Extra Credit Blog

The story of Sissy is a very strange and complicated my prescriptive thinking like no other story I have read this semester. I feel that since this story took place during the 19Th century many viewed Sissy as a strange individual. The character that Sissy can be compared too is Capitola from The Hidden Hand. But not just because both dressed in the opposite sexes clothes. But I compare them to one another because they both seemed to be ahead of their time. Capitola was cross dressing because she had to work. In today's society she would have been seen as a working girl and would have been praised for her work ethic, and not get in trouble like she did. While Sissy was would have been welcomed in today's society even though he is so in touch with his metro sexual identity. This is seen in the story with Sissy doing countless deeds for the boys and girls of the neighborhood and enjoying it in the process. I also feel that Sissy would be an excellent constant on Project Runway because of his skill with clothing.

Another character that I feel you can compare to Sissy is Ellen for The Wide, Wide World. Both are very emotional people that seem to cry every chance that they get. "Oh mother! he cried,kneeling on the floor and hiding his face on her knee, I can't bear it, my heart is breaking. I must see Margie! I must see her! Help me to find her." (Kellogg. 552) This shows the kind of emotional side that Sissy has that is only rivaled by Ellen.Even though Sissy was quite different I did not feel like it completely changed my prescriptive thinking, because we are seeing it more and more in today's society. It is becoming part of the social norm in today's world.

The Luck of Roaring Camp

So far with all the reading we have read this semester I have found "The Luck of Roaring Camp" to be my favorite and most surprising story this semester. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and felt that it really broke away from the norm of the past two American baby stories we have read. In the other stories the baby represented a bad omen and was portrayed in a negative light. But in "The Luck of Roaring Camp" it represented a change for the better and a sign of hope to those who lived in roaring camp. "And so the work of regeneration began in Roaring Camp. Almost imperceptibly a change came over the settlement." (Harte. P.535) What surprised me the most about the story was the drastic change that the men of the camp went through when Tommy Luck became a member of their settlement. All the men in Roaring Camp were rugged individuals, who weren't found of strangers and so though that one woman lived in their settlement. But as soon as Tommy was introduced into their lives we saw Kentucky, Oakhurst, and others display a side we never knew existed in them. "Yet such was the subtle influence of innovation, that he (Kentucky) thereafter appeared regularly every afternoon in a clean shirt, and face still shining from his ablutions." (Harte. P.536) I also liked how readers were able to see how life in the west coast was during this time. Showing people in the east coast that live can be vastly different from theirs, but that they face the same challenges when it come to achieving the American dream. But what I really liked about the story was the affection that so many men displayed for a baby which was not very common for that time, and to me suggested to male readers that it is ok to love and show some tenderness every once in a while.

Gilman and Chopin

When it comes to whole perspective of changing are reading habits for short stories vs. an excepted long novel. I feel that this aspect is very true and I can see why readers beginning in the 20Th century started to make the short novel popular. To me the short story does what people like and that is instant gratification in a quick manor. In a time where everything is becoming fast paced the long novel doesn't have the appeal that a short novel has. With a short novel you still get the characters, intriguing story line, and the detailed setting like a long novel but in a much smaller capacity. As we saw with the story "The Yellow Wallpaper," we got a complete story with a main character, secondary characters (John & Jennie), setting (room with yellow wall paper), and the plot of a women's mental health deterring. We get all this in ten pages and still get a complete story.

But as far as how I approach it I don't find my reading habits changing at all when I encounter a short story. I approach it the same way I do with all stories, and that is with an open mind and interest with the characters no matter the length. I do have to admit that while almost all of my reading habits do stay the same I do find myself reading with more details in short stories. In Desiree's Baby I found myself reading in more detail because so much happened in so little pages. We go from Desiree being found as a baby to having a baby, to her having a husband and a home to not having either, and finding out that Armand is the one who is part black. It was a lot of information in such a little story that I had to read in detail to make sure not to miss anything. But as much as I like short stories I will always prefer a good long novel because you seem to get more out of a long novel when you finish reading it.

Little Lord Fauntleroy

I feel as though the author's gender has a major influence in how the story is presented for the reader to perceive and comprehend. Whether it be the characters or the underline meaning of the story the authors gender is very influential in creating the type of environment the author wants. In Little Lord Fauntleroy we see for the first time in are readings dealing with boys that he is well mannered, handsome, well dressed, and overall very mature for his age, which is completely different from other boy characters like Tom Sawyer and Ragged Dick. "he was so handsome and strong and rosy that he attracted every one's attention." (Burnett pg. 445) This shows the comparable difference in Cedric to Tom and Dick, I feel that this can be attributed to the author being a female. With the author being female I feel she made Cedric fit the role of what women want boys to be like. While we see with male authors like Twain and Alger made the boys in their stories more rugged and mischievous that followed the stereotypical male child during that time period.

As far as how the text changes when the reader finds out that an author is male or female I feel that gender factors into how the story is is developed in boys literature. With a male author you are going to see a more male ego driven story that depicts the boy as tough and cool not showing any type of compassion or feelings. While a female author writing about boys in literature will show a softer side that we don't identify with males whether it be through how they dress, their manners, their looks and other characteristics we don't see male authors doing with their male characters in this time period. We see in Little Lord Fauntleroy that Cedric personality is far different than the other male characters from previous stories and I fell it was described perfectly in class when someone called him the male version of Ellen Montgomery. But this can be attributed to the author being female because of the non traditional male characteristics that were given to Cedric. Overall though I feel that while gender of an author does have some significance in how the story is portrayed. Each author whether it be male or female has their own distinct style that makes their writing their own no matter their sex.

Tom Sawyer

In my posting this week I would like to address the difference in city vs. country, and weather or not Tom could make it in a city.We have read in Ragged Dick that the city is a exciting and a wonderful place, but one must work hard in order to survive in the streets. As we saw with how hard Dick worked just to have a decent amount of money to support himself. Tom on the other hand is far from ever being a diligent worker, " having to work-the very thought of it burnt him like fire." (Twain. P. 411) We see Tom does not have the ambition to be a dedicated worker. Tom also broke the perception that children who are raised in the country are behaved better. As we see with the amounts of trouble he causes his aunt and when he cheats and lies to get the bible. Which I believe would translate into Tom gambling,smoking, and mimicking the same wild side as Dick. But their is one thing that I feel that Tom posses that will allow him to thrive in the streets and that is his savvyness and ability to manipulate people.

The passage I would like to focus on is right after Tom gets most of the boys in town to whitewash the fence, "He had discovered a great law of human action, that in order to make a man or boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain." (Twain. P.414-415) I feel that Tom doing this is using his knowledge/manipulative ability to his advantage in order to get what he wants. This to me would translate into what I like to call "street smarts" and would allow Tom to find a way of surviving in the city. I also feel that this passage reflects just the type of person Tom is and that is always doing what is best for him. Which to me is an important quality to have in order to be independent and thrive in a city.

Ragged Dick

The roles of young girls and young boys in 19Th century American literature were vastly different and seemed to have different connotations when trying to teach young readers, weather it be boy or girl on what roles and behaviors society felt were acceptable. I feel that we have touched on the role society wanted young girls to follow with the domestication process, and how children literature intended for girls to become well mannered domesticated women. While literature intended for boys was to show boys that working no matter the occupation and level of income was seen as being acceptable and a way to contributing to society. When Frank is telling Dick that he should try and be somebody "if you'll try to be somebody, and grow up into a respectable member of society, you may not become rich but you can obtain a good position and be respected." (394) This shows how society viewed the working man as a valued member of society no matter his occupation and income, which is what society wanted young boys to understand. I also feel this mentality contributed to how much boys cared about their education unlike the girls who had to be educated. We see the way Dick talks with all the slang terms and his meager ability to read, "I ain't much on readin it makes my head ache."(387) which shows how little education was valued by young boys.

Another difference in children's literature portraying to boys and girls was the role of parents. With the girls we saw either the mother or a stranger play a significant role in helping girls in literature. Boys on the other hand had no parental supervision or guidance in their life, "he had a father living, but he might as well have been without one. Mr.Nolan was a confirmed drunkard." (349) This shows how little roles parents had in boys life and how they still were able to persevere without them, which showed boys they can succeed by them self and how they must maintain that role of being tough. I also feel a big difference between boys and girls in literature was the way they behaved. Girls were expected to be well mannered and well behaved, and always being "good". Boys behavior was seen as being a bit more rebellious and cool, with the only guideline being not to steal. We see this with Dick's idea of fun being able to drink,smoke,gamble, and play tricks on people. But even though these things are bad for children to be doing we still consider Dick to be a hero.

A Whisper In The Dark

The notion of insanity being introduced in the text makes you rethink how you perceive and comprehend how you read the text from that point forward. When you see Sybil struggling to cope with her new surroundings it makes you question how you would act in that situation and if you would be able to handle all that psychological turmoil that has taken its toll on her. The concepts of insanity also change how I read the story because the narrator (Sybil) is the one who is going insane. I was forced to feel and react to all the mental aspects and psychological battles that Sybil is fighting while in the insane asylum, which made me question if she was not already completely insane and if I could trust her thoughts. "I stretched my hands to them, crying with an imploring cry, Yes, I am quiet, I am hopeless." (Alcott pg.236) These were some of Sybil's actions that made it hard for me not to think she was not already insane.

I feel as though the mother and daughter relationship in nineteenth-century society literature was changed with the relationship of Sybil and her mother. Being that their relationship was established while Sybil is going insane and her mother on the other hand is already assumed to be insane. This is far different from the other text we have read were the mother daughter relationship was established on love and morals. I also feel as though Sybil and her mother still had that special love that a mother and daughter share even though it was under very dark and conflicting circumstances. Those circumstances were being able to fight through the insanity barrier and Sybil's mother warning her to escape, which was the foundation their relationship was built on. "I believed her dead, yet I had seen her, knew where her solitary grave was made, and still carried in my bosom the warnings she had sent me, prompted by the unerring instinct of a mother’s heart." (Alcott pg.240) This shows how there was still a loving relationship between mother and daughter with Sybil and her mother, it is just portrayed and received in a different manner by Sybil. Which is different from the traditional sense of a mother daughter relationship we have seen in other text.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

The ideas and theories that we have come to know in children's literature are lay to rest when reading the tragic tales in Uncle Tom's Cabin. This book to me completely abandons the ideas and theories that were established for children literature. Stowe choose to open the eyes of the world to the truths and dealing behind slavery and in the process made the general public during the time of its release rethink their views and morals regarding slavery in the United States.

The theory that children represent signs of being symbolic of hope and potential are dashed in Uncle Tom's Cabin. The only hope the children embodied were that they had a kind slave master or were not separated from their families. While their potential was limited to nothing more than being sold to the highest bidder and being worked until they grew old. As evident when Haley is discussing business with a man who wants to purchase a young boy "I could raise that ar chap myself, or get him raised; he's uncommon likely and healthy, and he'd fetch a hundred dollars, six months hence; and in a year or two, he'd bring two hundred." (Stowe pgs. 325-326) While there was potential for children in Uncle Toms Cabin it was for all the wrong reasons. Another theory that I felt was broken by Stowe regarding children's literature was that of authors hiding the social issues of the time period, as we have seen in are other reading the authors have shied away from this. But Stowe brings it full circle as we see when Mr.Bird addresses a law in Kentucky "There has been a law passes forbidding people to help off the slaves that come from Kentucky." (Stowe pg. 274) Another theory that I felt was broke was that of morality being the focus of children's literature, "high level of individual morality was indispensable if the promise of the nation’s future was to be fulfilled.” (Macleod) Well there was no morality displayed in Uncle Tom's Cabin with some of the most vicious and reprehensible acts committed by slave owners and peoples who accepted slavery. There was no morality upright in this text which gave great doubt on the nation's future ever being fulfilled.

Overall even though I felt that this text was eye-opening and one of the most saddest stories I have ever read, it might be one of the most important and influential novels ever published in history. While the whole message of slavery is not viewed as "good" Stowe was able to open the eyes of people and lend a helping hand in changing the view of ending slavery for the greater "good."

The Hidden Hand

I found this text to be the most interesting and my favorite reading of all the stories we have read up to this point in are readings. I was little disappointed with the fact that we don't know of Marah Rocke was wrong as Old Hurricane believed or innocent as Herbert Gresyon swore his life on. But as interesting as that was the most interesting aspect of the story I found was the setting of the whole story. As the story continued on the whole aspect of the trap door and all the different stories behind it fascinated me. Whether it was used to kill Indians to get land or as Old Hurricane said "was nothing more than a old cave that was used as a dry cellar". I was hoping that Cap and Pit-a-Pat would have explored it in more detail than the rather little investigating they did with the candle and the strap from her trunk. I was also disappointed by the fact that there were no more leads to the trap door when Cap searched for some. I would have loved for the story to continue going into detail with Cap and her curiosity with the trap door.

But the beginning of the text and going into detail with the setting by describing the likes of Hurricane Hall, Devils Run, and Devils Hoof. I felt as if the text really set the mood for the story and really established an intriguing and imaginative atmosphere that really left the reader pondering how all these settings will tie into the story later. I liked this a lot due to the fact that most authors during this time gave little attention to the setting, because they in no way wanted to take away from the moral lesson that they were tying into their story. But the fact that EDEN Southworth was willing to branch out and be different from the other authors was really groundbreaking for this time period.

The Lamplighter

I feel as though the video was quite evident of the changing times the world has gone through when it come to children and continues still till this day. I fell that the interview between Amy and Anna establishes the type of view that today's children have in the world, and how today's children are predicated on being their own person and doing what makes them feel good while in the 19Th century children were supposed to follow a strict regimen and grow into the mold that adult authority created for them. Anna as sweet as she is compares drastically different from Gerty. Both girls are struggling to find balance in their life and both girls deal with how to find that balance in a much different way. Anna finds balance by doing various yoga positions and its calms her to the point of balance. On the other hand Gerty finds balance by getting in touch with her violent emotional side which we see twice when she throws the wooden spoon and strikes Nan Grant and when she trows the stone at the widow and shatters it. I also feel as though today's girls are treated and perceived in today's society is vastly different from Gerty's time period. In the interview Anna says she does yoga to find balance and Anna says "You want people to like you for who you are" which is what people see of girls today as being their own person and being that contemporary girl that everyone finds pretty and sweet in today's society. While in Gerty's time period girls were viewed as young women in training and supposed to become well mannered and domesticated when they grew up.

If Gerty would have appeared on Amy Pholer's TV show there would have been a different kind of show and the questions might have been answered a little differently. For one when asked about school Gerty said she would hate it because of what those girls called Uncle True. When asked what qualities make a good teacher Gerty would have responded by saying what makes a good teacher is someone who is just nice with her and willing just to teach her, because she had never been taught anything until being taught how to be a housekeeper by Mrs.Sullivan. When asked the question what would you would tell people who say they cant do something, I believe Gerty would answer by saying they cant do it and just to give up. I think she would say this because of how she refers to her self as always being ugly and was always told that she was a bad child. As for the question on what advice she would give to girls I feel as though she would have responded by saying that all girls should find someone who will love them and be nice to them. Because we see how drastically Gerty has changed from a sad lonely little girl to a warm hearted loving child.

The Wide, Wide World

The role of parents in the Wide, Wide world I found to be very direct and at time to be very strict in guiding Ellen on the right path towards becoming a woman. We see throughout the text that Ellen is very obedient and well mannered towards any adult figure. As such the case when the doctor instructions her that she must not excite her mother, Ellen took the advice to heart and was determined to follow it. The text also wants us to view the parents role as as teaching tool for children on how to grow up and showing them how they should be when they do reach adulthood. We see this in the entire shopping scene with Ellen and her mother as she is constantly getting things that she thinks Ellen will need in the future that will help her grow into a woman, since she will not be their to show her how. I also feel as though the text wants us to view parents close relationship with God, and by doing showing us how important it is to be associated with God. We see this when Mrs.Montgomery openly admits that she love God more than Ellen and tells Ellen that she to must love God more that she loves her.

I feel as though the text was creating an atmosphere that was very accurate during the 19Th century and separating the identities of the household between the father and the mother. The identities of the father during this time period was to constantly be working to support his family while showing little affection to maintain that male authority that all men must live up to. While woman were supposed to be domesticated and keep a clean house hold and be able to raise the children. We know this by the fact that Mrs.Montgomery doesn't appear to work and the fact she is the one raising Ellen shows the role that she had as a mother. While Mr.Montgomery is constantly gone and is hardly mention in the story and when he does appear he is constantly establishing his role as the man of the house. With the little affection he shows to Ellen and the constant rules and standards he sets for her to follow. This was the common model of the family household for the 19Th century.

Ellen I'm sure is the type of person who loves both her parents very dearly, but as for what kind of love she has for each parent is totally different and plays into how she perceives each parent. I feel as though Ellen has a true mother daughter bond with her mother and would do anything to please her in anyway. They also both have a mutual respect for one another because they both try to do whats best for one another, while still maintain the terms of a mother daughter relationship. As evident by the way Ellen cares and caries the burden of her mother leaving her in the near future because she knows her mom wants her to be strong while she is away. While her mother loves her dearly and does what she can to help her in the future by buying items she believes will help her in the future, and by preaching lessons that she feels are influential for her to live by. The type of role that Ellen expects her mother to have in her life is one of guidance and love. Ellen is always looking for the approval from her mother as she always agrees with her and also looks for her to be her emotional support with all of the things that are going to change in the near future. While Ellen and her father have a simple type of relationship were there was a respect in that he was her father and provided for her nothing more. As for the role she expects for him to have in her life is nothing more that an authoritative figure. Which is seen at the end when he breaks up Ellen and her mother as she leaves and Ellen says she never heard a word her father said or the candy he gave her. Which shows how she has little remorse for him and is nothing more than the authoritative figure in her life.

Constructions of Childhood Prompt

Most of the ideas and theories from MacLeod's "Children's Literature for a New Nation" and Sanchez-Eppler's introduction to "Dependent States: The Child's Part in Nineteenth-Century American Culture" can be seen as setting the tone for children's literature. With five theories that range from socialization, political views, gender separation, and others that form the bases of how children's literature and children them self were viewed and how it evolved during the nineteenth-century.

The first theory I developed is that of how children's literature was written to be used as a teaching tool for children on the matter of conforming social expectations in the eyes of parents, schools, and other so called experts. I believe this theory to be true in that most children's stories are written with the idea that children will grasp the idea of the perfect image that these stories want them to follow. Which eventually will lead to the children growing into this ideal social expectation outlined for them by the parents, schools, and experts who control children literature. "Children matter then not as selves, but as stages in the process of making an adult identity." (Sanchez pg4) This shows how Sanchez viewed how children had no chance of making their own identity but rather were expected to become the ideal adult.

Another theory is how authors of children's literature during this time period put little emphasis on the setting of children's stories. " No doubt because their purpose were so selective, authors gave scant attention to the settings of their narratives." (Macleod pg4) This was done in order to keep the story simple so kids could understand. By making the setting so plain it became universal therefor kids were able to connect with story and characters much more fluidly.

"Ideas about children's specialness and separateness coincide with the growth of governmental power and visibility." (Macleod pg7) Children characters were used constantly in literature to express political ideas and influence the nation. Childhood theories and the innocence factor of children contributed to the amount of political discourse. Which attempted to reform, direct, and influence the nation through the children and the adults by holding them up to a standard by which to follow and show the direction that they wanted the United States of America to move.

The theory regarding the gender division in children's literature showed the nation the roles that males and females were expected to fulfill in American society. Children's literature was used as a tool to mold girls into becoming women and boys into young men. With women being expected to be a subservient to the man of the house which was the path that most women were expected to follow. I feel as though that this ideology of women during this time period was forced onto the general public and this view drastically changed overtime where we know see in many households that women are the dominant force of the family.

The final theory is how mostly all children's literature during this time period was focused on establishing a moral at the base of all its stories. " Public virtue depended upon the character of private citizens, thus the developing moral character of children was the object of much anxious attention in the period."(Macleod pg 3) All stories during this time had a moral in order to influence children and guide them on the path that adults wanted the future generations to have. Which is why a huge emphasis was predicated on children literature so that future generations would have ideal morals and standards when they grew up.

First Blog Entry

Hello My name is Steven Bocanegra and I hail from the great city of El Paso, Texas and that's about 10 hours away from Fort Worth. I am currently in my second year at Texas Christian University and I am a communications major but have not decided on a minor as of now. I'm a very outgoing Person with a relaxed personality and I look forward to participating in this class as it is one of my most interesting classes this semester.

Well the main reason I came to TCU was first and foremost was the great academic prestige the school has as well as the outstanding journalism program, but I just fell in love with the campus and city of Fort Worth and that is what sealed the deal for me to come here. If I were made chancellor of TCU for a day the first thing I would do is build a parking lot structure in order to deal with the limited parking on campus. A good teacher to me is one that makes the classroom come alive and actively makes the material they are teaching interesting and engaging for the students and truly loves to teach. While a good student is willing to do what it takes to make the grade they want and is always listening, participating, and fully grasping the curriculum. As for the three people I would like to take out to lunch would be Colin Cowheard he is why I wanna be a journalist, second would be Barack Obama so I can say I ate lunch with the president, and the third would be Will Ferrell to keep the whole table laughing. Three things people should know about me is one I love to talk about sports, two I have a deep passion for writing, and three I love wear baseball caps. As for three things I want to know about the class is one where is everyone from, two what is every one's major, and third what is every ones favorite video game.

My reason for taking this course besides filling a requirement was that this course sounded interesting and I wanted to read some of the work of major American writers. What I hope to get out of this class is to gain a respect for some of the American writers we will be reading and hopefully gain some new perspective when it comes to American writers.
The types of reading I do inside the class are whatever is assigned to be read for the class. While outside of class I love reading the Fort Worth Star Telegram and grabbing a Sports Illustrated every once in a while. The types of text I like to read are either sports related, I love reading fiction novels, and autobiographies. The types of writing I primarily do are texting, emailing, and general writing my thoughts and feelings on my facebook page. Writing to me has always had a special place in my heart I regard it one of my favorite activities and is why I wanna pursue a career in writing. I feel that writing allows you to escape the real world and just let you express whatever you want in your own creative world.

The type of message that I feel my blog is sending is one of honesty, realism, and at most times a positive outlook. I feel that most of my views are intended to be positive but are also very honest and my overall blog gives people an idea of what kind of person I really am. I chose black as my background because it represents being bold and strong which is how I see myself. As for the picture I chose it also shows my other side which is being loving and caring. Overall I feel that my blog is Representative of the type of person i am and my eagerness to participate in this course.

I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.
X Steven Bocanegra