The Authors Sedgwick, Gould, and Otto

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Sedgwick's Hope Leslie, Gould's Dinosaur in a Haystack, and Otto's How To Make an American Quilt

The authors Sedgwick, Gould, and Otto use structure in their books to get their points across. Sedgwick, author of Hope Leslie, divides her novel into two parts and chapters. Gould, author of Dinosaur in a Haystack, uses his book to present specific, autonomous essays and state his own views through literary snobbery. Otto, author of How To Make an American Quilt, divides her chapters up by first presenting instructions on how to make a quilt and then a story of one of the ladies of the quilting circle. Each book is structured by division of chapters and individual ideas of characters/essays. Although each author has specific moral ideas, each presents his/her ideas to the reader for the him to analyze for himself. Without this insight into the author's mind, one would not be able to relate to what the author writes about, even in some small way.

Through this insight, each author guides the reader in how to think and feel. Sedgwick writes about feelings of love and honor. She describes in her own way what each character believes and how they will respond to changing variables. Gould writes to inform readers about his beliefs. He expresses through "logic and science" how his theories are correct. Otto writes about a quilting circle in a small town, where each individual has an existence comprised of a whole. Telling each feeling that every character has gives the reader a sense of oneness, of openness towards these characters. By writing about these thoughts and feelings, the reader is provided not only with insight into the characters but also insight about the way the author views society.

By expressing their views in each book, the authors compel readers to delve deeper into one's soul, to evaluate each part of it. What each author does in his/her own unique way is point out the flaws of society he/she sees and wants to fix. Sedgwick wants the opinion that females have to marry to be reevaluated and also past events researched to discover what happened in the past (ancestry). Otto wants people to learn from past mistakes, because "life is too short to make your own." Gould wants people to be logical and scientific about everything:

They [creationists] claim, above all, that evolution generates no predictions, never exposes itself to test, and therefore stands as dogma rather than disprovable science.

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