" and "offensive" that she had a hard time finding a publisher (Chopin 551).

Emerson supported women's rights, although he was not as blunt as Kate Chopin. He gave a speech at a Women's Convention and supported his wife, aunt, and female friends that campaigned for women's suffrage (Wayne). Thoreau never had a firm opinion on women and their place in society, but if he was in favor of the gender equality he probably would have been very bold in his endeavors, just like Kate Chopin.


Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 551- 555. Print.

Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, R. Hal Williams, H. W. Brands, and Ariela J. Gross. America Past and Present AP Edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.

Wayne, Tiffany K. "'Address at the Woman's Rights Convention'." Encyclopedia of Transcendentalism. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 22 Feb. 2012.

“from O Pioneers!”

Willa Cather was a pioneer. She moved out to Nebraska with her family when she was nine years old and drew on her first hand frontier experience as inspiration in her writing (Cather 519). She wrote novels based on her experiences in the land and the beauty that accompanied the wild (Cather 519). In "O Pioneers!", Willa Cather drew on her experience with the frontier land and wrote about farming immigrants and the hardships they faced (Cather 488). Because the Wild West was new and Americans had not farmed or lived on the dry flat land, new inventions and farming techniques had to be invented. Because of the lack of water, farming was a challenge west of the Mississippi. To deal with that problem, dry farming was invented when farmers dug deeper into the soil to access deep ground water to keep the roots watered (Divine). Because of the flat treeless land, farmers could not use timber to build their houses or fences to keep their animals in one centralized place. Sod houses and barbed wire were innovatively created as a solution to those problems (Divine). The farmers in the west had a hard time, but they survived through hard work and creativity. Willa Cather's farmers in "O Pioneers" also faced hardship through death and droughts (Cather 489). At their low point, the farmers reminisce about land to the east or any "place that had been proved hospitable" (Cather 489). The sons of the farmers dreamt about working in the cities as bakers as they lacked the "imagination needed" to survive and be happy in the west (Cather 489).

Henry David Thoreau was a supporter of the pioneers as he believed it helped man become "one" with nature as he was forced to survive and tame nature (Harding). Thoreau admired the pioneers due to their "closeness to nature" (Harding). Thoreau took his philosophy seriously and he lived in the woods, alone with nature for two years, two months, and two days (Harding). His experience was not quite that of a pioneer, but he did develop a relationship with nature and the world surrounding him.


Cather, Willa. "from O Pioneers!." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 488-489. Print.

Cather, Willa. "Before You Read." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 519. Print.

Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, R. Hal Williams, H. W. Brands, and Ariela J. Gross. America Past and Present AP Edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.

Harding, Walter. A Thoreau Handbook by Walter Harding: pp. 131-173 (New York University Press, 1959). © 1959 by New York University Press. Quoted as "Thoreau's Ideas" in Harold Bloom, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 20 Feb. 2012.

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a very interesting story by Ambrose Bierce. Ambrose Bierce faught in the American Civil War which gave him some background information for this short story (Bierce 387). Bierce was an interesting man who had some character traits that we have seen in authors before. Bierce was "idealistic, cynical, morose, stubborn" and known as "Bitter Bierce" (Bierce 387). He had a very interesting life story. After not completing high school, Bierce worked as a printer's apprentice then enlisted to fight in the Civil War (Bierce 387). After being shot in the head, Bierce worked in the humor section of several newspapers. Later he traveled to England where he wrote more before returning to America. My favorite part about Ambrose Bierce's life is that he disappeared in Mexico and no one knows what happened to him (Bierce 387). To this day no one knows how he died, when he died, or what he did in Mexico.

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a great Civil War thinking story. As the story starts off with an omnipoent narrator who is observing a hanging on a bridge, the reader is left to wonder what exactly the "civilian" did to result in a hanging (Bierce 390). Then the person who was going to be hanged drifts off in thought about his wife and children before presumably being hanged when the sergeant "stepped aside" (Bierce 390). The next part is narratorated by Peter Farquhar, who the reader later learns is the man being hanged (Bierce 390). At the end of the second part Farquhar is given information by a disguised enemy soldier who, using reverse psychology, tells Farquhar about a bridge that the enemy soliders could use to invade Owl Creek bridge (Bierce 392). In a twist in the plot the bridge was really a necessity to the Farquhar's side and by burning the bridge, he unknowingly helped the enemy (Bierce 392). That is why he was being hung. The next part of the story was very interesting as Farquhar seems to evade death multiple times by having awesome neck muscles that can withstand being hung by a rope, a great lung capacity to escape drowning, and ninja like skills that allows him to dodge bullets and even cannons (Bierce 395-396)! Then the reader learns that he really died by the rope and in a couple of ticks of a watch, Farquhar dreampt up the whole scenario (Bruccoli)! The concept of having an entire scenario and story thought up in a couple of seconds is something masterfully done by Bierce (Bruccoli). Very few people have been able to accomplish that to the successful degree that Ambrose Bierce did.

Bierce, Ambrose. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 387-396. Print.

Bruccoli, Matthew J., and Judith S. Baugman. "Peyton Farquhar." Student's Encyclopedia of American Literary Characters. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 15 Feb. 12.

“Letter to his Family”

Robert E. Lee was the leader of the Confederate Army during the Civil War after serving in the United States Army for thirty-six years (Lee 382). He only served as general for the Confederate States of America because his home state of Virginia decided to succeed from the Union and General Lee had very strong loyalty for his state (Lee 382). That loyalty characteristic is a great thing to have, and General Lee instilled that in his Confederate troops (Divine). The possible division of the Union greatly upset General Lee and he was "willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation" (Lee 385). Before any of the states succeeded, Robert E. Lee made clear that he would stay true with Virginia and "return to my native state and share the miseries of my people" (Lee 385). Even though General Robert E. Lee served with the Confederates, and not the Union, he did so for a good reason. He was not a supporter of slavery, but had an ambivalent view about slavery (Divine).

Henry David Thoreau was a firm believer in antislavery and that was the one political issue that he was vocal about (Harding). He would have disliked General Robert E. Lee as he was fighting for the "wrong side" and not for the freedom of the slaves (Harding). Ralph Waldo Emerson would have appreciated General Lee for sticking to his views and staying with Virginia throughout the war until the surrender at Appomattox which ended the Civil War (Divine). Throughout Abraham Lincoln's election and the succession threats, and the entire Civil War, General Robert E. Lee stuck with his guns and supported his home state of Virginia and defended it and the Confederacy to make sure his home state was preserved (Lee 385). General Lee had great characteristics and honor as he battled his fellow countrymen during the Civil War. Emerson and Thoreau would have both respected that loyalty aspect of General Robert E. Lee.


Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, R. Hal Williams, H. W. Brands, and Ariela J. Gross. America Past and Present AP Edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.

Harding, Walter. A Thoreau Handbook by Walter Harding: pp. 131-173 (New York University Press, 1959). © 1959 by New York University Press. Quoted as "Thoreau's Ideas" in Harold Bloom, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 13 Feb. 2012.

Hawthorne, Julian. "Emerson as an American." In The Genius and Character of Emerson. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1885. Quoted as "Emerson as an American." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 13 Feb. 2012.

Lee, Robert E. "Letter to his Family". Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 382-385. Print.

“And Ain‘t I a Woman?”

Sojourner Truth spoke at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in 1851 after several male ministers spoke on how women were too "inferior" and "weak" to vote (Truth 369). Sojourner Truth is a prime example of a strong and powerful woman. After escaping from slavery, she preached God's message around the northeast, eventually preaching antislavery and women's rights as well (Truth 369). She made the most of her life and was an empowered woman. In her speech at the Ohio Convention, Sojourner Truth made a point to the "little man in black", the ministers who had spoken earlier, about what women can or can not do (Truth 370). Sojourner Truth said that she could "work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well!" and then mentioned that she borne thirteen children (Truth 370). If that shows "weak" and "inferior" characteristics, then I do not know what brave and strong people look like. Truth's speech was very effective as she drew on her life experiences to prove the minster men wrong and show them how women are strong and capable. To make sure that the ministers got her point, Sojourner threw in, "Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him" (Truth 370). The ministers got her point.

Ralph Waldo Emerson also spoke at a women's rights convention. He spoke at the Boston Women's Rights Convention in 1855 (Wayne). His wife, his aunt, and fellow Transcendentalist Margaret Fuller urged him to speak (Wayne). He had previously not voiced an opinion for or against women's rights (Wayne). After giving a speech where Emerson hoped "the best women would not seek power through such corrupt avenues as politics and business" and did not clearly say anything for or against women suffrage (Wayne). Emerson never made a public statement on women's rights again. Regardless, his speech was still quoted by women's rights periodicals for the rest of the century (Wayne). Thoreau never gave an opinion on women's rights. The only political thing that he gave voice to was for the abolitionists and antislavery.


Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain‘t I a Woman?." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 368-370. Print.

Wayne, Tiffany K. "'Address at the Woman's Rights Convention'." Encyclopedia of Transcendentalism. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 12 Feb. 2012.

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", "Go Down, Moses", and "Keep Your Hands on the Plow"

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", "Go Down, Moses", and "Keep Your Hands on the Plow" are all sorrow songs sung by African American slaves from the Antebellum South ("Three Spirituals" 344). To help deal with the violence, hardship, and lifestyle of slavery in the South, black slaves would sing versions of the aforementioned songs to create and maintain their own culture and to get them through the workday ("Three Spirituals" 344). As the songs were not written down, but orally passed from cotton plantation to sugar plantations and yeomen farms, many different versions exist, Congress believes over "six thousand" to be in existence ("Three Spirituals" 344). The theme of all three songs are about overcoming slavery, through stories in the Bible about freedom or about hope for a better day.

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is a spiritual about the promise of freedom coming soon ("Swing Low" 346). Literally the " sweet chariot" is going to "carry" the slaves "home", while figuratively "home" is being free and living as an independent person with equal rights and President Lincoln is going to carry the slaves home through the Emancipation Proclamation and Equality Acts ("Swing Low" 346). Thoreau would have been in agreement with the message of the song, but Emerson would have disliked it because he did not think that "pieces of paper" made anyone free (Hawthorne).

"Go Down, Moses" is a surrow song regarding the slave's hope for freedom ("Go Down" 347). By referencing Moses leading the Hebrews out of Egypt and those people breaking the bonds of slavery, the American Antebellum slaves gain hope from the idea that becoming free can happen ("Go Down" 347). Emerson would have liked this spiritual much better as the event described was factual and the Hebrew slaves physically got their freedom by leaving Egypt. Some slaves took that song to heart by traveling the Underground Railroad and gaining freedom by escaping from their masters.

"Keep Your Hand on the Plow" is a religous song giving the slaves hope through the belief that God was with them ("Keep" 348). Thoreau was a religious man who believed that the individual was self-sufficent, but a little help from God was necessary in retaining a balanced life (Harding). The line "hold on" is repeated throughout the song and as words are power, the slaves gained hope by repeating the mantra that freedom will come someday so just "hold on".

"Go Down, Moses." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 347. Print.

Harding, Walter. A Thoreau Handbook by Walter Harding: pp. 131-173 (New York University Press, 1959). © 1959 by New York University Press. Quoted as "Thoreau's Ideas" in Harold Bloom, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 10 Feb. 2012.

Hawthorne, Julian. "Emerson as an American." In The Genius and Character of Emerson. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1885. Quoted as "Emerson as an American." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 10 Feb. 2012.

"Keep Your Hands on the Plow." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 348. Print.

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 6. Print.

"Three Spirituals." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 344-345. Print.

“Calvary Crossing a Ford”

Walt Whitman believed in the everyday ordinary man and focused his writings on that concept (Whitman 340). Henry David Thoreau also wrote and firmly believed throughout his life that the common man can reform themselves and in doing so, reform the surroundings and the government (Harding). Thoreau and Whitman had Transcendentalist view on the importance of the individual. In "Calvary Crossing a Ford", Whitman expressed the importance of each individual soldier in a portrayal of the Union troops crossing a river (Whitman 341). Since "each person a picture" as opposed to all of the soldiers being one unit of the Union Army, readers can identify better with the soldiers and the hardships, violence, and death they went through as opposed to reading about the thousands of causalities each side faced and not having that personal connection (Whitman 340). Henry David Thoreau believed that each individual could shape the future and all aspects of their lives (Harding). Based on that, Thoreau would agree with the theory that each soldier in both sides of the Civil War could affect the outcome of each battle and in the end the outcome of the American Civil War. Walt Whitman served as a nurse during the Civil War and treated soldiers on both the Union and Confederate side (Whitman 340). He saw first hand how the individual soldier impacted each battle of the internal conflict.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a role model for Walt Whitman. Emerson thought that the ideal poet was one who "has a new thought... a new experience to unfold; he will tell us how it was with him, and all men will be richer in his fortune" (Whitman 340). Walt Whitman took that to heart and strived to be like Emerson's idea of a great poet. By serving in the Civil War, Whitman used that first hand experience to write about what he observed from the soldiers, surroundings, and overall feelings as he nursed the wounded, sick, and dying American soldiers (Whitman 340). I believe that Whitman succeeded in his goal to be like Emerson's ideal poet as Whitman did make future men "richer" with the knowledge and feelings in all of Whitman's poems.


Harding, Walter. A Thoreau Handbook by Walter Harding: pp. 131-173 (New York University Press, 1959). © 1959 by New York University Press. Quoted as "Thoreau's Ideas" in Harold Bloom, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 09 Feb. 2012.

Whitman, Walt. "Calvary Crossing a Ford." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 340-341. Print.

“The Gettysburg Address”

After the blood battle of Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln dedicated the battleground as a military cemetery on November 19, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (Lincoln 401). The speech he gave that day was one of the most famous of President Lincoln's addresses and almost every American child knows the opening line of "Four score and seven years ago..." (Lincoln 402). Lincoln, also known as the Great Emancipator, was against slavery, going as far as exercising his wartime Commander in Chief abilities to set the slaves free in the Union (Divine). Before he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln wanted to allow the African American freemen to be able to coexist with white men in the South with equality (Divine). Unfortunately, Lincoln never made an official Reconstruction plan, so his ideas never happened and blacks continued to have unequal rights and acts of cruelty and violence were still practiced on the black freemen (Divine).

Ralph Waldo Emerson made points in his writing that strongly agreed with Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address". Emerson wrote that "the Civil War the air was full of heroism" which is what the "Gettysburg Address" is literally about (Hawthorne) (Lincoln 402). When President Lincoln dedicated the military cemetery he commented on the "brave men, living and dead" and how they defined the struggle for freedom with their lives (Lincoln 402). Emerson disagreed with Lincoln on how to free the slaves. President Lincoln believed that the first step was emancipation and, affirming his belief that men are good and not cruel savages, Lincoln had faith that black people would be treated equal and after some time, have the same rights as American citizens just like the white men (Divine). Emerson made clear that "nothing is more disgusting than the crowing about liberty by slaves, as most men are, and the flippant mistaking for freedom of some paper preamble, like a Declaration of Independence, or the statute right to vote." (Hawthorne). Emerson was not a fan of Lincoln's Emancipation as he did not think that that one speech and that one piece of legislature would solve any problems.

Henry David Thoreau had a "limited and distorted" view on slavery in the South, but was very vocal about his views on liberty and equality (Harding). In the "Gettysburg Address" Lincoln opens his address by reminding the audience that the nation was "conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the propostion that all men are created equal" (Lincoln 402). Lincoln and Thoreau both agreed on liberty for everyone, but unfortunately Lincoln did not live to see it happen and Thoreau never took action to back up his words.



Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, R. Hal Williams, H. W. Brands, and Ariela J. Gross. America Past and Present AP Edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.

Harding, Walter. A Thoreau Handbook by Walter Harding: pp. 131-173 (New York University Press, 1959). © 1959 by New York University Press. Quoted as "Thoreau's Ideas" in Harold Bloom, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 05 Feb. 2012.

Hawthorne, Julian. "Emerson as an American." In The Genius and Character of Emerson. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1885. Quoted as "Emerson as an American." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 08 Feb. 2012.

Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 400-402. Print.

“The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”

Frederick Douglass' "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" was a very eye opening piece. Douglass, a former slave, was a speaker and author on antislavery and was a renown abolitionist (Douglass 336). His "July Fourth for the Negro" speech was given to a white audience, who I am sure had never thought of the 4th of July as a slap in the face to African Americans in America (Douglass 337). Douglass believes the celebration of the fourth of July is "a thin veil to cover up the crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages" (Douglass 337). Ralph Waldo Emerson's argument that a "flippant mistaking for freedom of some paper preamble, like a Declaration of Independence, or the statute right to vote" is a assumption made by the "superficial" white American (Hawthorne). Emerson's argument would have fit in well with Fredrick Douglass' speech in Rochester New York (Emerson 337). Ralph Waldo Emerson was very blunt with his views on slavery, just as Thoreau was. Henry David Thoreau believed that slavery was "the issue" of his time (Harding). He was a big supported of John Brown, a rebellious antislavery martyr, and Brown's need to change the country as an individual (Cisco). Henry David Thoreau was all about the individual and self reliance (Harding). Fredrick Douglass made clear in his speech that white men were not thinking of black people when they celebrate the nation's independence (Douglass 337). His reasoning is sound as the shouts of "liberty and equality" did not apply to all Americans (Douglass 337). While white Americans were living well off and free, while both slave and free blacks were living in poverty, with cruelty and violence looming over their shoulders everyday (Douglass 336). The African Americans were slowly granted rights in America, only for those rights to be taken away by white supremacists and Black Codes. After abolitionists like Fredrick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau were gone, there work still resonated with Americans, spurring new antislavery movements (Cisco).


Cisco, Michael. "Henry David Thoreau: Bachelor of Thought and Nature." In Bloom, Harold, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 05 Feb. 2012.

Douglass, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 336-337. Print.

Harding, Walter. A Thoreau Handbook by Walter Harding: pp. 131-173 (New York University Press, 1959). © 1959 by New York University Press. Quoted as "Thoreau's Ideas" in Harold Bloom, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 05 Feb. 2012.

Hawthorne, Julian. "Emerson as an American." In The Genius and Character of Emerson. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1885. Quoted as "Emerson as an American." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 05 Feb. 2012.