Peter Sackett-Ferguson
Ms. Upson
English 373 8-9A
25.4.14
Burning Bridges: the Application of “Barn Burning” in the Junior English canon
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” - William Faulkner
One of the most prominent ideas in the study of history is the belief that history repeats itself and past trends can be applied to modern events as if it were a cycle. Around the world, countless empires and cultures have risen and fallen, often following the same course through the process, and the American South is one of the more recent examples of this; the pattern of meteoric rise followed by dark decadence can be seen in the histories of nearly every culture. William Faulkner, a writer in the American South during the mid-20th century, knew of this more than most, and wrote extensively about the tribulations of the ordinary man in the post-Civil War South, creating the fictional region of Yoknapatawpha County, in which his story, “Barn Burning,” is set. Much of the curriculum of junior English is based around exploring these cycles - The Great Gatsby, for example, explores the decadence of the north-east in the 20’s - and “Barn Burning,” a story about a boy named Sarty’s conflict with his father, Abner, who burns barns in an expression of resentment of the apathetic upper class in the American South, would certainly fit in were it to be included. Faulkner’s incredible presence in world literature, due to the literary value and continued relevance of his works, makes it impossible to avoid teaching him in a higher-level English course. Faulkner’s writings, and “Barn Burning,” are applicable in almost every culture around the world in some way, and his works continue to be read despite the relatively low accessibility he impos...
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...Faulkner’s prose. (7)
Srikanth’s reaction is one enjoyed by readers from many different cultures in response to reading Faulkner. Despite his heritage in one of the more hateful societies of the world, within the race perceived as superior at the time, his writing about failed expectations of the American Dream is applicable to all humans and especially relevant to our English curriculum.
Due to Faulkner’s relevance in modern literature, the literary merit of “Barn Burning,” and the story’s applicability to the core questions and topic of the junior English curriculum, “Barn Burning” should be taught in 11th grade English. No writer exemplifies the American experience quite like Faulkner, especially in his collection of writings surrounding Yoknapatawpha County, and certainly no writer who is so significant in world literature as a pioneer of a new style of writing.
Sarty, whose full name is Colonel Sartoris Snopes, shares his name with a Famous Civil War Colonel in Faulkner’s word throughout “Barn Burning”. Colonel Sartoris in Faulkner’s fictional world is a distinguished confederate Colonel most likely famous for his integrity (Faulkner, 480). The significance of Sarty being named after a man regarded so highly rest in the fact that Sarty holds himself to the same high standards. Someone even remarked to Sarty before he testified against his father “I recon anybody named for Colonel Sartoris in this country can’t help but tell the truth” (Faulkner, 480). Further subtle evidences of Sarty’s intuitive sense of justice comes from Faulkner’s brief statement about the Major de Spain manor. Sarty’s first reaction to seeing the manor is “hit’s as big as a courthouse” (Faulkner, 483). In this one phrase, this singular idea that pops into Sarty’s mind, the reader gains a quick glimpse into Sarty’s consciousness. Sarty’s almost instinctive thought is of a courthouse, and not of a bank or of a church. Courthouses are synonymous with justice, doing what is moral, and punishing what is immoral. Faulkner utilizes this thought to provide a subtle indication and further demonstration of Sarty’s sense of
The Armenian genocide ruins Vahan Kenderian’s picture-perfect life. Vahan is the son of the richest Armenian in Turkey and before the war begins, he always has food in his belly and a roof over his head in the book Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian. Life is absolutely quintessential for Vahan, until the war starts in 1915, when he endures many deaths of his family, losses of his friends, and frightening experiences in a short amount of time. He is a prisoner of war early in the book and is starved for days. As he goes through life, he is very unlucky and experiences other deaths, not just the deaths of his family. Vahan ultimately becomes the man his family would want him to be.
The Significance of Family Meals in Faulkner’s Barn Burning, Shall Not Perish, and Two Soldiers
William Faulkner, recognized as one of the greatest writers of all time, once made a speech as he accepted his Nobel prize for writing in which he stated that a great piece of writing should contain the truths of the heart and the conflicts that arise over these truths. These truths were love, honor, pity, pride, compassion and sacrifice. Truly it would be hard to argue that a story without these truths would be considered even a good story let alone a great one. So the question brought forward is whether Faulkner uses his own truths of the heart to make his story "Barn Burning." Clearly the answer to this question is yes; his use of the truths of the heart are prevalent
The. Barn Burning. Collected Stories of William Faulkner. New York: The New York Times.
In “Barn Burning” the setting is a time when people drove horse wagons and the workingmen were generally farmers. The major character in this story is Colonel Sartoris Snopes, called “Sarty” by his family who is a ten-year-old boy. In the beginning, Sarty is portrayed as a confused and frightened young boy. He is in despair over the burden of doing the right thing or sticking by his family, as his father states,” You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you.”
Growing up in the South, Faulkner gives a good perspective on what it was like for
William Faulkner elected to write “Barn Burning” from his young character Sarty’s perspective because his sense of morality and decency would present a more plausible conflict in this story. Abner Snopes inability to feel the level of remorse needed to generate a truly moral predicament in this story, sheds light on Sarty’s efforts to overcome the constant “pull of blood”(277) that forces him to remain loyal to his father. As a result, this reveals the hidden contempt and fear Sarty has developed over the years because of Abner’s behavior. Sarty’s struggle to maintain an understanding of morality while clinging to the fading idolization of a father he fears, sets the tone for a chain of events that results in his liberation from Abner’s destructive defiance-but at a costly price.
Often times, literature reflects the problems within a society. An author finds their character’s struggles and triumphs in the people of each era. Inspirations from real life events fuel not only great literature but also books that become remarkable social pieces. A perfect example is Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. This novel is reflective of the 1930’s era. In the story racism runs rampant through society with only a noble few trying to stop it. The racism that is apparent and a focal point for the novel is, although fiction, closely matched to that of a racist era in America. Racism represents fear of the unknown in many themes in the book as well as in the daily aspect of life.
Nowadays, students describe slavery based on what they read or learned. Students cannot be able to understand the true meaning behind the word “slavery.” The only people that can understand are the ones who went through it. For them, it is hard to look back from the most brutality and sorrowful years of their lives and yet they chose to write their experience. That is why in school, teachers are requiring narrative books for students to understand the main character’s point of view and apply the moral story to the real world. One of the famous books that English teachers are recommending is the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave. It also includes two different introductions of Houston Baker and Peter Gomes and an
Brooks, Cleanth. "William Faulkner: Visions of Good and Evil." Faulkner, New Perspectives. Ed. Richard H. Brodhead. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey : Prentice-Hall, 1983.
Sheetz 1 Sarah Sheetz Ms. Rosenberger English 4 October 17, 2016 Faulkner’s Self Help Book In “Barn Burning,” Faulkner illustrates a boy’s coming to age story, including his struggle in choosing whether to stand by in the midst of his father’s destructive cycle of spiteful burning or stand up for his own belief in civic duty. While most readers do not relate to having a father that habitually burns others’ belongings in a strange power scheme, readers relate to the struggle between blood ties and their own values. Taking the theme even broader, readers relate to any struggle with making a decision. Through imagery, reoccurring motifs, and diction, Faulkner creates an intense pressure which enhances readers understanding of Sarty, his struggle,
---. Faulkner in the University. Ed. Frederick L. Gwynn and Joseph L. Blotner. Charlottesville: U of Virginia P, 1959.
In many of Faulkner’s stories, he tells about an imaginary county in Mississippi named Yoknapatawpha. He uses this county as the setting for his story “Barn Burning” and it is also thought that the town of Jefferson from “A Rose for Emily” is located in Yoknapatawpha County. The story of a boy’s struggle between being loyal to his family or to his community makes “Barn Burning” exciting and dramatic, but a sense of awkwardness and unpleasantness arrives from the story of how the fictional town of Jefferson discovers that its long time resident, Emily Grierson, has been sleeping with the corpse of her long-dead friend with whom she has had a relationship with.
On September 25, 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi, a son was born to Murry Cuthbert and Maud Butler Faulkner. This baby, born into a proud, genteel Southern family, would become a mischievous boy, an indifferent student, and drop out of school; yet “his mother’s faith in him was absolutely unshakable. When so many others easily and confidently pronounced her son a failure, she insisted that he was a genius and that the world would come to recognize that fact” (Zane). And she was right. Her son would become one of the most exalted American writers of the 20th century, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature and two Pulitzers during his lifetime. Her son was William Faulkner.