Gustavo Quintero
English 48A
December 14, 2007
Journal #35 Loewen Ch 5
Quote:
"During his long life, of hundreds of different slaves he owned, he freed only three, and five more at his death-all blood relatives of his"(Loewen 148).
Summary:
Loewen is discussing the hypocrisy behind what Thomas Jefferson wrote into the constitution and what he practiced in his life.
Response:
Loewen brings us another great example of just how flawed the American school systems and textbooks are. Every chapter that I read out of Loewen is enlightnening to me. I always learn something new from the facts that he presents. It really comes to a shock to me just how much this country praises it's "hero's". Granted Thomas Jefferson was the writer for one of the most significant documents in world history but as educated readers we must see what the complete truth is. The truth is that Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner that treated his slaves very poorly. He did not even have the consideration of freeing his slaves except the ones that were realted to him by the affairs he had. This paints quite a differant picture than the one most Americans see when they think of Thomas Jefferson.
I have seen a reaccuring trend in American history; Americans idolize past Americans under false pretences. Beside the obvious ones like Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, AOL recently had a great news article on Davey Crockett. Everyone thinks of Davey Crockett as the brave, racoon skin cap wearing, American who helped fend off Indian attacks. Research shows that he was quite a coward known for running away from battles. I'm just glad that I have been reading Loewen because his book has done a very good job and making me know the truth behind American history.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Gone with the Wind
Gustavo Quintero
English 48A
December 14, 2007
Journal #34 Loewen Chapter 5
Quote:
"The former field hands found themselves suddenly elevated to the seats of the mighty. There they conducted themselves as creatures of small intelligence might naturally be expected to do.Like monkeys or small children turned loose among treasured objects...(Loewen 144).
Summary:
The above quote is taken form the bestselling book,"Gone with the Wind", written by Margaret Mitchell.
Response:
I cannot believe just how ignorant the above passage is. Gone with the wind was a book and later a movie that dealt with race relations. Unlike, "Uncle Tom's Cabin", the book dealt with slavery as an acceptable part of the social structure. I find it astonishing that people would read this and later watch the movies and consider it one of the greatest movies of all time. This really goes to show just how very clueless the American public was on the issue of slavery. It's no wonder that slavery remains such a prominent them among early American literature. I am just really glad that I was raised in a neighborhood and by a family that did not condone racism or prejudices. It almost makes me laugh to think that people read garbage like the passage above. It really disturbs me how the author blatantly compares black people as stupid monkeys. The above passage really does a excellent job of showing modern day students and readers like myself just how much black people have been able to progress since the times of slavery. It also shows just what kind of ridiculous and wrong the stereotypes were made about blacks. To this day I do not even feel comfortable using the word "black" to describe an African American. Although I will confess this does not keep me from using it. As far as I now it is acceptable but in the back of my head I am always hoping no one will take any offense to the use of the word "black".
English 48A
December 14, 2007
Journal #34 Loewen Chapter 5
Quote:
"The former field hands found themselves suddenly elevated to the seats of the mighty. There they conducted themselves as creatures of small intelligence might naturally be expected to do.Like monkeys or small children turned loose among treasured objects...(Loewen 144).
Summary:
The above quote is taken form the bestselling book,"Gone with the Wind", written by Margaret Mitchell.
Response:
I cannot believe just how ignorant the above passage is. Gone with the wind was a book and later a movie that dealt with race relations. Unlike, "Uncle Tom's Cabin", the book dealt with slavery as an acceptable part of the social structure. I find it astonishing that people would read this and later watch the movies and consider it one of the greatest movies of all time. This really goes to show just how very clueless the American public was on the issue of slavery. It's no wonder that slavery remains such a prominent them among early American literature. I am just really glad that I was raised in a neighborhood and by a family that did not condone racism or prejudices. It almost makes me laugh to think that people read garbage like the passage above. It really disturbs me how the author blatantly compares black people as stupid monkeys. The above passage really does a excellent job of showing modern day students and readers like myself just how much black people have been able to progress since the times of slavery. It also shows just what kind of ridiculous and wrong the stereotypes were made about blacks. To this day I do not even feel comfortable using the word "black" to describe an African American. Although I will confess this does not keep me from using it. As far as I now it is acceptable but in the back of my head I am always hoping no one will take any offense to the use of the word "black".
Things in common
Gustavo Quintero
English 48A
December 14, 2007
Journal #33
Quote:
"...the White Whale as much their insufferable foe as his; how all this came to be-what the White Whale was to them, or how to their unconscious understandings..."(Melville 2349).
Summary:
Melville is describing the unconcious drive that the white whale invokes upon the men that chase it.
Response:
One thing in common, that I did not mention in my final essay, is that Melville and Davis both use animals as symbols. The dirty canary symbolizes opression while the white whale sumbolizes the great evil. The use of animals as symbol for human struggles or feelings is a very strong one. Humans have a very close connection to animals. Some people have such a close connection that they feel devistated when an animal passes away. This emotional connection that people share with aniamls helps make it easier to relate humans to animals. Such as in the Native American culture where when a human dies they are beleived to come back as a wolf. Also in remote amazon tribes, when a tribe member dies the are beleived to come back as a wild boar. The boar is then hunted so that they have food. What I am trying to get at is that animals as symbols serve a very important purpose. They act as a mirros capable of reflecting the inner most emotions of what a person is felling or is thinking.In the case of Moby Dick the White whale could even represent the innermoest struggle that Ahab has. He needs a way of venting his anger and frustration so he does it by making it his mission to chase down the infamous white whale.
The use of animals as symbols could even act as a mirror that reflects what Melville and Davis were feeling while they were writing thier respective stories.
English 48A
December 14, 2007
Journal #33
Quote:
"...the White Whale as much their insufferable foe as his; how all this came to be-what the White Whale was to them, or how to their unconscious understandings..."(Melville 2349).
Summary:
Melville is describing the unconcious drive that the white whale invokes upon the men that chase it.
Response:
One thing in common, that I did not mention in my final essay, is that Melville and Davis both use animals as symbols. The dirty canary symbolizes opression while the white whale sumbolizes the great evil. The use of animals as symbol for human struggles or feelings is a very strong one. Humans have a very close connection to animals. Some people have such a close connection that they feel devistated when an animal passes away. This emotional connection that people share with aniamls helps make it easier to relate humans to animals. Such as in the Native American culture where when a human dies they are beleived to come back as a wolf. Also in remote amazon tribes, when a tribe member dies the are beleived to come back as a wild boar. The boar is then hunted so that they have food. What I am trying to get at is that animals as symbols serve a very important purpose. They act as a mirros capable of reflecting the inner most emotions of what a person is felling or is thinking.In the case of Moby Dick the White whale could even represent the innermoest struggle that Ahab has. He needs a way of venting his anger and frustration so he does it by making it his mission to chase down the infamous white whale.
The use of animals as symbols could even act as a mirror that reflects what Melville and Davis were feeling while they were writing thier respective stories.
The dirty Canary
Gustavo Quintero
English 48A
December 14, 2007
JOurnal #32
Quote:
"A dirty canary chirps desperatly in a cage beside me. Its dream of green fields and sunshine is a very old dream-almost worn out, I think"(Davis 2599).
Summary:
Davis is describing the conditions under which the the people of the industrial city live in.
Response:
I want to comment on what I think is the large importance of the dirty canary in, "Life in the Iron Mills". I do not want to make it sound like I am trying to stretch out a lot from a little but I think that the dirty canary spaeks volumes for the people who work in the iron mills. The dirty canary is a symbol for the opression that these people live under. My mom used to have a pair of canary and no matter what the weather they always sang. They would sing the most beautiful songs all day long. Untill the night came at which they would fall asleep. Even though they were kept in a little cage all day long they kept singing. Thus the canary symbolizes the inner hope that the workers have. They work all day long under horrible condintions hoping that they will come out on top. To me the dirt on the canary's feather's evokes a felling of sadness. To see such a beautiful and innocent thing be marred by the soot from the city is a travesty. Likewise the jobs that the immigrant workers are given in teh still mills is also a stragety. This almost parallels the working conditions that the asian workers face in the sweatshops or the miners that mine blood diamonds. If you think closely about the dirty canary you can how it has a much more global symbolization of opression.
English 48A
December 14, 2007
JOurnal #32
Quote:
"A dirty canary chirps desperatly in a cage beside me. Its dream of green fields and sunshine is a very old dream-almost worn out, I think"(Davis 2599).
Summary:
Davis is describing the conditions under which the the people of the industrial city live in.
Response:
I want to comment on what I think is the large importance of the dirty canary in, "Life in the Iron Mills". I do not want to make it sound like I am trying to stretch out a lot from a little but I think that the dirty canary spaeks volumes for the people who work in the iron mills. The dirty canary is a symbol for the opression that these people live under. My mom used to have a pair of canary and no matter what the weather they always sang. They would sing the most beautiful songs all day long. Untill the night came at which they would fall asleep. Even though they were kept in a little cage all day long they kept singing. Thus the canary symbolizes the inner hope that the workers have. They work all day long under horrible condintions hoping that they will come out on top. To me the dirt on the canary's feather's evokes a felling of sadness. To see such a beautiful and innocent thing be marred by the soot from the city is a travesty. Likewise the jobs that the immigrant workers are given in teh still mills is also a stragety. This almost parallels the working conditions that the asian workers face in the sweatshops or the miners that mine blood diamonds. If you think closely about the dirty canary you can how it has a much more global symbolization of opression.
More on Lincoln
Gustavo Quintero
English 48A
December 14, 2007
Journal #31
"He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence come"(Lincoln 1636).
Summary:
Lincoln is telling his audience that the blame is not just on the southerners but on the northerners as well.
Response:
This is a very important and noteworthy statement that Lincoln Makes. He does not put the blame on just the southern states, as most people would, rather he puts the blame equally on both sides. This says a lot about Lincoln's character and politics. It was quite clear that the number of Southern states with slaves clearly outnumbered the northern states with slaves. Yet Lincoln feels that all people should be paying the price for slavery. I guess I could probably answer the previous question that I had about Lincoln and how he came to be an American hero. Maybe its because American historians saw just how great Lincoln's moral character was once he chose from right and wrong. I have great respect for Lincoln because he was able to help sway the positions of millions of Americans on the issue of slavery.
This position that Lincoln takes is a very tough one because it was so easy to put the blame on one side during the civil war. The civil war was a huge travesty that cost thousands of lives. All over to issue of slavery. Slavery is one issue that will never rest because of its importance in the United States. Lincoln was able to filter through all the wrong and pull the country through the bloodiest war it has been in.
English 48A
December 14, 2007
Journal #31
"He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence come"(Lincoln 1636).
Summary:
Lincoln is telling his audience that the blame is not just on the southerners but on the northerners as well.
Response:
This is a very important and noteworthy statement that Lincoln Makes. He does not put the blame on just the southern states, as most people would, rather he puts the blame equally on both sides. This says a lot about Lincoln's character and politics. It was quite clear that the number of Southern states with slaves clearly outnumbered the northern states with slaves. Yet Lincoln feels that all people should be paying the price for slavery. I guess I could probably answer the previous question that I had about Lincoln and how he came to be an American hero. Maybe its because American historians saw just how great Lincoln's moral character was once he chose from right and wrong. I have great respect for Lincoln because he was able to help sway the positions of millions of Americans on the issue of slavery.
This position that Lincoln takes is a very tough one because it was so easy to put the blame on one side during the civil war. The civil war was a huge travesty that cost thousands of lives. All over to issue of slavery. Slavery is one issue that will never rest because of its importance in the United States. Lincoln was able to filter through all the wrong and pull the country through the bloodiest war it has been in.
Final Test Question #3
Gustavo Quintero
English 48A
December 14,2007
Journal #30
Quote:
"...Two hundred and fifty of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword.(Lincoln 1636).
Summary:
Lincoln is stating his reason explanation for why the early United States is going through a civil war.
As I was taking the final exam in Scott's English class I came up to this question and could no think of a literary strategy that Lincoln uses for swaying the opinion's of white people on black slaves. As I was looking at Lincoln's speech again I found that Lincoln uses peoples guilty conscience as a strategy to persuade the white persons opinion on the black slave. Contrary to popular belief Lincoln was not an avid spokesperson against slavery. He sort of fell into that role during his second term as president. It was very interesting to read about Lincoln's true background. The background information given in the Norton's anthology was an excellent point ot start reading about how Lincoln's position came about to speak against slavery.
The quote I chose above is a very enlightening one because it ties in Christianity and slavery. Flat out Lincoln says that the civil war is a punishment to the people of the United States for allowing slavery to occur. This is a very powerful and moving position to take on the slavery debate. No one could have worded it better than Lincoln. The one thing that I find confusing, is how Lincoln achieved such a hero status. From what the Norton Anthology says Lincoln Started his political career on a very indecisive position. Later as the war became bloodier he started to believe in the position that he is famous for now.
English 48A
December 14,2007
Journal #30
Quote:
"...Two hundred and fifty of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword.(Lincoln 1636).
Summary:
Lincoln is stating his reason explanation for why the early United States is going through a civil war.
As I was taking the final exam in Scott's English class I came up to this question and could no think of a literary strategy that Lincoln uses for swaying the opinion's of white people on black slaves. As I was looking at Lincoln's speech again I found that Lincoln uses peoples guilty conscience as a strategy to persuade the white persons opinion on the black slave. Contrary to popular belief Lincoln was not an avid spokesperson against slavery. He sort of fell into that role during his second term as president. It was very interesting to read about Lincoln's true background. The background information given in the Norton's anthology was an excellent point ot start reading about how Lincoln's position came about to speak against slavery.
The quote I chose above is a very enlightening one because it ties in Christianity and slavery. Flat out Lincoln says that the civil war is a punishment to the people of the United States for allowing slavery to occur. This is a very powerful and moving position to take on the slavery debate. No one could have worded it better than Lincoln. The one thing that I find confusing, is how Lincoln achieved such a hero status. From what the Norton Anthology says Lincoln Started his political career on a very indecisive position. Later as the war became bloodier he started to believe in the position that he is famous for now.
Friday, December 7, 2007
The Devil's place
Gustavo Quintero
December 7, 2007
English 48A
Journal #29 Rebecca Harding Davis
Quote:
"Fire in every horrible form: pits of flame waving in the wind; liquid metal-flames writhing in tortuous streams through the sand;wide caldron's filled with boiling fire, over which bent ghastly wretches stirring the strange brewing...(Davis 2603).
Summary:
Davis is describing the area in which all the steel milling takes place in.
Response:
All I can say is just how miserable I would be if I had to work in these types of conditions. Fortunately we have unions and workplace regulations that would prevent this type of work to happen. Aside from my initial comment I want to say just how exceptional a job Davis does at personifying the inanimate objects. She brings the fire and molten metal to life. She makes it seem as if the dammed souls from hell are screaming from the agony in hell through the fire and metal. She really does a great job freaking the reader out. On top of all this is the vivid imagery that compels the reader to move forward and keep on reading. I have always felt that if someone can take an object or thing in this case fire, and give it such lifelike qualities than that person is a magnificent writer. When I read this passage I could visualize the flames crawling and wreathing there way out of the caldron's with the thousand cries and pains of the dammed. This really is some strong imagery. It is almost as if they are on a terrestrial hell. They are constantly breathing in the noxious fumes and are handling extremely hot metals. All this just so that these poor people can have something to eat on their kitchen table and food in their stomachs. It really makes you stand back and make you notice just how easy and care free your own life is.
December 7, 2007
English 48A
Journal #29 Rebecca Harding Davis
Quote:
"Fire in every horrible form: pits of flame waving in the wind; liquid metal-flames writhing in tortuous streams through the sand;wide caldron's filled with boiling fire, over which bent ghastly wretches stirring the strange brewing...(Davis 2603).
Summary:
Davis is describing the area in which all the steel milling takes place in.
Response:
All I can say is just how miserable I would be if I had to work in these types of conditions. Fortunately we have unions and workplace regulations that would prevent this type of work to happen. Aside from my initial comment I want to say just how exceptional a job Davis does at personifying the inanimate objects. She brings the fire and molten metal to life. She makes it seem as if the dammed souls from hell are screaming from the agony in hell through the fire and metal. She really does a great job freaking the reader out. On top of all this is the vivid imagery that compels the reader to move forward and keep on reading. I have always felt that if someone can take an object or thing in this case fire, and give it such lifelike qualities than that person is a magnificent writer. When I read this passage I could visualize the flames crawling and wreathing there way out of the caldron's with the thousand cries and pains of the dammed. This really is some strong imagery. It is almost as if they are on a terrestrial hell. They are constantly breathing in the noxious fumes and are handling extremely hot metals. All this just so that these poor people can have something to eat on their kitchen table and food in their stomachs. It really makes you stand back and make you notice just how easy and care free your own life is.
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