Hawthorne

The story begins with a bit of a preface, much like all of the other stories we’ve read. The “preface” describes the appointment of colonial governors by the kings of Great Britain and goes on to describe how the people of the American colonies did not particularly care for the governors as they controlled rather harshly.

                We are introduced to the main character, a young man named Robin, on a ferry as he is traveling to find his wealthy and prestigious uncle, Major Molineux. We are taken on Robin’s journey as he enters the town and asks where his kinsman is, a question to which no one seems to have the answer. The first peculiar even that occurs when Robin asks about Molineux’s whereabouts is when Robin asks the man in front of the barbershop if he will lead him to Molineux and the barbers stop mid-haircut/shave to overhear his conversation. His question must have sparked quite the controversy to make a barber stop mid-haircut. The next time Robin asks to be led to Molineux is in the tavern. At first, I found it odd Robin “felt a sort of brotherhood with these strangers,” but later realized he felt this way because the “strangers” isolated themselves in a corner, something Robin could relate to. While in the tavern, the innkeeper questions Robin and his tattered clothes, believing he is a runaway servant. This reminded me of Sot-Weed and Ben Franklin’s Autobiography.

                One portion of the story I didn’t understand was the significance of the woman. She seemed to be a bit of a harlot as she tried to seduce Robin. Was she a prostitute? Also, after Robin talks to the two-faced man, what does it mean when he refers to him as “genus homo?” Another thing I found peculiar is the fact Hawthorne puts Robin’s thoughts in single lines/separate paragraphs like a monologue.

                In the end, Robin finally sees Major Molineux. I’m not sure what is happing to Molineux, however. I believe the townspeople are humiliating him as he is described as being in “tar-and-feather dignity.” Is he literally tarred and then feathered to look like a chicken? I think Molineux must have been one of the colonial governors and the citizens disliked him for that reason. This would explain why everyone was so rude to Robin when he asked about Molineux. I wonder if Robin was sent by his father to really meet Molineux, or to make him a man and have him start his own life. Perhaps, his father wanted to show Robin the life Molineux led was not all Robin was expecting. Finally, I found myself wondering how this story really connected with Romanticism.

Romanticism

My high school English teachers always described Romanticism as everything being ideal. According to the article, Romanticism focused more on “intuition, imagination, and feeling,” and came after Rationalism. Romantics were less concerned about everything being proven and factual and more concerned with how things felt, seemed, and should be. The idea of Romanticism gave followers a better understanding of themselves. It made followers believe they were special as individuals and gave them a better appreciation of life and the world.

                The article explains Romanticism as "an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement...embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature..." Romantic composers include figures such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin; all of which are renowned figures in classical music. When we think of classical music, these composers and some of their works are the first that come to mind because there is such an inherent beauty about them. As far as literature goes, some famous authors include Edgar Allen Poe and Washington Irving. Because of Romanticism, these authors could portray more emotion than ever before. The authors related their characters to everyday life and its struggles, appealing to a more general audience. Romanticism also changed the way artist’s painted. One famous painter from the Romantic era that I recognized was Francisco De Goya. I remember seeing one of his paintings in my art appreciation class and finding it very odd. The painting I am speaking of is Saturn Devouring His Son. This work is a bit disturbing, but De Goya was able to express himself without inhibitions thanks to the ideas of Romanticism. Romanticism also helped instill national pride, which is a common reflection in many artists’ paintings of the time.

                All in all, I think the Romantic era was a great time period. I believe it helped give birth to an entirely new and different style of thinking. Before, things were interpreted and thought of very literally, scientifically, and matter-of-factly. With Romanticism, things were more free-spirited which gave rise to self-expression. Some of the greatest works in literature, art, and music came from this time period because people were no longer limited in how they expressed themselves.

One Hundred Per Cent American

                The first time I read through One Hundred Per Cent American, I found it to be quite humorous. I never really noticed or sat down to think how many things we are so accustomed to using come from other places. The American citizen the author talks about made it through breakfast without using anything originally created in America, hence the irony in the title. Speaking of the title, I wonder if the ‘Per Cent’ portion is the author’s attempt at a pun on the word ‘percent.’ If so, I think the author is referring to the amount of pennies in a dollar, saying that these “pure-blood” Americans are really only about 1/100 percent American.

                Upon further reading, the work really became a little disturbing to me. When you really consider all of the customs and items we use that are foreign, the author’s tone becomes less humorous and more sarcastic. Everything from the bed we sleep in to the food we eat did not originate in America. The general consensus in the world used to be that America was superior to all other countries. However, this work shows that to be very different. I also think this work reflects the changing times. Most of the goods we have today are imported from other countries. If I were to look in my closet right now, the majority of the tags in my shirts would read, “Made in (insert foreign country here).”  Even the majority of automobiles are now manufactured by foreign companies. Essentially, this article worries me because when you really stop to think about it, what is made in America?

Federalist/Anti-Federalist Papers

                Each of these two papers addresses the need for a centralized form of government, namely the Constitution of the United States. The Federalists were in support of ratifying the Constitution, whereas the Anti-Federalists were against ratification.

                The Anti-Federalist papers begin by involving the reader, stating that the matter is imminent because it affects not only the reader and his generation, but future generations as well. The author goes on to say that if ratifying the Constitution is the right thing to do, a “lasting foundation for millions…” will be established. However, if ratifying the Constitution is the wrong thing to do, there will be no future. This harsh decision is based on the author’s fear that ratifying the Constitution will ultimately revert the U.S. to a monarchy, something it tried to get away from in England. One stipulation of the Constitution is to establish a President. The author fears that having one person in charge will make him power-hungry resulting in tyranny. The author also fears that by splitting the government into three parties (legislative, judicial, and executive), one will eventually overthrow the others and have all of the power. By giving the government power over state government, the author also fears that state government’s authority will be undermined and nullified. The author’s main argument against the establishment of a republic in the United States is that it is too big. People cannot consult with one another about important matters, the leader will become consumed with power, and, as seen in history with the Romans, the republic will ultimately fail.

                The Federalist papers provide a counter-argument to the Anti-Federalist papers. James Madison is the author, and he states that dividing the government into three branches will work because a system of checks and balances will be established which will allow each branch the ability to keep another in line. Madison also states that the people in positions of power (Congress members, etc.) should not be allowed to appoint other authoritative figures, avoiding the establishment of an heirs and lineage like in a monarchy. In my opinion, Madison’s argument for the need of a government is genius. Madison basically states that humans are inherently evil, power-hungry creatures, and, for those reasons, need a government in order to keep them on the right path. If they were not so power-hungry, government would not be needed. I found myself not understanding the last portion of paper very well, particularly the second of his views. I think I understood in the first viewpoint in that Madison proposed the idea of Democrats and Republicans in order to help avoid the “aristocratic tyranny.” The second viewpoint, however, was a little incomprehensible to me. Basically what I understood from it was that he was trying to establish equality among the different classes of citizens. For instance, he didn’t want the rich to rule over the poor. Could this be like when the only people allowed to vote were wealthy white men, which didn’t truly reflect the views of Americans?

Allen

The autobiography of Richard Allen begins again with a preface. Rev. Allen begins by pointing out that the vast majority of the stories in his autobiography were recorded from memory, long after they took place. This poses a question to the credibility of the stories of Rev. Allen. Also, Rev. Allen quite boastfully states that if he could “recollect the half of my trials…in this life…” his autobiography would be far too big for anyone to read. One major difference between Rev. Allen’s autobiography and Venture Smith’s is that Rev. Allen seems to be literate and wrote his autobiography himself.

                Allen begins his life story by telling the reader he was a slave. It was not until he was about twenty he realized he had no real purpose in life and sought to find God. Much like Cartwright, Allen was overwhelmed by sin and did not truly find God until he hits rock bottom. Allen joins the Methodist society, which, through Cartwright’s autobiography, we learned was in favor of abolishing slavery.

                I found it particularly interesting that Allen’s master was so nice. Stokeley (Allen’s master) was a father figure to Allen and his siblings (much like the farmer Venture briefly lived with) and allowed Allen and his family to attend religious meetings. Stokeley’s behavior was abnormal, as his neighbor’s felt that Stokeley spoiled his slaves and they would ultimately ruin him. Not wanting to fall prey to self-fulfilling prophecy, Allen and his brother vowed to work even harder so that they might continue their meetings and prove the neighbor’s wrong. Yet, I wonder if this is what Stokeley intended; if the slaves are happy, they will work harder. I did not understand the portion of the story when Stokeley would not write a note to the preacher. I think it was possibly because he didn’t want to get converted, as he was not a religious man. However, the preacher came and preached at the house for a few months and Stokeley ultimately felt compelled to free his slaves.

                Now a free man, Allen speaks of his travels and odd jobs he performed along the way, but his main reason for traveling was to preach and spread the Gospel. Allen traveled along the east coast, preaching in states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania, making many friends and acquaintances along the way, and touching many people’s lives with the word of God. This seems a bit odd to me, as I’m sure black preachers were few and far between at this point in time. Allen continues his story of spreading the word, and even tells of the opposition the Methodist church faced. This somewhat parallels Cartwright’s autobiography and his take on the opposition faced from the Predestinarians. However, Allen’s story is different in that his point of view is from that of a black preacher, whereas Cartwright’s is from that of a white preacher. Allen’s opposition also came from within the church itself.

                One story in particular is the time when the African-American’s attending St. George’s Church began to get numerous and they began to be treated differently. First, the African-Americans were not allowed to sit in their normal seats. Next, they were made to go into a different room, isolating them from the rest of the congregation. Finally, during prayer, Mr. Jones was asked to leave. When Mr. Jones refused to leave before prayer was over, he was threatened by being thrown out. However, upon finishing his prayer, Mr. Jones and the others left willingly, shaming the members of the congregation. Allen and the others faced much oppression from the Methodist church, which I find odd. The Methodist are wholeheartedly against Allen and the others establishing an African-American church. If I understood correctly, Allen was eventually able to finance a large building to establish a church, but was tricked into signing it over to the white Conference (what is the white conference?). Ultimately, this led Allen to pursue the union of Philadelphia and Baltimore in establishing the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Cartwright

                The autobiography of Peter Cartwright describes to us the life of Mr. Cartwright and his journey towards preaching. In the preface, Cartwright explains that he has felt compelled for quite some time that he should write his autobiography.  Cartwright continues the preface by hyping up the Methodist Episcopal preachers of the West (himself included), claiming the majority of them were illiterate and had few Holy books, but spread religion much better than modern (referring to around 1856) preachers, who had an abundance more resources and easier living conditions than he and his brethren had.

                Cartwright’s autobiography begins as he paints the picture of his adolescent life. As a child, Cartwright’s family immigrated to the hostile land of Kentucky. Kentucky was a prosperous land, abundant with various game and resources, but was controlled by many Native American tribes. The Native Americans were reluctant to lose this land to new white settlers, thus resulting in many vicious battles between the Native Americans and white settlers. Ultimately the white settlers prevailed. I found one line to be particularly ironic in the autobiography. In paragraph three (not including the preface), Cartwright says, “[Kentucky] was chiefly settled by Virginians, as noble and brave a race of men and women…” I find this to be ironic because in Cartwright’s eyes these people are noble and brave, but to the Native Americans, these same people blatantly stole from them land that was rightfully theirs. Another intriguing comment to me that I found biased was the last line of paragraph four:  “…the country soon filled up, and entered into the enjoyment of improved and civilized life…” Again, through Cartwright’s eyes life is improved and civilized, yet, to the Native Americans, life has completely been turned upside down.

                Cartwright continues by describing his life as a child as well as the development of Kentucky, including the rapid rise of the Methodist church. Particularly, Cartwright describes himself as a wicked child who loved to gamble. Ultimately, this would lead Cartwright down a path of self-turmoil and sin until he one day had an epiphany and sought God. Cartwright goes into a state of depression. This must have been odd to the other members of society as there was no such diagnosis as depression at the time. After many attempts at finding salvation, it is not until one of the public church meetings that Cartwright finally considers himself saved. I find it interesting that Cartwright never felt fully saved until he had others witness his salvation. This probably had to do with the rapid spread of Christianity through the new settlement.

                After his salvation, Cartwright becomes a preacher, spreading the word of the Methodist church. The story continues as Cartwright explains the growing of the church and also the struggles of the church. Different denominations of Christianity were springing up, and certain denominations opposed others. In Cartwright’s case, the Predistinarians tried to stop the revival of the church. These splits in the church date back to the time of people like Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin. In the time of the Roman Catholic Church, the Church and papacy had become corrupt and these men sought to reform Christianity. They each had their own take on the Bible and how to find salvation, thus creating many different dichotomies in the Church.

                Cartwright also goes into some detail about the Methodist church and its views on slavery. The Methodist church was not in favor of slavery and believed it was a moral evil. Interestingly enough, Cartwright pretty much predicts the Civil War that would soon take place.

Eric Kosco