Giants In The Earth by Ole Edvart Rølvaag
I think this book is a very interesting story. I have never read a western before much less one about foreigners. To begin with, I thought Per Hansa was a man of action and a natural pioneer. Throughout the story he showed optimism and great courage in the face of hardship. To me he seems very intelligent, strong, and a natural leader in his community and throughout the story he seemed to succeed at almost everything he did. When it comes to his wife, Beret, it's a different story; unlike her husband she cannot endure life on the prairie. She longs to return to the comforts of her home in Norway. Nevertheless, I feel she does not blame him for persuading her to immigrate. It seems to me that throughout the story she constantly fears the unknown, lurking threats of the wilderness. I thought it was very interesting that Per and Beret are not at first identified by name. They were simply referred to as "the man" and "the woman." I'm not sure why, but my opinion is this may have been done to try to relate what it was like for all immigrants coming to America at this time. I can't imagine being lost in the wilderness from the rest of the group like the Hansa's were. I don't understand how he walked for miles in the wilderness to find the trail of the other wagons without getting lost, much less finding his way back. I could really tell how much Beret disliked it when they met up with the rest of their friends. Her reaction was much different than her husband's. Per compares the prairies to the fertile land of Egypt, while Beret is unimpressed by the land. In fact, she is appalled by how immense and desolate the place looks. When Per meets the Indians, I see again that he is the only one in the story that can be calm and not panic. I thought it very interesting, that by him showing an act of kindness by treating the Indian's injured hand he received a pony for payment. I also notice that as the story continues to unfold, Per's wife is becoming more and more unstable. Beret makes other people around her feel uncomfortable because of her moodiness. It is starting to become clear to me that she is suffering from something more than just homesickness.
Hutch, the main character of The Big Field, has played baseball all of his life. He has always played shortstop, the same position that his father dreamed of playing as a professional. “Hutch, had always thought of himself as the captain of any infield he’d ever been a part of” (Lupica 1). Hutch finds himself being demoted to second base because there is another player, Darryl, on his new team that is expected to go pro and also plays shortstop. Hutch struggles because he does not want to play second base and his father does not support him because he does not want baseball to break Hutch’s dreams like it did his own. Hutch is betrayed by his father and Darryl when he finds them practicing together. Hutch has to learn to adjust and eventually becomes friends with Darryl, the up and coming shortstop. He understands that if he wants to win, then he needs to work together with Darryl. His father also comes around and finally gives Hutch his approval. Students should read this book in a high school English classroom because it demonstrates how relationships can be difficult, but teamwork can help to solve many issues.
Most reviewers rate this book between three and four out of five, with the majority of reviews being four out of five. The book does a great job of depicting the historical events that are covered, and the author does so while still maintaining the entertaining qualities of a fiction book. I would rate this book a four out of five because it is not only entertaining to read while still accurately depicting historical events, but the author does a great job of keeping the reader’s attention with the characters’ depiction. Overall, I am pleased with the book and have learned much more from it than what is covered in The American Journey.
The drive to expand westward, fueled by Manifest Destiny, lead to the colonization and connections that make up the America of today, influenced by the Doctrine of Discovery, industrialization, and the outcome of court cases like Johnson v. M’Intosh. Without this, the unification and might of the United States would be significantly smaller and less influential on the world. As for the novel itself, the book was actually really enjoyable and easy to read. The authors opinion came through with sufficient evidence to back up his claim.
Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford gives us an insight into the endurance of the early settlers and the kind of pain they went through in order build the foundation of our great nation. They embarked on the new world and developed a colony from the ground up. However, there troubles started long before they even stepped foot on the land. With a strong hold on their religious beliefs, they continued their voyage to the new world even though there were questions about the safety of the vessel. They managed to work hard on the ship and make it to the new world, tired and hungry, only to learn that there was no rest to be found, but even more work.
...ared a common experience in the Old World as well as the New World, and both groups held in common a trust that God would provide the means necessary that would ease and hasten their struggle for peace, and their belief in freedom from oppression and persecution. Although each group’s faith is different, their cultures and traditions divergent; they met resistance to their way of life and living with an historical perspective with God and the idea of progress on their side. Every immigrant story is a progression in every realm of thought.
I don’t think Alma’s decision to return to Mexico was a great one. She should have stayed and applied for another Visa, went and applied for assistance, and talked to an individual who could talk and help her with her current situation. I think the different voices throughout the story affect the main story because all of them have had some kind of negative experience. It poses many questions because you wonder how all Mexicans feel when they come to the United States, what makes them leave their families and come to the United States, do many of them return? I think reading The Book of the Unknown Americans, helps open up one’s eyes and realize that these individuals have faced so many problems coming to the United States that they shouldn’t face more here by being discriminated.
Mary Rowlandson’s “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” and Benjamin Franklin’s “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” are two different perspectives based on unique experiences the narrators had with “savages.” Benjamin Franklin’s “Remarks Concerning the Savages…” is a comparison between the ways of the Indians and the ways of the Englishmen along with Franklin’s reason why the Indians should not be defined as savages. “A Narrative of the Captivity…” is a written test of faith about a brutally traumatic experience that a woman faced alone while being held captive by Indians. Mary Rowlandson views the Indians in a negative light due to the traumatizing and inhumane experiences she went through namely, their actions and the way in which they lived went against the religious code to which she is used; contrastingly, Benjamin Franklin sees the Indians as everything but savages-- he believes that they are perfect due to their educated ways and virtuous conduct.
The busy season for the shop she was working on came and the owner of the shop kept demanding for what we call overtime. She got fired after she said, “I only want to go home. I only want the evening to myself!.” Yezierska was regretful and bitter about what happened because she ended up in cold and hunger. After a while she became a trained worker and acquired a better shelter. An English class for foreigners began in the factory she was working for. She went to the teacher for advice in how to find what she wanted to do. The teacher advised her to join the Women’s Association, where a group of American women helps people find themselves. One of the women in the social club hit her with the reality that “America is no Utopia.” Yezierska felt so hopeless. She wondered what made Americans so far apart from her, so she began to read the American history. She learned the difference between her and the Pilgrims. When she found herself on the lonely, untrodden path, she lost heart and finally said that there’s no America. She was disappointed and depressed in the
...that actually experienced it. The author gives a good background of the relationship white settlement and Indian cultures had, which supported by the life experience. An author depicts all the emotions of struggle and happiness at the times when it is hard to imagine it. And it actually not the author who is persuasive, but the Black Elk himself, because he is the one that actually can convey the exact feeling and images to the reader.
The finding of the Americans was a life changing discovery for the Europeans. Although it was a dream come true for many foreigners to become an American, they were completely unaware of the several obstacles that were needed to actually earn that title. The documentary The Long Long Journey shows the struggles of a polish family migrating to the US during early 18th century. This documentary shows not only the perspective of Europeans of new America, but as well as show how “Americans” treated the immigrants. This film begins off with hundreds of Europeans traveling by boat to NYC. During this time, many Slavs, Polishes, Russians and several other Europeans sought to flee their homes due to harsh conditions in their country. Janket faced numerous challenges to become a true American such as his lack of knowledge of US cultural norms, having to step up and fulfill his father's role and his inability to live out his version of american dream.
The Nebraskan prairies are beautiful and picturesque and set the scene for a memorable story. Big farm houses and windmills placed throughout the graceful flowing golden yellow grass become a nostalgic aspect of Jim as he leaves his childhood life behind. The frontier includes destructive and depressing winters and luscious summers that affect Jim's family and the immigrants. The gloominess of winter and the suicide of Mr. Shimerda provide memories that associate Jim's recollections with nature's seasons. The Christmas season provided faith to persevere through winter and the exchanging of gifts made happy memories, which Jim could not experience if snow darkness did not exist. The summers were most unforgettable though. The smoldering sun and fertile land made growing crops easy. The immigrants references of roads lined with sunflowers as opportunity inspired Jim to appreciate the splendor and bountifulness of the land. Later Jim encounters these pathways, now concealed because of erosion, remembering that "this was the road over which Antonia and I came when we got off the train . . . the feelings of that night had been so near that I could reach out and touch them with my hand. For Antonia and me, this had been the road of Destiny" (Cather237).
On the actual trip to Bountiful, it was Thelma, the young lady whom Mrs. Watts exchanged memories and confidences that provided a more meaningful companionship that would last long after the trip. When Thelma was gone, it was the country Sheriff who would see through the heart of Mrs. Watts, her long desire to go home to Bountiful. The car ride to the town and the few moments outside the deserted and empty house, would be witnesses to the act of kindness and understanding of the Sheriff towards an old lady, whose only wish was to see for the last time her home in Bountiful.
Louise Erdrich’s short story “American horse” is a literary piece written by an author whose works emphasize the American experience for a multitude of different people from a plethora of various ethnic backgrounds. While Erdrich utilizes a full arsenal of literary elements to better convey this particular story to the reader, perhaps the two most prominent are theme and point of view. At first glance this story seems to portray the struggle of a mother who has her son ripped from her arms by government authorities; however, if the reader simply steps back to analyze the larger picture, the theme becomes clear. It is important to understand the backgrounds of both the protagonist and antagonists when analyzing theme of this short story. Albetrine, who is the short story’s protagonist, is a Native American woman who characterizes her son Buddy as “the best thing that has ever happened to me”. The antagonist, are westerners who work on behalf of the United States Government. Given this dynamic, the stage is set for a clash between the two forces. The struggle between these two can be viewed as a microcosm for what has occurred throughout history between Native Americans and Caucasians. With all this in mind, the reader can see that the theme of this piece is the battle of Native Americans to maintain their culture and way of life as their homeland is invaded by Caucasians. In addition to the theme, Erdrich’s usage of the third person limited point of view helps the reader understand the short story from several different perspectives while allowing the story to maintain the ambiguity and mysteriousness that was felt by many Natives Americans as they endured similar struggles. These two literary elements help set an underlying atmos...
In Hayslip’s book When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, she talks about her life as a peasant’s daughter and her and her family’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War has not only affected Vietnam itself, but also the United States, where in the beginning they did not want to get involved. However, with the spread of communism, which had already affected China, the president at the time Lyndon Johnson, thought it was time to stop the spread of the Vietnam War. With America’s involvement in the war, it caused great problems for both sides. In Vietnam, it causes the local people from the south and north side to split up and either becomes a supporter of communism or of the US’s capitalist views. In addition, it caused displacement for those local people, thus losing their family. In America, the Vietnam War has brought about PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, and deaths of many soldiers, more than World War II. With the thought of containment for communism, the US had gave back Vietnam their war and “gave up” on the war, leaving Southeast Asia in the sphere of communist views. With the thought of the domino theory that a country will fall in similar events like the neighboring countries, like China as Vietnam’s neighbor the United States tried to remove communism from Vietnam. US’s involvement in the war caused problems for both sides of the war.
opinions on the topic and the author's account of the story. I found that the