Eliminating God in Daisy Miller, Huckleberry Finn, and The Country of the Pointed Firs
The evils of the Civil War and the rise of empiricism caused many to doubt in an omniscient, all-powerful God. Under empiricism, any statements about metaphysical entities (e.g. God, Unicorns, Love, and Beauty) would be meaningless terms because they cannot be proven by the scientific method. But with a loss of faith in God, what becomes of morality? This essay will examine how Emily Dickinson, Sarah Orne Jewett, Henry James and Mark Twain wrote literature in this age coupled with war, inhumanity and despair in God. This essay will show that: (1) Dickinson destroys any reliance on the Bible and a possibility of knowing God, but argues that one should instead praise Nature, which is tangible; (2) Jewett eliminates the omniscient narrator (or God-like figure) in The Country of the Poited Firs , and instead makes readers see life as valuable only through human experiences and reveals the comfort of Nature; (3) Henry James eliminates God in Daisy Miller by removing the omniscient narrator and instead causing readers to play god, by being the judge of Daisy and Winterbourne; (4) Mark Twain uses Huckleberry Finn to question any reliance on God, by poking fun of prayer and church revivals, and instead encouraging one to seek morality in one's conscience.
Emily Dickinson learned versification through studying her church hymnal. But rather than praise a God that has "hid his rare life" (338), she turned to praise Nature which was tangible and empirical. Dickinson seemed to believe in a God: "I know that He exists" but the belief was greatly hindered by the existence of evil (primarily the atrocities brought on by the Civil War) wherein she penned that His right hand "is amputated now/ And God cannot be found" (1551). This statement may not be as severe as Nietzche's "God is Dead," but one can probably imagine that Dickinson penned these words in tears. Because she believed that God could not be found, she attacked the Bible's ability to convey notions of God: "The Bible is an antique Volume--/ Written by faded Men" (1545). Dickinson found more companionship in her trusty dictionary (which helped define words) than a Bible (which was to define life). To Dickinson, Nature was supreme; Nature was tangible; Nature was real. Dickinson needed empirical evidence and Nature provided it for her: "'Nature' is what we see/ .
In America, the period of Romanticism brought up many depictions of society that held their place in America many decades ago. This society was made up of Puritans who held a strong belief system and was even their form of governing. Romantic authors like Washington Irving, who wrote “The Devil and Tom Walker”, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote The Scarlet Letter included Puritans in their stories to convey a message. In both works, the authors focus on Puritans in their stories to convey an image of who Puritans were and what they did, though not in a positive light through the use of the devil and the setting of a forest. This is because of how Romanticism generally satirized Puritans and tried to portray them as completely contradictory
In conclusion, Mark Twain exposes humanity throughout two opposite episodes of violence and joy. The author uses these episodes as metaphors to prove humanities cowardly actions and the lengths people will go to, to not look
As America slowly began molding into the creases of different values and cultures, so did its literature. One trait that had always been securing itself within the lines of these literary texts was the protagonists’ naivety. Theses characters typically established an intention to do good things, but eventually fail due to tumbling upon tempting obstacles and falling into the trance of distractions. An example of this situation occurred long ago during the 16th and 17th century. A cult of English Protestants known as Puritans aimed to “purify” the Church of England by excreting all evidence of its descent in the Roman Catholic Church. The Puritans enforced strict religious practices upon its believers and regarded all pleasure and luxury as wicked or sacrilegious. Although their “holy” cond...
...ports Illustrated cover photo of a pit bull (Pit Bull Rescue Central, "Breed Information”). Dog fighting made a comeback during the 1980s and the pit bull became the favorite macho dog for dog fighters. The dogs were trained to kill or be killed. Pit bulls were also the preferred guard dog for gangs, thugs and criminals. Since the supporters and detractors of pit bulls hold such disparate opinions regarding the ferocity of the breeds, it is only hoped that further discussion and education will help resolve the sad fate that awaits these unfortunate animals. Simply placing all the blame on the breeds will not solve the problems of dog fighting, overbreeding, aggressive training, and excessive euthanizations. Lastly, the biased, sensationalistic publicity of horrific dog attacks which has destroyed the reputation of the once beloved All American Dog must cease.
Samuel Clemens - or as he is most commonly referred to as, Mark Twain - was a seminal American novelist, with his works not only contributing to the general American literary canon, but in fact, greatly inspiring other such elemental writings. Twain is, perhaps, most remembered by the quintessential work, The Adventure’s of Huckleberry Finn, in which the eponymous character travels down the Mississippi River with his close friend, and runaway slave, Jim. In doing so, the two experience Twain’s satirical, yet quite realistic, interpretation of the South, while Huck, consequently, experiences a drastic change in terms of his own morality. When considering this novel’s content from a literary perspective, it seems to be that this notion of moral growth is quite essential to one’s understanding of the plot, as Huck’s character at the story’s conclusion highly contrasts with that of the beginning. Furthermore, and quite importantly, one shall find that evidence is abound for such a change in moral character when one is to examine Huck’s thoughts and subsequent actions in a chronological manner.
Throughout history authors of literature have offered a unique perspective on the values of their contemporary societies through their works. These perspectives can range from harsh critiques of wasteful aspects of society to perspectives that find positive meaning in the structures put forth in that society. In the case of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s perception of Christianity in the United States, Hawthorne is able to find that Christianity offers both morally outstanding qualities and qualities that should be warned against. Within several of his short stories, Hawthorne talks about Christianity, especially those of Puritanism, as having the ability to be morally wrong with its ability to be hypocritical in its teaching and its inability to find
Every day Pit Bull”s in shelters are killed just because people discriminate them by the breed of dog they are. Many people think that all Pit Bulls are the same as the other, but the truth is “All dogs are individuals”[Best friends.org]. Also, people think the name Pit Bull means a mean fighting dog, but that is also false their name actually means dog of America. Everything that people in America do to make all Pit Bulls disappear forever is like saying they want America to disappear forever because America wasn't built off of the small fluffy yippee dogs, it was built off of the big dogs the Pit Bulls, Bulldogs, Rottweilers, Boxers, and other dogs like them. And the discrimination against all of these dogs needs to stop and come to an end
I never realized the seriousness about Hispanic students questioning their identity and not attending college until I experienced it in my previous course Chicano Studies. I was very fortunate enough to have a class that demonstrated how students not taking courses related to their cultural history history become less motivated to attend college expenses and lack of motivation. Being a Chicano student is very difficult because the number of Chicano students attending college is very small and causes students to lack of motivation. STEM m...
Shame is like a dark shadow that follows us around, making us second guess what we are about to do, and always something we refuse to talk about. As Brown puts it, shame “derives its power from being unspeakable.” If we recognize our shame and speak about it, it’s like shining a flashlight on it; it dies. This is why vulnerability and shame go hand in hand. We must embrace our vulnerability in order to talk about shame, and once we talk about shame and release ourselves from its bonds, we can fully feel vulnerable and use that vulnerability to find courage and dare greatly. In order to reach this level of wholeheartedness, we must “mind the gap,” as Brown says, between where we are and where we want to end up. We must be conscious of our practiced values and the space between those and our aspirational values, what Brown calls the “disengagement divide.” We have to keep our aspirations achievable, or disengagement is inevitable. Minding this gap is quite a daring strategy, and one that requires us to embrace our own vulnerability as well as cultivate shame resilience. Accomplishing our goals is not impossible if we simply cultivate the courage to dare to take action. We can’t let this culture of “never enough” get in our way, and we have to use our vulnerability and shame resilience to take that step over the
The concepts of empowerment theory are to instill power and control. Within this concept is also the concept that disadvantaged persons are threatened by others with more power in their lives. As part of the empowerment theory, gaining personal power helps to gain personal responsibility for change. This personal responsibility for change can transform emotional apathy and despair to positive social action (Van Wormer, 2011, p. 44). One of the main strengths of the empowerment theory is that the approach focuses on an individual’s strengths and builds them into making the desired changes in their own lives. A common limitations of the empowerment theory is when social workers work within a given system, rather than change the system when needed (Van Wormer, 2011, p.
Emily Dickinson had a fascination with death and mortality throughout her life as a writer. She wrote many poems that discussed what it means not only to die, but to be dead. According to personal letters, Dickinson seems to have remained agnostic about the existence of life after death. In a letter written to Mrs. J. G. Holland, Emily implied that the presence of death alone is what makes people feel the need for heaven: “If roses had not faded, and frosts had never come, and one had not fallen here and there whom I could not waken, there were no need of other Heaven than the one below.” (Bianchi 83). Even though she was not particularly religious, she was still drawn to the mystery of the afterlife. Her poetry is often contemplative of the effect or tone that death creates, such as the silence, decay, and feeling of hopelessness. In the poem “I died for beauty,” Dickinson expresses the effect that death has on one's identity and ability to impact the world for his or her ideals.
Emily Dickinson’s poems are famous for their use of faith, death, and the supernatural as central themes. She is often the subject in literature classes, but with nearly 1800 poems and writings, one can only scratch the surface of the Emily Dickinson catalogue. Her background in the Christian religion can be found all throughout her writings. At times she seems deeply rooted in her faith, yet other times she seems riddled with doubt. She writes about love and joy, but far more of her poems reflect death and misery. This causes great debate among fans of her work. Some view her as a feminist that challenges a religion led and dominated by men, and others view her as a strongly religious woman that progressed Christianity. One fact is for certain, although she uses condescending tones regarding religion at times, she never denies her belief in God. Her criticisms are pinpointed toward others within the Christian faith and at the role God plays within our everyday lives. Emily Dickinson uses her
A common stereotype of “pit bulls are vicious animals” used as an excuse for why parents will not allow their children to go over to a pit bull owning person’s house to play with other children. In recent times the pit bull has received a bad reputation from the media due to dog fighting cases and false stories. During both world wars the American Pit Bull Terrier was used for many military propaganda posters because of its powerful and loyal characteristics as well as held officer positions in the military. Many households, such as my own, find the breed to be the best pets for their families because Pit Bulls are very protective and loving dogs. Even though Pit bulls can have an aggressive behavior if not trained properly, I believe the American
Her upbringing was divided between a strict education and the domestic duties that burdened a woman living in the 1800’s (28). During Dickinson's later years of education at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, Dickinson wrote that she was one of the few students who resisted conforming to the widespread Christian Revivalism that swept through the region. Dickinson had intentions other than being “good” (29). Her lack of faith indisputably affected her writing, since she explored options for death other than immortality, which was the widely held belief of the time. Dickinson once expressed concern about her faltering belief: “To lose one's faith-- surpass/ The loss of an Estate-- / Because Estates can be/ Replenished, —faith cannot” (“To Lose One’s Faith”). This lack of faith soon morphed into an intellectual curiosity hat became the forefront of her poems. Soon after her time at Mount Holyoke, Dickinson decided to terminate her schooling and immerse herself in her domestic duties. (Not, however, before being coined the “school wit”.) Having more time to be alone, Dickinson embraced her imagination, almost akin to an inquisitive child. By the end of the 1860’s, Emily Dickinson began to take her passion for poetry to a more serious
Some states want to have separation when it comes to the income of these schools. States argue that high class, wealthy, school districts should have more money than the lower class districts, because of the tax payers wants or because there are better opportunities for students to grow in the wealthier areas. According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 50 percent of lower end schools are not receiving the amount of money they should get from the state funds (U.S. Department of Education). This is what is preventing school districts in these areas from helping students with their education. The schools are forced to cut back on programs such as extracurricular activities that are suppose to encourage students to be active, or they would have to cut back on supplies where in some cases there are not enough textbooks for each student to have his or her own. The U.S. Department of Education also stated that teachers that are less paid and have less years teaching are often the ones dealing with the students in poverty. (U.S. Department of Education). This only prolongs the problem with children receiving the proper education. If they are taught by teachers who don’t know what they are teaching or those who don’t have enough experience, then the students are not going to learn the correct information or any information at all. While there are some schools