American Notions of Equality

The readings for today were very interesting. The first work I read was "The Declaration of Independence" by Thomas Jefferson. As our topic today pertains to notions of equality it is quite obvious that Jefferson's document is a straight forward demand of equality at it finest state. The Declaration of Independence was breed from a harsh and unfair government in Great Brittan. The King of Brittan at that time knew no limits to inequality, injustice, or basic right to which his people were denied. In the text Jefferson states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This shows that the "America" that Jefferson envisioned would be everything that Great Brittan was not. He used the flaws and corruption of the British government as a foundation for what was to be of this new land. In doing so he also gave a lot of reasons as to why there should be equality in every aspect of life. In one important line he stated, "He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people". This shows that the nature of equality in his mind is something that has to be asserted to all and from this, I believe that Jefferson defines equality as one of the most important fibers of a nation and also values it as such. I think that religion factors into Thomas Jefferson's notion of American equality in that it is the basis and foundation of his beliefs. He mentions God throughout the first half of the reading stating that we have all been endowed with certain alienable rights given to us by the Creator. This proves that not only does he believe in equal rights, but he believes that we have been afforded them by God which closely shows his religious influence.


The next two works that I read were "Letters from an American Farmer" and "The Crisis No.1". These texts were quite long so I decided to talk about them in unison. In "Letters from an American Farmer" de Crevecoeur embraces his new found life in America and analyzes and questions what an American ought be. He states, "He is arrived on a new continent; a modern society offers itself to his contemptation, different from what he had hitherto seen. It is not composed, as in Europe, of great lords who possess every thing and of a herd of people who have nothing". This shows his distinction between a bitter past and optimistic future. I believe that de Crevecoeur more so than Jefferson is elated at his findings and in a sense he is ambitious to exploring the possibilities of this new world. Equality in his mind is just that- equal in mind, equal in pursuing dreams, passions, and above all, equal at living a comfortable life although he does point out that this may not come easy. He says,"By living in or near the woods, their actions are regulated by the wildness of the neighbourhood. The deer often come to eat their grain, the wolves to destroy their sheep, the bears to kill their hogs, the foxes to catch their poultry. This surrounding hostility, immediately puts the gun into their hands; they watch". I found some symbolism in this statement that possibly referred to the assumed certainty that by doing what "we" did and breaking free from Britain, we have escaped but are still in a dangerous situation. We have escaped into the woods (America) and we must defend our sheep from the wolves (Great Britain) with the gun in our hands. This symbolizes a continuous fight towards equality in this new land.
In Thomas Paine's "The Crisis" I think it would be safe to say the he wholeheartedly viewed America as having the potential to become one of the most powerful nations in government. I also think that Paine's work shined a light more on the efforts that they should have put forth in order to maintain the freedom and equality that was worked so hard to achieve. He stated, "By perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious issue; by cowardice and submission, the sad choice of a variety of evils — a ravaged country — a depopulated city — habitations without safety, and slavery without hope...". Paine defined equality as hope, progress and strength. He knew that without it, life made no happiness out of itself a people no comfort. Both Paine and de Crevecoeur had religious influences on their notions of equality. Paine said, "I thank God, that I fear not. I see no real cause for fear. I know our situation well, and can see the way out of it". I believe that he uses religion not only to influence his thoughts but I also think that he use it as a reason why he and others around him cannot fail at the good fight. In de Crevecoeur's case, I think that he uses religion to make a point about the need for equality while pointing out its many faces and bad sides. He stated, " Persecution, religious pride, the love of contradiction, are the food of what the world commonly calls religion". Both authors show their ambition as well as their fight for equality.


The last of today's reading was a poem by Phillis Wheatley entitled, "On Being Brought From Africa to America". I felt as if Wheatley viewed equality as something that was not really given to her until she came to America. It seems as though she had a mindset that African American would not have agreed with in her time. She states, " Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain /  May be refin'd and join th'angelic train". (7-8) The only thing I could take from these lines was that her notion of equality was to conform and become "pure" to join the "angelic train" which in my opinion is approval and equality from whites. Her poem in its entirety has religious influence and she even differs from God and a savior in line three of the poem. She viewed equality and they way in which to achieve it in a very unpopular way of her time in my opinion. 


I believe that contemporary notions in America are similar with these authors as far as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is concerned, but as with anything else, things are susceptible to change. I think that today we still have the same desire of equality as they did but because people of my generation did not experience what others have experienced in earlier times, I do not believe that our level of intensity or the same aspects of equality are in the same boat as the authors we discussed today.


Throughout all of these readings I kept making a connection with an old history class I took. We constantly talked about equality and the lack of it and applied it to every thing we covered in that class. The lesson today kind of reminded me of that class. 


How do you view equality in today's Society? Do you think that it is still as much of an issue as it was 20, 30, or even 40 years ago? 

Freedom to assert oneself; non-conformity

In Ginsberg's "Sunflower Sutra" I felt as though he portrayed non-conformity as something that we should embrace and feel encouraged to do. It seemed like Ginsberg was crying out against the way the world (during his time) had come to be. Although this poem was very hard for me to comprehend at first, after going through it a couple of times I picked up hidden descriptions of the current state of America as seen through Ginsberg's eyes. He stated, "Sat down under the huge shade of a Southern / Pacific locomotive to look at the sunset over the / box house hills...".(2-4) From this, I took it that he was talking about development in America with the huge shade of a Southern Pacific locomotive being that of an industrial society while the box house hills describe the spread of urbanization, all of which makes him very sad. In my opinion, Ginsberg dreads what he feels as being a downward trend of replacing what were once open pastures, virgin land, and freedom to be yourself in your own skin as who you are. He longs for the days when things were simple and America was at its purest state not tainted by an industrial society which forced people to conform and become robotic in nature and institutionalized in mind. To him, non- conformity is a beauty all in itself and it was something he strongly believed in.

In Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener" there were so many ways that I felt one could interpret this short story. For me, I saw Melville's portrayal of non-conformity in this situation as one where to not conform is to simply not live. In the text he describes Bartleby as, " pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn!". Bartleby had no life in him whatsoever and he would always respond to anything with, "I would Prefer not to". In contrast, the narrator symbolized conformity. In the text the narrator states, "All who know me consider me an eminently safe man" implying that he never takes risks and he never dares to be different. Although I don't see Bartleby being the complete opposite of the narrator I feel as though this was the author's approach at showing the many dimensions of non conformity. Bartleby, as it were this being lacking substance, life, motion, or even a voice shows that to assert oneself and make it through life being "different" doesn't have to be done by acting out, starting protests or dying your hair green. It can be done by just not doing at all.

I believe that Ginsberg was celebrating this type of freedom as seen at the end of the poem where he states,"we're all beautiful golden sunflowers inside, we're blessed / by our own seed & golden hairy naked / accomplishment-bodies growing into mad black / formal sunflowers in the sunset" (81-84) This shows that not only is he proud to be different, but he is encouraging others to do the same also. He gave them hope that there lives are better than what they think. Melville on the other hand was hard to say if he was celebrating it or not. I think rather than celebrating it, he was pointing non-conformity out as a factor in America that makes it what it is. he gives us a glimpse of how humanity has been shaped through our decisions to fall in to place or stand out. Within both of these works you can see the advantages of non-conformity being great, liberating and inspiring giving one a sense of ambition and interest in their lives. The downfall to this however is that it is an uphill battle to go left when everyone else is going right. When society is the majority vote on what is right and wrong, one could find themselves fighting for what they believe in, opposed to what the rest of the world has deemed unfavorable.

While there were many questions I had about these works, I wanted to focus on the theme of today. What are your views on non-conformity and if you are a believer in doing so, then in what aspects of life do you practice this?
I found myself relating to the central themes of the lessons today on more of a personal side. It reminded me of when I was in high school and I decided to break free from all the stereotypes and normalities and become ME. I changed my hair, changed my wardrobe and instantly I stood out from the pack. Now, everyone knows me not for what I did but for what I wasn't afraid to do!

Jonathan Edwards's "Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God" was the most brutally honest and daring out of all of the readings for today. His sermon was great proof of two things- he said what he felt was right no matter how bold it was and gave biblical proof to strengthen his points. To one not familiar with him, it would be easy after reading this sermon of course to assume that in his eyes, the fate of man who has not yet been converted surely is not a pretty one. This can be seen early on in the text when Edwards states, "So that every unconverted man properly belongs to hell; that is his place; from thence he is". After reading the sermon it seem as though Edward's was trying to get one main point across which was, as the old saying goes, get your house in order before your judgement day arrives. My most favorable part in his sermon is when he says, " So that it is not because God is unmindful of their wickedness, and does not resent it, that he does not let loose his hand and cut them off....The wrath of God burns against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow". I favor this part so much because although the nature and tone of this sermon is a very serious one with much of its context attributed to damnation, he does offer a warning that sinners should not take the forgiving nature of God for granted, for if they do, his wrath will punish their wickedness.

Wallace Steven's gave quite a drastic change in the aspect of religion, and after reading Edward's sermon I found myself waiting for that gut wrenching moment in the poem where his polite honesty would turn into blatant truth. Stevens's approach was taken at a much more eloquent and lighter tone. I was not able to see what other religion he was talking about in his poem but I was able to conclude what kind of religion the woman was thinking about as she went back and forth in her head. The connection I made was when Stevens said, "Jove in the clouds had his inhuman birth / He moved among us, as a muttering king / Magnificent, would move among his hinds". (3. 1,4,5) These lines reminded me of the birth of Jesus Christ as told in the Bible so therefore I concluded that the woman was a Christian. I also thought about the significance in Death being the mother of beauty. Death breeds beauty. When things are not forever, they are a little more cherished and appreciated. Hence, death shines light on everything perishable and even ourselves, so it becomes the mother of beauty. That is what I took from his poem.

In Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown", he takes an approach to religion that was very easy for me to comprehend. I interpreted this story as one big dream. I also thought that there was some symbolism going on with Goodman's wife. His wife Faith said, "prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed to-night. A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts that she's afeard of herself sometimes". I felt as though this had two meanings. The first of course is obvious- she is a woman begging her husband to stay with her through the night. The second meaning is where the symbolism comes in. Not only is her name Faith, but she is pleading for him not to go. His faith is trying to hold him back from taking that walk  with the Devil. This is even more evident when Goodman meets up with the Devil and after being questioned about being late he replies, "Faith kept me back awhile". His wife not only symbolizes love within a union of man and woman but also the relationship of man and God. I believe this story speaks on how easily susceptible man is to sin and failure but our ties with God is what keeps us whole and possibly delivers us from eternal damnation.

Edwards sermon is different from Hawthorne's story in that Edward's believed that man had control of his own destiny and ultimately because of this, the consequences from which they came were very grim. He thought that the test of fate was through being converted and therefor safe from the pits of hell. If one were not to convert or stay free of sin, then they would become satin's rewards. Hawthorne on the other hand took the possibility of "evil" as something that is inevitable in all of us. In my opinion, Hawthorne was trying to convey the idea that evil and sin is something we cannot escape, but if we must sin, then we must realize our faults so that we can live a happy life and stay strong in our faiths. The difference in the two readings boiled down to Edward's taking a more strict and cut throat approach whereas Hawthorne gave room to not only examine the state of religion but also hidden remedies for common shortcomings.

I think that "Sunday Morning" can be compared to the other two readings in that they all have a central underlying theme which is "what if". There is a "what if" factor that surfaces in each of theses works. In Edwards sermon he questioned damnation without conversion. In Hawthorne's story he questioned the nature of evil. In Stevens's poem he questioned the satisfaction of religion vs. earthly goods and pleasures. They all have  that same thing that pose great thinking and discussion on religious views.

I believe that "Sunday Morning" most accurately reflects contemporary American viewpoints of religion because today there are more and more people who chose to live there life as they want instead of living according to their religion because they feel as though they get no instant gratification for religion but on Earth they can. I also think that more and more people are leaning towards being more spiritual than religious and saying that you are a spiritual person does not carry the same responsibility as an entire religion.

In the readings today  the position of Goodman after he had grown old reminded me a lot of Scrooge. If you can recall Scrooge was a very mean and stingy man often by himself with no friends and who was very set in his ways. I connected that with Goodman because after he spent so long seeing fault in everyone else besides himself it started to affect him and change him for the worse. The only difference is that Scrooge was able to redeem himself. For Goodman, it was too late. One question that I have for today is given that Edwards lived in the 1700's, how do you think his view of religion would be today if he could see 300 years into the future? Do you think the tone and overall reasoning would be significantly different or the same?

May 19th: Social Freedom or the Lack Thereof

After reading the works of Bradstreet, Irving, and Gilman the idea of social freedom was something that was a challenge to achieve. With all of these stories and poems having great influence from the era in which they were written, one can only assume that the world in which these authors lived posed social freedom issues to their lives. More specifically, each one of these authors explored this idea through deep symbolism, light hearted comedy, and poetry. Anne Bradstreet expressed her feelings and observations of social freedom through her own struggles and oppositions as they were, in my opinion, most clearly seen in her poem "Prologue". The doubt of those around her and also the dissatisfaction from others of her desires to write is shown when she states "I am obnoxious to each carping tongue / Who says my hand a needle better fits" (25-26). I believe that this shows how women and people who were in her same position at that time cried out to be able to do things that were restricted to men and frowned upon if others were to cross that boundary. Gilman explored something as intangible as social freedom through something very much so tangible- wallpaper. The wallpaper was merely a reflection of a woman paralyzed by the wishes of her husband and tattered and worn from the confinement of her social and mental limitations.  I loved her use of symbolism throughout the story and not only did this help aid her in the message she was trying to convey, but it also gave you something that you could relate to. We all have things in our lives that can sometimes make us feel trapped and hinder us from either doing as we so please, or being able to express ourselves in one way or another. These texts examine the different types of social freedom whether it is in mind, body or society. All of the characters  reached some sort of freedom from the sickly woman freeing herself as she tore down the wallpaper, Bradstreet continuing her journey despite what others thought, to Rip van Winkle escaping into social freedom from his nagging wife, and laziness. The main issues that hold these characters back from being truly free are their lives itself. Living in a society where the majority opposes their inner desires of freedom will always be a looming fact and challenge to battle. One main question I had about the readings or today was a connection I made between "To My Dear and Loving Husband" and "The Yellow Wallpaper". I realized that both of the women had husbands who loved and adored them though in very different situations. Could it be safe to say that they were both trapped because of their husbands and that the answer to social freedom for them would be through their husbands? Do you think that in a different scenario without the women being married, that social freedom would have come easier or harder for them? Today's theme reminded me of Cinderella in a weird way. I was watching the movie earlier and I was reminded of how she too longed for social freedom from her stepmother and stepsisters. She was trapped in her own house, cut off from the outside world, and shunned by her family. She only wanted to live out her dreams and make her imagination a reality but all of those limitations stopped her from doing so. Although Cinderella is more of a fairy tale, that was my biggest connection with our theme for today.