Library of America

Society over time has over looked nature and the beauties that it creates. Ralph Waldo Emerson creates an environment full of magnificent scenery in “From Nature” that truly represents the characteristics of nature. Emerson discusses that “Miller owns this field, Locke that, and Manning the woodland beyond. But none of them owns the landscape. There is a property in the horizon which no man has but he whose eyes can integrate all the parts, that is, the poet” (Emerson 807). Emerson talks about the relationship between human beings and nature in “From Nature”. Even though the men own a part of the land, that propriety cannot stand against the representation of nature itself. The propriety still does not bring the men closer to nature as well. Henry David Thoreau discusses in Walden that society has been dehumanized through its detachment from nature and focus on wealth. The focus on wealth has caused humans not to focus on improving themselves. John Steinbeck in Cannery Row focuses on how aspirations can corrupt people by the way that the individual will stop at nothing to achieve a goal. This can lead to the harming of others in the process of reaching the aspirations. Both texts explain certain motivations, but more specifically the ambitions caused by a materialistic society and the negative effects of those ambitions. In Cannery Row by John Steinbeck and Walden by Henry David Thoreau, ambitions can be used to improve the community but when it is used in a materialistic…

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” captures the horror of loneliness and isolation in the heart of a community. Emily Grierson is an out-worldly and unwanted presence in the town of Jefferson, encompassing all the opposite values of the place and time she was living in. She represents the old, aristocratic world, forever in conflict with the modern values and fast-paced new generations, from which she retreated under an impenetrable shell. What is interesting about Emily Grierson is that she…

Anse Bundren, the patriarch of the Bundren family in William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, is not much of a patriarch at all. He completely rejects the traditional role of a typical father, a man who works to provide for his children and who protects them no matter what, by failing to support his five children emotionally and financially. Anse’s character faults include hypocrisy, laziness, and worst of all, manipulation of others. Those most affected by Anse’s behavior are his neighbors, Samson,…

Governments are created by the people to protect their rights. When a government is corrupted and fails to do its job, the people rally against it because it has strayed from its purpose. Many different people have different viewpoints on their government. An excerpt of “Civil Disobedience” shows Henry David Thoreau’s ideal government, and how his current government went against the ideals he believed in. In Chapter Seventeen of “The Grapes of Wrath”, John Steinbeck explains how the camps of the…

One about a white male and his path from lower-middle class Boston to being one of the most important people of the 18th century. The other an African American man that tells his story from the hardships of being a slave and his journey to become a free man and a very important abolitionist in the 19th century. Both of these great men have strong identities and because of that they weren’t satisfied with the way society was and so they worked hard all their lives to improve society. Franklin and…

Two authors, one born in 1812, the other in 1876. Two books, one a reflection of life in nature, the other, the tales of animal decivilization. Even though the two book topics carry strong, distinct differences, they both carry strong beliefs about the laws of nature. Henry Thoreau, the author of Walden, describes a two year stay in nature and how he developed different views on life and nature. Jack London, the author of Call of the Wild, wrote a story about how an animal goes from being a…

Fresh from the sting of England’s strict rule colonial America established itself with cries of freedom and liberty. The ‘American dream’ is an often debated term- generally believed to encourage entrepreneurship, tolerance and liberty. While debated, the mark of a country’s intentions can be seen in whom they respect or whom they deem to be important or relevant. Colonial America struggled to adhere to their desire for freedom. What seemed a black and white definition was in actuality only…

Mark Twain and Jack London’s San Francisco Earthquakes Earthquakes are devastating tremors that cause serious damage. Mark Twain and Jack London describe two earthquakes they witnessed in San Francisco. In Mark Twain’s essay, he uses a satirical and humorous approach when describing human reaction towards the sudden earthquake, through a first point of view, and carefully chosen descriptive words. Jack London, on the other hand, focuses mainly on the effects the earthquake had on the city.…

Mark Twain and Jack London both wrote stories titled “The San Francisco Earthquake”, which tell of their experiences in San Francisco during an earthquake. Both men were physically present in San Francisco during the earthquake, and witnessed the effects of the earthquake firsthand. Although both Twain and London experienced a similar event, the two writers approached the subject very differently in their writing in order to portray their messages. Mark Twain describes his experience of the…

Women in Literature and the Effect Men Have on Them Men have a negative effect on women in literature in terms of oppressing their sexuality and leaving them devastated at the end of the story. For instance, Addie Bundren from William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, was an unhappily married woman whose sexuality was oppressed, by the constraints of a male dominated society and husband, despite her affair. In comparison, Blanche DuBois from Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, was a widow…