Civil War to 1914

The Rise of Realism

Although photographers like Mathew Brady is famous for documenting the war with photos, written documents did not emerge until years later.

Many slave narratives, or published personal experiences, were published during this time in order to gain support for the abolition of slavery.

Only a few famous writers wrote about the war.

Documenting the Civil War

Walt Whitman

America’s WritersHerman Melville

He remained optimistic about the war and wrote tribute to the bravery of the soldiers in “Song of Myself”.

He was pessimistic about the war in his poetry. His battlefield visits reveal humanity’s evil.

What is the title of Melville’s famous novel?

Do you know?

American writers were absent from the scenes of war for the most part. Their absence led to inadequate coverage of the war, unlike what we see today.

Yes, soldiers kept journals and letters, but professional writers were not on the battlefront.

It took many years to capture the essence of the Civil War in a book.

Covering the war

Emerson, who warned the war was likely to occur, wrote patriotic lectures.

Thoreau and Hawthorne died during that time.

Dickinson did not seem influenced by the topic of war in her poetry.

William Dan Howells, Henry James, and Henry Adams were abroad.

Where were the great writers?

The romantic writers were not interested in the realistic writing style that audiences liked.

There still remained a market for romantic writing which became the stereotypical romance novel of today.

What happened to romanticism?

Realistic accountsSlave narrativesRegionalism or “local color”Naturalism

Writings that Emerged

Stephen CraneBorn six years after the Civil

War ended, Stephen Crane is credited with writing the first book capturing the views of war in The Red Badge of Courage. His approach today would be classified as historical fiction. His works contain the ironies of human illusions with the indifference of the universe.

Realism is born

Writers like Henry James wrote novels set in Europe. Many Americans viewed Europeans as being dark, sinister characters. In many of his novels an eager American confronts complex European society.

His stories featured human motivation.

Psychological Realism

Authors like Mark Twain wrote books set in the area where he lived. These stories included local customs and dialects.

These people were often isolated due to location or culture. This isolation made their customs or speech seem odd. These oddities were entertaining.

This type of writing was also called “local color”.

Although it attempted to be accurate, regionalism was often sentimental which lessened its realistic value.

Regionalism

Believed humans had little control over their destiny. The characters usually had few options who live by instinct. Naturalism was influenced by biological research like Darwin’s.

NaturalistsCharles Darwin

Frederick DouglassSome former slaves

wrote about their experiences as slaves. These works helped gain support for the Civil War.

Slave Narratives

DescriptionNarrationExpositionPersuasion

Modes of Expressing Ideas

Uses a lot of great visual words to help you see the person, place or thing they are writing about. The writing can be poetic at times, and explain things in great detail.

Descriptive Writing

The author puts themselves in their characters shoes and writes as if they were that person. In the case of autobiographies, they are that person. They tell life stories and involve plots and storylines.

Narrative Writing

The author intends to inform, explain, describe or define their subject. As the author is mostly trying to tell you all about the subject, their opinions are left out leaving you with facts and figures instead of trying to defend or support an opinion.

Expositive Writing

Takes on the opinion of the writer or issue the writer is writing for. This is considered biased material and is most often found in advertising.

Persuasive Writing

Often featured a variety of the modes of writing to inform and persuade readers.Frederick Douglass

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.htmlMetaphor

Harriet Jacobshttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2924.htmlRead pages 471-476Answer questions 1-10 on page 477Internal/External conflict

Slave Narratives

Music played an important role in traditional African society.

In America, these songs were passed by word of mouth.

The lyrics are often coded. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thz1zDAytzU

Go Down, Moses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP5EfwBWgg0&

feature=related

Spirituals

Read pages 479-486Answer questions 1-4 on page 487ToneSymbolism

Spirituals

Write about a time that you thought something was a "dream come true" but then learned that it wasn't what you had idealized. What did you end up learning from your realization?

Journal #3

Logos- LogicPersuade by the use of reasoning. Use of facts,

data, and testimonies provide natural proof. Ethos – Credibility

We believe people we respect. Establish credibility by competence, good intention, and empathy.

Pathos- EmotionalPersuade by appealing to people’s emotions.

Use of figures of speech make this method effective.

The Art of Rhetoric (Persuasion)

Which type of rhetoric do you find in the slave narratives?

Where do we find rhetoric today?Remember how Walt Whitman carefully

crafted his image to market his product?This idea of persuasion is has grown into big

business.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/

Method of Rhetoric

The BIG packetRead the informationComplete all worksheets includedAnalyze six advertisementsPlan your advertisement.Develop your ad in any format. You may draw

on paper, use digital imaging, cut and paste or write in descriptive form.

Study the rubrics.

Persuasion Assignment

This assignment is ongoing. We will continue to read and discuss literature in this unit.

Use the last 10-20 minutes of class to ask questions and discuss ideas with the teacher.

Be protective of your advertisement ideas. You wouldn’t want a classmate to take your strategy!

I will likely set aside one day in the lab devoted to researching, creating and typing. Otherwise, you need to manage your time appropriately.

When is this due?

http://www2.waterforduhs.k12.wi.us/staffweb/sereno/mainpages/InfoLit/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Writing%20the%20Persuasive%20Essay.pdf

Email me and I send you this link.Your audience will be your classmates, not

just the teacher.

The Persuasive Essay

You are free to choose your topic. Be sure to include pathos, logos, and/or ethos in you persuasion.

Try to be unique in your topic choice. Some topics are overused in high school persuasive essays.

Be sure to narrow your topic. (Gun control is too broad.)

Do an appropriate amount of research, but remember, it’s not a research paper.

I will have you declare your topic upon which no other classmate will be allowed to select the same idea.

The Persuasive Essay Topic

First page #1-10 due Thursday/FridayAnalyzing Ads /Commercial Assessment due

March 11/March 14.Your individual advertisement due on March

17/March 18.

Persuasive Project Due Dates

Situational ironyWhat is the mystery of heroism?How is war kind?

A Mystery of Heroism

Lost manuscript

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/twain/index.html

http://www.marktwainontour.com/

Mark Twain

Tall TaleA humorous story characterized by outrageous

exaggeration . It’s not what is said but how it is said.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox

Comic Devices Hyperbole

Outrageous exaggerationYour father is so low he has to look up to

tie his shoes.

Terms to Know

Comic Devices [Continued}Understatement- Saying less than what is usually

meant, usually for ironic purposes."It's just a flesh wound."

(Black Knight, after having both arms cut off, in Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

Comic Comparisons- Similes and metaphors that surprisingly link very dissimilar things thus creating outlandish imagesShe grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli, and he

was room-temperature Canadian beef.

Terms to Know

Comic characters and situationsUnusual people dealing with unlikely events;

probably the oldest and most reliable comic device (Shakespeare loved this one!)

VernacularLanguage spoken by people in a particular

region. Unique vocabulary and dialect are included.

Seen in “The Mystery of Heroism”

Terms to Know

IdiomsExpression and constructions that make no

literal sense.It’s raining cats and dogs.

Frame StoryA story within a story

The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump , Slumdog Millionaire

Terms to Know

SatireUses humor to critique people or institutions

with the intention of improving them. Satire uses exaggeration and irony.

The Daily Show, Austin Powers Movies, SNL’s Weekly Update

Terms to Know

PurposeThe reason for which the author is writing.

(See the modes/types of writing from earlier.)InformEntertainPersuade

Terms to Know

Collins is motivated by thirst. It’s almost an animalistic instinct. The possibility of becoming a hero enters his mind, but is quickly dismissed as fear set in.

The Mystery of Heroism

The Lowest Animal