The Luck of Roaring Camp

In The Luck of Roaring Camp by Bret Harte we see a completely different role of a child, like we discussed a little in class. I found this idea particularly interesting. In most of the stories we have read this semester the man or father figure is absent in the child’s life because his career is most important while the woman is the caretaker. The men of Roaring Camp definitely fit the stereotype of the American Boy. The men are independent, hard working, and “allowed imperfections”. “The term “roughs” applied to them was a distinction rather than a definition. Perhaps in the minor details of fingers, toes, ears, etc., the camp may have been deficient, but these slight omissions did not detract from their aggregate force” (Harte 526). I believe the absence of women in this camp enhanced the characteristics of a “typical man” who liked to gamble and did not care about hygiene.

When “Luck” is born the men are forced to be the motherly figure in his life because there are no women to take on this role. I thought it was funny that as soon as the baby came into their lives they felt the need to change their behavior. Girls we have read about, like Ellen and Gerty were taught the importance of religion and following God. We have not as much seen boys being taught a lot about religion. “A day was accordingly set apart for the christening” (Harte 534). This part in the story the men make it a huge deal to have a Church service, and they decide they must give up profanity, shouting and yelling. I thought this was interesting that men living so rough in strange male dominated society immediately change their ways for the little baby boy.

The Yellow Wallpaper

It is definitely a big transition to go from excerpts of long novels to short stories consisting of only a few pages. My initial thought as I began to read was that I did not need to pay much attention, just quickly read through it, especially since I have read The Yellow Wallpaper before. Though it is short, you almost have to pay more attention because there is so much detail in such little text. Our previous readings seemed to draw everything out, so that you could usually skim some parts and still know completely what is going on.

In the Yellow Wallpaper the narrator either goes outside or “sees the woman” go outside. “So I walk a little in the garden or down that lovely lane, sit on the porch under the roses, and lie down up here a good deal. I’m getting really fond of the room in spite of the wall-paper. Perhaps because of the wall-paper” (Gilman 509). I had to read this part a couple times and pay close attention to exactly what happens. In this story I think one reason you must pay close attention to detail, is not because of the length of the story, but because the woman’s insanity causes you to question her actions and whether everything is actually happening as she tells it. It is hard to know if you can trust her, somewhat like Sybil in A Whisper in the Dark when she is in the isolated house.

Another thing I noticed about short stories is that they immediately jump into the story. There is no big introduction or leading up to events, the author just throws the reader into the story. This happens in Desiree’s Baby. The only introduction to the story is “As the day was pleasant, Madame Valmonde drove over to L’Abri to see Desiree and the baby” (Chopin 517). After this one short sentence the story is a bit confusing as Chopin moves quickly from each character and situation.

Little Lord Fauntleroy

I think knowing if the author is male or female changes the way we read and understand the text. I believe that if you can’t tell whether the author is a male or female you can most likely figure it out from the way the author writes and the way the characters are portrayed in the stories. At first when I read Little Lord Fauntleroy and I thought Frances Hodges Burnett was male, I thought it was a little strange the way he portrayed Cedric’s character because it was not the “typical” boy that we saw previously in Ragged Dick or Tom Sawyer. It seems to me that male authors wanted to portray boys as rough and tough, rather than sensitive characters. Ragged Dick and Tom Sawyer were both very independent and did what they had to do to be successful, whatever that meant to them. They were not measured by their looks at all and there was no focus on being “good”, but it was important to make money and have ambition.

I thought Cedric was described more like a girl during the 19^th century than a boy. “In the first place, he was always well, and so he never gave any one trouble; in the second place, he had so sweet a temper and ways so charming that he was a pleasure to everyone; and in the third place, he was so beautiful to look at that he was quite a picture” (Burnett 444). From the beginning of Little Lord Fauntleroy Cedric is described over and over as being beautiful or pretty, not something that boys were usually valued for.

“And then they went into the carriage and Cedric sat very close to her, and as she looked back out of the window, he looked at her and stroked her hand and held it close” (Burnett 500). Cedric loved his mom so much and would do anything for her. He worried about her after his father’s death even though he did not completely understand. Cedric read to her and kept her company all the time. This reminds me of Ellen in a Wide Wide World because she would read to her mom, spend time with her, and comfort her because she cared about her so much.

Tom Sawyer

I would like to focus on the idea of “showing off” to others. We discussed this a little in class, but I would like to discuss it in greater detail. Mark Twain brings up “showing off” twice in this story.

When Tom sees the new girl in the garden at the Thatcher’s house, he reacts in a somewhat peculiar way, but for a boy his age his reaction was probably normal. “He worshiped this new angel with furtive eye, till he saw that she had discovered him; then he pretended he did not know she was present, and began to “show off” in all sorts of absurd boyish ways, in order to win her admiration. He kept up this grotesque foolishness for some time; but by and by, while he was in the midst of some dangerous gymnastic performances he glanced aside and saw that the little girl was wending her way toward the house” (Twain 419). I thought this was a really funny scene because little boys really do do strange things to try to get girls attention. After reading a couple stories about the American boy and their role in society I find it a little ironic that they are supposed to be the authoritative figure over women and make decisions in and out of the home, yet they can not express their emotions. Perhaps this goes back to the idea that men did not need as much “training” as women so they do not really know how to properly express themselves. When Tom looks to make sure no one is around when he picks up the flower, this I thought this showed that men do not like to show weakness, but rather they must be strong, independent individuals.

Later in the story when Tom is at church showing off is introduced again. There is a whole passage about how the different people in Sunday school show off for their visitor. “The young lady teachers “showed off”—bending sweetly over pupils that were lately being boxed, lifting pretty warning fingers at bad little boys and patting good ones lovingly. The young gentlemen teachers “showed off” with small scoldings and other little displays of authority and fine attention to discipline…”(Twain 434). I think this confirms, again, the role of men and women in society. Women are there to teach the children and love on them, while the men are above the women and have control of the classroom.

Ragged Dick

There were three things that I kept noticing as I was reading Ragged Dick. We somewhat discussed them in class, but I would like to expand on the ideas. I found that boys are more assertive and confident than we have seen in girls, can raise themselves without a strong parental figure, and boys seem to be able to improve more easily than girls.

Boys are definitely more assertive than girls in this story. Dick does not appear to be afraid of anyone. He exhibits confidence in all he does. He is a go-getter in his boot-blacking business. “I keep my eyes open, --that’s the way I get jobs. You’re lazy. that’s what’s the matter” (Alger 346). He is not afraid of being shut down, and stands for what he believes like in the incident of the counterfeit money.

Ragged Dick’s father is an alcoholic who does not play a big part in his life. He raises himself without much help of any authority figure. I believe that boys matured a lot quicker than girls in the sense that they could be independent. “It is not uncommon to see a little boy, too young to be out of his mother’s sight, smoking with all the apparent satisfaction of a veteran smoker” (Alger 341). No girl that we have read about would be out of any parent’s sight doing such a thing. Ellen could barely survive on her trip to the store when her mom could not go with her.

In the second half of the story Frank gives Dick new clothes to wear and lets him clean up, so he looks more presentable. “It reminds me of Cinderella,” said Dick, “when she was changed into a fairy princess” (Alger 365). Frank agrees that he looks so much better and is now able to be a “proper guide”. Just by looking clean he has completely changed. To Mr. Whitney, Frank’s uncle, Dick seems to be a respectable boy and only needed a little changing. I think this is different from girls because they needed so much training in everything to be a proper young lady, whether it be in their appearance, the way they acted, or their duty as a housewife.

There are obvious differences between the American boy and the American girl. I think this shows that men are the dominant figures in society. They are more independent and ambitious and they make decisions not only for themselves, but also their families and society.

A Whisper in the Dark

In A Whisper in the Dark the concept of insanity is very strange and sudden. This story definitely took a turn I was not expecting. First this manipulative girl is having inappropriate relations with her uncle, and then she is drugged and taken to an insane asylum. As we talked about in class about Gothic literature, Alcott portrays her story as dark and mysterious, mostly in the second part of A Whisper in the Dark.

“Sybil, I am forty-five, you not eighteen, yet you once said you could be very happy with me, if I were always kind to you. I can promise that I will be, for I love you. My darling, you reject the son, will you accept the father?” (Alcott 225). This is when Sybil refuses to marry Guy after she finds out the whole plan. Her Uncle then asks if she would like to be his wife instead. This character who is supposed to be a fatherly figure in Sybil’s life all of a sudden starts inappropriate relations with such a young girl.

The gothic tradition that “things are not what they seem” is really evident as Sybil becomes more and more “ill” in the insane asylum. Since the story is written from the first person point of view it is already a little difficult to decide if we should believe everything Sybil says, or if we need to take everything she says with a grain of salt. “Feeling like a hunted doe, I ran on, but before I had gained a dozen yards my shoeless foot struck a sharp stone, and I fell half stunned upon the wet grass of the wayside bank.” (Alcott 227). When Sybil is running away I just can not help but wonder if she is just being overly dramatic or if she is actually in a bad situation.

Then the concept of insanity becomes very clear when she stops sleeping, cries all the time, and truly starts to go a bit crazy. “My one hope died then, and I resolved to kill myself rather than endure this life another month; for now it grew clear to me that they believed me mad, and death of the body was far more preferable than that of the mind. I think I was a little mad…” (Alcott 236). When this happens I think it makes the message of what she is saying less intense, and I began to focus on the other characters in the story. I thought that their words and actions could perhaps be more truthful than the girl going insane.

Our previous ideas of mother/daughter relationships were changed after reading this story. Mothers were supposed to be the stable, mature figures in the child’s life, and teach them everything they needed to know. Mrs. Montgomery is a good example of this even though she was absent for a lot of Ellen’s life. She taught her as much as she could, while Sybil’s crazy mom is in an insane asylum and can not function at all on her own.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

As I was reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin I was a little shocked by all the subject matter relating to slavery because in all of our previous readings good always prevailed. This story had so many negative connotations and “evil” that I would not find to be popular for any children to read. Stowe goes against all the theories of 19^th century children’s literature that we have discussed like the fact that the stories teach good morals, good always prevails, children are our future, and just the fact that the stories have simple plotlines.

Towards the end of the story the woman named Lucy gets on the boat with her little 10-month-old son. “They won’t want the young ’un on a plantation…then there’s all the bother and expense of raisin’,” said the man (Stowe 325). When Haley and the man are talking about the boy they do not see him as a person, but only as an object, and they discuss whether he is worth the expense to keep him for his labor. This is a huge contrast to the other children, like Ellen who are seen as precious little people who are capable of learning so much.

Stowe portrays the children in Uncle Tom’s Cabin as weak, with no power. Aunt Hagar and her son Albert are about to be sold into slavery and the woman does not want to get separated from the only son she has left. “He an’t gwine to be sold widout me! said the old woman, with passionate eagerness; “he and I goes in a lot together” (Stowe 316). The woman is yelling about staying with her son, and through all this the boy doesn’t say a word. He is fourteen years old and I found it interesting that he couldn’t manage to voice his opinion at all. I think this shows that children truly do not have a say in anything, and adults do not view children as being important in society or there to help shape the future.

We do not get the chance to really see the lives of children outside the institution of slavery. The only glimpse we see is of the Bird family where Eliza goes to try to get help for her and her baby. I believe this is one of the only major times in the story that good somewhat prevails. In such a bad time when slavery is so prevalent, this family tried very hard to help runaway slaves. I think this could have shown children who read this that even when people do bad things, you can still stand for what you believe and do the right thing.

The Hidden Hand

There are two aspects of this novel that I would like to focus on. The ideas that children’s literature in the nineteenth century portrayed no detailed setting and had predictable plotlines were both challenged in The Hidden Hand.

“Beneath that range of rocks, and between it and another range, there was an awful abyss or chasm of cleft, torn and jagged rocks opening, as it were, from the bowels of the earth, in the shape of a mammoth bowl, in the bottom of which, almost invisible from its great depth, seethed and boiled a mass of dark water of what seemed to be a lost river or a subterranean spring” (Southworth 157). This description of Devil’s Punch Bowl clearly paints a picture in your mind of what their surroundings were. Throughout The Hidden Hand Southworth really makes it easy for readers to “see” what she is describing. These specific descriptions are very different from what we have seen in our earlier readings. The other novels let you use your imagination as to what the characters looked like, as well as their environments. We discussed in class how everyone had differing opinions about what Ellen Montgomery looked like, while Capitola is described with “bright black hair, parted in the middle, fell in ringlets each side her blushing cheeks, her dark-gray eyes…” (Southworth 181).

I believe the plotline in The Hidden Hand is more unpredictable than previous novels. Old Hurricane is a major cause of this. He is the “kind stranger” in this story, the role we see repeatedly. While Old Hurricane is a kind man in that he immediately goes to rescue Capitola, his personality is not the usual soft-spoken, sweet old man we have seen before. He is a lot more gruff and harsh on the outside and orders people around, like his slaves at home and the people on the street in New York. “Shut the door, you rascal, or I’ll throw the bootjack at your wooden head” (Southworth 155). No one messes with Major Warfield. Since this was a serial publication, perhaps Southworth made Old Hurricane’s personality like this to make the story a bit more suspenseful making the readers want to come back for more. Every time I began to get frustrated with Old Hurricane when he was being rude his kind heart showed through. “Capitola, I’m an old bachelor; I’ve not the least idea what a young girl requires; all I know is, that you have nothing…So come along with me to one of those Vanity Fairs they call fancy stores and get what you want; I’ll foot the bill” (Southworth 201). Warfield is so generous and wants to help some people that are less fortunate.

The Lamplighter

I do not think that things have changed much in regards to the social expectations of women as well as what women strive to achieve. I think there is still a struggle for women to find their true identities. Although there are many successful well-known businesswomen, there is often controversy for the things women do or say. Women must still fill the motherly, housewife role while working out in the real world.

Since birth Ellen Montgomery was taught how to become a lady, including household chores and the way she was supposed to dress. Gerty began learning a little bit later because of the obvious neglect she faced at such a young age. Mrs. Sullivan teaches Gerty to be a lady and teaches her ways to help out True. “A girl at eight years old can do a great many things…I could teach you to do a great deal that would be useful, and that would help your Uncle True very much. You could sweep the room up every day; you could make the beds, after a fashion, with a little help in turning them; you could set the table, toast the bread, wash the dishes” (Cummins 108). I noticed that both Ellen and Gerty were expected to be able to do household chores not only to be independent to do things on their own, but also to please someone else. This is the same today because girls are usually expected to be able to cook for their husbands or families.

I think one major difference in the way things are now and in the nineteenth century is that women now strive to “be like men”. By that I mean in the working world and that their sole purpose is not just to stay at home and raise the children and help out the husband. They want to be the breadwinners of the family, which challenges the traditional views of families.

The girl in Amy Pohler’s show says “Don’t think about what you have to do for people to like you, you want people to like you for who you are” This really stuck out to me because in the Wide Wide World Mrs. Montgomery tells Ellen “it will be your own fault if she does not love you”(page 34). She does not say to be yourself but rather to be who her Aunt Fortune wants her to be. This same thing happens in The Lamplighter when Emily Graham says, “But you can be good and then everybody will love you” (Cummins 141). At this time I believe that it was very important to please people and fit a certain mold. It was out of the question to be anything but a “good, well behaved woman.

If Gerty were to appear on Amy Pholer’s TV show she would also say that she likes balance in her life. The little girl in the show says “you should try your best and try harder”. That is similar to what Gerty would say because she must keep trying when learning how to do household chores. She makes mistakes a lot or forgets to do things but she keeps trying. Gerty actually compares to this contemporary girl more than I first thought.

Role of Parents in The Wide Wide World

The role of parents has changed drastically over the years. In The Wide Wide World the role of parents is very traditional, in that the mom takes care of little Ellen and the dad provides for the family by going to work.

Susan Warner shows the huge role Mrs. Montgomery plays in Ellen’s life, from the very beginning of the story. Ellen loves her mom more than anything in the world. She trusts her so much. When Mrs. Montgomery asks how her daughter trusts her Ellen replies, “Why mamma,--in the first place, I trust every word you say—entirely—I know nothing could be truer; if you were to tell me black is white, mamma, I should think my eyes had been mistaken. Then everything you tell or advise me to do, I know it is right, perfectly.”

Captain Montgomery plays no role in his daughter’s life. She never sees him because he is always gone on business. I noticed from the start that Ellen does not even seem to care that she never sees her father, and also seems to see him as solely an authoritative figure, very different than her mother. “I’ll not go down till papa is gone,” she thought—“he’ll ask me what is the matter with my eyes.” She doesn’t worry about crying in front of her mom because she definitely cries to her mom and with her mom a lot!

Towards the end when Captain Montgomery goes to tell his wife the news of finding a ride for Ellen to Aunt Fortune’s house he shows no sympathy towards Mrs. Montgomery. Mrs. Montgomery, of course wants to wake Ellen immediately, but Mr. Montgomery demands that she stay asleep until the last moment possible. Mrs. Montgomery obeys her husband’s requests despite her strong opposition.

In this story it is clear that the male is the head of the household. The role of the mom is probably a little skewed in this particular story since Mrs. Montgomery is so ill, but we can still see that she is in charge of taking care of Ellen, and Captain Montgomery works and makes all decisions for the family.

Five Theories for Analyzing Children's Literature

There are many theories for analyzing children and children’s literature in the nineteenth century. This was such a rapidly changing time that there were conflicting views on who children actually were in society. I believe one theory pertains to the concept of age. Although children are obviously the youngest in society they are important figures that have the ability to influence and shape other parts of society. MacLeod says, “Good children sometimes even lead adults to a better way of life in the fiction”. Multiple times McLeod and Sanchez-Eppler discuss the fact that children are the future, which was definitely a new concept for the people of the time. This leads me to another theory for analyzing children’s literature. Children are innocent and have so much freedom, yet they have no power at all. Harriet Appleton reflects this idea in her poem, “As she shuttles between the wish to be baby and the desire to be mother Harriet encapsulates the dilemma of childhood—how it proves a period of both remarkable freedom and inherent powerlessness, something to be yearned for and to escape…” (Sanchez Eppler).

A significant item to notice is that the stories do not show detailed settings and information about the environment. I think this is due to the fact that the authors want to solely focus on the morals they are trying to teach the children. Also, it makes it easier for children from all backgrounds to understand and learn from the stories. MacLeod said, “Complexity would have obscured the messages”.

In analyzing children’s literature it is important to note that all the stories are written by adults so they intend to teach children moral lessons they believe are important to their future. “Childhood was wholly preparation entirely a moral training ground for adult life” (McLeod). The adults are attempting to prepare the future generation and teach them to conform to social expectations. Finally, though the stories are written for children, the lessons within the stories are not always lighthearted. They show the children that there can be harsh consequences for their actions. For example, the story about the boy that burns down his house is extremely severe to tell a young child.

A little more...

Hey,

My old neighbors have two kids who both went to TCU, who are almost like a brother and sister to me. They are 5 and 7 years older than me, so I got to see them go through college and loved it! I visited TCU for the first time my junior year in high school when I lived in Flower Mound, which is only about 45 minutes away from campus. I fell in love with it immediately. I really liked the size of the campus, and the individual attention and help that is available while at school.

If I were made Chancellor of TCU there wouldn't be a whole lot that I would change. I love the campus, the way things are run, and all the programs TCU and the student government organizes and offers. One thing that I think could use some improvement is the meal plan and the amount of places to eat on campus. I think there should be more variety and choices on the meal plan, rather than just the BLUU.

I believe a good teacher teaches in all different ways because students do have various learning styles. I think this really helps students to be able to learn the information better. I like it when teachers either use real life experiences and examples, or even let us do projects for real clients and use real world applications. Also, I think it is important for a teacher to love their job and love what they are teaching. Students can always tell if they care what they are talking about. An excited teacher usually makes a student more excited about learning. I think what makes a good student is actively participating in and out of the classroom and being excited about learning even if everything single thing we do in class isn't always fun.

If I could have dinner with three people they would be Laura Bush, my great grandfather, and Sarah Palin's daughter.

My friends and family always make fun of me because I am a perfectionist and like everything to be very organized! At first I usually come off as a reserved person, but I really am outgoing once you get to know me. Finally, my faith is a central part of my life. I love God and love learning more and more about the Bible.

I am taking this course because it's required, but I do think it will be very interesting. I had never heard of the writing associates before this class but I think it is a great idea and will be useful to everyone.

I have always been fairly good about keeping up with all the readings for my classes. I really like to read outside of class, but I wish I had time to read more than I do. I usually try to catch up on reading in the summer. I like to read a variety of fiction books, but I really do not like science fiction. I obviously write papers for school all the time, but other than that I text and email all the time. I also have to write reports frequently for my sorority. I really like to write and I journal almost every day, but I think it could use some improvement, like making everything flow better and sound more sophisticated or professional.

I think my blog reflects who I am, and I hope that as I get used to blogging more it will reflect who I am even better. I am a really laid back, easy going person and I think this blog shows that. I chose the polka dot background because I love polka dots and patterns. To be honest, I wasn't totally sure how blogging could be useful since I have never blogged before, but I really think this is a great way to get everyone involved and hear what everyone has to say.

I have read, understand, and agree to the syllabus for this class.

Elizabeth

About Me

I am a sophomore here at TCU and I am a strategic communications major, otherwise known as advertising/public relations, and I am also a business minor. I am from Katy, Texas, which is a huge suburb of Houston. I grew up there almost my whole life, besides the two years I lived in Flower Mound, Texas. I love staying busy with Young Life, my sorority, or just hanging out with friends. A few of my favorite things include coffee, Chipotle, pictures, and traveling. I have never had a blog before so this is will be an interesting, new experience!!