Second Quarter Blog 4

       In the last part I read in Jack London's Call of the Wild, Buck meets John Thorton, who tries to stop Hal, Charles, and Mercedes when they want to cross the rivier when the ice is melting. After Thorton realizes he can't change their minds he doesn't interject. But when Buck decides he cannot go anymore and refuse to stand up to pull the sled, Buck is beaten by Hal. When Thorton sees the mistreatment of Buck he stands up for Buck and takes Buck from the ropes holding Buck to the sled and decides to keep him. The three continue on and halfway across the river all three fall into the broken ice along with the team of dogs never to be seen again. 

       Thorton helps Buck back to health, which strengths their affection for each other. Buck views thorton as his true master and wants to do anything for him. For example he saves John from a river when believed impossible and moved 1,000 pounds on a sled for 100 yards when Thorton asked him to. Whenever Buck and Thorton are traveling in the woods, Buck finds his "long lost brother" who is another wolf. He finds in the wolf his inner desire to leave civilization and be wild. But his love for Thorton leads him to return to their camp. One day when Buck leaves the camp he comes back and finds indians that killed Thorton. Buck, once he kills the indians for killing Thorton, is now free to follow his call of the wild. In this book, Romantstic ideas are represents by the fights Buck had with temptation: stay with Thornton, or kill things? Be civilized, or be wild? But whenever Thorton dies, Buck is then free to run with the wild dog packs.

Second Quarter Blog 3

Up to now in Jack London's Call of the Wild, Buck has been with three different owners. The first were the men Francois and Perrault, the second being a Scotsman who carries mail, and the third a trio of Hal, Charles, and Mercedes who are first time owners of sled dogs. Now that Buck is in command of his team, he begins to uncover more of his inherited instincts in the wild that he didn't realize before. This idea of Buck becoming more of a dog of leadership and one with nature expresses the connection to the period of Romanticism. The death of one of the teammates, Dave, contributes also to Romanticism in the emotions all the dogs feel with his passing and nature. Dave is shot because of the mistreatment the Scotsman enforces on the dogs, which is going farther and carrying more with less rest and time to recuperate. Dave's death also reminds the reader of the lesson Spitz taught Buck about the law of club and fang. With Buck and the rest of his team being so worn down from the exertion the Scotsman puts on their bodies, they dogs truly want to just rest. But the dog's inner pride about the work they are doing compels them to keep going. This portrayal of the dog's loyalty connects to Romanticism through the way London expresses the dogs emotions, which seem human like. 
The next owners the Buck and his team are sold to are three people who are inexperienced with sled dogs and traveling in the snow. The dogs being completely worn out does not help with these three being inexperienced. Because they do not know how to take care of the dogs, they overfeed them the first few weeks which leads to the dogs starving because there is no food left to eat. Also, the three overpack the sled, which causes the sled to be too heavy to pull. Because the dogs are so exhausted they cannot move the sled, so Hal tries to whip the dogs into pulling the sled but does not work. The overpacking of the sled causes the dogs to become even more tired with the load they carry each day until they eventually either die or stop doing what the three say. The representation of Hal, Charles, and Mercedes by London reflects the idea of the negative side of civilization through their characteristics of vanity, foolishness, stubbornness, and ignorance. 

Second Quarter Blog 2

      Up to his point in the book Call of the Wild, by Jack London, Buck has gone through many experiences that have transformed him into the dog he always sensed he could be. After Buck is sold by one of the people form his home and put into the hands of the man with the red sweater, Buck is sold to two men named Francois and Perrault. These men train Buck to be a sled dog, which opens Buck up to his nature and wild side as a dog. Buck quickly learns from another sled dog, Spitz, about "the law of club and fang", which provides Buck with the realization that you need to kill or be killed to survive as apart of the wild. 
      From the lesson that Spitz taught Buck about death, a rivalry develops between these two dogs. Spitz is the leader while Buck is the new dog to the team and Buck feels his inner desire to be primitive and apart of nature. Buck continues to want the top position of lead dog, and eventually leads to a fight to the death between the two dogs. After Buck is cut and bitten by Spitz, Buck breaks Spitz's legs which leads to his death. With Spitz dying after the fight with Buck, Buck assumes the position of leader of the sled. In all the experiences that Buck goes through with his first sled team have the theme of nature. Buck's newfound awareness of his inner wolf that makes him feel free and truly a dog contributes to the idea of Romanticism through nature and the emotions of Buck. 

Second Quarter Blog 1

   This quarter I chose to read The Call of the Wild by Jack London. So far in this book I have found that it is written from the point of view of the dog, which I believe to be a different and confusing way to express point of view. In my reading, Buck, the main character that is a dog, has been sold by one of the workers on the extremely luxurious and nice house he lived at. He was sold for money and sent far away from his home to be a sled dog. The first time he was let out of his cage upon arrival, he tried to attack the new owner of Buck, who was called the man in the red sweater. When the man continually beat Buck with a club after each rush towards him, Buck eventually backed down and stopped trying to attack him. I think that the lesson Buck learned from this man still sticks to him, and his fear of being beat with clubs is shown when Buck is with his new owner. 
   So far, I have not found much that connects with either Rationalism or Romanticism. But I have found that London seems to have a Romantic idea about socialism in the book. All the dogs and people have a particular job to due which is suited to them only. Because London portrays the sled dogs as being the happiest when working, the idea of everyone having a place contributes to the idea of Romanticism shown in the book up to now. 

First Quarter Blog 3

     Because the Puritan time period was before blacks lived in the colonies, there was very little, if any, African American literature during this time period. Therefore works of blacks were not yet recognized. Puritans also did not read the literature of other minority groups, such as women. The people belived that they were not good enough as men in things like writing, so they never acknowledged the writing of women. Women were in the domestic sphere, while men were apart of the public sphere. 
     So far, I have not found many connections between Puritanism and my research topic. But I have found themes that occur through the Puritan period that I also found in my first article that helped to create our first definition of American Literature. In Puritan writings discussed in class, I found the themes of daily life, which has to do with social and racial norms during the period. It is also evident in my article, which is during the Civil Rights Movement, that famous works of the period depicted life of groups of people in relation to other groups. 

First Quarter Blog 2

     In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays the Puritan society by the people's obsession with sin. Puritans believed in total depravity, which means that all people were born sinners, so Purtians maintained strict watch over themselves and the people around them. Many sins such as adultury were punishable by death. Hester was spared execution because the Puritans of Boston thought it would benefit the community to use her as a "living sermon against sin". Hawthorne portrays the oppresion and adherence to religious law that was so vital to their culture.
     In chapter 16, the Puritanism ideas of preserving the functional aspects of their society is shown. When Pearl makes the connection of her mother and Dimmesdale, it is understood that the people have not made this connection because they refuse to make what would seem to be an obvious set of connections between Hester's situation and the minister's mysterious torments. The refuse to see this because the people of Boston see the minister as an icon of purity, who would never commit this sin.

First Quarter Blog 1

   My choice of free read for this quarter is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. So far, I have made several connections to what we are learning in class, which is Puritanism. We have learned about what Puritans believed, how God interacted with their daily lives, some authors during the Puritan period, and also themes that occurred in Puritan writing.
   Some things related to Puritanism I found includes the statement that, "religion and law were almost identical," and also the mention of Anne Hutchinson who "entered the prison-door". Because the Puritan belief was so closely related to God, that there was not a clear line between religion and the law, which is shown in The Scarlet Letter. Anne Hutchinson was a woman who challenged the Puritan beliefs and was banished because of it, hence the prison door that was mentioned. These were just a few examples of the connection between Puritanism and my book that I have been able to identify so far.

Symbols Essay Final Draft

There are many symbols in my possession that define me. I believe that the few I have chosen really show who I am as a person, show my character, and show my morals. These items include my compilation of snow-globes, my ring, a University of Georgia picture, and a wooden cross.

The easiest symbol to find is more than one object. In my room, I have an assortment of snow-globes from every place I have ever visited, no matter if I just passed through there or stayed there for a period of time. My snow-globes differ in size and weight and a few have music players attached to them. Other snow-globes I own are ones I have received from my family or for special occasions, like Christmas or Easter. These snow-globes to me are about family and the trips where I got them and remind me how blessed I am to be able to go anywhere at all.

Other than the representation of the snow-globes being from places I have been, snow-globes also represent the memories I have with my family. One of the snow-globes I have is from my granddad and his wife, Joe, which is extremely special to me. I never am able to see him because he doesn’t live near my Grandma and my dad’s parents in Georgia. Also because the relationship my mom has with Granddad is not a very tight or connected one. This snow-globe is an example of why I enjoy collecting snow-globes that exemplify who I am.

The one symbol I keep closest to me all the time is my ring. I never take my ring off and I always feel empty when I’m not wearing it. It is silver with four miniature emeralds and a small diamond in the center. My ring was given to me as a present from my parents on my thirteenth birthday as part of our family tradition. All my cousins and my older sister got rings with their birthstone on their thirteenth birthday. Even though the stone I received isn’t my birth month, I still think of my ring as a significant symbol that represents me.

To me, my ring represents more than just a remembrance of our family tradition for girls to receive a ring when they turn thirteen. My ring symbolizes my family and all the things our family represents, like our values, standards, and goals. My ring also helps me remember that even when I am mad at one of my sisters or my parents that I love them and to forgive them.

On one of the walls in my room hangs a University of Georgia football team picture from five years ago. At this time I was only ten years old and got this picture I first time I had visited Stanford Stadium in Atlanta during one of our trips to visit our family in Augusta. This particular game was the "black out" game where all the players wore black Jerseys against Auburn. This game truly was an amazing experience to be apart of because I was able to see the fans in the Georgia stadium and get to visit the college town of Georgia.

Every since my first visit to Atlanta, I have known that the University of Georgia was one of my top choices of were I would go to college. This picture represents not only my goals for my future, but my family’s history in Georgia. Both my parents are from Augusta and went to college at the University of Georgia. Once my dad completed medical school, he received a job offer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, so my parents decided to move down to Louisiana with my older sister having been born nine months before. Whenever I think about the move my parents made to Louisiana I feel sadness because we had to leave our grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles who all live in Georgia. This picture gives me a reason to recall my family and think how I should cherish the time I am able to see them because our visits are so far apart.

The most significant symbol I own is my wooden cross that sits on the desk in my room. This cross comes from my pastor, Father Toms, last year when I was confirmed. Religion is a big part of my life and I really am glad that I have the relationship I do with God.

To me, this cross represents more than just my religion and my relationship with God, by the commitment I made to Him. At my confirmation, I renewed the commitments to God that my parents made for me when I was baptized as a baby. These commitments and my cross represent a key part of who I am and who I want to become in my relationship with other people, my family, and God. 

I believe that there are several more symbols that define me and who I am. But I also believe these four are of the greatest importance to my past, my present, and my future.

Symbols Essay First Draft

          There are many symbols in my possession that define me. I believe that the few I have chosen really show who I am as a person, show my character, and show my morals. These items include my compilation of snow-globes, my ring, a University of Georgia picture, and my wooden cross.

The most obvious to see of my symbols is more than one object. In my room, I have an assortment snow-globes from every place I have ever visited, no matter if I just passed through there or stayed there for vacation. My snow-globes differ in size and weight and a few have music players attached to them. Other snow-globes I own are ones I have received from my family or for special occasions, like Christmas or Easter. These snow-globes are about family and the trips where I got them and remind me how blessed I am to be able to go anywhere at all.

            Other than the representation of the snow-globes being from places I have been, snow-globes also represent the memories I have of my family. One of the snow-globes I have is from my granddad and his wife, Joe, because I never get to see him. I never am able to see him because he doesn’t live near my Grandma and my dad’s parents in Georgia. Also because the relationship my mom has with Granddad is not a very tight or connected. This example of a snow-globe is an example of why I enjoy collecting snow-globes that exemplify who I am

            The one symbol I keep closest to me is my ring. I never take my ring off and I always feel empty when I’m not wearing it. It is silver with four miniature emeralds and a small diamond in the center. My ring was given to me as a present from my parents on my thirteenth birthday as part of our family tradition. All my cousins and my older sister got rings with their birthstone on their thirteenth birthday. Even though the stone I received isn’t my birth month, I still think of my ring as a significant symbol that represents me.

            To me, my ring represents more than just a remembrance of our family tradition for girls to receive a ring when they turn thirteen. My ring symbolizes my family and all the things our family represents, like our values, standards, and goals. My ring helps me remember that even when I am mad at one of my sisters or my parents that I love them and to forgive them.

            On one of the walls in my room hangs a picture of the University of Georgia football team picture from five years ago. At this time I was only ten years old and was the first time I had visited Stanford Stadium in Atlanta. This particular game was the "black out" where all the players wore black Jerseys against Auburn. This Game truly was an amazing experience to be apart of because I was able to see the fans in the Georgia stadium and get to visit the college town of Georgia. 

            Every since my first visit to Atlanta, I have known that Georgia was one of my top choices of were I would go to college. This picture represents not only my goals for my future, but my family’s history in Georgia. Both my parents are from Augusta and went to college at the University of Georgia. Once my dad completed medical school, he received a job offer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. So my parents decided to move down to Louisiana with my older sister having been born nine months before. Whenever I think about the move my parents made to Louisiana I feel sadness because we had to leave our grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles who all live in Georgia. This picture gives me a reason to recall my family and think how I should cherish the time I am able to see them because our visits are so far apart.

            The most significant symbol I own is my wooden cross that sits on the desk in my room. This cross comes from my pastor, Father Toms, last year when I was confirmed. Religion is a big part of my life and I really am glad that I have the relationship I do with God.

            To me, this cross represents more than just my religion and my feelings towards God, by the commitment I made to Him. I renewed the commitments to God that my parents made for me when I was baptized as a baby. These commitment and my cross represent a key part of who I am and who I want to become in my relationship with other people, my family, and God. 

I believe that there are several more symbols that define me and who I am. But I also believe these four are of the greatest importance to my past, my present, and my future.