Harold E. Stearns’ Critique of American Culture in the Book, Civilization in the United States
Harold E. Stearns and his colleagues set out on a mission to enlighten and inform the American society of the 1920’s in their book entitled Civilization in the United States. Thirty-three authors with the aid of an editor, Stearns, instead produced a highly controversial and inadequate account of certain aspects of life in American society. According to critic Arthur Schlesinger the writers of Civilization in the United States fell short of their goal of producing a critical depiction of American society and instead wrote "supercilious reflections" (167).
There are three main themes presented in each essay included in Civilization. They are as follows:
Americans are hypocritical, American civilization is not Anglo-Saxon nor nationalistic, and finally American social life lacks emotion. Stearns chose his writers very carefully. He wanted each of them to be blunt and straight to the point in their essays, especially when writing on these three themes. In his preface, Stearns himself states:
"If these main contentions seem severe or pessimistic, the answer must be: we do not write to please; we strive only to understand and to state as clearly as we can" (vii). It is obvious that Harold Stearns wanted to voice his ideas and those of his counterparts in an open, bold fashion and that is why each essay touches on the main themes mentioned above.
Critic Arthur Schlesinger, however mentions in his critique of Civilization that if there are any common themes in these essays at all, that they certainly are not the ones Harold Stearns mentions. Rather, Schlesinger hints that the theme is that Americans are "cocksure but bewildered children in a world [they] cannot understand" which is new and constantly changing (168). He feels that overall, each author wrote his or her own opinion and didn't follow a common theme in the true sense of the word. It is apparent to me that the critic has a valid point and his opinion coincides with my own opinion. Stearns may have had a common theme in mind when he organized the writing of Civilization, but it seems as if the authors went a bit off track.
Some of the topics discussed in Civilization in the United States were "The Intellectual Life," "The City," "Economic Opinion," "History," "Business," "Engineering," "Politics," "Journalism," and "Philosophy" to name a few. As critic Arthur Schlesinger notes in his review of the book, the topics and authors included in this account of
Tindall, George, and David Shi. America: A Narrative History. Ed. 9, Vol. 1. New York: WW. Norton & Company, 2013. 185,193. Print.
Stearns, Harold E. Civilization in the United States. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Company, 1922.
Divine, Robert A. America past and Present. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education/Longman, 2013. 245. Print.
...n American Literature. By Henry Louis. Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. 387-452. Print.
Traxel, David. 1898: The Birth of the American Century. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1998. Print.
After a close analysis of “America” by Tony Hoagland, the poem warns and points out the problems with our consumerism. Hoagland uses metaphors and imagery to describe the actions of American, while throwing in counteracting themes. And uses thoughts and dreams to bring in metaphors that complex the poem.
Joan impacted France and the world by creating a national consciousness that never existed before and became a personality cult that embraced all who looked up to her. She made a absolute stunning moral impact to everyone, no matter if they were against the fact she has a special gift, by all her military victories and the patriotism and devotion she gave, which also helped all her soldiers believe in themselves. Joan hauled all the wrecked mess from these people in France and brought back a hopeful future and renewal embrace. Not only the battles Joan won for France and bringing alive a great King, but she will be remembered for her excellent leadership, even when she was shot down, and fighting and dying for what she stood for.
However, in 1425, the French were able to stop a siege on Mont St. Michael, as hope for winning the war and gossip among the town grew once more. A few months later, Joan began to hear a voice call her from her father’s garden, which she later claimed to be the voice of France’s patron saint, St. Michael. Her voices or revelations become more specific and urgent as more and more towns were conquered by the Burgundians and the English, while Joan become more distant and absent to her family friends to talk with her voices, and soon, it became apparent to Joan that God has given her a mission to save the exiled prince and France, although, with low-confidence with her peasant stature, her voices gave her the confidence and help to pursue the mission. Her father, oblivious to Joan’s revelations, dreams that she’ll join the army, which meant that she’ll be a camp follower, and so, he demanded her brothers to drown her if she did or he’ll do it himself as he and her mother kept a closer eye on her. Despite her parent’s worry and fear, Joan persisted in completing her mission as she made preparations to visit her her first cousin near Vaucouleurs in December to take care of the baby when in actuality, Joan was planning to go to Vaucouleurs, a town loyal to the French, to get help
Joan of Arc lived for a very short time, but was involved in so much of the middle ages of Europe. She motivated the French army, when at their lowest to aggressively attack the English with spiritual words and actions. She was captured and tried for a false crime by a corrupt jurisdiction and put to death. Following she would be burned alive and forever remembered as a Patron Saint of the Roman Catholic Church. She is and has been an inspiration to both men and women for almost 600 years and stories will be told about her for another 600 more.
The Young Reader's Companion to American History. Ed. John A. Garraty. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. 384+. Print.
George Browm Tindall, David Emory Shi. American History: 5th Brief edition, W. W. Norton & Company; November 1999
Tindall, George B., and David E. Shi. America: A Narrative History. 7th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 2007.
Foner, Eric and John A. Garraty. The Reader’s Companion to American History. (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991).
“American Crisis.” The American Tradition in Literature, 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill 2009. Print
“Saint Joan” is filled with many religious characters but the only one who truly believes they are doing God's work is Joan. Even though there is no proof that Joan is hearing these voices...