Project 2 Essay

Dalton Brown

CULF 1318

Professor Sievers

4 May, 2016

Project 2: Allen Ginsberg, Howl, Section II

            Some of the most difficult tasks and movements throughout American history have been overcome through literary texts. Although this poem is not about movement it is much about a task, which unfolds the dismantled social and political issues that were occurring in the 1950’s in America. Allen Ginsberg, the author of Howl, creates a powerful poem which digs deep into his own personal feelings and the roots of all issues. In the second section of Howl, Ginsberg uses a symbolic figure known as “Moloch” to connect the reader to how society has affected his peers, his life as a homosexual man, and the political issues that plays a factor in his attempt to make a statement of holiness in all of mankind.

The beauty behind the purpose of Ginsberg’s second section of Howl is how he dissects and digs deep into the truth behind America’s society during the 1950’s. In the opening statement of the second section Ginsberg uses the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, which is a symbolism of “strength and wisdom” as a symbol of the American society and their role in “destroying the best minds” of his generation (Guardian’s Sphinx).

When Ginsberg states, “What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination?” I believe he is using the sphinx as the strength of society to open up to the audience that the intellect of his peers is suffocated and belittled by social standards. However, the sphinx like society takes a slight turn in the next statement as he begins his rant of shouting “Moloch!” Ginsberg reveals his anger to the audience by portraying society as Moloch, which is according to the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry “one of the false gods that Israel would worship during its periods of apostasy.” Moloch was the ancient pagan God of child sacrifice (CARM). Ginsberg shouting is an attempt of sympathy and element of engagement to the seriousness of the social issues.

These social issues that he is trying to decipher for the audience are a product of the time period this story was written. American society was at the peak of its existence during the 1950s. The United States had just won World War II. The Cold War was at its developing stages and the Space Race was in full effect. Hence the reason when he states, “Moloch the vast stone of war! Moloch the stunned governments!” The society was in a state of developing the world’s finest technological advances and capitalist structures the world has ever seen. However, anything that was not up to the social standard of society or anything different was seemed to be frowned upon. Any person wishing to be something out of the ordinary or chasing a dream that wasn’t socially acceptable was suffocated by everyone around them.

The reader begins to step into the shoes of Ginsberg and feel his suffocation when he states, “Moloch the loveless! Mental Moloch! Moloch the heavy judger of men!” In this sentence he opens up to the reader on how he feels judged about his lifestyle, his work, and how his peers are judged by society. However, his imagery is mastered further in the section when he sort of calls out Moloch for their prejudice judgements. “Moloch whose eyes are a thousand blind windows!” A thousand blind windows refers to how he feels like a thousand people are watching him, judging him, suffocating him from the outside looking in. Without interaction, verification, or understanding of the man he really is.

In the very next sentence Ginsberg uses excellent imagery to connect the social issues that affected him and his peers when he states, “Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in the long streets like endless Jehovahs! Moloch whose factories dream and croak in the fog! Moloch whose smoke-stacks and antennae crown the cities!” This could potentially be one of Ginsberg’s greatest lines in all of Howl. The skyscrapers standing in the streets like endless Jehovah’s is a literary element used to connect the prejudice and judgmental society to endless Jehovah’s forcing Ginsberg and his peers how they should be. In other words, what the society will accept of them. This is powerful because it allows the audience to understand what he is going through at the time of his writing. For example, when he says “factories dream and croak in the fog” I believe he is referring to his own dreams not just the society. Almost as if there is no ceiling for opportunity and a mind or dream gets crushed by the social stance, and the smoke-stacks crowning the city are a symbolism of the dreams getting lost and faded throughout life.

However, the most important message Ginsberg wants to make is his how society is affecting his personal life. It is difficult to understand the importance and seriousness of his imagery and symbolic literary use without realizing how his life has been infringed upon by society.

Ginsberg exerts empathy towards the middle of this section as when he states, “Moloch in whom I sit lonely!” A loneliness that could be confusing without realizing the cause of it. In a video of Howl, where actor James Franco plays Ginsberg, he confesses to being a homosexual; which unlocks the key to deciphering his unorthodox style of writing. After listening to his life story and drive for writing this famous poem one can put themselves in his shoes. The reader can almost feel what he’s feeling because of how deep he gets into these issues. More so because they are coming first hand.

When this poem was written being a homosexual was not socially acceptable. His state of loneliness in Moloch is only a microscopic expression of how it felt to be a homosexual in the 1950’s. Ginsberg begins to rant on the way he feels or also the names he gets called as a homosexual when he states, “Crazy in Moloch! Cocksucker in Moloch! Lacklove and manless in Moloch!” Society has suppressed his life through the stereotype as a homosexual. He feels “manless”, crazy, and nothing but a “cocksucker” in Moloch (society). I believe Ginsberg briefly touches base on his childhood and becomes sentimental as he writes about how he was “frightened out of his natural ecstasy.” His natural ecstasy, meaning his happiness in being who he really is and how he was scared to face it publicly because of his family and peers.

However, what is interesting about the line where he writes about his “natural ecstasy” is how he admittedly doesn’t care and rebels against Moloch. He “abandons” Moloch because of their misguided judgements. Then turns the script from his arguments and begins blaming the political side of American society at the end of the section.

Ginsberg opens up to political topics that were extremely frowned upon in this time period. He uses lines like “skeleton treasuries”, “blind capitals”, “demonic industries”, and “spectral nations” to call out the flawed political issues American society was facing in the fifties. The focus of America during this time was so misguided in the eyes of Ginsberg and he pushes to use powerful adjectives on political issues because he saw what they were doing to the rest of the country. He states, “They broke their backs lifting Moloch to Heaven! Pavements, trees, radios, tons! lifting the city to Heaven which exists and is everywhere about us!” which in my eyes is the most powerful and important message Ginsberg tries to get across to the audience in this poem. After reading the footnotes to Howl, watching the documentary, and researching the background of Allen Ginsberg the message becomes crystal clear to me. During the time this poem was written, American had won the World War II, were winning the space race, were experiencing a civil rights movement, and were the leaders in the world’s best economy. Ginsberg is trying to express here how important his generation is to the future of these accomplishments and innovations. However, social oppression and false moral compass of the government has torn apart his generation and the generations to come. He is trying to say here that they broke their backs in reference to the future generations trying to get America to the superpower they are.

Also, I believe he is trying to say that America broke their backs trying to build America into the elite superpower of the world and in the process ruined the foundation on which the country was built. The freedom and opportunity in which the country was engraved had lost its way and Ginsberg feels like his generation and peers similar to him are the ones suffering. However, I believe the most powerful goal he attempts to accomplish is in the next line where he states, “Pavements, trees, radios, tons! lifting the city to Heaven which exists and is everywhere about us!” I feel as if he is trying to accomplish his main goal to get the audience to come to the realization that despite social standards, stereotypes, and the prejudice that is inflicted upon certain individuals that they are “Holy.” However, he does not just mean certain people he means anything and everything that “exists and is everywhere about us” is in fact holy, which is what he means when he says that the city being lifted to Heaven is actually already there.

Ginsberg believes the lack of this vision and way of thinking in society is responsible for the destroyed minds of his generation. Their “Visions! omens! hallucinations! miracles! ecstasies! gone down the American river!” However in Ginsberg’s eyes, it’s also their “Dreams! adorations! illuminations! religions! the whole boatload of sensitive bullshit! Breakthroughs! over the river! flips and crucifixions! gone down the flood!” It’s possible that he is making a prediction when referencing the American river flooding. I feel as if this is his goal and overall purpose of this poem is to address the potential implications of these issues, which in this case he is saying the death of his generation or possibly the future of America.

It’s easy to see how his writing is influenced from a personal experience through the piece where he says, “Real holy laughter in the river! They saw it all! the wild eyes! the holy yells! They bade farewell! They jumped off the roof! to solitude! waving! carrying flowers! Down to the river! into the street!” This flooding river analogy he continues to rant about is first viewed as his generation as a whole but then changes to a personal more vivid approach. I feel as if his final statement this section is derived from a way personal feeling he has with how society views him and his lifestyle. Even though he continues to use “They” in these lines I feel as if he talking about himself.

His view seems to be aimed at a higher level of political issues throughout section two, because he makes statements that discredit the key industries which run our economy. However, his approach to discrediting these industries can be viewed as anti-capitalistic because the industries he mentions are the ones who generate the world’s economy not just Americas. Meaning, Ginsberg could potentially be expanding his audience globally when he states, “Moloch whose love is endless oil and stone! Moloch whose soul is electricity and banks! Moloch whose poverty is the specter of genius.” I feel like this specific piece from the poem submits to an audience much more than just his peers or others with his similar way of life.

Throughout American history we have been fortunate enough to be in the presence of many movements which shape our country into what is it today. However, the social and political issues that arise in Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, are the very issues that are pressing our country today. The audience experiences heartfelt sympathy, connection, comfort, but most of all an open mind to a realistic matter. Therefore, should his work be considered of value? Absolutely! His writings dissect the realism of stereotypes and social standards in America, which have and still are the cause in the destruction of generations. Allen Ginsberg made a stand in section two of this poem to the exact genre of social and political issues that need to be addressed and compromised in today’s society, but made sure to emphasize his argument against them as the existence of holiness in everything we are surrounded by.

 

 

 

Works Cited

“Guardian’s Sphinx.” Guardian’s Sphinx. Andrew Bayuk, 2005. Web. 04 May 2016.

“Moloch, the Ancient Pagan God of Child Sacrifice.” CARM. Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. Web. 04 May 2016.

Project II: Annotations

  1. Moloch!
  • According to Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry, “Moloch is the ancient pagan God of child sacrifice.” He was a false god that Israel would worship during its period of apostasy, and one of their practices in the cult was to sacrifice their children (CARM). I believe Ginsberg uses Moloch to portray the society of America during this time period, and his anger that comes with these social issues. However, he decided to portray society as Moloch when and his partner took peyote and started hallucinating and named the monster he was seeing Moloch, which was supposed to portray social oppression (Howl Film).
  1. What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination?
  • According to the Guardians Sphinx, the sphinx that Ginsberg refers to is the ancient Egyptian sphinx, which symbolized strength and wisdom. I believe he is using the sphinx as the strength of society to open up to the audience that the intellect of his peers is suffocated and belittled by social standards.
  1. Moloch the loveless! Mental Moloch! Moloch the heavy judger of men!
  • I believe Ginsberg is trying to express his feelings of suffocation in society and loneliness because of how society views him. However, this line could also relate to his views of capitalism and the immoral power of the government during this time.
  1. Moloch the vast stone of war! Moloch the stunned governments!
  • In this line I believe Ginsberg is attempting to call out the society or more directly towards to the entire American government system in their false moral compass. He is trying to get a point across to the audience that they do not act or react in the best interest of the people’s hopes and dreams, but in other words of the best interest of the government or wealth of the country.
  1. Moloch whose eyes are a thousand blind windows!
  • This is potentially one of the best lines in this poem because of the different ways the reader can portray his goals in this line. Although there are many different ways to believe what he means. After watching the Howl documentary film, I believe he is trying to connect the buildings he was seeing in his hallucinations to the way society views his peers to contribute to the countries primary goal, which is the attainment of wealth.
  1. Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in the long streets like endless Jehovahs!
  • Although this line directly correlates with the line that talks about the “thousand blind windows.” I believe when he was talking about the skyscrapers standing in the long streets connects to two things. First, I feel as if he’s trying to portray how capitalism and big industries are so powerful and big and how he feels so little. The Jehovah’s could potentially connect to how society expects them to contribute and pressure his generation to become businessmen. After watching the film this line could be in reference to his father and how his father wants him to be something that he’s not.
  1. Moloch whose love is endless oil and stone! Moloch whose soul is electricity and banks! Moloch whose poverty is the specter of genius.
  • Ginsberg is trying to reference how society is based on the wealth and capitalism which is based around our primary industries such as oil, electricity, and banks. When he states that poverty is the specter of genius I believe he is trying to say that the government is responsible for poverty in America and the so called genius in society.
  1. Moloch in whom I sit lonely!
  • Here Ginsberg is trying to get sympathy from the audience by expressing how he is lonely in the American society and feels like he can’t overcome the power and pressure that comes with it.
  1. Crazy in Moloch! Cocksucker in Moloch! Lacklove and manless in Moloch!
  • This is where I believe Ginsberg really begins to rant and shout out his feelings to the audience. Here is trying to let the audience know how he feels and how he is viewed in the eyes of society during this time period, such as crazy, a cocksucker, and manless in society.
  1. Moloch who frightened me out of my natural ecstasy! Moloch whom I abandon! Wake up in Moloch! Light streaming out of the sky!
  • Ginsberg is trying to express how it feels to grow up as an American child during this time period. He expresses how he was branded by capitalism, industries, and in a way patriotism at an early age. Here he begins to feel a bit of imprisonment in society because he cannot fight it. Therefore, he potentially could be referencing to another social issue by saying the social oppression during this time is why he and his peers turn to alcohol, drugs, and violence to steer away from their issues.
  1. invisible suburbs! skeleton treasuries! blind capitals! demonic industries! spectral nations! invincible madhouses! granite cocks! monstrous bombs!
  • This is the heart of section two in this poem, because this is where the poem turns from feeling lonely and to expressing anger and sort of hatred towards these social and political issues in America. However, this is when political issues really begin to be attacked by Ginsberg.
  1. They broke their backs lifting Moloch to Heaven!
  • During the time this poem was written, American had won the World War II, were winning the space race, were experiencing a civil rights movement, and were the leaders in the world’s best economy. Ginsberg is trying to express here how important his generation is to the future of these accomplishments and innovations. However, social oppression and false moral compass of the government has torn apart his generation and the generations to come. He is trying to say here that they broke their backs in reference to the future generations trying to get America to the superpower they are.
  1. Visions! omens! hallucinations! miracles! ecstasies! gone down the American river!
  • Ginsberg begins to accomplish is overall goal here at the end of section two by explaining to the reader how the American dream has gone down the drain. People’s hopes, dreams, and visions for their life or careers are just thrown down the river because they cannot control Moloch.
  1. Dreams! adorations! illuminations! religions! the whole boatload of sensitive bullshit! Breakthroughs! over the river! flips and crucifixions! gone down the flood!
  • This is another stab at the political and social belief that everything American was built on and the accomplishments they’ve had compared to other countries in the world are just thrown overboard and gone down the flood.
  1. Real holy laughter in the river! They saw it all! the wild eyes! the holy yells! They bade farewell! They jumped off the roof! to solitude! waving! carrying flowers! Down to the river! into the street!
  • Ginsberg uses excellent imagery in this passage that truly has to be dissected in pieces. In the first line of this passage he is trying to express the “holy laughter” as people who have been drove insane by society, but uses the holy in the sentence to express how their farewell is holy because their fight is now over and their struggles are over. Then he jumps right in to calling out “Moloch” by saying they saw it all. Society just sat back and watched the people go crazy, and struggle, and destruct from the oppression. Social oppression is the cause for some of the best minds of his generation dying and ‘bidding farewell’.
  1. destroying the best minds
  • Although this is the first line in section one of this poem I thought it would be necessary to connect it to section two. Primarily, because I believe Ginsberg is not just trying to express his own personal feelings but how he knows his peers feel. This poem is so important for the American people to read because it explains how he watched some of the greatest and smartest people he knew destroyed by this oppression that society embarks on children at a such an early age. Also, it potentially holds the government and society responsible for the deaths of people who could have better our country in many ways. He is not just speaking for himself, he is speaking for all of the wrong that exists in America. Hoping that the audience or whoever reads this poem is inspired, finds comfort, and in hopes for a potential change for America in the future.

Blog Post 7: Eboo Patel, “My Neighbor’s Faith”

A key theme that is reflected in Eboo Patel’s, My Neighbor’s Faith: The Heroes I Was Looking For, is a theme of equality and justice that is accomplished through his emotional experience and community service. His writing displays the encounters and journey he embarks upon to discover his “full nourishment in Islam” and the events which guided him towards Islamic faith. His journey begins in his college days at the University of Illinois in Champaign, where he begins to open up and say “I saw the other America — homeless Vietnam vets drinking mouthwash for the alcohol, minority students shunted to the back of overfull classrooms, battered women unable to find space at too-small shelters. I knew that America saw these shadows but chose not to call them. I did not want that disease.” This initiates the discussion one of the key themes of equality and service how these ideas and systems in America are not used. However, his theme of service that is established throughout his story is how the American culture should not seek service, but seek justice. This idea began when he visits the Catholic Worker house, which was the turning point in this story. He meets Dorothy Day who volunteers or runs the worker house and becomes inspired by her beliefs in social justice rather than service. Dorothy Day expresses her beliefs where social justice differs when she states, “The Catholic Worker was a chance to do justice for the marginalized and to achieve redemption for myself. Redemption meant being saved from the sickness of selfishness. Being cured meant joining humanity. And there was something transcendent in that.” Patel experienced this first hand as he could tell “she reimagined the world and lived her life in a way that created it anew. She called America’s shadows to her dinner table, served them with love and sat with them as a friend. It was the best antidote that I had seen for America’s sickness.”

In Patel’s journey, he uses an important literary technique known as an anecdote, which is basically telling a story to engage the reader in his feelings and to open up the door for the audience to understand his journey. For example, early on before he visited the worker house he states, “I pierced my tongue and dressed in drag on campus, but realized that it wasn’t a fashion revolution I was after. “Try being constructive,” a professor advised me. So I started volunteering at shelters and schools, but I knew a broken world needed more than flimsy tape.” This correlates perfectly with the overall goal of using the anecdote because he states how he is trying to find an organization or purpose of where he fits in and his beliefs but then goes on to state how little he felt in trying to help at shelters and schools. Another great example of his technique is later on in the story when he is speaking to his grandmother and asked why she sheltered abused women by hiding them in her home. The response she gave is the real life event where he finds nourishment in Islam and all of his beliefs are justified, which states, “Because I’m a Muslim. This is what Muslims do,” “she said. My grandmother was a Muslim Dorothy Day. Her home had been a Muslim Catholic Worker house. The heroes I was looking for were within my religion, in my very family.”

Blog Post 6: Rivera

In this section, “And the Earth Did Not Devour Him” the author Tomas Rivera, uses his writing to portray his suffering and loss of faith throughout this time period in his life. His suffering is derived directly through the prejudice, discrimination, and unfair work labor that is forced upon Mexican Americans during this time. A good example of portraying the suffering he felt when he writes, “That’s how it is, m’ijo. Only death brings us rest.” (Pg. 110). However, through all of the suffering and pain that Rivera endured there was strength and beauty that came from it all. Through unfair treatment to Mexican American workers the Chicano movement was born. The movement may have caused many migrants such as Rivera to lose their faith through hard times, but more importantly it created a connection through the Mexican and migrant communities. A great example of the strength he begins to feel is when he said “Not yet, you can’t swallow me yet. Someday, yes. But I’ll never know it.” (Pg. 112).

Throughout this section Rivera uses emotional strategies, symbolism, and metaphors to get his message across to the audience on the suffering, and discrimination his culture experienced. Rivera uses a metaphor on page 111 in his book to make the reader feel sympathy toward their unfair work labor by saying, “He’s only nine years old. Why? He has to work like a mule buried in the earth.” Throughout this section Rivera attempts to teach the reader about the inequality that Mexican Americans experienced during this time period. The experiences of these poor families and children are especially portrayed through the section called “The Little Burnt Victims”, which I believe is the section with the most emotional feel and saddest part of the story. Rivera does an amazing job portraying the suffering, commitment, faith, and loss that this culture faced in order to find the better life in America. His vivid imagery that he used to describe the settings of each scene throughout these sections allow the reader to feel the sympathy and kind of step into the shoes of Mexican Americans in this time.

Blog Post 5: Flannery O’Connor

In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor uses an interest key theme throughout her story which correlates with a lot of her work. In the majority of her famous pieces, O’Connor uses morality to engage the reader or to teach the reader something. However, in this emotional rollercoaster she ironically creates each character with some kind of flaw or objective in their morality. For example, she uses the grandmother as a key factor in foreshadowing at the beginning of the story when the grandma says she would never put their family in harm’s way of the misfit. Also, in this scene where the grandma says, “Oh look at the cute little pickaninny!” she said and pointed to a Negro child standing in the door of a shack. “Wouldn’t that make a picture, now?” she asked and they all turned and looked at the little Negro out of the back window.” (O’Connor, Pg. 9). This is a perfect example of how the grandma seems so sweet at the beginning and then clearly lacks a sense of morality by using racial slur. Then later down the road clearly lies and puts them in danger just to be manipulative and get her way. Each character in the story are either rude, disrespectful, a criminal, or has something that lacks some sort of common morality society holds for people. For example, when the daughter June Star says, “No I certainly wouldn’t,” June Star said. “I wouldn’t live in a broken-down place like this for a million bucks!” and she ran back to the table.” (O’Connor, Pg. 13). This is a great example of how rude and disrespectful the children are in the story.

Throughout the story she uses some characterization elements to present each character as regular people as they were viewed during the time period she wrote “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” However, at the end of her story she uses sympathy and emotional elements to create an engaged realistic experience for the reader. For example, the most significant piece of text from the story that relates to this would be the scene where “There were two more pistol reports and the grandmother raised her head like a parched old turkey hen crying for water and called, ‘Bailey Boy, Bailey Boy!’ as if her heart would break.” (O’Connor, Pg. 31). At this point in the story after everything the grandma has done and all of the ups and downs of the story, the reader begins to feel sorry for the grandma as she finally comes to the realization that the entire family was dead and her son has been shot. She begins to understand she is not going to live either although she continues to convince “The Misfit” he is good and the sympathy kicks in for the audience as they feel bad for the grandma and have a feeling was going to happen next.

Blog Post 3: Emerson & Thoreau

In “Resistance to Civil Government”, Henry David Thoreau dives into his personal beliefs and provides strong evidence of a flawed American government. In the very first paragraph Thoreau uses quotes and opinions that state government is best and men are at their best when there is the least amount of government involved. For example, he writes that “Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient.” (Thoreau, Resistance to Civil Government, paragraph 1). The key idea from this paragraph is not that there should not be any government at all. Although Thoreau portrays that idea in a way it is actually more of him criticizing the actual purpose and flawed ideas of government in America. Thoreau seems to be attacking an audience in hope of reform for government action or decreased government. Another piece of text from this essay that shows Thoreau’s reasoning behind his views is in chapter two, when he states, “It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate. The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not sometimes got in its way.” This is my favorite quote from this essay because Thoreau explains why it is flawed in a way and exactly what is flawed in the government. Also, these are issues that kind of reflect into modern issues. He feels as if we would be in a better position as a country today if it had not got in the way. Thoreau clearly has an educated view on the topic and sort of feels as if he has a way of reforming the government or fixing these flaws in the government himself.

Paragraph twelve is the part of the essay that got through to me the most out of any other paragraph in the essay. Thoreau really attempts to dig deep into the reader by trying to degrade how worthy and influential a man really is in this country. Not only because of what the government has done, but because there are no more men to stand up for what’s right or their freedom. For example, in paragraph twelve, Thoreau demonstrates this idea when he states “His vote is of no more worth than that of any unprincipled foreigner or hireling native, who may have been bought. O for a man who is a man, and, and my neighbor says, has a bone is his back which you cannot pass your hand through! Our statistics are at fault: the population has been returned too large. How many men are there to a square thousand miles in the country? Hardly one. Does not America offer any inducement for men to settle here?” I envy how he tries to influence or persuade readers to keep their backbone and beliefs to stand up for a better and reformed government in this country. Thoreau demonstrates a strong view of superiority in this issue or for this side of an argument that is obviously important during this time period the essay was written.

Discussion Moderator: Dalton Brown and Rafael Cuestas

There were many common pieces from Uncle Tom’s Cabin that our classmates had written about in their second blog post. Throughout each blog post, our peers started off by consistently writing about the important message Stowe wants to get across to the readers by attacking emotions and persuading the reader to see the cruelty of slavery. Stowe uses literary dialect and rhetorical strategies throughout her story to attack the emotions of the reader and contradict the views on slavery during this time period. A common piece of text used from our peers is in chapter 5 when Mr. Shelby agreed to sell Uncle Tom and Harry to the slave trader Mr. Haley. Our peers use quotes from the conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Shelby to dig in to the emotions of contradictory of Mr. Shelby and slave owners. For example, ‘vsalinas’ does a great job in her blog post by using this quote from chapter 5, “I’m sorry, very sorry, Emily,” said Mr. Shelby, “I’m sorry this takes hold of you so; but it will do no good. The fact is, Emily, the thing’s done; the bills of sale are already signed, and in Haley’s hands; and you must be thankful it is no worse. That man has had it in his power to ruin us all,—and now he is fairly off. If you knew the man as I do, you’d think that we had had a narrow escape.” (vsalinas) This is an interesting because Mr. Shelby is portrayed to be a good man and a good slave owner but he is willing to sell to a loyal and hardworking man and split up a family by selling the little boy to a man who will most likely not sell them to a good owner.

Chapter 9 was another chapter commonly used and the main theme of this chapter is when Eliza ran away to the Byrd’s residence and tells her story to the senator and his wife. This was an interesting part of the story because Stowe digs deep into the reader’s emotions by talking about Eliza’s journey of running away and her feelings as a slave. Many of our peers used great examples and explanations of the importance of this chapter and the emotions that Stowe uses to persuade anti-slavery. For example, jchicolo quotes this part of chapter 9 to show the character Mr. Byrd, “Now, John, I don’t know anything about politics, but I can read my Bible; and there I see that I must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and comfort the desolate; and that Bible I mean to follow,” (jchicoi) Also, oflores uses similar text of Stowe portraying Senator Byrd’s character when he says, “Senator Byrd believes they should not help or house slaves because it is against the law and they have to consider possible punishments they would endure while Mrs. Byrd says it is their duty as humans and as Christians.” (oflores2) I believe Stowe really tries to dissect the characters and emotions in this chapter with some literary dialect and rhetorical strategies to portray these characters. Nespenan says, “Now I believe that Stowe included this in the text to further show how slavery is cruel and unjust my implementing religion into the factor.” (Nespenan)

Blog Post 1

After reading through Benjamin Franklin’s text I believe one of the key values a good American should hold is frugality, which basically means to not waste money especially on unnecessary items. In both texts Benjamin Franklin mentions America as economically mobile. Americans are not just frugal with money but their time and food. This is because the ideal American should be hard working and dedicated (industrious) to their family. For example, in Section 8 of his Autobiography he writes “I spent no time in taverns, games, or frolicks of any kind; and my industry in my business continu’d as indefatigable as it was necessary. I was indebted for my printing-house; I had a young family coming on to be educated, and I had to contend with for business two printers, who were established in the place before me.” Also, Franklin sends a powerful message in The Way to Wealth when he states “and he that riseth late, must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night. While laziness travels so slowly, that poverty soon overtakes him, as we read in Poor Richard, who adds, drive thy business, let not that drive thee; and early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” 

I believe Benjamin Franklin attempts to persuade the audience to adopt his beliefs of frugality and American ideology in The Way to Wealth, when he writes “So much for industry, my friends, and attention to one’s own business; but to these we must add frugality, if we would make our industry more certainly successful. A man may, if he knows not how to save as he gets, keep his nose all his life to the grindstone, and die not worth a groat at last. A fat kitchen makes a lean will.” The satire from this piece of Franklin’s writings correlate with his views of frugality by criticizing the audience for not being the ‘ideal good American’. 

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