Robert E. Lee – "Letter to his Family"

Robert E. Lee was of large importance to the Civil War. Even prior to the Civil War, he was an important person in the United States army. Lee was an intelligent man who came from a prestigious family. Lee was heartbroken (Lee). He did not want the United States to become a country where force was necessary to uphold laws (Lee). Originally, President Lincoln requested that Lee be the general for the Union troops, but when Lee's home state of Virginia seceded, he decided that he could not fight against his home state (Lee). Lee decided to join the Confederates because he could not stand the thought of fighting those from Virginia, where his family was located (Lee). Lee quickly moved to the top of the ranks, and he became general of the Confederate army (Lee). Lee was triumphant in many battles, but eventually his losses began to outweigh his victories during the Civil War and he was forced to surrender to the North (Lee). The letters that Lee wrote to his family before the war have been discovered, and in a letter to his son, he tells him of the heartbreak that he was experiencing over the current state of the country (Lee).

"Letter to his Family" is Realistic because it discusses Lee's feelings on the current state of the country (Lee). This piece of literature is not Naturalistic because it does not evaluate or study humans (Lee). It is not Regionalistic, even though it discusses different regions of the United States, because it is not trying to promote a certain place over others (Lee). This reflects society during that specific period because while many people may have thought a war was inevitable, those people still did not want one (Lee). Many people were upset about the ongoing tension between the North and the South, and the last thing many of them wanted was a war. This work does not make any references to religion. It also does not touch on the subject of government much either, unless one considers the tension between the Confederates and the Union a reference to government (Lee). One of the things that Lee does mention about the government though, is how it would dissolve into nothing if a war broke out between the North and the South (Lee). Nature was not brought up often either, and the only human nature was about a piece of literature that Lee had read because his son had sent it to him (Lee). The American Dream is not really in this work, but Lee's American Dream could have been that the Union would not break up, which did not end up happening (Lee). There was no figurative language in Lee's letter to his son, and there was also nothing about a Hero (Lee). "Letter to his Family" was mostly a work based on Lee's feelings about the subject of the Union. He hoped that there would be no war, for he feared that this would cause the country to fall into a savage state where force was needed to uphold laws. Lee wished for no war, but sadly his wish did not come true (Lee). He was a very honorable man that wanted the best for his country and the people in it, rather than wanting the best for himself or for personal gain (Lee). Lee was an incredible general and man, who did his best to preserve the country.

Lee, Robert E. "Letter to His Family." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 382-85. Print.

Sojourner Truth – "And Ain‘t I a Woman?"

Sojourner Truth is often viewed as just as good a speaker as Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, but what set her aside from the norm and made her seem more interesting was the fact the she was African American. As if it was not unusual enough that she was an African American speaker, she was also a woman. In the past during times of slavery, not many would listen to a black woman's case. Sojourner Truth fought very hard African American rights as well as rights for women. Sojourner Truth wanted to show the world that there was nothing different between the three- African Americans, women, and the average white man (Truth).

In her speech, she showed the world that many men were calling women delicate. She showed the world what men really thought of women- that they needed help getting into carriages and getting over mud puddles. Sojourner Truth was a woman, and no one had ever helped her with anything of that sort (Truth). She showed the world that as an African American slave, she had never gotten the benefits that the rest of women got (Truth). She showed the world that since she had to work as a slave, she had done hard work that many men in the North could not do because she was faced with no choice but to do it (Truth).

This work fits in the Realism period because it is in the moment and not about the past. It looks forward to the future and concentrates on what could happen (Truth). It is realistic, and she made realistic demands and proved her point based on facts of what happened in the past, which reflects Realism (Truth). It does not fit in the Naturalism period because the speech was given with feeling and it portrayed everyone's feelings (Truth). It was not scientific, nor did it subject humans to animalistic tests and observations, so Naturalism has been ruled out (Truth). It is also not in the Regionalism period because it is not based on a certain region of the United States that wants more attention (Truth). While this work does not really have anything to do with religion, it has a lot to do with government and different issues of the time period (Truth). This speech, while it does not outright attack the government, fights to go against what the government was trying to do (Truth). She wanted rights for African Americans and women alike, and to do that, she needed to go against the government. Sojourner Truth wanted to be able to do everything that men could because that is what she had been doing her entire life, and she felt that since she gad done a man's work and them some, she deserved it (Truth). This speech does not talk about nature, unless her working in the fields would count, and there is not much about human nature (Truth). One could say that her whole speech was really about human nature because she was trying to change ideas that had come to pass because of her human nature (Truth). This also talks about the American Dream because one of the most basic American Dreams is equal rights (Truth). She wanted to achieve equal rights not just for herself but for many other people as well. She was a minority, but she did not want to be treated as such (Truth). There was not any figurative language, and there is not much talk about the Hero, but the Hero would be the one to give them their rights (Truth). Sojourner Truth was an important orator who wanted equal rights for everyone.

Truth, Sojourner. Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 368-70. Print.

Anonymous – "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Go Down, Moses," "Keep Your Hand on the Plow"

One thing that nearly all African Americans had in common was their desire for freedom (Wilhelm). African Americans would often even make songs about one day being free, and many times they would meet at a secret location and sing these songs around a fire (Wilhelm). Not all of the songs were straight to the point about their want of freedom, but it is still fairly obvious from the lyrics what they truly want. Their songs belong in the Realism period. Their songs, while not necessarily realistic in all aspects, are Biblical and do tell stories of Biblical events that are real and true (Wilhelm). Their songs are in the moment, and do not often reflect back on the past (Wilhelm). A few songs tell of how they came over from Africa, but most of their songs talked about the slavery that they were in at that moment or the hope for a better future (Wilhelm).

Their songs do not belong in the Naturalism period because while they may involve descriptive words and nature, they do not talk about human beings as something to do tests on and study or about the decisions that humans make and why they do them. However, these songs could possibly fit into the Regionalism period because they may have talked about features that are unique to that area, but most African Americans did not want to dwell on where they were located, seeing as a majority of them were located on plantations. These works of Realist literature reflect activities and happenings from their time period. Their lyrics depict the pain and depression of slavery, and they show us how desperate the African Americans were to achieve their freedom (Wilhelm). The works show us that the African Americans never lost hope or gave up, even though they were forced into horrible situations where sometimes a beating or even death was inevitable (Wilhelm).

It reflects society in that time period because it shows that no one in the North completely knew what the slaves were going through. The South knew, but they did not care. Religion is definitely involved in these songs because many of them reflect upon events that happened in the Bible (Wilhelm). African American incorporated religion into their songs because they thought that they were like the Jews that had been trapped in slavery in Egypt for an extended period of time (Wilhelm). The African Americans thought God would save them like he did the Jews, and that is why they chose some of the stories that fit their same situation (Wilhelm). There is nothing about government in these songs, and there is also not much about the involvement of nature in African American life (Wilhelm). Human nature is partially displayed because the songs show how much the African Americans hoped for their freedom and how desperate they were to get it (Wilhelm). The American Dream for them was almost the same because they wanted to have freedom more than anything (Wilhelm). There was also a lot of figurative language. They called the South "Egypt", and the North was often either "heaven" or the "promised land" (Wilhelm). This was also about the stories of the Jews, because that was their situation as well (Wilhelm). The "Hero" would be whoever their savior was that could help them achieve freedom. The real "Hero", however, was scarcely mentioned in these songs. African Americans had a hard life as slaves, but they stayed close by writing and singing songs together that gave them hope for a brighter future.

Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. Glencoe Literature. New York, NY: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.

Abraham Lincoln – from "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865" and "The Gettysburg Address"

Realism was a literary movement that began during the time of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, one of the most prominent leaders during that time period, adopted some traits of Realism literature in his speech for his second inauguration. In his speech, Lincoln follows the style of Realism by conveying his message in a simple but strong way. He flat out just states the facts and makes a rational conclusion of what the county needs to do. Being a presidential inaugural speech, there is obviously content concerning society and the psychology of people, as it is targeted towards all of the people in the country. This is another characteristic that make this speech of President Lincoln an example of literature from the Realism movement.

In Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, he focuses on the wrongs that have been done to many members of the country through means of slavery (Lincoln). He states that God gives us the opportunity to make amends for the wounds that have been inflicted on the country, both domestically and among the likes of other nations of the world. Lincoln used Realism literature because social issues were quite often the main idea that Realism literature revolved around (Quinn).

Realism is also reflected in the writing style of Lincoln's speech. It was very simple and straight down to business, presenting facts in an almost excruciatingly simple way. However, one aspect of Realism is trying to present facts of actual events (Barney). This is exactly the way that Lincoln’s second inaugural address is written. Most all of his sentences are simple and deliver their own message or add to the main idea of the passage (Lincoln). Even though there is a lack of artistic style to this genre and this speech in particular, there is no lack whatsoever of emotion. The message that the author presents in this kind of work is enough to keep the audience interested in what is being said.

Of course, being the President during the Civil War lends to the fact that this is a work of Realism literature. The movement for Realism literature began primarily during the Civil War era (Quinn). President Lincoln’s second inaugural address was given in 1865, making it right in the beginning stages of Realism literature. Lincoln was one of the first writers and public speakers of this genre (Lincoln). Although this seems like a very simple and obvious reason for this work to be Realism, it has even more importance because it exposed many people of the nation to a newly established form of literature being used by persons in power that held an influence over those who were below him.

With the literary movement of Realism beginning during the time of the Civil War, it is no surprise that Abraham Lincoln used this style multiple times, such as in the “Second Inaugural Address.” The matters addressed by Lincoln and the way in which the speech was written, as well as the way it was presented are examples that make this a work of Realism. With the “Second Inaugural Speech” of President Lincoln, Realism was made known to America.


Works Cited

Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "realism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True. February 15, 2011.

Lincoln, Abraham. from "Second Inaugural Address." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 339.

Quinn, Edward. "realism and naturalism in American literature." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gfflithem0707&SingleRecord=True. February 15, 2011.

Frederick Douglass – from The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro

The speech delivered by Frederick Douglass entitled "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro" falls into the regular Realism genre. This speech was delivered to a white congregation, which was actually a reflection of Realism. There was an African American giving the speech, which was not considered normal in the past. In the past, narrators were typically white males. This somewhat strange flip is a reflection of Realism.

This speech was delivered in 1852, which made its contents appropriate for the time period (Douglass, 337). The speech was delivered during the time of the Civil War, which was when many literary genres were emerging. The speech talked about the injustice of Fourth of July celebration for the negroes. The speech itself is real, which makes it appear to be a piece of Realism literature. Realist writing often included historical facts, and the speech itself is one whole historical piece. Frederick Douglass used a combination of emotions and facts in order to get his point across, which is a fundamental concept of Realism. Realism uses scientific facts and historic references to make it seem believable, and Realism also factors in the use of emotions and relatable situations to seem even more realistic. In this way, Frederick Douglass played upon the emotions of the people by approaching them with solid facts about the injustice (Douglass, 337).

Frederick Douglass' point in "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro" is that the celebration of the Fourth of July in America makes the country appear hypocritical (Douglass, 337). The whole point of the Fourth of July is to celebrate the freedom of the people of America- their freedom from the chains and rules that were forced upon them by Great Britain. The holiday was hypocritical in that whilst the white folk of America celebrated their freedom, blacks were not able to celebrate freedom, for many of them did not know it. In this way Douglass displays the idea of Realism by using the everyday African American person as the hero (Douglass, 337).

One important aspect of Realism is the "hero". The hero is typically an average person whom other people are able to easily relate with. He is typically is just a middle class citizen who just wants to try and make the best out of the situations that he is forced into. In Frederick Douglass' speech, although it was written by an African American man about the plights of African American people to a strictly white audience, he played upon the basic ideas of humanity and the rights that we all share (Douglass, 337). It is at this point in the speech that emotions begin to make an appearance. Sometimes guilt is the best way to make someone understand that what they have done was wrong. Frederick Douglass used this to his advantage by making the white men realize that they were being hypocritical by saying that they deserved their freedom from Great Britain, but the African Americans did not deserve freedom from their bondage as well (Douglass, 337).

Douglass, Frederick. from "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Glencoe American Literature.comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 337.

Regionalism - Definition

Regionalism is another literary genre that is often compared to Realism. Regionalism, as one would assume judging by its title, gets its classification from the setting of the story. The setting of the story, though, plays an important role in any story. For example, the setting greatly influences the voice of the main character, the events that happen during the story, and the cultures and society of the story.

Regionalism is a form of writing that centers around a particular area of the United States (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). Of course, different authors specialize in different areas of America. Each region of the country was represented somehow in this genre, such as the West, the South, New England, and areas where immigrants went to live once they had arrived in America. Each of these regions captured a whole different set of unique qualities and characters that made the stories fascinating (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson).

Most authors who wrote using the Regionalism style centered around a particular city or county that was important to them in some way (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). For many it was where they grew up or spent most of their lives, or any other place that held sentimental value to them. In this way, they were very familiar with the way things worked in the particular region and were therefore able to make the characters come alive in a way that was very realistic and believable. The main idea of the entire genre was the more one knew his or her setting, the more believable the characters would become (Anderson, Baughman, Bruccoli, and Rollyson). It is safe to assume that the characters the authors wrote were once real people that the author knew, but that point comes with an argument. The people could also just be born from the author's mind as they wrote about their specific town or city.

Regionalism is both similar and different from Realism. Regionalism focuses on the landscape more, which is the opposite of Realism. Realism focuses on the characters rather than the setting (Campbell). However, Regionalism is akin to Realism in that both are made to appear very believable. Stories from both genres could be real.

Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).

Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.

Naturalism - Definition

Naturalism is a literary genre that is often compared to Realism. It came about sometime in the late nineteenth century, while Realism was developed in the early nineteenth century. Naturalism works are often reported to have been started by a French woman, but many other writers are skeptical about that theory (Sommers). There were many other American authors who adapted the Naturalism writing style.

Naturalism is a genre based mainly upon the ideas of Charles Darwin (Sommers). Darwin was a scientist who believed that humans were simply highly developed animals with no sense of free will at all. He believed that everything that made up their character had to do with their genetics and the environment that they were raised in. In this way, naturalist writing became almost like a study or a science experiment on what we think of as common animals (Sommers). This can also be compared to Realism, which viewed humans from a scientific and neutral standpoint (Campbell).

Because of Darwin's theories, the stories in the Naturalism genre could generally be supposed to follow along the same basic story line. This story line was about a person whose actions are driven by his own compulsions and desires, yet he cannot decide how his destiny will pan out in the end (Sommers).

Naturalism works were also written with mainly the same techniques (Sommers). Most of the stories were presented as sort of factual, scientific journal entries about how the main character reacts to events in his or her life, almost like Realism. In this way, the style also resembles almost a case study about a particular animal that we would find today. In these stories the subject, who could also play as the "hero", is placed in an unfamiliar place. The character is then studied, and their reactions to the location are recorded. This is almost reminiscent of an experiment in that tests are done to see how the subject will react to change. As previously mentioned, the character acts upon his or her own instincts but is still forced to accept whatever ill end they may meet (Sommers).

Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 15, 2011).

Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.