Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan vs Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Postmodernism)

(Really long semester final)
(confused the screenplays and authors a couple of times, sorry for the confusion)
(Erob)
Yellow shirt entries filmed by K McGraw at the State Track meet (Mr. Langley- my iPhone videos were not compatible with my hp computer so I had to put this together on YouTube editor, sorry that the quality and editing isn't the best). Background music provided by Pandora.

Works Cited:
"George Lucas Biography." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 19 May 2012.
Hanson, Karen. "Literary Periods and their Characteristics." MTHS English. 14 Sept. 2008. Web. 19 May
2012.
Lucas, George. "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Script." BlueHarvest. Web. 20 May 2012.
Lye, John. "Some Attributes of Post-Modernist Literature." Department of English Language and   Literature. Brock University, 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 19 May 2012.
Meyer, Nicholas. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Script." IMSDb. Web. 20 May 2012.
"Postmodernism." CHRISTIANITY AND TRUTH: Worldviews - Postmodernism. Web. 19 May 2012.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "Postmodernism." 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. Web. 19 May 2012.
Zerzan, John. "The Catastrophe of Postmodernism." Primitivism. Web. 19 May 2012. 

Journal 31 - Job Shadowing

I went to McClelland Aviation at the Springfield Capital Airport on Wednesday for job shadowing. It was very fun and interesting. I was there from noon to 7. Andrew Hamm, the flight instructor had a lesson at 1:00 with an experienced student who was close to graduating the program. I helped the student, AJ, go through the flight pre check before he could begin his lesson. There was a list of things to check to make sure the flight would go smoothly. Andrew was going to have AJ practice stalls, which is when the engine quits because the plane flew to high. That was awesome. The first time the alarm went off, I was scared since I did not know what was happening. The engine stopped and the plane dropped. AJ was practicing steering out of an engine failure. After the initial drop, the rest were fun and it was like a never ending roller coaster ride. When we landed, I got to help refuel the airplane and go through the post flight check list to make sure the plane was still in good condition. AJ, who also worked at McClelland, then showed us the different types of fuel and the trucks that stored the fuel. Later, Andrew showed us the planes that they store in the hangars. There was a private jet for a Springfield family (a rich Springfield family), an air show fighter plane, and smaller training planes. He explained the difference in the planes and how the rental process worked. Later I helped refuel the air show plane. Andrew had another lesson at 4 with a beginner student who was still learning the basics of flying - up, down, left, right. That was very interesting as I had headphones and could hear the instruction on the different gauges and instruments in the airplane as well as how to fly the plane. Both flights took place over the field in between Plains and Ashland. That was really cool as we could see the school from 3000 feet up in the air. The job shadowing experience showed me a different aspect of aviation (I previously only was familiar with airport and bigger companies). It definitely encouraged me in my job path. It was a really good experience and I am thankful for the opportunity..

"I, Too" Langston Hughes

Journal 30 - Favorite Whitman Poem

My favorite Whitman poem is "O Captain! My Captain!". That poem had a lasting impact on America. When President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the nation was in shock. Whitman wrote "O Captain! My Captain!" to unite the country in the time of mourning. I also like the fact that it rhymes. I enjoy rhyming poems as it is easier for my to find the rhythm that the author intended. In "O Captain! My Captain!", the captain of the ship represents Abraham Lincoln. I also like the poem because it is easy to understand the symbolism. The ship is America and the captain is its dead president. The poem celebrates the Union winning the Civil War. I like the poem because it tells a story (and rhymes, rhyming poems are the best). But, seriously, rhyming poems rule. In my opinion, rhyming poems (specifically aabb or abab scheme poems) flow better. As I have never met any of the authors of the poems I have read, I do not know exactly how they intended on their poem being read. Maybe they would have emphasized a different word or phrase then what I would have emphasized when I read it out loud. That is why I like rhyming poems because I know how the author intended the rhythm to be. The emphasized words might be different in my mind, but it is definitely closer in a structured poem as opposed to a free verse. That is why out of Walt Whitman's poems I like "O Captain! My Captain!" because unlike the majority of his poems, it is not free verse. Whitman disliked the structure and constraint of structured rhyming poems, but knew that America could not handle a President Lincoln remembrance slash mourning poem involving his normal sexual innuendo and scandalous free verse. Instead of helping to heal the nation, that poem could have shocked the nation into healing, or scarred the already hurting nation more. Luckily "O Captain! My Captain!" was very successful and a very popular and non-offensive poem (that rhymes!).




Whitman, Walt. "O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!" The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

"Chanting the Square Deific"

Walt Whitman's "Chanting the Square Deific" interprets a different spin on the classic Christian Holy Trinity. Instead of a trinity, Whitman writes of a "quaternity" of figures (Oliver). The first side of the square is God, but not just the Christian God. Whitman's first side of the "Square Deific" is the God of Hebrews, "Jehovah"; God of Hindu religion, "Brahm"; God of Romans, "Saturn", and God of Greeks, "Kronos" (Whitman). The main thing that the gods have in common is that they represent the leader or chief of their respective religious deities, just like God of Christianity's Holy Trinity is the top of the triangle. As opposed the the Christian God, the first side of the "Square Deific" is not merciless as He "forgives no man" and "lets none expect mercy" (Whitman). That is a major difference separating the Holy Trinity and the Square Deific. The first stanza exhibits the power of the first deity. The God decides "judgments without the least remorse" and has all of His subjects and followers' lives in His hands (Whitman). The extent of His power is shown when the seasons and Earth's gravitation pull are mentioned, as the Square Deity is as constant, reliable, and relentless as the aforementioned acts of nature (Whitman).

The second stanza describes the next side of the Square, the son of the first side. The knowledge that the second side deity is the offspring of the first comes from the mythological references of the "Lord Jesus", "Hercules", and "Hermes" (Whitman). Jesus was the next part of the Christian Holy Trinity, which seems to be a model for the Square Deific. Hercules was the son of Zeus, another chief deity and rose to power and eventually became a god himself. Hermes was another son of Zeus, ruler of Greek Gods. The Square Deific second side diety represents the people better than the first deity as he "absorbs the suffering", "crucified", "taunted", "cheer bringer", and His "charity has no death" (Whitman). That signifies that His influence and support will always be present in whatever way is desired and can bring comfort to the people that He is there (Oliver).

The third stanza, the third side of the Square, is the opposite of the deity representing the first side. In Christianity the Devil is the opposite of God, as well as evil is the opposite of goodness. But the "Square Deific" version of Satan is not as evil as the Christian version. The Square Deity is the "brother to the slaves" and is not necessarily evil (Whitman). The deity is stubborn and will live up to his "permanent" vows and decisions (Whitman). That makes Him a respectable God as one can always trust him to keep his word, but with the knowledge that He is not looking out for their benefit as well as the second side of the Square Deific will be.

The final side of the Square is the equivalent of the last part of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit in Christianity represents the invisible acts from God that help His followers better understand their religion and Him. The "Santa Spirita" is the "breather of life" which is very similar to the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit is the most "solid" part of the square, therefore the most important part (Whitman). The Spirit triumphs over Heaven and Hell ( "lighter than light", "flames of hell", "Paradise" ) and "including God, the Saviour, and the Satan" in Its rank (Whitman). The last line of the poem makes the reader assume that the narrator, Walt Whitman, either is the "Santa Spirita" or has the "Santa Spirita" within him, which is another trait of the Christian Holy Spirt (Oliver). Whitman's "Square Deific" is a well rounded Holy Trinity, with all sides of humanity represented in good and evil as well as self and savior. Whitman expanded on the classic Trinity, but improved it to represent what he envisioned as the deities of man.



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. 02 Apr. 2012.

Whitman, Walt. "Chanting the Square Deific." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 02 Apr. 2012.

Journal 29 - Self

Well, this is going to be a hard journal. My transcendentalist self is deep within me and will be hard to locate and describe. My real self, according to Anna Sakach is "a stunningly intellect" (insert a British accent). My personality and self perception is harder to determine as it is more of a private thing. I am a different person when I am alone and do not have peer pressure and stereotypes to act under. Everyone assumes in a "real me" way that I am a smart, nerdy, person. I am, but not to the extent that others think. I am way more nerdier at home by myself. When I meet new people, I try to restrain myself to meet the criteria of accepted behavior in society today. People frown upon the ability to speak the equivalent of Spanish 1 in Klingon and to be able to quote line for line, 10 out of the 11 Star Trek movies. Especially because I am a girl. And not in my 40s or 50s, as a typical and stereotypical Trekkie is. I feel like I am introverted in a way when I am in public. There is a little fear in me about not meeting people's expectations. That is hard and stressful for me a lot of the time because people, especially my peers, assume that I am getting good grades and ranked first in our class, and will go to college and accomplish great things. I think that the pressure to succeed has actually made me a better person, stomach ulcers aside. Because I try to meet the expectations, and normally succeed, my work ethic increased and the desire to be first grew. Self- confidence came as a byproduct of the peer pressure and social stereotypes. My spiritual self is a different story. I do not know where I am spiritually, which means I need to do some soul searching. Because I do not have a specific religion (who knows maybe down the road I will be a devoted follower to Hestia), there is more for me to discover.

"Nature, the Gentlest Mother"

"Nature, the Gentlest Mother" by Emily Dickinson describes Mother Earth and how she takes care of her "children" and "household" (Dickinson). Nature is "impatient of no child" which symbolizes how Mother Earth takes care of everyone on the planet and even when her "children" harm her (carbon emissions, fires, ecosystem meddling), she will always be their mother and take care of them from the "feeblest" to the "waywardest" (Dickinson). The next stanza in the poem describes how Nature aids her children. She is present in the forests and hills, and is "heard by travelers" (Dickinson). "Hearing" nature invokes onomatopoeia of wind whistling and rustling the trees in the forests and whipping the tall grass and wildflowers on the tall and rolling hills. Also the animals making a variety of noises in the forest are a sign of Nature's presence. The flowers growing on the hills represent the gentle loving touch of Mother Earth as life on the hill. The third stanza uses personification. Emily Dickinson describes all of the flora and fauna, as well as the creatures and critters that roam the Earth, as Nature's "household" and "assembly" (Dickinson). Nature has "fair conversation" with her "household" (Dickinson). The conversation is a representation of the interaction between Nature and the living things on the Earth. Without sun light and rain the plants and trees could not survive. Also, the changing seasons effect the ecosystems and the animals. Mother Earth takes care of her "children" by providing "warm summer days" and not having freezing, deadly winters (Dickinson).

Emily Dickinson explains that nature, or Mother Nature, has an effect on every creature, whether it is the “minutest cricket” or “the most unworthy flower” (Dickinson). Dickinson has done a great job of personifying nature in this poem also. She says that “her voice among the aisles incites the timid prayer”, so she has given nature a voice that reaches all creatures she has created (Dickinson). She also says that “with infinite affection and infiniter care, her golden finger on her lip, wills silence everywhere” (Dickinson). She has given nature not just a finger but a golden finger. That symbolizes that nature’s finger is of a more important significance because gold represents more noble or distinguished feature. She clearly has a deep affection for nature in this poem. This poem also has a good amount of imagery. Her descriptions are very strong and animated. She creates the image of children sleeping, a very miniscule cricket, an ugly or ‘unworthy’ flower, and how when nature turns to darkness it creates silence everywhere. She presents rhymes in the final stanza, but it is only with the second and fourth lines. The rhyme scheme does not seem to matter as much to her as a good rhythm. She keeps a constant rhythm that is different, but makes the reading flow. The syllables do not always match up with each line, but she creates a certain element of poetry that makes this poem, “Nature, the gentlest Mother”, worth reading.



Dickinson, Emily . "Nature, the Gentlest Mother." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.

Journal 28 - "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died"

"I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died" is a weird symbolic Emily Dickinson poem. The fly in the poem stops the woman from dying for a short period of time. The fly's buzzing disrupted the "silence" in the room. The fly came in between the narrator and the light. The light symbolizes Heaven or whatever afterlife the narrator believes in (Valhalla, Elysian Fields, or Hell, but most likely Heaven considering Emily Dickinson's background and the religion that surrounded her in New England). The narrator had a will and had her keepsakes willed away and as she "signed" it, her possessions were in order. That means the narrator knew that she was going to die and had everything arranged for her children/ heirs/ beneficiaries. Next to her bedside, the narrator's next of kin and close friends had "wrung them (eyes) dry" which symbolizes that they had cried and expressed their sorrow, but know had past that stage of grief and accepted the narrator's passing. As she was ready to be taken to the next adventure, the silence (now that there was no more crying since everyone knew and accepted that the narrator was going to die) was interrupted by a fly. The buzzing of the fly disturbed the narrator's inner peace and acceptance of her moving into the next life (or reincarnation or rebirth or peace and happiness in a better place). The unexpected fly startled the narrator away from the light from the "window". The window light was really the infamous light that whisks the dying to whatever comes after death. For a moment the fly took her away from the light and drew her attention to the fly. But then the "window closed" and the narrator could not see anymore. That could be interpreted in two ways. The narrator could have died, or she could have lived another day. The blindness could have came from her eyes being closed forever. Or it could have come from the light disappearing and the narrator continuing to live.

Dickinson, Emily . "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.

Journal 27 - Emily Dickinson's Poems' Tune

Emily Dickinson's poems can be sung to the tune of "Amazing Grace" and "Yellow Rose of Texas". Her poems have rhythmic lines and the reason that they can be sung to several different folk songs was because her rhyme scheme and story telling can follow a musical beat. The ironic part of "Amazing Grace" fitting in with Emily Dickinson's poems is that she was not religious. Dickinson never became a member of the Church, but her family and friends all were Christians and very faithful. Her poems had a standard rhyme scheme and as almost all of them had the same scheme. That is why they can all fit into "Amazing Grace" and "Yellow Rose of Texas". "Amazing Grace" became a staple of the Christian Church. When I was confirmed in eighth grade, my cousin who was my confirmation sponsor, gave me a snow globe type object that played "Amazing Grace". Emily Dickinson was not religious at all, and rejected the Church which is why the fact that "Amazing Grace" fit in her poems was significant. Emily Dickinson's poems involved life, love, death, and nature. She looked at her subjects in a scientific manner, not a religious one. Her poems would have been different if she believed, and was exposed to the Church's beliefs and philosophies. Another song that fits with Emily Dickinson's poems is "I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing (in Perfect Harmony)". The song is a bit slow for my speed of reading poems out loud, but it fits nicely with "A Narrow Fellow in the Grass" as well as other Emily Dickinson poems. The rhythm of folk songs, such as my favorite "Oh Susanna" also carries the same rhythm and beat as "A Narrow Fellow in the Grass" and other Dickinson poems. I learned the lyrics of "Oh Susanna" in elementary school music class. As I know that tune very well and can read Dickinson's poems to that song and keep a constant rhythm when reciting her poems.

Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson lived a life of self induced seclusion in Amherst, Massachusetts (Leiter). She expressed herself through her poems and letters, many that she did not show to anyone until her sister, Lavinia, published her writings against Emily's death wish (Leiter). To understand Emily Dickinson's writing style, one has to understand her life. Dickinson never was religious and became a member of the church, like her friends and family did (Lieter). Through a rigid schooling and her father's strict and stubborn view on women and their place in society, Dickinson's writings reflect a "state of eruption, throwing off the rules her elders had pounded into her" (Leiter). As she did not share her writings with anyone, the poems and letters truly express Dickinson's inner thoughts and feelings in an unadulterated and uncensored way. Emily Dickinson often felt at a loss for words to adequately describe her thoughts, and turned to her Webster's Dictionary for guidance (Leiter). Ironically, Noah Webster, the author and compiler of the dictionary was a neighbor of the Dickinsons' (Leiter).

Emily Dickinson's poems are popular today and are considered classics. The poems can fall into both categories because of the subject matter and the manner in which they were written. Dickinson wrote of love, life, death, nature, and "the question of immortality" (McChesney). Those themes are also popular in today's literature (Harry Potter for four out of five categories). But the way that Dickinson wrote the poems is what makes them resonate in the twenty first century. By using dashes, the reader feels as if the narrator of any given poem is physically speaking and taking a pause at crucial and important parts in their tale (McChesney). In Poem 549, Dickinson speaks to the reader and the lines resonate through time as they will always be true: "That till I loved/ I never lived—Enough—" (McChesney). Because Emily Dickinson did not belong to a church and was not committed to the teachings of the Bible and the Bible's interpretation of the world and universe, her writings show her "knowledge of a boundless Universe, unfettered by the strictures of church" and enrich her poems with deep thought and meaning that would prove blasphemes to some religious readers of the time (McChesney). Instead of using the traditional pagan symbols of a dove for peace, Dickinson creates her own symbols to better represent her and her writings. She uses a daisy to represent calm and innocence in one poem "The Daisy follows soft the Sun—/ And when his golden walk is done—/ Sits shyly at his feet—" (McChesney). Instead of a volcano traditionally meaning anger, rage, and an explosion of some sorts, Dickinson uses an image of a volcano to represent passion and force (McChesney). Emily Dickinson agreed with Plato that "writing itself is only a poor imitation of a poet's words", but tried her best through Webster's Dictionary and by working through the limitations of words on paper to express her thoughts and opinions on life, love, death, and nature (McChesney).



Leiter, Sharon. "Dickinson, Emily." Critical Companion to Emily Dickinson: A Literary Reference to Her Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 20 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. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman wrote poetry in the 1800s in America. He broke the standard mold of 19th century American poets and created a new type of poetry. Traditionally for that era, rhyming and metric verses dominated American poems (Connors). Walt Whitman believed that type of writing was "copious dribble" and did not represent the country well (Connors). Whitman wrote in free verse, with sexuality, and tried to represent the whole country with his poems (Oliver.) In Leaves of Grass Whitman introduced Americans to free verse. Although he did not invent it, he improved the style to represent "American spirit: free, individual, and democratic" (Oliver). Whitman used a "free flowing style" that was first shunned by critics and not embraced by Americans like it would later be (Oliver).

Walt Whitman's poetry was full of "sexual love and exaltation of the human body" that startled and shocked many people (Oliver). Ralph Waldo Emerson even intervened and asked Whitman to remove or edit some of his poems that were very graphic involving sexual actions and references in his "Enfans d'Adam" poems (Oliver). Whitman did not agree and kept the poems the way they originally were. Walt Whitman's "Calamus" poems involved descriptions of homosexual love and Whitman eventually edited that set of poems to be more "family friendly" (Oliver). Whitman also edited "Children of Adam" after Emerson and many critics argued that expressing the desires, torments, and needs of homosexuals could be expressed in a less graphic and offensive way (Connors).

In "Song of Myself" Walt Whitman wrote about the whole country, every man and women, regardless of race. The "I" in the poem was written to represent a collective, all Americans united together (Connors)."I celebrate myself, and sing myself" represents the country coming together and uniting after the Civil War (Connors). In the preface to Leaves of Grass Whitman makes it clear that he rights for everyone, not to a specific race, "for America is the race of races" and blacks are represented equally in Whitman's poetry. Emerson was a fan of Whitman and embraced him as a "quintessential American poet" who embraced the "diversity of race and attitude" (Connors). Walt Whitman served in the Civil War as a field nurse and tended to the wounded (Connors). Seeing first hand the violence of the Civil War influenced Whitman's later writings which included and represented every aspect and everyone of the war; black or white, Union or Confederate (Connors). He graphically wrote about the war in Drum Taps and because of that many publishers rejected it (Connors). Walt Whitman was not appreciated while he was alive, for it was not until later that the true genius of his poetry was realized and embraced in America. Few people had read Whitman's Leaves of Grass and knew who Whitman was personally since most people who read it burned the "vulgar filth" and did not want anything to do with it (Connors). When Whitman's boss in Washington, James Harlan, found out he was the author of the "scandalous and indecent work" Whitman was fired from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior (Connors).



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. Web. 19 Mar. 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. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.

"I Sit and Look Out"

Walt Whitman was opposed to slavery and wrote frequently about it in such poems as "I Sing the Body Electric", "Song of Myself" and "I Sit and Look Out" (Klammer). Those poems were published in Leaves of Grass as the Fugitive Slave Law and the Wilmont Proviso were debated in a pre- Civil War America (Klammer). Whitman took action through words, writing editorials, poems, and articles about "freedom and liberty of persons of African descent" (Klammer). As opposed to Henry David Thoreau who did not take action, and only talked about abolitionism and freedom, Walt Whitman fought in the Civil War for the rights of the "Negro", the African American slaves (Klammer). Whitman sought to represent both the southern African American slaves and their white masters (Klammer). He tried to get both sides to understand that he will "go with the slaves of the earth equally with the masters . . . Entering into both so that both will understand me alike" (Klammer).

Although Walt Whitman received attention, the change he desired did not come with the attention. His sadness and regret shone through in "I Sit and Look Out". He describes the "agonies" of the world in his day, including slavery and war, and at the end comes to the conclusion that in "all the meaness and agony without end" he looks out and realizes "see, hear. and am silent" (Whitman). That was the problem with America at that time period. Enough people realized that slavery was not acceptable and people should not be treated in that way, but not enough action was taken to solve the issue peacefully before it resulted in a bloody Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves with his Emancipation Proclamation, but as Ralph Waldo Emerson so firmly believed, that "a piece of paper would not free anyone" (Hawthorne). Everyone can be the narrator in "I Sit and Look Out" and see all of the problems in the world. Only a brave few will, and can, take action to stop the "agonies" and "sorrows of the world" (Whitman).



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. 12 Mar. 2012.

Klammer, Martin. "Slavery and Abolitionism". J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings, eds., Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Publishing, 1998. Web. 12 Mar. 2012.

Whitman, Walt . "I Sit and Look out." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Web. 12 Mar. 2012.

"I'm Nobody! Who are you?"

Emily Dickinson's "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" is a classic poem. I interpret the poem as a slam against society, and as a high schooler, against the popular students. "Are you nobody, too?" can be interpreted as the author finding a fellow outcast, a nobody, among the frogs in the bog that is the setting in the poem (Dickinson). Later in the poem the author warns the fellow nobody to not tell as they will be "banished" (Dickinson). I interpret that as the author living in a society that prohibits difference and "nobodies" that could ruin the utopian of society where everyone else are frogs. The author hides her difference, her status as a "nobody", so she will not get banished (Dickinson). The frogs, the somebodies, tell their name "the livelong day" to the bog (Dickinson). The way that the author tells the reader that comes off in a mocking way that reinforces the idea that being a "nobody" is better than it sounds and is worth the possible "banishment" (Dickinson). In a bog or a swamp in real life, frogs croak and sound similar to other frogs. As most frogs' croaks sound the same, the noise blends into an "unidentifiable mass" (Priddy). Being a "somebody" or frog is boring and unoriginal as the "frogs" tend to blend in with each other and there is not individuality, only a collective. "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" reminds me of the Borg Collective. Resistance is futile, as "nobodies" are banished if found, so everyone is a Borg, or in Dickinson's case a frog. Every once and a while a Seven of Nine or a Hugo comes along and breaks off from the collective becoming a "nobody" and is broken off from the collective mind and are individuals. "Nobodies" are unique individuals that are different from the "frogs", but accept the individuality and feel sorry for the "dreary" frogs (Dickinson). The author welcomes the fellow nobody, the reader, as they are few in a society of frogs.



Dickinson, Emily . "I'm Nobody! Who are you?." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.

Priddy, Anna. "'I'm Nobody! Who are you?'." Bloom's How to Write about Emily Dickinson. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.

"To Build a Fire"

Jack London wrote two versions of "To Build a Fire" in a time span of six years. He wrote the original for Boy Scouts as a lesson enforcing the buddy system and to warn against "traveling alone in the North" (Bloom). He elaborated on the second version to tell the story of the man and his demise (Bloom). After reading the story of a man, a newcomer or "chechaquo", and his dog traveling to meet with the man's friends at Henderson Creek, I have learned to not travel alone and to strategically pick a location to light a fire (London 604). Henry David Thoreau and Jack London both wrote about nature and the repercussions that occur if Nature is not obeyed and appreciated. Thoreau lived at Walden Pond for two years, two months, and two days, to better understand and become one with nature (Harding). He found inspiration for much of his writing through his experience. Jack London went to the Yukon and Klondike in Alaska searching for gold, but instead found inspiration through his experience with the Northern wild (London 601). Both authors wrote about what they know, in this case nature and told stories through the experiences they lived. In "To Build a Fire", the unnamed man makes mistake after mistake that could have been prevented through having someone else there and through experience. An experienced Yukon hiker, gold searcher, or native would have waited someplace warm instead of hiking across the frozen tundra in -75 degree weather (London 604). The unnamed man decided that there was no reason to not travel as that meant that the temperature was only "eighty degrees of frost" (London 604). The man did not respect Nature, and that resulted in his demise. He was foiled three different times when trying to build a fire (London 610). If he would have respected nature and waited to travel when the weather was more forgiving, he would not have died, frozen in the snow.





Bloom, Harold, ed. "'To Build a Fire'." Jack London, Bloom's Major Short Story Writers. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2001. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 7 Mar. 2012.

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. Web. 7 Mar. 2012.

London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 601-614. Print.

"Richard Cory"

"Richard Cory" is a poem with a twist in the ending that was well written by Mr. Edwin Arlington Robinson. After reading Edwin Arlington Robinson's biography, I felt depressed. He felt that he was "unhappy, pessimistic" and his writing reflected that (Robinson 573). In both "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy", the writing style has a dark and ironic feeling. "Richard Cory" started off cheery as the description regarding Richard Cory was that he was handsome, causing "fluttering pulses" when he talked, and he was rich and admired (Robinson 575). The poem is all chipper and happy until the last two lines when "on a calm summer night" he killed himself (Robinson 575). The classic Robinson ironic writing: the seemingly happy, rich, handsome man who is envied by those who can not afford "meat... bread" is truly the unhappy one and commits suicide (Robinson 575). Edwin Arlington Robinson said that he wrote "Richard Cory" to serve as "an object lesson" that having "wealth, prestige, and privilege" does not equivalent to happiness (Bruccoli). Henry David Thoreau was not a believer of material wealth as "wealth can not buy freedom" (Cisco). He thought that while wealth was important to maintain a lifestyle above poverty, it was not necessary to be free and happy (Cisco). He would have acknowledged Richard Cory's suicide as a testament to his opinion that wealth does not equate happiness. Richard Cory seemed to have it all to the poorer people in his community, and he kept a good mask to promote that view of him, not letting anyone know his suicidal thoughts except that he was "human when he talked" (Robinson 575). That showed that he might be rich and better off then the other people in the town, but emotionally was a distant second to the poorer people. Robinson thought that the less fortunate people were only less fortunate according to physical means, but was better off emotionally and spiritually, and did not need to "long to switch places" with Richard Cory (Bruccoli).




Bruccoli, Matthew J., and Judith S. Baugman. "Richard Cory." Student's Encyclopedia of American Literary Characters. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 04 Mar. 2012.

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. Web. 04 Mar. 2012.

Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Richard Cory." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 573-576. Print.

"The Darling"

Anton Chekhov, a famous Russian playwright, wrote "The Darling" not for the plot and action packed reading, but for the atmosphere and character of a story and how one seemingly ordinary event can have a huge impact on everyday lives (Chekhov 557). "The Darling" tells the story of a woman who is dependent on others and can not have an opinion of her own (Bloom). As her husbands go through different ends, Olenka goes through withdraws as her center of the universe dies or leaves her. This story reminds me of "The Story of an Hour", but the women are complete opposites. Mrs. Mallard is a strong independent woman, but Olenka needs a man to love to survive in the world. When Mr. Mallard dies, Mrs. Mallard is ecstatic about her new found "freedom" that comes with the news (Chopin 555). When Olenka finds out that her first husband, Snookin Vanya, died in Moscow, she breaks down and mourns for him and screams out "Who is going to look after your poor wretched Olenka now you've abandoned her" (Chekhov 560). Olenka had some serious clingy relationship issues as she repeats that cycle three more times with a total of three men and one child (Chekhov 565). Unfortunately for Olenka, she does not have the same "luck" as Mrs. Mallard. After proclaiming her freedom, she composed herself and went downstairs to be startled by her "dead" husband walking in the door (Chopin 555). Olenka would have rejoiced to the high heavens that her beloved husband was still alive. But Mrs. Mallard was an independent woman and was held back and suppressed by her husband (Chopin 553). She died of "joy that kills" after learning that she was not "free" (Chopin 555). Olenka almost died of abandonment and lack of someone to love after her husband died and "left her" (Chekhov 563). Chekhov did a good job representing the other woman, although the story is written in a way that could mock dependent women or tell the story of the "gentle slave" (Bloom).


Bloom, Harold, ed. "'The Darling'." Anton Chekhov, Bloom's Major Short Story Writers. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2001. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 04 Mar. 2012.

Chekhov, Anton. "The Darling." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 557-565. Print.

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.

"I Will Fight No More Forever"

Chief Joseph was the leader of the Nez Perce Native American tribe from 1871 after his father's death until Chief Joseph's death in 1885 (Chief Joseph 531). During this time, Native Americans were being forcibly removed from their ancestral lands and relocated to the west out of the way of the "civilized" white people (Divine). When the United States government tried to relocate the Nez Perce to Idaho from their native land of what is today known as Oregon because of the gold recently found the Nez Perce territory (Chief Joseph 531). After peacefully resisting for a number of years, the US government threatened forcible relocation (Chief Joseph 531). Chief Joseph did not want bloodshed or any time of physical conflict so he agreed to journey to Idaho with his tribe. After the government killed members of the tribe, Chief Joseph led his tribe north to Canada (Chief Joseph 531). After three months of evading the US troops, the Nez Perce tribe was captured and sent to Idaho (Chief Joseph 531). Many of the Nez Perce died of "white" diseases and from the long trek (Chief Joseph 531). That is what led to Chief Joseph to go to Washington D.C. and meet with the president to raise awareness to what was happening to his people (Divine). Chief Joseph was a well respected man, but as he was an Indian, he was not granted what he required. The racism in America during this time was not just against African Americans, but also Native Americans. Chief Joseph's story reminds us how many different types of people were mistreated in America and very little was done about it. In Chief Joseph's "I Will Fight No More Forever" speech, he said how his "heart is sick and sad" (Chief Joseph 533). That feeling was shared by many people in America during this time period, but not be enough to change the way things worked and make changes to American society.



Chief Joseph. "I Will Fight No More Forever." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 531-533. 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.

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. 01 Mar. 2012.

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.