"The Relation"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for De Vaca

Author Quote:
"When Indian men get into an argument in their villages, they fist fight until exhausted, then separate. Sometimes the women will go between and part them, but men never interfere"(46)

Internet Quote:
"Cabeza De Vaca journey's resonated in history in several important ways. The mention of two advanced Indain cultures and possible riches to the North promoted two subsequent journeys"(Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca "Relacion" volume II 1993 trans. by Martin A. Favata and Jose B. Fernandez found in Googlescholar)

Summary:
Cabeza De Vaca reports to the Emperor and tells of his 9 years venturing in the new world, from his voyage to the new world and the mishaps that lead to the demise of the entire crew,all but 4 who survived accounting him. De Vaca gives great detail about the culture of the Native Americans he lived and engaged with. He talks about their odd customs such as piercing and the way they have funeral rites. Then De Vaca talks about his heralding survival while being naked and constantly hungry going against the jungles of the new world. De Vaca's vivid portrayal of the Native American people and culture and also descriptions of the new world is throughtout his accounts.

Personal Opinion:
Its fascinating to read about the journey of De Vaca, i cant believe he survived. The details about the culture of the Native Americans in the new land is amazing. When De Vaca is in between Texas and Florida  he might of been the first to journey on foot across those terrains who wasn't Native American. De Vaca's in-depth understanding of the Native culture is amazing, he writes about how Indian men fight bare knuckle to solve heated arguments and that other men never try to break it up, its almost like De Vaca is mesmerized by the simple but intricate ways of the Natives. De Vaca's naked journey through the wilderness is very courageous and proves his will to survive, whether it was luck or skill De Vaca is a survivor of the new land and his story is outstanding.

"Letters to Ferdinand and Isabella"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Columbus

Author Quote:
"There are six or eight kinds of palm, which are a wonder to behold on account of their beautiful variety, but so are the other trees and fruits and plants. In it are marvelous pine groves, and there are very large tracts of cultivatable lands, and there is honey, and there are birds of many kinds and fruits in great diversity. In the interior are mine of metals, and the population is without number. Espanola is a marvel"(32)

Internet Quote:
"Columbus's voyages shattered that isolation once and for all, in what is arguably the most fateful encounter between disparate human groups that history has ever known"(The Worlds of Christopher Columbus by William D. Phillips and Carla Rahn Phillips found in googlescholar search Christopher Columbus)

Summary:
In Christopher Columbus's letter of the first voyage, he writes to the "crown" about how he found many islands filled with beautiful scenery and wealth. He tells the crown what he named the islands and how he believed at first one island was China at first, but instead he boasts he found something entirely more beneficial. In his last letter there is tremendous bitterness in Columbus's tone. He talks about his hard work and the injustice he got, as he was insufficiently recompensated for all he did.

Personal Opinion:
Its very interesting as to the dramatic change in tones from the first letter to the last letter, clearly Columbus's ideas for himself and what he deserved did not come into fruition as things became very bitter for him. In the first letter he describes his finding as if it was heaven, for he compares the new island to the lands back at home and say the islands are much better in everyway, there is unlimited wealth and beauty in the islands as he describes them. Its very fortunate he found those islands as Columbus thought he was travelling to the east and was mistaken one island at first as being the coast line for China. In the last letter Columbus does not hide his distaste for what has happen to himself and his discoveries.

"New English Canaan"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Morton

Author Quote:
"... they were now become the greather number; they had shaken off thier shackles of servitude and were become masters and masterless people"(143)

Internet Quote:
"Morton's book is also significant for being, unlike virtually every other early history of the region, told from the point of view of a non-Puritan" (enotes.com search literary ana. Thomas Morton)

Summary:
Thomas Morton was a strong supporter of the Church of England and unsympathetic to the Puritans. In Morton's "Canaan" there is a distinct difference in his accounts compared to William Bradford, in Morton's writing he talks about the May day in which they hoisted a 80 foot pine tree along the coast for sailors to mark their town. The tree and the way the people are celebrating seems all fun and enjoyment but to the Puritans the tree is a demi god and the people celebrating are sinning in a way. Morton goes on further to call Cpt. Myles Standish, Capt. Shrimp and belittles the man and his men. In the end Morton talks about the vigilante style in which the Puritans abolished him to an island to die, but luckliy he was rescued and all charges were dropped.

Personal Opinion:
From reading Bradfords's accounts and Morton's, there is a question for, who is telling the truth?
For me i feel that Bradford and Morton both not really understanding and having bias thoughts of each other, saw the worse in each other. Whatever each other did it seemed like it was demonic or just plain uptight. There is a great deal of discontent in Morton's writing when talking about Capt. Standish and how the Puritans thought about him and treated him. There is truth to the writing, but overall its meant to be testimony to his dealing over in the new land and the Puritans.

William Bradford

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Bradford

Author Quote:
"He was seen [to] shoot three arrows, which were all avoided. He stood three shots of a musket, till one taking full aim at him, made the bark or splinters of the tree fly about his ears, after which he gave an extraordinary shriek and away they went all of them"(119)

Internet Quote:
"A biographical sketch of Governor Bradford must necessarily include a referece to the Seperatist movement, with which he became early associated"(Bradford's history of Plymouth plantation, 1606-1646, volume 6 by William Bradford / Google.scholar.com)

Summary:
In William Bradfords's journals he gives detailed accounts of his voyage across the sea, to arriving in Cape Cod. He talks about the settlers great hardships in the new land, from the weather, to severe illness that took many lives and the heroes that helped people survive. He also writes about dealings with native americans. Bradford talks about his councilship with native americans with the help of Samoset, an Indian with a tremendous background that spoke English who helped the Settlers. There is a small paragraph about maybe the First Thankgiving.

Personal Opinion:
Its amazing to read about one of the very first settlers and how they managed to make it across the sea. They survived through many hardships, from harassing crewsmen of the ship and the relentless new land that brought the unknown. Through it all they seem to have great faith. The most interesting writing was about the "first encounter" with the Native Americans, the way Bradford wrote the details it is very compelling and dramatic. However i feel some of Bradfords accounts are viewed and written through his perspective and can be bias.

Anne Bradstreet

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Bradstreet

Author Quote:
"I know whom i have trusted, and whom i have believed, and that He is able to keep that I have committed to His charge"(217)

Internet Quote:
"In spite of the eschatological framework that supported Bradstreet's daily life, she sometimes questioned the validity of the Puritan voyage and doubted the existence of God. But she ultimately learned to control her agonizing skepticism by committing herself to the religious values of her culture"("An American Triptych: Anne Bradstreet, Emily Dickinson, Adrienne Rich by Wendy Martin found in Google Scholar search Anne Bradstreet)

Summary:
The first couple of poems i read for Bradstreet were about her husband then the lost of her grandchildren, in the poems there is much grief and sadness over the lost her grandchildren but in the end she talks about how they are going to heaven and it was God who made the decision to take them. The next couple were about some events in her life, and another about pilgrims. The last one i read was very intriguing because it is a letter for her children after her death explaining her belief of God and her religious adventure finding God. She asks her children in the letter to also find God in themselves as she did.

Personal Opinion:
In Bradstreets writing i found there was great belief in God and there was no sign that she had second thoughts about the religion she practiced. Bradstreets poems are very beautiful and religious which is great for the time. As i read, in her time period religion was the epicenter of everything in society, her religious context in poems have very deep romantic feeling to them and they often reflect on the positive aspects of Puritan beliefs such as a heaven and gods divine will.

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Edwards

Author Quote:
"And let every one that is yet of Christ, and hangin over the pit of hell, whether they be old men and women, or middle aged, or young people, or little children, now hearken to the loud calls of God's word and providence"(436)

Internet Quote:
"He was always the Puritan academic, the Brahmin, reading his sermons quietly from a dignified, motionless stance in the pulpit"(The Artistry of Jonathan Edwards by Edwin H. Cady search google scholar Jonathan Edwards)

Summary:
Jonathan Edwards uses frightful imagery of the religious concept of hell as the ongoing plot of his speech. He brings up damnation of people who are living in sin and preaches salvation for all. Edwards uses many texts from the bible to use as context and support for his opinions and to show that God is the "hand" that can protect and redeem people from the hell he talks about. It is a speech in general to preach that God is the savior for peoples souls.

Personal Opinion:
If Jonathan Edwards meant to scare people into religion he probably did a great job in converting thousands, the way Edwards preaches, it seems he is demanding people to understand what is going to happen to them if they do not repent. Edwards takes it upon himself to show people the implications of living life without God, he tells the reader of the suffering and pain they will endure if they do not meet God and take his hand. Overall the scare tactic of Edwards is very grim, but it does a great job in geniunely telling sinners they will burn in hell for what they have done. The message i got out of Edwards is that, the only way out of hell is to have God within you and believe and do right.

"From The Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal on Jefferson

Author Quote:
"As the sentiments of men are known not only by what they recieve, but what they reject also"(652)

Internet Quote:
"Approach him from any side and ever new manifestation of power unfathomed, perhaps even unsuspected, reveal themselves"( in The Writings of Thomas Jefferson by Richard Holland Johnston of Jefferson Memorial Association found in googlescholar.com search Thomas Jefferson and Declaration of Independence)

Summary:
In Thomas Jefferson's Autobiography, Jefferson gives actual accounts of the preceding before, during, and after events of the creation and signing of the Declaration of Independence. In the portion of Jefferson's autobiography, he outlines the original Declaration he wrote and the edited one signed and agreed upon by Congress and himself. The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the newly formed Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the 13 colonies were now independent states, and no longer a part of the British. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson by the congress's wishes, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to split ties with Britain.

Personal Opinion:
The original work of the Declaration is much more fierce and heated, there is a great deal of anger and frustration vented out in the original that has been cut. Congress probably chose to cut those sentiments because they are very up front and offensive in many ways. Jefferson, speaks out on the  British and the Crown, he explains the cruelty and misbehaviors of the King who misuse and manipulate his power to keep control over his reign in the original. Almost all of the end is cut and deleted out of the original, an example of the deleted last portion talks about letting go the ties and bond to Europe as Jefferson explains how the King is sending in mercenaries from all over Europe to try and stop America. This portion was probably cut because it talks about a very sensitive subject of breaking away from family in Europe as they are the enemy now until peace.

"Common Sense"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Thomas Paine

Author Quote:
"Interested men who are not to be trusted, weak men who cannot see, prejudiced men who will not see, and a certain set of moderate men who think better of the European world than it deserves"(635)
Internet Quote:
"Unquestionably Paine was influenced to some degree by his acquaintance with the religion of his fathers, for the Quakers were pioneers in many humanitarian enterprises, including anti slavery, women's right and prison reform"(quote found in Rights of Man by Thomas Paine Biographical Intro by Philip Sheldon Foner search googlescholar- Thomas Paine) 
Summary:
In Thomas Paine's "Common Sense," he gives many goods reasons to why America should become independent. Paine describes America as a wide diverse array of Europeans so in fact their not British, he believes that America has and will be in uneccessary conflicts due to Europe, that the distance in between each other is a sign and that Britain is solely looking out for itself and not America. Thomas Paine talks of America's own spot in the world which is destined to be a place of more moderate and equal rule and government.

 Personal Opinion:
Thomas Paine is a man of revolutionary time, he believes that people are to much involved in old traditions that doesnt make sense for the modern time and that this old way of thinking must cease. Paine speaks of the new way of society and how people are thinking, he talks of democracy and civil justice for the people done by the people, his plea for independence from Britain can be also a looked at as a call to society in general at that time. There is alot of displeasure in hereditary rule or monarchy and he feels its natural divine order that America should have its independence from Britain. In many ways he is asking the people to stand up and rebel against old customs that hold down there true aspirations.

Phillis Wheatley

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Wheatley

Author Quote:
"How well the cry for liberty, and the reverse Disposition for the exercise of opressive Power over others agree,-I humbly think it does not require the Penertration of a philosopher to determine"

Internet Quote:
"It seems probable that the more we learn about her life, the more she will emerge as a black woman deeply conscious of her origins and and of the plight of the black race in the New World" (in "Phillis Wheatley and The New England Clergy" by James A. Levernier found in googlescholar.com search Phillis Wheatley)


Summary:
Phillis Wheatley wrote many personal poems and poems to well known people. In her writing there is a clear message of injustice, through her poems she talks of her intrepid past and people who inspire her. She writes vivid and eloquent poems as gratitude to the people who have effected her.

Personal Opinion:
Wheatley to me sounds very much like Shakespeare, there is a eloquent tone to all the passages. Although for me she has a style like Shakespeare her writing is still original and amazingly written. Her poem "On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield," is beautiful for death, "Behold the prophet in his towering flight! He leaves the earth for heavens unmeasured height," for her to come out with this poem as her first published piece is quite impressive.I feel i have read her material before, i feel her rhyming and wordplay is way ahead of her time.

"An Indian's Looking Glass for the White Man"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Apess

Author Quote:
“[God] who will show no favor to outward appearances but will judge righteousness”(1053)

Internet Quote:
“Apess is now celebrated for his ability to combine the perspectives of Native Americans and European Americans and to manipulate the accepted modes of discourse to suit his subversive ends. Scholars have also described Apess's struggle to construct an identity as a Native American living among whites as strikingly contemporary” (found at enotes.com search William Apess)

Summary:
It starts off briefly describing the conditions of a Indian reservations and how the Indians living there have lost their morality. He blames many of the problems on the white man who oversees the reservation, Apess believes they do not care if the “Indians live or die“. William Apess, through his moving narrative brings up the concept of a chosen race by the white people and he suggest that there is no pure or chosen race or ethnicity. He also talks about the inconsistency of white peoples behavior with the words of the bible.

Personal Opinion:
Apess is burning as he reveals the underbelly of American society, for his people the Native Americans and also African Americans (the slaves) are being systematically being murdered or used as labor. Apess talks of a rebellion from such a evil government which reminds me of Frederick Douglass and Henry David Thoreau. However, Apess in many way is more critical he points out the cruel intentions of the white race and try to tell white people how they treat other races, “I would ask you if you would like to be disfranchised from all your rights, merely because your skin white, and for no other crime,”(1054) he is very bold as he talks about the inhumane acts of white people towards who they feel are inferior races.
　

"Rip Van Winkle"

Charles So           
English 48A

Journal for Irving

Author Quote:

“Rip Van Winkle, however, was one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy, eat white bread or brown, which ever can be got with least thought or trouble, and would rather starve on a penny than work for a pound” (955)

Internet Quote:

“As literature, as, thus, a unique kind of cultural expression, Irving’s tales and sketches allow us to see the manner in which attitudes, assumptions, and values were imaged in and by the creative act”  (Rip, Ichabod, and the American Imagination by Terence Martin found in http://www.google.scholar.com/)

Summary:

Rip Van Winkle is non ambitious and very lazy, but he has kids and a wife. His wife nags at him about it his contentment for mediocrity and her pestering unnerves him. Winkle is a man who does not like to work or do any type of hard labor. He frequents a club where people talk and gossip about the daily news around the parts. One day fleeing from his wife and work he goes to the top of the Catskill Mountains and meets the ghosts of Hudson and his crew. He ends up drinking with them. He then falls asleep from the drinking and then wakes up 20 years later from his drunken slumber. He then goes back down to the town and finds everything has changed.
Personal Opinion:

It seem the short story was about the peaceful, idealic life of a worry free man who has a nagging wife. There is peacefulness in how Winkle lives his life without any worries and he seems to be happy but his wife always insist he needs to do more. Winkle can be seen as a message of waking up from the rule of England. As Winkle wakes up and goes to town he bring up King George as a testimonial and finds out now that President George Washington is in charge. This can be looked at as a message about the colonies before the revolutionary war. Even though everything has changed Winkle is satisfied with the new present that he awoke to and how everything has turned out. He does not concern himself with anything and he is most happy that his nagging wife has past away and she can not pester him about where he has been that past 20 years.

"Resistance to Civil Government"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Thoreau
Oct. 20, 2010

Author Quote:
“That government is best which governs not at all; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have” (1857)

Internet Quote:
“His work is so rich, and so full of the complex contradictions that he explored, that his readers keep reshaping his image to fit their own needs”
By Ann Woodlief www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/thoreau/

Summary:
Henry David Thoreau says that the government should be beneficial for its citizens, for it was meant to work for the citizen. The government now is a machine it now is being manipulated in congress by a few individuals out for their own hidden agendas and Thoreau brings up the Mexican War as one reason because he says, “ the people would not have consented to this measure” (1857). Thoreau wants people to stand up against the government and speak loudly in what they want from their government, there is an appeal for a the conscience of the nation to speak up and shout.

Opinion:
Thoreau is very contentious, he brings up social ideas which seems very controversial and ahead of its time and it might of shocked who ever read it. The suggestion for the citizen to want and expect the government to be a credit to them is very influential, there is great inspirational power as he speaks about the unconstitutional and unconscionable practice of slavery by the nation. Overall there is a strong message for standing up for what you believe in and resistance to the governments machine like ways. 

"Self-Reliance"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Emerson
Oct. 18, 2010

Author Quote:
“I hope in these days we have heard the last of conformity and consistency. Let the words be gazetted” (1169)

Internet Quote:
“following Emerson himself, it’s aim is provocation” Cambridge companion to Ralph Waldo Emerson by Joel Porte, Saundra Morris google.scholar: review of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Summary:
In “Self-Reliance,” Ralph Emerson talks about believing in yourself and the unique genius in all people. He writes about the nuances of society that he disapproves of , for instance he believes society can entrap people into mediocre lives. Emerson conveys to the reader not to restrict or judge themselves by societies standard, and that a person should strive for what is true in their heart, so they can be truly triumphant.

Opinion:
Its fascinating how Emerson brings up contemporary artist to show the beauty of being different and unique, yet when he brings up iconic figures of history such as Christ its moving because he puts the idea that such greatness can be attained by anyone if they just go for what they want to do. He brings intense passion to the idea of trusting your feelings and stepping away from the institutional conformities. His writing expresses a welcoming for new and transcending ideas. I feel Emerson was pushing for innovation, for he pleaded for everyone to break away and think outside the box.

"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Douglass
Oct. 12, 2010

Author Quote:
“This good spirit was from God, and to him I offer thanksgiving and praise” (2085)

Internet Quote:
“knowledge is the pathway from slavery to freedom" (wikipedia.org)
　
Summary:
Frederick Douglass describes his emotions on how fortunate he felt, to be chosen, amongst all the other slave children in the plantation. He believes it was a act of destiny by God that he would go to Baltimore to live with Mr. and Mrs. Auld, there he learns that knowledge is the key to his freedom. “Narrative and the Life,” by Douglass is a first hand look at slavery and all its deplorable acts, from control and manipulation the book describes many facets of the system of slavery.

Opinion:
I find it very interesting when Douglass explains the hypocrisy of slavery in the Christian nation, he explains the vile ways in which text from the bible are misused and how the people who supposedly are men of god are but blind to their own sins that they commit. Slavery is sin, Douglass tries to convey that a nation found under Christian beliefs should not allow the enslavement of another human being, Douglass explanation of the slave owners elaborate trap or system that manipulate and control slaves into thinking they are less than human and that they are but animals is very shocking to me as I have known about slavery and the slave owners use of physical brutality in order to control the slave, but I have never thought about mental aspect in controlling a human, the whole brainwashing and breaking down of a man’s soul is outlandish, it can boil the blood.

"The Fall of the House of Usher"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal Poe
Oct.7, 2010


Author Quote:
“I learned, moreover, at intervals, and through broken and equivocal hints, another singular feature of his mental condition”(1556)

Internet Quote:
“A tale of sickness, madness, incest, and the danger of unrestrained creativity, this is among Poe's most popular and critically-examined horror stories”(enotes.com)

Summary:
As the narrator learns more about his mysterious friend, whom he hasn’t seen since their childhood, he learns about the desolate life style in which his friend Roderick Usher has been living. Usher is in a state of enchainment to his house because of his superstitious feelings and his unknown mental condition. As the story flows on, the narrator learns that death of Usher’s twin sister and becomes more entrapped by the house’s ghastly aura, and he himself start to unfold from reality as he starts to have mysterious phenomenon’s.

Opinion:
I was very confused by this one, I thought the story was dark mystery full of suspense. Roderick Usher I feel called the narrator to witness the demise of the Usher’s, Usher knew that his death and the house would soon come so he invited someone dear to him so they can witness and know of the secrets of the house and family.

Oct. 5, 2010 "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Charles So
Eng. 48A
Journal for Hawthorne
Oct. 5, 2010

Author Quote:
"Tremble also at each other! Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil? What, but the mystery which it obscurely typifies, has made this piece of crape so awful? When the friend shows his inmost heart to his friend; the lover to his best beloved; when man does not vainly shrink from the eye of his Creator, loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and die! I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a Black Veil!" (Hawthorne 1320)

Internet Quote:
“The story's macabre tone and repressive early-colonial New England Puritan setting are familiar elements in Hawthorne's fiction, and they serve to underscore the unsettling behavior of the main character and the work's concern with the nature of secret sin and humans' fallen nature”(e.notes.com)
　
Summary:
Father Hooper was incited to say these words by Reverend Clark, who selfishly came to the dying bedside of the Father, in an attempt to reveal the secret behind the black veil. The quote from the dying Father is very eerie as he reveals all the misfortunes that the black veil has put on him and brought out on others. From the beginning of the “parable,” the black veil brings out antipathy from all the people around him because they presume there is something dreadful about it, although Father Hooper is the same in act and demeanor, his black veil brings out the negative imaginations of others which leads to the slow separation between the Father and neighboring people.

Response:
The main theme of “The Minister's Black Veil” can be interpreted by Father Hooper's dying words and who he says it to; Reverend Clark. The Reverend is a great example for the dark nature and actions of people to the unknown such as the black veil. I say this because the Reverend presents himself as being there to show respect to the Father and as a guide of some sort to his death, however the Reverend is there only to find out the secret behind the black veil. As he is denied his true rude nature comes out and Father Hooper lets out his last statement in which I feel he condemns society for the way they have treated him and others alike.