American Literature - Term Paper Example

? American Literature Throughout his book What is Literature?, Sartre argues that literature is a form of prose writing that engages with the world around it in such a way as to reveal the freedom and soul of the writer as well as appeal to the freedoms of the reader to affect a better world. This offers a strong conception of the importance of literature and its connection to life. By releasing the aesthetic joy of these freedoms, the writer writes to make others aware of their own freedoms and, in reveling in this knowledge, to work harder to bring about greater freedoms for others or even for themselves. “Drawing a distinction between prose, which can be committed, and poetry (basically nonrepresentational art such as music and poetry properly speaking), which cannot … Sartre proceeds to urge that the prose-writer reveal that man is a value to be invented each day and that ‘the questions he raises are always moral’” (Flynn, 2004). Sartre insisted on the social responsibility of the artist and the intellectual in general, revealing how literature, to a great degree, can help shape how a nation develops and defines itself. American literature is often characterized by plain language. However, it is in this colloquialism that American authors are able to capture the voice of the nation, “its multiracial and immigrant streams of speech and behavior, its violence and exuberance, its ignorance of its own general and regional history. … It is presented as a search for the elements of a ‘common language’: a shared cultural and historical awareness to counteract the fragmentation of American society” (Rosenthal, 2001). This effort to capture the voice of the ‘common’ American as well as to present the images that are most important to the country’s identity can be captured only by a true American. The short story is an art form that was first mastered by the 19th century writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). In perfecting this form, Poe said “If any literary work is too long to be read at one sitting, we must be content to dispense with the immensely important effect derivable from unity of impression” (Mowery, 1997). As he tells his frequently bizarre and frightening tales, Poe presents his readers with symbol-rich imagery and descriptions that reflect American fears. In "The Tell-Tale Heart" for example, Poe explores the American's sense of division that distracted the country at the time. The narrator goes mad trying to reconcile the hated evil eye within the form of a loved elder. “He discloses a deep psychological confusion. Almost casually he admits lack of normal motivation … Yet in spite of this affection he says that the idea of murder ‘haunted me day and night’” (Robinson, 1965: 369). The detached and gruesome details of the murder delivered without emotion following a simple step-by-step precision prove highly destructive distraction: “The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs” (159). As the tale ends, it becomes clear not only that the narrator is completely insane, but also that this insanity led to the destruction of the family body and the self in much the same way that Americans were then building up to destruction from within. One of the first modern conceptions regarding the world that Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) questions in his book Walden is the concept of materialism or ownership as it exists in economic terms, exploring a mostly American movement at that time called Transcendentalism. Thoreau discusses the question of ownership as he talks about his search for a farm around the Concord area. He introduces the conventional idea of possession as holding some type of ownership rights, “The nearest that I came to actual possession was when I bought the Hollowell place, … but before the owner gave me a deed of it, his wife … changed her mind and wished to keep it” (68). As he talks about giving the farm back to its original owner, he demonstrates the transcendental approach. “But I retained the landscape, and I have since annually carried off what it yielded without a wheelbarrow … I have frequently seen a poet withdraw, having enjoyed the most valuable part of a farm, while the crusty farmer supposed that he had got a few wild apples only” (68). Having rejected the concept of ownership in the traditional sense as well as condemned the idea that prices that are inflated well higher than they had to be should be merely accepted, Thoreau argues against the false impressions of required living space to which most Americans even today seem to feel necessary. Recognizing the tiny size of his self-built home, Thoreau indicates the unnecessary spaciousness of others' homes: “Many of our houses, both public and private, with their almost innumerable apartments, their huge halls and their cellars for the storage of wines and other munitions of peace, appear to be extravagantly large for their inhabitants. They are so vast and magnificent that the latter seem to be only vermin which infest them” (116). However, he also indicates how his home is much bigger than it appears, incorporating the shared spaces of the outdoors, the connection with nature and the consideration of the ultimate creation. Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was a reclusive poet working during the second half of the nineteenth century. Coming after Thoreau's Transcendentalism, the time period that she wrote in idolized the imagination as the highest of human capacities and nature because of the creative element inherent in it and because of the manifestation of the imagination that could be found within it. The world was considered to be full of symbols and signs that would portend future events and actions. These were predictable through their relationship to the myths and legends of antiquity. These concepts trace through much of Dickenson’s poetry. By avoiding titles, she forces her readers to pay closer attention to what the poem says in order to glean meaning. Once she has her reader hooked, she uses natural imagery to make the connection closer. This can be found in lines such as “invisible as music / But positive as sound” (This world is not conclusion 3-4); “They went to God’s right hand / That hand is amputated now” (Those dying then 3-4); and “Tell all the truth but tell it slant / Success in circuit lies” (Tell all the truth but tell it slant 1-2). In each of these lines, Dickenson encourages her readers to create a mental image analogy of her idea, but this also requires the engagement of the imagination at the same time. Inner darkness is an ill-defined but common demon in the hearts of Americans as is also illustrated in both Robert Frost’s (1864-1963) poem “Desert Places.” This poem is dedicated to description of the scenery to introduce and illustrate the thoughts running through his head. This connection is established as the poet talks about the snow and the night both falling so fast “in a field I looked into going past / And the ground almost covered smooth in snow / But a few weeds and stubble showing last” (3-5). This description of a darkening field almost completely covered in fresh snow conjures up a sympathetic sense of loneliness and emptiness in the reader. Individual details are lost as the snow makes all things seem the same but there is still evidence of a losing battle to retain individuality as he notices some weeds still sticking through. At the same time, though, the “weeds and stubble” introduce more conflict. “The stubble is more clearly the hint of man’s presence, the aftermath, quite literally, of man’s contact with the land, while the weeds – which can exist only in (and therefore define) a cultivated area – remind us of nature’s persistent reclamation of the artificial” (Frank 1973). Written with a grace and flow that paints an alarmingly clear picture of ideas, Elizabeth Bishop’s (1911-1979) poetry relies on adjectives and other poetic devices to develop a slightly more optimistic voice. In “The Pink Dog,” Bishop uses the dog as a dehumanized metaphor for the physical body. Suggesting the dog should cover itself with Carnival costume, the speaker suggests no one can remain subjective in the modern day world. Instead, the individual is required to conform to the surrounding culture or “go bobbing in the ebbing sewage, nights / out in the suburbs, where there are no lights” (Bishop, 17-18). Without a costume, reality proves too frightening for the public to accept: “Of course, they’re mortally afraid of rabies, / You are not mad; you have a case of scabies / but look intelligent” (Bishop, 7-9). Bishop suggests that any behavior considered different from the 'norm' is understood to be crazy, different and undesirable. Rather than going undercover or moving overseas, the different are now encouraged to take their place in society although under a superficial cover. Even though James Baldwin (1924-1987) spent most of his adult life in France, he is essentially an American writer. Having been born and raised in New York’s Harlem district, he was intimately familiar with the American sights and sounds that drove his stories (Goldman, 1974). Fleeing the inequality and hatred of his society for his race and for his sexuality, Baldwin moved to France where he felt he could be more truthful about the actual American Black experience. In stories such as “Going to Meet the Man,” Baldwin presents a pessimistic view of the white man’s worldview as he copes with extreme racism in the south. However, there is a shred of hope woven into the story as Baldwin tries to illustrate the importance of each race attempting to actually listen to the other. In “Woman Hollering Creek,” Sandra Cisneros’ (1954- ) main character, Cleofilas, spends her childhood watching telenovelas on TV learning classic Cinderella themes which reinforce the white male ideal of the feminine social role. These stories teach Cleofilas what to expect of marriage, specifically that there will be a happily ever after following her childhood of virtuous struggle. At the same time, she also learned not to trust other women. As a result, Cleofilas suffered through the violence and abuse of her home alone. Although she is willing to sacrifice herself, she gradually loses all misimpressions that things will somehow turn out right. The story ends when Cleofilas finally turns to other women for help and discovers a woman who is free enough to holler every time she crosses the creek in recognition of female liberation. As one traces through the history of American literature, it becomes clear that American literature is characterized by two dominant themes -- fear and ecstasy. There is the fear expressed by authors such as Poe, Frost and Baldwin that the individual will be overrun by more powerful elements such as madness that splits one down the middle, inner despair or social persecution, but there is also hope in most cases that a solution can be found, a light will shine through the darkness or that society will grow and mature. At the same time, there is a great deal of joy and celebration of nature as is seen in Thoreau, Dickenson and Bishop. These authors recognize an underlying possibility for darkness, but their hopeful enthusiasm overshadows this to paint the negative with positive tones. Coming to the end of the survey, the bi-cultural author Sandra Cisneros represents American literature in the modern age as a careful blending of the two ideals expressed through earlier literature. It is at once despairing that society hasn't grown at all and celebratory that society is in the process of growing. It highlights the voiceless nature of its main character and celebrates her acquisition of a voice. It will be interesting to see if the cycle of American literature repeats from this point forward or if it will take a new direction with the recognition of these additional voices within the literary realm. References Baldwin, James. “Going to Meet the Man.” Bishop, Elizabeth. (1983). Elizabeth Bishop: The Complete Poems 1927-1979. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux. Cisneros, Sandra. (1992). Woman Hollering Creek: And Other Stories. New York: Vintage Books. Dickenson, Emily. (1924). The Complete Poems. Boston: Little Brown. Flynn, Thomas. (2004). “Jean-Paul Sartre.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Frank, Albert J. Von. (1973). "On 'Desert Places.'" Frost: Centennial Essays. Mississippi: University of Mississippi. Frost, Robert. (1936). "Desert Places." A Further Range. New York: Henry Holt & Co. Goldman, Suzy Bernstein. (Autumn 1974). “James Baldwin’s ‘Sonny’s Blues’: A Message in Music.” Negro American Literature Forum. Vol. 8, N. 3: 231-233. Mowery, Carl. (1997). “An Overview to ‘The Fall of the House of Usher.’” Short Stories for Students. Gale Research. Poe, Edgar Allan. (2003). “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Aerie Books. Robinson, E. Arthur. (March 1965). “Poe’s ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’.” Nineteenth-Century Fiction. Vol. 19, N. 4, pp. 369-378. Rosenthal, M.L. (2001). “Williams’ Life and Career.” Modern American Poetry. Cary Nelson (Ed.). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois. Thoreau, Henry David. (1993). Walden. New York: Barnes and Noble Books. Read More