Sunday, March 14, 2010
A number of ideas seemed to re-appear in many of the blogs this section. Most people chose to write about the same writers; it's interesting to me how some texts seem more relevant and resonate more with us today than others do. I'm choosing to focus on the most blogged-about authors from this section on my carnival post (along with the John and Abigail Adams because their letters were my favorite text from this section).
Jonathon Edwards
There seems to be a mix of shock, anger, and appreciation for Edward's sermon, Sinners at the Hands of an Angry God. While initial reactions seem to be mostly anger and surprise at Edward's discussion of God's wrath, it seems like many of us had changed attitudes after our in-class discussion. There seems to be a difference in the tone of the posts written before that class and the ones posted afterwords. We seemed to gain understanding of his purpose and the point of his writing beyond fire and brimstone; however, many still didn't like the emphasis placed on God's wrath at the expense (or is it the seeming expense? There was defintely some debate about thsi idea, both in class and on our blogs) of God's grace and love. The pull between the uncomfortable acknowledgement of our own sin and the warm-fuzzy feeling brought on by profession of God's love for us despite our sin are what, I think, cause this extreme reaction.
Benjamin Franklin
Franklin definitely the most blogged-about author from this section. Perhaps this is because of the role he played in creating and defining America during the Revolution. Overall, there seems to be respect and admiration for Franklin as achieving the American Dream by overcoming meager beginnings to become a greatly respected and important man. Beyond simply improving his station in life, many people discussed the way that Franklin was focused on self-improvement. He worked to become a better writer, and also worked to improve as a virtuous person. Also discussed was Franklin's belief system. Some of us appreciated his belief in Diesm, others felt that his practices of faith leave something to be desired.
The Adams Family
Nevermind this unfortunate monicker (although in the chicken and egg debate, this set of Adams did come first), the letters of this husband and wife were well-enjoyed by our class. Most appreciated was the way the letters gave us insight into a loving 18th century marriage. The record they leave, regardless of whether it should be defined as literature, provides a valueable look at life at the time of the American Revolution. The biggest impact these letters had was allowing us to see the humanity (revealed in the discussions and love of this couple) in the life of a great American president.
Equiano
I was surprised at the overwhelming response of our class to this writer because I didn't enjoy this particular writer as much as many of the other works we studied. That said, Equiano was probably the second-most written about author of this section. His inside look into slavery, albeit somewhat more civilized slavery (if there is such a thing) than many of us had previously read about, captivated readers. The differences between American/European slavery and African slavery was one of the most discussed topics, with many coming to the conclusion that African slavery preserved the humanity of slaves in a way that European slavery did not.
There was also a great deal of suspicion for this text. Between the introduction's idea that Equiano may not have been born in Africa, to the way he portrays white masters and ideas in such an positive manner, we seem to be very skeptical of this author. How were his thoughts and feeling censored so that his work would be published and would sell copies to whites (many of whom still supported slavery)?
Phillis Wheatley
Wheatley was well-appreciated by our class. Side note: I've been finding that the poetry we study is often more blogged-about than the prose. This is interesting to me as I feel that people typically find prose more enjoyable and understandable than poetry.
We appreciate that she was able to rise above her cirmstances (I'm sensing a theme in American Literature fromt this time period here, anyone else?) to become the first Black American Female Poet. Her positive attitude and faith shines through in her work and almost everyone who wrote about her mentioned this. A common theme seems to be the amount of writing she accomplished during her short life, along with admiration for the quality of her poetry. Her work is extraordinary, and still resonates with us today; we all wish that she would have lived longer and wonder what she would have been able to accomplish if she had.
Jonathon Edwards
There seems to be a mix of shock, anger, and appreciation for Edward's sermon, Sinners at the Hands of an Angry God. While initial reactions seem to be mostly anger and surprise at Edward's discussion of God's wrath, it seems like many of us had changed attitudes after our in-class discussion. There seems to be a difference in the tone of the posts written before that class and the ones posted afterwords. We seemed to gain understanding of his purpose and the point of his writing beyond fire and brimstone; however, many still didn't like the emphasis placed on God's wrath at the expense (or is it the seeming expense? There was defintely some debate about thsi idea, both in class and on our blogs) of God's grace and love. The pull between the uncomfortable acknowledgement of our own sin and the warm-fuzzy feeling brought on by profession of God's love for us despite our sin are what, I think, cause this extreme reaction.
Benjamin Franklin
Franklin definitely the most blogged-about author from this section. Perhaps this is because of the role he played in creating and defining America during the Revolution. Overall, there seems to be respect and admiration for Franklin as achieving the American Dream by overcoming meager beginnings to become a greatly respected and important man. Beyond simply improving his station in life, many people discussed the way that Franklin was focused on self-improvement. He worked to become a better writer, and also worked to improve as a virtuous person. Also discussed was Franklin's belief system. Some of us appreciated his belief in Diesm, others felt that his practices of faith leave something to be desired.
The Adams Family
Nevermind this unfortunate monicker (although in the chicken and egg debate, this set of Adams did come first), the letters of this husband and wife were well-enjoyed by our class. Most appreciated was the way the letters gave us insight into a loving 18th century marriage. The record they leave, regardless of whether it should be defined as literature, provides a valueable look at life at the time of the American Revolution. The biggest impact these letters had was allowing us to see the humanity (revealed in the discussions and love of this couple) in the life of a great American president.
Equiano
I was surprised at the overwhelming response of our class to this writer because I didn't enjoy this particular writer as much as many of the other works we studied. That said, Equiano was probably the second-most written about author of this section. His inside look into slavery, albeit somewhat more civilized slavery (if there is such a thing) than many of us had previously read about, captivated readers. The differences between American/European slavery and African slavery was one of the most discussed topics, with many coming to the conclusion that African slavery preserved the humanity of slaves in a way that European slavery did not.
There was also a great deal of suspicion for this text. Between the introduction's idea that Equiano may not have been born in Africa, to the way he portrays white masters and ideas in such an positive manner, we seem to be very skeptical of this author. How were his thoughts and feeling censored so that his work would be published and would sell copies to whites (many of whom still supported slavery)?
Phillis Wheatley
Wheatley was well-appreciated by our class. Side note: I've been finding that the poetry we study is often more blogged-about than the prose. This is interesting to me as I feel that people typically find prose more enjoyable and understandable than poetry.
We appreciate that she was able to rise above her cirmstances (I'm sensing a theme in American Literature fromt this time period here, anyone else?) to become the first Black American Female Poet. Her positive attitude and faith shines through in her work and almost everyone who wrote about her mentioned this. A common theme seems to be the amount of writing she accomplished during her short life, along with admiration for the quality of her poetry. Her work is extraordinary, and still resonates with us today; we all wish that she would have lived longer and wonder what she would have been able to accomplish if she had.
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