Imagery for a Cause

The imagery in these poems by Whittier and Harper really stood out to me, even though I hadn’t even looked at the elements of poetry yet when I read them. I noticed right off the bat how the word choices of both of these authors created vivid images, and by the end of each poem, I had visualized a story in my head. Therefore, when I saw imagery listed in the elements, I knew which one to pick.

The most vivid of the four poems was “The Slave Mother” by Frances E.W. Harper. This piece provides an emotional account of a slave mother and her child as they are torn away from one another to be sold to different masters. Harper writes,

No marvel, then, these bitter shrieks

Disturb the listening air:

She is a mother, and her heart

Is breaking in despair.

Especially after this moving poem, I could see how this last stanza would evoke a lot of emotion from a reader, especially during this time period. This poem is a great example of how literature was used as part of the antislavery movement.

Whittier’s work, “The Farewell of a Virginia Slave Mother to Her Daughters Sold Into Southern Bondage” also tells the story of the plight of a mother and daughters as they are sold into slavery. Phrases such as “Where the slave-whip ceaseless swings,” and “From the fields at night they go, Faint with told, and racked with pain, To their cheerless homes again” really paint vivid pictures in the minds of his readers. After reading these poems, I really have an understanding of how authors during this time period used imagery to connect with their audience and also their cause. 

9.14.11: Who's the Real Imposter?

      The common theme of Apess’ “An Indian’s Looking Glass for the White Man” and Sigourney’s “Indian Names” is more than just the plight of the Native American people. To me, both pieces really harped on the idea that the Native Americans are not the one’s imposing on the white men. The white men are actually imposing and taking away the possessions and lifestyles of the Native Americans.

            This new group of Americans that immigrated to the New World, referred to as “whites” by both authors, started by taking land away from Native Americans, who had called United States their home for decades. Lydia Sigourney writes, “That ‘mid the forests where they roamed there rings no hunter’s shout…” and “….their cone-like cabins that clustered o’er the vale, have fled away like withered leaves before the autumn gale.” These words symbolize the loss of hunting grounds for Native Americans, as well as the departure from their native lands, that was caused by the whites moving west.

            I really enjoyed William Apess’ “An Indian’s Looking Glass for the White Man.” The idea that the white man is actually the imposter is continued in his work that really asks white settlers of the United States to step back and rethink their treatment of the Native Americans. As a Methodist minister, Apess used many Bible verses to point out that the Bible does not discriminate based on the color skin, so neither should we. He also points out that Jesus, who was a Jew, associated with the Gentiles, who were considered the “lesser class” during that time period. With these ideas in mind, he asks his white readers if they are still ok with continuing to impose on the Native American way of life by depriving them of education and basic social rights, as well as tearing them away from their beloved homelands. Both of these articles are great examples of writing for social reform during this time period.   

9.12.11: Elements of Fiction

            The element of fiction that I found interesting in "The Tenth of January,” by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, is point of view. As mentioned in chapter four of Writing in Literature, works with a third-person narrator are said to have an omniscient narrator. This is because the narrator himself is not a character in the story and has a sort of outside view of the plot. Especially in “The Tenth of January,” I got the feeling that the narrator already knows what will happen in the end, and already knows how everything will come together.

            I feel that this story would have had a completely different style if it had been told from only one of the character’s point of view. Using a third-person point of view allows the author to include the point of view of all of the characters, instead of just one. In my opinion, this makes the story much more interesting, and allows the readers more opportunities to connect with one or more characters in the story on a personal level. Also, the third-person point of view keeps the reader in anticipation of what will happen next. As the author switches from character to character in “The Tenth of January,” she allows her readers to slowly piece together the story as a whole because they have the points of view of each character, not just one. This style kept me on my toes as I read the story, and I found myself waiting for more pieces so that I could complete the puzzle!

9.5.11: Irving's "The Wife"

     Washington Irving’s work The Wife paints a picture of the duties of a wife during this time period, and gives a kind of hidden instruction of how the ideal wife should relate to her husband.

      Irving refers to the woman as “the softer sex,” and “soft and tender.” However, he also emphasizes that the ideal wife, while feminine, is able to “be the comforter and supporter of her husband” when he needs encouragement or uplifting. He gives his readers the visual of a vine twisted around an oak tree, the vine being the woman and the tree representing her husband. In this analogy, the vine depends on the tree, just was the wife is dependent on her husband, but she also gently supports him at the same time.

      Irving personifies this analogy by telling the story of a friend and his wife who went through some financial troubles and had to being to live a much more frugal lifestyle. The husband was heartbroken that he would not be able to provide his wife with the fine things that she was used to having, but his wife was actually extremely supportive and found happiness in their bleak situation, which in turn made her husband happy. I feel as though this story not only gives a glimpse of a woman’s life during this time period, but also could have been written possibly as an example for young women at the time to read and practice in their own lives. Could Irving have known that women would want to read such a touching story and included a hidden life lesson?