While reading this story 'How to Build a Fire' I just kept thinking how stupid this man was to be out in 75 below freezing weather alone. Granted he had a dog, but even the dog was looking at him like he was completely nuts for continuing on his journey. And to go out alone was sheer stupidity.
There were elements in the story that I did like. For one I liked how London described the freezing of the beard. I could really visualize the tobacco stained beard growing with each spit from the man's mouth. Not a pretty picture, but still the visual effect was there. Another element I liked was that the man throughout the story seemed to refer back to the old timer. In the beginning he said that he laughed at the old timer for saying that no one should travel alone when the temperature is below 55 degrees. My thought...who would really want to be out in this type of weather anyway! He said this a couple of times in the story, which made me think that he was poking fun at the old time views and was not listening to the experienced voice of this man. This became obvious after he fell into the water and was quickly freezing. If he had been more experienced he would not have built his fire under the tree for the snow to fall on it and he most certainly would not have been out in the weather alone in the first place. In the end, he realized that he truly should have listened to the old timer and not laughed at him, because if he had he wouldn't have frozen to death!
I think the dog was significant in the story as well. There was a bit of reference to the dog's instincts, such as when he got his paws wet and was biting away the frozen water to prevent it's paws from freezing. The story said that the dog did not know or think, but that it was instinctual. Also the fact that the dog continually wanted to stop and be by the fire was another form of his instinct coming into play. I think London was trying to say that people really need to listen or pay attention to the way animals act, because they have better instincts than humans do.
In the end I think that London was trying to convey that mankind does not truly listen and that it is important to listen to those with more experience and to nature/animals, because one's life just might depend on this knowledge and instinctual behavior.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Chesnutt stories-"The Wife of His Youth" and "The Passing of Grandison"
After reading "The Wife of His Youth" I realize that I really should pay more attention to titles. This title explains the concept of the story, yet when I first read it, I did not take the title into account. I think for that reason, the twist at the end of the story was so much better.
I found the beginning of the story interesting, because it gave details about the "Blue Veins" which was to say that these people, because they had one parent who was white and one who was black, did not fit into either so called "race." They were, however considered to be better than the "black" person because of the color of their skin.
The story of Mr. Ryder, being older, and finally finding a love in the young Mrs. Molly Dixon is not a new concept for the time or even now. There are plenty of stories out there of older men falling in love with a younger woman. What was surprising was when, as he was looking at his poetry as a way to prepare for his proposal to Molly, the old woman came up and sat next to him. The description of this woman makes her appear very old. The woman is looking for her husband, although by the law he would no longer be her husband, yet she still searches believing that he could not possibly love anyone but her, because there love was that special.
I found it interesting how Mr. Ryder continually tried to say that perhaps her husband was dead, etc. in an attempt to make her give up on her quest. I thought that perhaps he was trying to prepare her for the fact that she may never find this man.
However, as the story draws to its conclusion, we here this woman's tale and you get the feeling that everyone in that room could relate due to having family who was ripped apart due to the war and other factors. The fact that he looks at Mrs. Dixon for an answer when he asks what the man should have done, was a huge clue that there was more to his relating this story to his friends than met the eye.
The very end was probably the best part of this story, because he told all of his friends that this woman was his wife and that he would honor his oath that he had taken when she was a slave and he a free man. This showed that his honor as a man and possibly husband meant a lot to him and that he would not again abandon a woman who loved no other but him and who had even traveled the continent in search of her true love.
"The Passing of Grandison" was so funny. First you have Dick Owens trying to win the heart of Charity. The way to do this is to do something heroic. So how does he do this? He does it by deciding to run off one of his fathers slaves. This is where we meet Grandison.
Grandison appears to be a very loyal slave and he really gives no indication that he will ever leave young Dick or the estate of which he lived. Plus he had a woman who he was going to marry and family on the plantation, so he would want to be with them, rather than be free or at least that is what the Coloniel believed.
Dick Owens does everything humanly possible to get this slave to run away. He takes him to New York and hopes that the free men will turn him, yet it does not work. So he takes him to Boston and actually writes letters to the abolitionists, yet this still does not appear to work. So he takes him to Niagara Falls where young Dick finally comes up with a plan and has Grandison kidnapped. Dick then goes home, where he knows his father will be very angry at the loss of his 'property.'
Dick gets everything he wants, namely Charity's hand in marriage. But then Grandison returns to the plantation. Here one might think that the man is insane. Why would someone who was free return to live as a slave? I thought that, but I also thought that he might have an ulterior motive.
After a bit of time, we learn that Grandison did in fact have an ulterior motive, and that motive was to save his love and his family from slavery. He played the old southern Colonel. He and his family escaped to the north and when the Colonel and the sheriff catch up, it is too late for Grandison and his family are sailing up the waterway.
This story was funny because first poor Dick cannot get Grandison to leave or at least that is what we are led to believe and then Grandison returns and frees his family from the grasp of slavery. It showed that just because one is a slave does not mean that they are not smart, which is quite evident in this story because he played Colonel Grandison like a fiddle!
I found the beginning of the story interesting, because it gave details about the "Blue Veins" which was to say that these people, because they had one parent who was white and one who was black, did not fit into either so called "race." They were, however considered to be better than the "black" person because of the color of their skin.
The story of Mr. Ryder, being older, and finally finding a love in the young Mrs. Molly Dixon is not a new concept for the time or even now. There are plenty of stories out there of older men falling in love with a younger woman. What was surprising was when, as he was looking at his poetry as a way to prepare for his proposal to Molly, the old woman came up and sat next to him. The description of this woman makes her appear very old. The woman is looking for her husband, although by the law he would no longer be her husband, yet she still searches believing that he could not possibly love anyone but her, because there love was that special.
I found it interesting how Mr. Ryder continually tried to say that perhaps her husband was dead, etc. in an attempt to make her give up on her quest. I thought that perhaps he was trying to prepare her for the fact that she may never find this man.
However, as the story draws to its conclusion, we here this woman's tale and you get the feeling that everyone in that room could relate due to having family who was ripped apart due to the war and other factors. The fact that he looks at Mrs. Dixon for an answer when he asks what the man should have done, was a huge clue that there was more to his relating this story to his friends than met the eye.
The very end was probably the best part of this story, because he told all of his friends that this woman was his wife and that he would honor his oath that he had taken when she was a slave and he a free man. This showed that his honor as a man and possibly husband meant a lot to him and that he would not again abandon a woman who loved no other but him and who had even traveled the continent in search of her true love.
"The Passing of Grandison" was so funny. First you have Dick Owens trying to win the heart of Charity. The way to do this is to do something heroic. So how does he do this? He does it by deciding to run off one of his fathers slaves. This is where we meet Grandison.
Grandison appears to be a very loyal slave and he really gives no indication that he will ever leave young Dick or the estate of which he lived. Plus he had a woman who he was going to marry and family on the plantation, so he would want to be with them, rather than be free or at least that is what the Coloniel believed.
Dick Owens does everything humanly possible to get this slave to run away. He takes him to New York and hopes that the free men will turn him, yet it does not work. So he takes him to Boston and actually writes letters to the abolitionists, yet this still does not appear to work. So he takes him to Niagara Falls where young Dick finally comes up with a plan and has Grandison kidnapped. Dick then goes home, where he knows his father will be very angry at the loss of his 'property.'
Dick gets everything he wants, namely Charity's hand in marriage. But then Grandison returns to the plantation. Here one might think that the man is insane. Why would someone who was free return to live as a slave? I thought that, but I also thought that he might have an ulterior motive.
After a bit of time, we learn that Grandison did in fact have an ulterior motive, and that motive was to save his love and his family from slavery. He played the old southern Colonel. He and his family escaped to the north and when the Colonel and the sheriff catch up, it is too late for Grandison and his family are sailing up the waterway.
This story was funny because first poor Dick cannot get Grandison to leave or at least that is what we are led to believe and then Grandison returns and frees his family from the grasp of slavery. It showed that just because one is a slave does not mean that they are not smart, which is quite evident in this story because he played Colonel Grandison like a fiddle!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Charles Chesnutt's Dave's Neckliss and The Goophered Grapevine
I don't know about anyone else, but after reading Dave's Neckliss I will never look at ham/pork the same way ever again!
I actually liked the story and thought that it gave an adequate representation of a slaves life.
I also liked that it was written from a slave's perspective, even if that slave was not Dave.
The story itself had some great moments, such as when Dave got caught learning to read and the way his Master allowed him to continue to read the Bible and then asked him to preach to the others. I know that it was allowed to keep the slaves under control, yet it was also empowering to Dave.
To allow a slave to read even though it was illegal and to actually encourage it took great courage on the part of his Master. Plus his Master Dugal was a kind man when he purchased Dilsey and Aunt Mahaly so that they could stay together. Most slave owners of the time wouldn't have cared one way or the other if a slave was sold away from someone they knew and loved.
I think the story really gives a good representation of how much harm people can cause one another, regardless of the color of their skin. The slaves were all extremely cruel to Dave when they thought he stole the ham, when in reality they should have known that he would never have done such a deed. Likewise, Master Dugal should have known that he would not have done this either and looked for other culprits.
I did think that it was quite sad that Dave ended up killing himself, due to being driven mad by the fact that he had to caring the burden of the ham (his innocence) around his neck. I think it may have been due to having everyone, especially the woman who was supposed to love him, turn their backs on him and assume that he had perpetrated the crime.
Perhaps the moral of this story is that one should look for the truth, before passing judgment on others.
I thought The Goophered Grapevine was hilarious. First off you get this image of a black man sitting there with a bunch of grapes that he is obviously going to eat. Then you get this tale of witchcraft and how the farm is cursed. Yet if you look at the man who has the grapes, you know that the tale has to be false, otherwise he wouldn't be able to eat the grapes. Plus you get the image of the slave who eats the grapes, then ends up growing hair in the shape of grapes and then losing it when the vines begin to whither. The whole story is meant to throw fear into the northerner and his wife who wish to purchase the farm. At this point you get the impression that perhaps the story made them decide not to purchase the farm, and then you get the northerner going nope I did not fall for this and that the truth was that the black man had been selling the grapes to others and was worried about losing money. It was rather fitting when we learn that the northerner helped the black man by hiring him to work the farm and that the people he hired to work the farm all wanted to eat the scuppernong grapes, but they didn't dare for fear of the curse. This gave the original tale some credibility, but it could have been that since the northerner treated this man with kindness and gave him a job, that this male spread the tale to the new workers to keep them from eating the scuppernong grapes. Either way the story shows how fear of the unknown can be a very powerful deterrent.
I actually liked the story and thought that it gave an adequate representation of a slaves life.
I also liked that it was written from a slave's perspective, even if that slave was not Dave.
The story itself had some great moments, such as when Dave got caught learning to read and the way his Master allowed him to continue to read the Bible and then asked him to preach to the others. I know that it was allowed to keep the slaves under control, yet it was also empowering to Dave.
To allow a slave to read even though it was illegal and to actually encourage it took great courage on the part of his Master. Plus his Master Dugal was a kind man when he purchased Dilsey and Aunt Mahaly so that they could stay together. Most slave owners of the time wouldn't have cared one way or the other if a slave was sold away from someone they knew and loved.
I think the story really gives a good representation of how much harm people can cause one another, regardless of the color of their skin. The slaves were all extremely cruel to Dave when they thought he stole the ham, when in reality they should have known that he would never have done such a deed. Likewise, Master Dugal should have known that he would not have done this either and looked for other culprits.
I did think that it was quite sad that Dave ended up killing himself, due to being driven mad by the fact that he had to caring the burden of the ham (his innocence) around his neck. I think it may have been due to having everyone, especially the woman who was supposed to love him, turn their backs on him and assume that he had perpetrated the crime.
Perhaps the moral of this story is that one should look for the truth, before passing judgment on others.
I thought The Goophered Grapevine was hilarious. First off you get this image of a black man sitting there with a bunch of grapes that he is obviously going to eat. Then you get this tale of witchcraft and how the farm is cursed. Yet if you look at the man who has the grapes, you know that the tale has to be false, otherwise he wouldn't be able to eat the grapes. Plus you get the image of the slave who eats the grapes, then ends up growing hair in the shape of grapes and then losing it when the vines begin to whither. The whole story is meant to throw fear into the northerner and his wife who wish to purchase the farm. At this point you get the impression that perhaps the story made them decide not to purchase the farm, and then you get the northerner going nope I did not fall for this and that the truth was that the black man had been selling the grapes to others and was worried about losing money. It was rather fitting when we learn that the northerner helped the black man by hiring him to work the farm and that the people he hired to work the farm all wanted to eat the scuppernong grapes, but they didn't dare for fear of the curse. This gave the original tale some credibility, but it could have been that since the northerner treated this man with kindness and gave him a job, that this male spread the tale to the new workers to keep them from eating the scuppernong grapes. Either way the story shows how fear of the unknown can be a very powerful deterrent.
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