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Influence of literature on society
Influence of literature on society
Relationship between literature and society
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African American Response to Uncle Tom's Cabin
Many African American 19th Century critics saw Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin as a ray of hope and a means out of oppression. Critics praised the dialogue, the interjected sentimental stories, as well as the characterization. In fact, many considered the novel to be a gift from God. Uncle Tom's Cabin was the only popularized writing at the time that touched upon slavery as negative. The novel was popular in general but more importantly to African Americans. However, the response to the book was limited considering the scarcity of African American newspapers and writers. Much of the African American population at the time was held down by slavery, illiteracy, and/or a lack of places to publish.
One of the few venues for African American reaction was Frederick Douglass' Paper. William G. Allen, a free black teacher, comments on a particular scene of dialogue in Uncle Tom's Cabin in his letter to this publication: "The religious conversation between the slave-tenders . . . is a capital thing . . . . How it tells upon the miserable spittle-licking religionists of the present day, who, as Tom Stoker has it, are running up a bill all their lives with the devil, calculating to sneak out when pay time comes" (Allen). This discussion between Tom Stoker, Mr. Marks, and Mr. Haley is about whether the slave trade is a Christian business. Mr Haley says, "I b'lieve in religion, and one of these days, when I've got matters tight and snug, I calculates to tend to my soul and them ar matters; and so what's the use of doin' any more wickedness than 's re'lly necessary?--it don't seem to me it's 't all prudent" (Stowe 57). Tom Stoker replies that Mr. Haley is just trying to do evil things all his life with slavery, only to sneak out in the end and go to heaven. William G. Allen, in reference to this scene, commends Stowe's comparison and the relationship between Christianity and slavery.
Allen also praises the touching story of the Quadroon girl in Volume II, Chapter XXXIV. He writes, "The story of the Quadroon girl . . . exceeds anything that I have ever read, in all that is soul-searching and thrilling" (Allen). In the story of Cassy, the Quadroon girl, she helps nurse Uncle Tom back to health after having been beaten and tells him that there is no God.
Harriet Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811. Her father was Lyman Beecher, pastor of the Congregational Church in Harriet’s hometown of Litchfield, Connecticut. Harriet’s brother was Henry Ward Beecher who became pastor of Brooklyn’s Plymouth Church. The religious background of Harriet’s family and of New England taught Harriet several traits typical of a New Englander: theological insight, piety, and a desire to improve humanity (Columbia Electronic Library; “Biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe”).
[having] a wild look of wonder, joy, and horror? (135) at the same time. Hawthorne goes further beyond this description by comparing this sudden outburst of emotion to Satan?s ecstasy by saying that the only factor which ?distinguished [Chillingworth?s] ecstasy from Satan?s was the trait of wonder in it? (135). As the reader delves deeper into the book, we come to the conclusion that Dimmesdale is indeed the father of Pearl, the product of the horrendous sin consummated through Dimmesdale?s and Hester?s illicit affair. This point brings us back to Chillingworth?s reaction to realizing this earlier at the end of chapter ten. Although this shocking news explains why Chillingworth might have been angry or horrified, it does not clarify why Chillingworth did not attempt to murder or poison Dimmesdale whilst he had the chance, especially since the reader knows from a point made by Chillingworth earlier in the book, that after Chillingworth had sought out the man who had an affair with his Hester, he would have his long sought-after revenge (73).
Musui’s Story is the exciting tale of a low class samurai’s life towards the end of the Tokugawa era. Although one would normally imagine a samurai to be a noble illustrious figure, Musui’s Story portrays the rather ignominious life of an unemployed samurai. Nonetheless, this primary account demonstrates the tenacity of samurai values and privileges present at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. The social status of samurai had been elevated to such a state that even someone like Musui was easily able to gain influence in everyday affairs with his privileges. Not only that, but he had retained his values as a warrior and still kept great pride for his arts in weaponry.
Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” in 1852. This anti-slavery book was the most popular book of the 19th century, and the 2nd most sold book in the century, following only the Bible. It was said that this novel “led to the civil war”, or “the straw that broke the camel’s back”. After one year, 300,000 copies were sold in the U.S., and over 1 million were sold in Britain.
There is no known safe amount of alcohol a woman can drink while pregnant. Alcohol can cause life-long physical and behavioral problems in children, including fetal alcohol syndrome. FAS is a serious condition where babies can be born with mentally ill condition and may have deformation mainly in there face. When you consume alcohol during pregnancy, so does your baby, because alcohol passes freely through the placenta to your baby. If you choose to drink alcohol while you are pregnant, you will increase the risk that your baby will be born with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Fetal alcohol syndrome is a condition in a child that results from alcohol exposure during the mother 's pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome causes brain damage and growth problems. The problems caused by fetal alcohol syndrome vary from child to child, but defects caused by fetal alcohol syndrome are
n the novel, The Scarlet Letter, there are four main characters, Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Pearl. Hester is married to Chillingworth, a physician that has not shown his face in roughly two years. During his period of absence, Hester has committed adultery with the reverend of Boston, Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester gets impregnated by this horrible sin, resulting in Pearl. Hester refuses to reveal who the father of her child is. She also takes her punishment, and while doing so, Chillingworth appears back in town as she stands on the scaffold with a scarlet letter A and her child in her hand. Chillingworth was determined to find the father and seek revenge after Hester told him she was not telling him who he was.
Many studies have established that a developing organism is susceptible to exogenous and endogenous factors during certain stage of the organism’s development. The effects of ethyl alcohol or ethanol on the developing fetus, which manifest a variety of characteristic abnormalities, are collectively called Fetal alcohol Syndrome. Ethanol exposure to the fetus causes various malformation ranging from the cellular to the organismic levels with the eventual results frequently being different levels of mental retardation (3).
When it comes to pregnancy, expectant mothers usually have a lot of questions and concerns. One such concern is alcohol consumption. Some people feel that it is okay while others are against the consumption. However those who drink take a huge risk that can result in what is referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This umbrella term is used to describe the range of damage from alcohol exposure to a fetus. The characteristics, diagnosis, and the mother are all important factors to look at when trying to understand these birth defects.
A mother who drinks while she is pregnant stands a high risk of harming their unborn child because the alcohol passes through her blood to her baby, and that can harm the development of the baby’s cells. This is most likely to harm the baby’s brain and spinal cord. Many of the common effects of a child suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is: distinctive facial features, growth problems making them smaller than the average child, and learning and behavior problems.
The Institute of Medicine Report to Congress (1996) described Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) as the following: “Of all the substances of abuse, including heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, alcohol produces by far the most serious neurobehavioral effects in the fetus”. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) was first introduced in the United States in 1973 by Drs. Kenneth Jones and David Smith, two pediatric dysmorphologists (Jones & Smith, 1973). Even with these ancient references, it wasn’t until relatively modern times that the medical profession took notice of the connection between prenatal maternal alcohol consumption and developmental difficulties in children. Among the first well known historical references to the connection between prenatal maternal alcohol consumption and the development of children was during the gin epidemic in England during the 1700’s. During this time period the price of gin dropped dramatically and in 1714 the annual consumption was about two million gallons of gin. By 1750 gin consumption was increased to 11 million gallons (Jones & Smith, 1973). Drs. Smith and Jones published their initial findings in Lancet. A second Lancet article that same year provided the characteristics pattern of physical and mental characteristics with a name Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. It is only in recent history that the disorders on the spectrum were given names much less were studied with rigorous scientific methods.
As a result of pregnant women drinking, there have been a profuse amount of children born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Armstrong and Abel confirm that it wasn’t until 1973 when it was discovered as a disorder. This shows that for decades prior, women that drank while pregnant were unaware of the dangers. Prior to this discovery there had been anti-drinking movements across the world, because it was believed that alcohol was the reason for the increase in poverty and crime, as pointed out by Armstrong and Abel. This helped in determining FAS as a disorder. There were two different events or problems in society that led to the realization of the dangers associated with drinking while pregnant. One of them being the change in drinking age caused by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as well as states lowering their blood alcohol content levels. The other realization was child victimization, society was disgusted when they saw or heard about children that had been abused; physically or emotionally. So when it became known that alcohol affected the helpless child in the womb it was normal for the people to be upset about it. What really got people’s attention was the S...
Alcohol, also known as ethanol, is a legal substance, which causes a person to become relaxed and “care-free”. Once alcohol is consumed, it is released into the bloodstream, which causes the brain to react, causing side effects. When a woman drinks alcohol while being pregnant, it can cause some physical and mental damage to the fetus. When a fetus is affected by alcohol exposure, it is called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). If the affects are severe, it is then termed Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The abnormalities occur in the central nervous system, facial structure, growth, and neurobehavioral development of the child. Severity of the damage depends on the amount of consumption, frequency, and timing of the consumption (Ungerer, Knezovich and Ramsay, 2013). Approximately 1 in 100 births have FASD effects. In the United States, 2-7 out of 1000 births are affected by FAS. 2-5% of young children in the United States and Western Europe are affected by FASD, while in Italy, the rate of FASD is 20.3-40.5 per 1000 births (Riley, Infante, Warren, 2011). These results are happening because 10-20% of women in the United States, 40% in Uruguay, and 50% of Italy consume alcohol while pregnant (Valenzuela, Morton and Diaz, 2012).
Thousands of children are born with effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol. Alcohol is very dangerous to the child in the womb. In the U.S, prenatal exposure is the most common reason for birth defects. Alcohol during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, fetal alcohol syndrome, birth weight, preterm labor, and brain damage.
“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!” A child has most likely heard that phrase at some point in their life. Although, it is not ethical or legal for a mother to “take her kid out of this world”, it does bring up a good point that it was through her body, that the child was born. One of the most important responsibilities in this world is a mother carrying a child in the womb. There are many divine processes that take place during gestation, but there are also many contributing factors from the mother that can affect the developing human. These factors may include what a woman ingests and exposes her embryo or fetus to. Sadly, alcohol use during pregnancy is an ongoing problem that can have detrimental affects on the fetus, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Choosing to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy is a choice, a risky choice. Unfortunately some women don’t even know they are making a risky choice by consuming alcohol because it is in the early stages of pregnancy. It is common for a female to not find out they are pregnant until at least the fifth or sixth week after fertilization. In 2006, 49% of all pregnancies in the United States were reported unintended on a national survey.1 The highest rate of preventable birth defects and mental retardation is due to alcohol use.2 In this paper, I will further discuss FAS, the potential effects of binge drinking during the embryonic stage of gestation, and what actions need to be taken in order to reduce the incidences of alcohol related birth defects.
For many years it was believed that alcohol can affect an unborn child only after placenta and umbilical cord are fully developed. Ten to fourteen days after fertilization the egg arrives into the uterus, and nests there. In that phase there is no connection between a mother’s bloodstream and a child via umbilical cord, but while placenta is developing embryo is getting its nutrients from mother’s blood through yolk sac. The minute alcohol enters mother’s bloodstream trough her stomach and the small intestine, it will also get to the embryo by cellular processes and it will disturb the cell division.