Blog Post 7

The speaker of the poem The Slave Mother by Frances E. W. Harper is actually the author.  The author is speaking in third person of a slave mother who is losing a child.  This poem is symbolic of the slave mother’s loss of her child.  The mother uses words that describe her emotional feelings about the loss showing her grieving and pain.  I feel like this poem is focusing more on her emotional feelings rather than the actual physicality of her son being taken from her.  She states specifically, “As if a storm of Agony were sweeping through the brain.”  By stating this line, she is showing how this is taking over her mind and crippling her emotionally.  This poem is very relatable for the time period, which I think, makes it very strong and endearing.  It is very common for a child of a slave to feel like, “he is not hers, although she bore him”(17).  It is with quotes like these that you really feel a strong pathos for the poor woman and are drawn in.  The speaker (Harper) is making a testimony for the slave mother.  It is hard to grasp the thought of losing a child and the only ones who truly can feel this sense of sorrow are slaves who have had the experience which is why this is a testimony.  Harper ends with the lines “she is a mother and her heart is breaking in despair.”  This line concludes the poem well by informing us that she will not be getting her child back and her heart will be left broken for all eternity.  

Blog Post 6

In the story Incidents in the life of a slave girl by Harriet Jacobs, it becomes very obvious that there is definitely a cultural and racial divide and struggle throughout the whole story that is portrayed by slavery.  I feel like Jacobs makes it very clear throughout the story that there is really no “good” slave owners per say.  She gives two examples of two different types of slave owners.  One, Dr. Flint, is an absolute monster and shows a terrible extreme of a slave owner.  The next is Mr. Sands, who is even the more “kindly” slave owner but is still very unjust and without much care for Linda and their two mixed children.   Mr. Sands and Linda’s two children are great, literal examples of being caught between two cultures.  I feel like Mr. Sands doesn’t care much about his two mixed children but he is somewhat conflicted on what to do with them and this is exemplified by him buying them back for Linda, and then his continuous breaking of his promises that he makes to Linda with regards to the children.  All that Linda desires is a home for herself and her children but Jacobs makes it clear that because of her race and social standing, she will continue to fail.  There is no sense of a strong, black family within the novel.

Blog Post 4

            The short story "The Tenth of January" by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, starts off very emotionally by explaining and describing the struggles of a main character named Asenath.  Asenath is a very insecure character who is described as not being physically attractive at all.  What stands out the most about her appearance to me is the scar across her mouth.  "It would have been a womanly, pleasant mouth, had it not been crossed by a white scar, which attracted more of one’s attentionthan either the womanliness or pleasantness.”  Asenath is very self conscious about the way she looks and seems to be in Del Ivory’s shadow.  This is very common of society today.  I see Asenath’s character and insecurities relating a lot to those of girls today.  By the end of the story the Phelps is showing Asenath’s personality and who she really is.  She is gracious and giving and was willing to give it all in order to make others happy.  I think that Phelps was trying to show the common assumptions that people make about others when they judge people based on their appearance.  It is wrong to judge someone based on their physical self rather than appreciating them for what they are worth and who they really are. 

Blog Post 3

In the Irving’s “The Wife”, the  conflict seems to be the struggles he is having internally about weather or not to tell his wife about his financial misfortunes.  He is afraid that because he is no longer wealthy, she will abandon him.  When he finally came around to confessing to his wife about his poor luck, she embraced him and made it clear that his money was not an important matter to her and she would love him reguarless.  This acceptance of her husbands struggle demonstrates how for most American relationships, money is not everything even though there is a strong belief that the man is supposed to financially support his wife.  This feeling is still seen today but I think the financial reliance upon a husband has reduced because now women hold their own job positions and in many cases can support themselves financially.  This story also shows how the wife is loving and caring and the backbone of a household or relationship.  The way Irving portrayed the wife made it seem like she was the one helping him deal with his emotional issues about not being able to financially support her when traditionally it is the man who is supporting the wife.  I feel like overall this story shows how financials aren’t going to hold a relationship together like true love will.  

Blog Post 2

I have been learning about American history since I was in 6^th grade and for the most part I feel like I have been just going through the motions; taking tests, doing homework and memorizing time lines.  This class though, has really opened my eyes to all of the efforts and work that have really gone into making America the America that it is today.  Seeing just how things have changed and have been expanded upon is amazing to me.  From the colonies that existed in America before Columbus came over and took ownership of this country, to seeing how printed press has grown just because of the Printing press, is just a really interesting concept.  I feel like this class is going to give me a huge appreciation for the technology and resources we have today.  I honestly don’t know how people survived back in the day. 

            I feel like this course is also really giving me a better perspective and helping me personally define what I believe a true American to be.  Everyday I have left class adding things to, and taking things away from my self proclaimed list of what defines a true American.  Before this class I had never really pondered this and through the readings and class discussions I feel like I am developing true knowledge about America and its history.