Woman Authors Working for Social Change
analytical Essay
3155 words
“What tho' we read in days of yore the woman's occupation, Was to direct the wheel and loom not to direct the Nation; This narrow-minded policy by us both met detection; While woman's bound, men can't be free nor have a fair Election.” This was in a New Jersey newspaper in 1796 and titled “A Woman.” (Berg 11)
American literature, as does all literature, continues to reflect the conflicts that universally impact humankind - political, social, economic, racial, sexual, and moral. More than any other type of literature, American literature has brought to the world the ideals on which the country was founded: freedom, equality, individual rights vs. the rights of the state, and the right to self-determination. Certainly other authors, from many nations, have promoted these ideals in the hopes of making lives better, initiating social change, or seeking justice. However, the difference seen in early American literature is that these revolutionary ways of thinking and being were being created and lived by real people, and were not just dreams in the minds of a few. As the country expanded traditional mores and expectations changed as people struggled to survive in a harsh and often hostile environment. Women authors began to appear, calling for reform of the injustices they experienced and observed. Through their writing they brought to light new perspectives and embraced the idea of an age of enlightenment as a means of promoting change.
The verse above clearly shows that women were unhappy with the restrictions placed on them and through the use of writing, sought to change society's inequities. Never content with being second-class citizens, women postulated the idea that they were capable beings, with an intelligence equal to ...
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... of Women in America. New York: Bantam, 1978
Maurice, Arthur B. The Play That Goes On Forever: The Story of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu:1852/utc/media/onstage-notices/@Generic_BookTex... Railton, Stephen, and the University of Virginia. Uncle Tom's Cabin: Electronic Edition. Charlottesville: Stephen Railton; Institute for Advancerd Technology in the Humanities; Electronic Text Center, 1999 [This article originally appeared in the Lincoln Democrat. Boston: W. Garrison and I. Knapp, 1852-09-03]
http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu:1852/utc/responses/notices/@Generic_ BookTextVie... Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's Cabin or, Life among the Lowly. Edited with an Introduction by Ann Douglas. New York: Penguin Books, 1986
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's Cabin or, Life Among The Lowly. New York: Random House, Inc., 2001
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hannah foster, in her novel, the coquette, depicts the destruction of a woman who longed to break away from the restrictions that bound her every action.
- Analyzes how foster eloquently portrays the quandary eliza faces. she is torn between a steady, stable man and an exciting, upper class playboy who introduces her to new and here-to-fore unexperienced activities.
- Analyzes how fanny fern's novel, ruth hall, does not follow the accepted formula for nineteenth-century romantic novels.
- Analyzes how fanny fern defended stowe's abolitionist novel, which is based on the fugitive slave act.
- Analyzes how st. clare disrespects his mother's memory by not taking action against slavery. the revelation brings him comfort on what turns out to be his last night alive.
- Argues that american literature has brought to the world the ideals of freedom, equality, individual rights vs. the rights of the state, and the right to self-determination.
- Analyzes how the character of ruth hall was a step towards ending the oppression of women in antebellum america.
- Analyzes how stowe patronizes the societal ideals of womanhood and compliments her audience to gain their ear and consideration.
- Analyzes stowe's portrayal of the quakers as moral white characters who act to stop what they see as anathema to christian morality.
- Explains berg, barbara j, davis, rebecca harding, and tillie olsen's the remembered gate: origin of american feminism.
- Explains that maurice, arthur b., railton, stephen, and the university of virginia. uncle tom's cabin: electronic edition.
Related
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- Christianity in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabinanalytical essayJehlen, Myra. "The Family Militant: Domesticity Versus Politics in Uncle Tom's Cabin." Criticism 31 (Fall 1989): 383-400.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how tom and eva bring others to see this caring god by loving the people around them in the same way that jesus did.
- Analyzes jehlen, myra, "the family militant: domesticity versus politics in uncle tom's cabin."
- Explains stowe, harriet beecher, uncle tom's cabin or, life among the lowly.
- Analyzes how the scenes reveal stowe's methodist theology, which rejects the predestination of earlier american christianity.
- Analyzes how tom and eva inspire the people around them to give in this way.
1494 wordsRead More - Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom's Cabinanalytical essayIn 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published. In the first year Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold 300,000 copies, which was a big shock to the people of the United States considering the topic of the book and that of slaves being main characters. What also came as a shock to the people, was that it was written by Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe a white woman who has never owned a slave in her life. The book appealed not only to the people’s emotions, but also their intellect. It informed people, especially in the north, about how harsh a slave’s life was. Stowe gave her book “realistic futures, by showing that not all slave owners were bad, but that there were few slave owners that did care about their slaves.” The south was furious about how slave’s lives were portrayed in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and “denounced the book as a slanderous.” This soon made Uncle Toms Cabin’s one of the most influential anti-slavery book ever written. Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped start the civil war by contributing to the division between the north and south in the United States. Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped the north feel more sympathetic towards the corrupted slave trade industry, which raised more questions about if slavery should be abolished in all parts of the United States.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that uncle tom's cabin was published in 1852 and sold 300,000 copies. it was written by mrs. harriet beecher stowe, who had never owned a slave in her life.
- Explains that harriet beecher stowe was raised in a family of preachers and knew the lifestyles of slaves by listening to eliza's stories. the fugitive slave law of 1850 influenced her to write uncle tom’s cabin
- Analyzes how stowe's character, uncle tom, created a power struggle between slavery and religion during the time of slavery.
533 wordsRead More - Women in Early Westernsanalytical essayStowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin or, Life Among the Lowly. Ed. Ann Douglas. New York: Penguin, 1981.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how westerns connote images of dirt, dust, guns, horses, cowboys, and heroes, but the genre also provides women with strong, self-reliant, active roles. the girl of the golden west, written by david belasco, demonstrates this idea.
- Analyzes how jane tompkins discusses the essential elements that define the genre in her book, west of everything.
- Analyzes how mary rowlandson's first captivity narratives were genuine, first-person accounts of actual ordeals that developed as a natural, spontaneous product of the new world experience.
- Describes how mary rowlandson lost her family, status, and security after being taken captive by the indians.
- Describes how the poor woman faced the challenges of the wilderness, starvation, and her captors' temperament. she was stripped to absolute poverty from relative prosperity.
- Analyzes how mary rowlandson's will and courage were so strong that she offered hope and support to the other captives despite her broken heart.
- Analyzes how mary rowlandson learns to adapt and uses her skills to survive in captivity. her desire to live proved stronger than her repulsion for such things as horse liver or boiled horse feet.
- Analyzes how mary rowlandson acquires equality with her captors by inviting her master and mistress to dinner. she asserts her independence by talking back.
- Analyzes how mary rowlandson's strength as a survivor pervades the text and becomes more visible as the time passes.
- Analyzes how catharine maria sedgwick, who succeeded mary rowlandson, published hope leslie, a novel that addressed the puritans subjugation of the indigenous population.
- Analyzes how stowe's uncle tom’s cabin contains incidents that embody the heroic spirit carried forth from the captivity narratives and employ the same elements.
- Analyzes how eliza harris rescues her son, harry, from the slave traders by escaping in the night, fleeing by foot, and crossing the ohio river in full flood.
- Analyzes how eliza's motherly nature and care for others distinguish her character and give rise to her heroism.
- Analyzes how southworth's novel, the hidden hand or capitola the madcap, has a strong, independent female and relies upon the same spirit and elements seen in the western.
- Analyzes how cap's repeated forthright, indignant speeches and her fearless deeds establish her heroine status.
- Analyzes how cap accomplishes what others cannot with her spirit intact and the sense that her feat hardly challenged her.
- Analyzes how cap, like other heroines, acts like a woman. she rescues clara, captures black donald, and defends her own honor.
- Analyzes how cap is more than a simple hero, she is also our heroine. she has been instructed by mrs. condiment in the mysteries of cutting and basting, back-stitching and felling.
- Analyzes how southworth's text creates excitement and engages the reader through this spirit embodied in the heroine.
- Analyzes how the girl of the golden west fits the definition given for a western, except that the hero is female.
- Analyzes how the girl's pinto provides companionship and a way for her to get "all over the country" (southworth 215), but the audience never sees horses or anyone on horses.
- Analyzes how the girl has a home on the frontier and the character expected of the hero, while possessing the traditional femininity and domesticity of an female character.
- Analyzes how belasco adds depth to the girl's heroism by maintaining her femininity and having her occupy a feminine sphere.
- Analyzes how the girl occupies a domestic sphere, but her den mother is different from the typical domestic scene. she helps her boys better themselves through her academy and helps them write letters to their families.
- Analyzes how the modern western genre explores living in the west. the real realities of the west and life on the frontier do not matter as much as the potential to create heroes, legends and heroines.
- Opines that if you have a house and baby of your own, and no one to tend to nyther than yourself, that's when the bread burns in the oven and the tea-kettle is boiling over.
- Analyzes how southworth uses the idea of the west and her imagination to empower her heroines and engage the reader.
- Analyzes how the sex of female authors affects the role of the heroine in western literature.
- Analyzes the power of the western genre to captivate readers and transport them to another life and another place where the challenges are different and much more interesting than our typical day
- Describes belasco, david, "the girl of the golden west." american melodrama. ed. daniel c. gerould.
- Explains that kolodny, annette, the land before her: fantasy and experience of the american frontiers, 1630-1860.
- Describes rowlandson's true history of the captivity and restoration of mrs. mary.
- Describes sedgwick, catharine maria, hope leslie, or, early times in the massachusetts.
- Explains slotkin, richard, regeneration through violence: the mythology of the american frontier, 1600-1860.
- States that southworth, e.d.e.n., the hidden hand or, capitola the madcap.
- Explains stowe, harriet beecher, uncle tom’s cabin or, life among the lowly.
- Describes tompkins, jane, west of everything: the inner life of westerns.
5840 wordsRead More - 5 Abolitionism Essayanalytical essayStowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's cabin, or Life among the lowly . Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. Web. 8 July 2014.
In this essay, the author
- Compares the philosophies and strategies of five abolitionists: john brown, angelina grimke, william lloyd garrison, harriett beecher stowe, and fredrick douglas.
- Explains that john brown was an abolitionist in the mid-19th century. he fought and died for his belief in freedom for fellow human beings, including slaves.
- Compares william lloyd garrison to angelina grimke and john brown. he argues against slavery by citing the declaration of independence and the bible.
- Analyzes how harriett beecher stowe illustrates the misfortune of slavery on a moral people who believe in the same christian god as those who enslave them.
- Compares fredrick douglas to john brown, angelina grimke, william lloyd garrison, and harriett beecher stowe.
- Analyzes how john brown, angelina grimke, william lloyd garrison, harriett beecher stowe, and fredrick douglas argued against the practice of slavery by engaging in their moral and civic duties.
- Analyzes how angelina grimke was a polar opposite to that of john brown. she gave ample testament and sound reason based from the bible why slavery was wrong.
- Cites douglas, frederick, and garrison, william lloyd. "no compromise with the evil of slavery." civil rights and conflict in the united states: selected speeches.
1384 wordsRead More - Color Blindness in Uncle Tom's Cabinanalytical essayStowe, Harriet Beecher. "Uncle Tom's Cabin." 1852. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter et al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. 2325, 2326.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how harriet stowe describes a community where the individual's social status is created more by the color of the skin than by his own personal values.
- Analyzes how stowe emphasizes the privileges encounter by white people over black color skin people in uncle tom's cabin.
- Analyzes how stowe shows the reader that slaves weren't aware of their chance of being of white color, but that it was deterministic
- Analyzes how stowe illustrates the blindness of the society, about the human nature of slaves.
- Analyzes how stowe's ambiguity appears as a permanent trend in her book. she illustrates the blindness of the society about the "true color"
- Analyzes adams, john, and stowe, harriet beecher. stanton, elizabeth cady, "declaration of sentiments." the heath anthology of american literature.
1001 wordsRead More - Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom’s Cabinanalytical essayColumbia Electronic Encyclopedia. “Stowe, Harriet Beecher”. Date of Last Revision Unknown. 6 Jan 2002. <http://www.encyclopedia.com/printablenew/12373.html>.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that harriet beecher stowe was born on june 14, 1811. her parents were lyman and henry. her religious background taught her theological insight, piety, and a desire to improve humanity.
- Narrates how harriet's career as a teacher ended when she married calvin stowe in kentucky. her anger toward slavery and encouragement from her sister-in-law inspired her to write uncle tom’s cabin.
- Explains that harriet began to write uncle tom's cabin as an episodic story, which was published in the national era newspaper.
- Analyzes how harriet illustrates the complexity of the culture in uncle tom’s cabin by using a romantic style that was popular with her audience.
- Analyzes how harriet's book was received with much enthusiasm, but it also generated a lot of negative criticism from southern supporters of slavery.
- Analyzes how a literary criticism of harriet beecher stowe's uncle tom’s cabin investigates the writing of the book to support the women’ s rights movement.
- Explains that harriet beecher stowe became a celebrity because of the publication of uncle tom's cabin. she expressed her opposition to slavery and traveled to america and europe to speak about slavery.
- Cites 's biography of harriet beecher stowe.
- Analyzes thornton, tracey, and wells, kim. "between rhetoric of abolition and feminism: harriet beecher stowe's uncle tom’s cabin".
784 wordsRead More - Analysis Of Uncle Tom's Cabin, By Harriet Beecher Stoweanalytical essayI never thought that I would read a book over the summer, but over the course of these past two months, that changed. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” forever changed how I view slavery. I loved reading it. Throughout the whole novel, Stowe uses her experience and knowledge to portray the terrible hardships and struggles that slaves endured everyday. Not only does this book express the thoughts of the slaves and their faith in God, but also of the people around them. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” wanted so badly for America to give freedom and equality for all people, and that is what I enjoyed most while reading.
In this essay, the author
- Describes how harriet beecher stowe's novel "uncle tom’s cabin" changed how they view slavery. the book expresses the thoughts of the slaves and their faith in god.
- Analyzes how african americans are treated differently because of their skin color, and how most slaves can't even believe in god and eternal life.
- Analyzes how prue's master whipped her to death, which is repulsive. eliza had to cross the ice cold frozen river to escape her and her son.
- Analyzes how stowe's style in "uncle tom’s cabin" really shaped the novel. she used mostly third-person (they) point of view, although it occasionally shifted to second person (you) for the certain reason of bringing the reader into the story.
- Describes the life of harriet beecher stowe, who witnessed slavery through her own eyes and met people who were enslaved. she wrote uncle tom's cabin to speed up the abolishment of slavery.
- Opines that uncle tom's cabin is a perfect book to explain and show the evils of slavery and all the problems that is caused in america.
- Concludes that "uncle tom's cabin" brightened their view on slavery, and inspired their faith in god. stowe showed god’s love throughout the novel.
1042 wordsRead More - Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stoweanalytical essayHarriet Beecher Stowe may not be the most famous name in our nation’s history, nor the face one pictures when someone mentions “American literature”, but she is still one of the most influential writers of American history and continues to make an impact today. She was one of the most important authors in our history, all because of a book she wrote called Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The reason why Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of the most important people in United States’ history was because of her contribution to the outbreak and even the resolution of the Civil War by characterizing the battle and immorality of slavery in her novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, while gaining support (and hatred) from across the world.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that harriet beecher stowe is one of the most influential writers of american history and continues to make an impact today.
- Explains that harriet elizabeth beecher was born on june 14, 1811 in litchfield, connecticut, to reverend lyman, a presbyterian minister and moral reformer.
- Narrates how harriet beecher stowe, sixth of eleven children, and her siblings made impacts on society. her brother, henry, was an outspoken abolitionist and clergyman.
- Narrates how harriet married calvin stowe, a biblical literature professor at lane, and gave birth to twin daughters, hattie and eliza.
- Narrates how the fugitive slave law in 1850 infuriated harriet beecher stowe, who was anti-slavery, and inspired her sister-in-law to write the novel uncle tom’s cabin.
- Analyzes how uncle tom's cabin is a fictional story about two plantation slaves, tom and harry, who were sold to repay their family debt.
- Analyzes how stowe's novel, uncle tom’s cabin, was an instant best seller, selling 10,000 copies in the first week and 300,000 in its first year. it intensified the already present friction between the north and south.
- Analyzes how the civil war was a time of high regionalistic emotions between the north and south, especially when it came to slavery. uncle tom's cabin gives the south the appearance of cruelty and evil that southerners found enraging.
- Explains that great britain's public opinion of slavery and the southern united states was completely swayed in response to uncle tom’s cabin. queen victoria was eager to meet harriet but her advisors strongly urged her that meeting such a controversial figure would be unwise.
- Analyzes how stowe wrote "a key to uncle tom' s cabin" in 1853, explaining her case against slavery. her anti-slavery views only grew and she revolved into an abolitionist.
- Explains that harriet beecher stowe continued to write novels on social issues and helped with the equality cause even after the civil war by helping teach the emancipated in florida.
- Analyzes how harriet beecher stowe's novel helped mold the public disgust of slavery in great britain, which may have aided the confederate states of america.
- Cites harrietbeecherstowecenter.org and andrew cayton's america pathways to the present.
- Analyzes the impact of "uncle tom's cabin", slavery, and the civil war on harriet beecher stowe.
- Explains that harriet beecher stowe center, 2011. web. 17 mar. 2014.
1166 wordsRead More - Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stoweexplanatory essayHarriet Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811 in Litchfield, Connecticut. Although she was raised under a puritan formation, Stowe was believed to be a protestant; which played a great role throughout her life. After a life time of research and study, Harriet marries Calvin Stowe in 1835. The 1850’s law required turning in slaves, even in the “Free States”, this in turn inspires Harriet to write in what would become one of the most controversial book in time. In 1851 Uncle Tom’s Cabin is released; the book highly influenced the Civil War movement. Stowe’s work was translated to thirty two languages, and was adapted to theater plays until 1930. Beecher’s success is not so much directed to her literary abilities, rath...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that slavery was a practice accepted by society for many years, and there was no opposition. abolishing slave trade was just the beginning.
- Explains that harriet beecher stowe was born on june 14, 1811 in litchfield, connecticut. she was raised under a puritan formation, but was believed to be protestant.
- Explains that slavery has existed in many cultures. slave trade was booming during the 18th century due to the sugar trade.
- Explains that portugal and spain began the slave trade in the early 1500’s, with the dutch emergence in 1600. british dominance came in 1650 when they traded almost 1.3 million slaves from 1550 to 1807.
- Explains that abraham lincoln proposed the emancipation proclamation on january 1, 1863, abolishing slavery throughout the union states, which created starting grounds for the civil war.
- Opines that slavery was a "necessary evil" just like wars, the end justifies the means.
- Explains the cambridge companion to nineteenth-century american women's writing.
- Explains that jones, jacqueline, and kolchin, peter, created equal : a history of the united states.
- Explains stowe, harriet beecher, presenting the original facts and documents upon which the story is founded and corroborative statements verifying the truth of the work.
788 wordsRead More - Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stoweanalytical essayOne of the more powerful novels writeen on the most humilating chapter of American history was Uncle Tom's Cabin. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote this novel during the civil war time period. The Civil War has been described as "America's darkest hour". Slavery, abuse, neglect, and ignorance ran rapid throughout this age. Stowe depicts all of these traits in Uncle Tom's Cabin.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how harriet beecher stowe wrote uncle tom's cabin during the civil war. slavery, abuse, neglect, and ignorance ran rapid throughout this age.
- Analyzes how the story begins with shelby discussing with haley the selling of his servants to repay his debts.
- Analyzes how tom is sold to st. clare's through an auction after saving a little girl’s life after she slips and falls overboard.
- Narrates how tom is promised his freedom by mr. st. clare, but before completing the paper work, he is killed. he is sold in the market and bought by a cruel plantaion owner named legree.
- Analyzes how stowe displays character and honor within tom. he is always obeident to his master and to god.
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