blog #6

In "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" Jacobs was unaware of her social standing as a Mullato until the death of her father. Her life radically changed, in terms of her class standing and racial standing, but her gender remained the same. Although it had not inhibited her life before, the fact that she was a female slave made her life that much harder. Her master constantly reminded her of her place as a slave and as his female slave. He struck her when he was frustrated with her and then would remind her it was her fault. This would not happen with male slaves; she was treated this way as woman. She was unable to be open about her relationship with her lover and her children were constantly used as a weapon against her. Their existence was constantly a tool used to threaten her, as a mother having the lives and well being of your children put in jeopardy is such a hard way to live. Jacobs seems to constantly resist her gender role, the kind of work she has to do gets done but she never accepts it. Other slave women accepted what they had to do and even dealt with sexual passes made by their master as a part of life. They accepted they had no choice, in the matter they had no political rights or in the matter they had no physical rights as a woman. Even their bodies were not in their control, and Jacobs fights this aspect of her life every step of the way. The fact that she is a woman does not stop her from seeking her freedom, even when separated from  her children. To her, the fact that she is female does not mean she needs to take an easier route to get her freedom. She refuses to buy something that is rightfully hers, this headstrong thinking would most likely be seen as masculine at this time, but then again women are known for being quite stubborn when it comes to their beliefs. Throughout her entire story she fights, fights for her rights as a slave and fights for her rights as a woman. Most would look at her unfortunate situation as a female slave and pity the life she had, but being such a strong woman I believe she truly lived.

Blog #5

When Christopher Columbus came to America he assumed the continent uninhabited. Despite the native tribes that already occupied the land Europeans saw it as their duty to civilize and Christianize the "New World". In all reality they had taken over an ancient world, one of special rituals and customs, spirituality, community, systems of trade and economics, and even a hierarchy similar to government. The Europeans only saw these people for savages with torn loin cloths and unclean bodies. The inability for these invaders to take a step back and really look at these people is what marks the early history of our nation as so barbaric. Realistically these Native Americans were not so different from the early settlers. They believed in love and family, respected the rules set by their leaders, followed a strict spiritual life, and just tried to survive on a daily basis.
Many settlers were extremely prejudice against these people and historically it is known as a big issue in our nations growth, but there were also people in those early times who recognized the hypocrisy and injustice being done. Being of Indian descent, Apess naturally sided with his ancestors and looked down upon the early European treatment of them. In "An Indian's Looking Glass for the White Man" he sheds light on the extreme hypocrisy in which the white settlers partook when segregating and discriminated against the Native Americans. Not only does he prove how wrong that part of history was, but he also brings forth the notion that the white men are in fact the inferior race. No other race has committed so many crimes against their "brothers" while contradictorily following the law of Christ who declares "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself"! He exposes the Native spirituality, how his people were one with the earth and followed what was good and true and that the white settlers seemed to declare their beliefs as righteous but were far less likely to follow them. His writing is so simplistic and obvious but to those who cannot see what they had done it was possibly eye opening. It is hard to see things you are so closely surrounded by, and Apess had the ability to take a step back and reveal what many people of that time might not have known.
Similarly, Sigourney viewed the world in terms of the Native Americans. In her poetry she is appalled that anyone can fathom the death of the Native people. They are everywhere, in the trees, rivers, mountains, and fields. Their way of life and beliefs will always be a building stone of our nation and she strives for others to recognize that. The Native Americans taught the early settlers many things necessary for survival and even if a day comes when their beliefs and way of life is no longer present, the continuation of the American way of life and the sheer geography of our country will keep it alive.

Blog #4

While reading "The Tenth of January" I enjoyed the point of view of the story. The narrator was not one of the characters, so this made the thoughts we get to hear from the characters more important and memorable. The setting and various descriptive aspects were also more explicit and detailed. This also made the information provided more reliable, a first person point of view could have meant that the character had some sort of agenda. The narrator even states at one point "I am not writing a novel, and, as the biographer of this simple factory girl, am offered few advantages" (Phelps). I also Enjoyed the narrators depiction of the charters. I know that Asenath was the main character and it was her story, but I enjoyed Del as her opposite. Asenath is married but not happy. She is not pretty and it rules her life, much like the appearance of Del. Her beauty is a big part of her life and through the narrator we see how Asenath feels sorry for her beauty but is also jealous of it. This would be harder to depict in another point of view and I truely believe that this aspect of the story made it more relatable to me as a reader in general and being a female reader. The way that Del and Asenath were perceived reminded me of how other girls often think about and act towards others. This factor of the story made it very interesting to read and I enjoyed that I could relate to that aspect.

journal #3

In "The Wife" Irving reveals the true meaning behind marriage. He shows to the world the kind of teamwork an American marriage consists of and how family is important to our country then and now. I believe that when comparing the American marriage to the British marriage it is based more on love and companionship, opposed to it being a legal transaction. Here he reveals how the wife can save the husband, his burdens are shared with her. So economically speaking the wife should be willing to do what it takes to help the husband. And if they are working as a team and have a foundation of love this is easily achieved. Irving stresses the fact that family is important to Americans and that a true and happy marriage is the basis of that family. I think that this is still true of American values today; and although things have changed quite a bit in the dating world, there are still hopeless romantics out there who just want to live the American dream we all grew up knowing.

blog #2

American literature, I now realize, is a foundation of our nation. The literature of our forefathers has shaped the country we know and love today. News traveled through the newspapers and the printing press was a huge reason the Declaration was spread to the other colonies and even to the British. I have never thought how a much a single writing could change the future. The Declaration made our nation, and therefore shaping the American dream we all strive for today. Therefore the Declaration can be thought of a blue print for our past, present, and future. Today literature is still a huge part of our country, but the interface is constantly changing. Like the printing press spread text in colonial time, the Internet makes it accessible to everyone. Hopefully this change in tools to distribute text will not cause our generation to lessen the value of it. Today popular novels are of a vastly different genre than what were the most popular works of history. I do not believe that this necessarily degrades the intellect of our nation but possibly foreshadows a less-literate future. This does not mean that the kinds of literature our forefathers used to start this nation will not survive, in fact I believe it is nearly impossible for this to dissolve as long as there are still true Americans in our nation.