The literary time era known as Transcendentalism is a time era in literature where people began to think more individually as well as more philosophically. This era is believed to have lasted from the 1840’s to the 1860’s, however there was a later movement in the late 1800’s, this is referred to the New England Transcendentalism, in which Uncle Tom’s Cabin would be categorized. Although the Transcendentalist era was more based off of literature in the 1800’s, there are some modern authors, Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, who have shown Transcendentalist thought in their works. The people who were known as Transcendentalist thought that each person had a bond between themselves and the universe. There were beliefs of each …show more content…
The novel is based around the life of Tom, who was a middle-aged slave and his strong spiritual beliefs. This novel was a driving force towards the Civil War. The spiritual theme of this novel has led many literary historians to associate this with the Transcendentalist literary movement. However, other scholars view the novel as part of the Realist movement due to the actuality of events. Tom’s unwavering belief in the existence of his individual situation and the novel’s theme of antislavery are the only reasons why this novel is believed to be an example of Transcendentalism. There is more reason to believe that Uncle Tom’s Cabin fits under the literary time era of Realism since it was the driving force towards the Civil War. Ten years after the novel was published and during the early stages of the Civil War, President Lincoln, upon meeting Stowe, greeted her by saying “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war”(http://www.ushistory.org/us/28d.asp). This quote is one that has left its mark on history and exemplifies the importance of this novel. A person who believes in Transcendentalism could fully support this novel based upon the self-reliant theme and strong independent development by the protagonist. The greatness of this novel is that it transcends different thoughts and can be …show more content…
I have chosen The Soul Selects Her Own Society, The Earth Has Many Keys, If Nature Smile/Mother Must, and The Goodwill of a Flower, as examples of Transcendental writing. Dickinson’s poetry searches for the individual theme as well as a nature based view of the world. Her writings does not take an active Transcendental role but more of an indirect route. Unlike Emerson, who lead the movement, and Stowe who took that charge, Dickinson stayed cleared of controversy but whose theme of self analysis and self discipline, can only be called Transcendentalism. Emily Dickinson had a unique style of writing. Unlike most poets of her time, she rarely used identical rhyme, she compressed many of her word, and she used dictation to emphasize. Dickinson show symbolism in her poetry especially in her poem The Earth Has Many Keys she states, “The earth has many keys, Where melody is not…” (Stanza 1). This symbolizes that there are beauties in this world where there may not be a lot of knowledge of and that is what makes this Earth so beautiful. Although Dickinson may have secluded herself from the entire world she has become one of the most well known poets in American literature
Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the most famous and popular pieces of Civil War literature. It was drawn from selected pieces of a real life memoir done by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book that drew many people into the fight over the institution of slavery. Northerners hailed the book saying it exposed the truth, while southern slaveholders and plantation owners claimed that it had many falsehoods in it. President Lincoln, when he met Stowe called her, "the little lady who started this big war."
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book Uncle Tom’s Cabin was an amazing read that was truly inspiring. It was evident to me and clearly evident to others as well, that the book was written for a specific purpose. This purpose was to inform the American public of the horrors of slavery. The novel was set in the early 19th century. During this time period, slaves took up approximately 13% of the American population and for the most part worked on large plantations. Since very few people were plantation owners, or owned slaves for personal use, most of the American public did not have a great understanding of the hardships that an average slave had to go through. Through her writing, Harriet Stowe managed to illustrate perfectly what the American people had been unable to see. Stowe’s novel inspired people to push for the end of slavery in a way that debates and speeches could not have. The response from the novel was so incredible that it has been considered by many to have caused or at least influenced the American Civil War. This novel shows that the power of literature can be used as a weapon. It’s up to the author to decide if they want to use this power for good or for bad. Harriet Stowe decided to use her power for good by attempting to convince people to join the abolitionist movement. This can be shown through Tom’s characteristics, religion, the response the novel received from the north and south and through the historical facts(generally one sided) shown through Stowes writing.
“As it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is on one scale, and self-preservation in the other.” This quote said by Thomas Jefferson accurately depicted the political, economic, and social issues that were presented in the 1800s. The novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe created a massive awareness politically and socially for the abolitionist movement. Throughout Uncle Tom’s Cabin Stowe paints the picture of the cruel and unjust treatment of slaves on large plantations in the 1850s. Although Uncle Tom’s Cabin shows that large scale plantations showed empathy towards their slaves after the 1830s; however, Uncle Tom’s Cabin accurately depicts the lives of slaves after
Nineteenth century America was in need of a courageous man or woman who would stand up for those who did not have a voice. Slavery was ruining the lives of thousands, yet nobody cared to do anything about it. Harriet Beecher Stowe rose up to meet this need by writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a book that clearly outlined its intended audience, the reason it was needed, the faults of slavery, and the effect of this information on the reader.
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, has had a tremendous impact on American culture, both then and now. It is still considered a controversial novel, and many secondary schools have banned it from their libraries. What makes it such a controversial novel? One reason would have been that the novel is full of melodrama, and many people considered it a caricature of the truth. Others said that she did not show the horror of slavery enough, that she showed the softer side of it throughout most of her novel. Regardless of the varying opinions of its readers, it is obvious that its impact was large.
The book Uncle Tom’s Cabin is considered a classic. Many times classic lose some of their impact as time goes by but that is not the case with Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel. It can be argued that the story has more meaning and impact now then it even did when it was first published. It is a glimpse into a dark period of American history that people have no actual frame of reference to understand. Books like Stowe’s puts a name and an emotional context to what can otherwise be viewed through a detached lens of indifference.
Much like the purpose of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet titled Common Sense, the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe was written for the purpose of spreading the message that racism against the blacks and slavery had to stop. This book, based on real people and factual evidence is considered by many to be the event that started the Civil War in America between the North and the South. This was the piece of information that opened the eyes of a nation who claimed that they did not know that the racism and slavery issue went so far.
Overall Uncle Tom’s Cabin is filled with religious overtones of martyrdom, imposed religion, and genuine piety of the slaves in bondage. Harriet Beecher Stowe shows the divide between how the slaveholders see religion as a whip to keep slaves in line and how slaves see the same religion as a balm for the wounds inflicted on them by the whites.
Regarding Uncle Tom’s Cabin, I collected sources about the critical controversy about the novel. In my findings, there is Norton Critical Edition, A Routledge Literary Sourcebook on the novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet B. Stowe, lastly “The Little Cabin of Uncle Tom” by Egbert Oliver. I classified each source from best to worse base upon author credentials, origin, amount of detail/reading level, and purpose. The best source was the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin by H.B. Stowe. By reading the novel first, I was able to freely criticize it without the involvement of any other critic’s view to influence my interpretation. The author of the novel is reputable H.B. Stowe. As the author she has the best credentials of anyone because she had firsthand experience since she lived during the time of slavery. The novel, by itself, is a primary source of criticism regarding the public recognition to the horrific circumstances of slavery in the Southern states. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was first published weekly in an abolitionist newspaper called National Era then was published in a two volume book set published by John P. Jewett and Company (Rosenthal 9). The novel was wr...
Uncle Tom's Cabin is said to have been a book that tells the truths of slavery. It does this by telling the actual things that happened to many slaves. By publishing this book, Stowe made those who knew nothing of the evils of slavery realize how cruel it really was, and by doing this she made the South angry. She made the North so angry at the South that the two began to fight over slavery. This is truly one of the reasons why the Civil war began.
The novel centers around a pious slave, Uncle Tom, and how he is sold over and over again. It shows the different attitudes that Tom’s masters share about slavery, and how their slaves should be treat. It also teaches Christian values as well as family values. At the time of its publication, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was an immediate success and one of biggest sellers of all time. Despite the fact that Stowe induces her own personal opinions, with the very little experience she has had with slaves, she delivers a magnificent novel which is still enjoyed by many modern readers today. The time of her novel’s publication was very important. It was published at the peak of the abolitionist movement, in the 1850’s. It proved to be very effective propaganda for the abolitionist cause, which Stowe openly supported.
William Arthur Ward once said, "Real religion is a way of life, not a white cloak to be wrapped around us on the Sabbath and then cast aside into the six-day closet of unconcern." Religion is the one thing that people can usually tolerate but never agree upon. Each faith seems to have an ordained assumption that they have the correct thoughts on how to life one's life or how to think about things or the way to act in certain situations. Still, each religion has its own "sub-religions." If someone refers to Christianity, there are several different religions that are blanketed under that umbrella: Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Pentecostal, and Presbyterian are just a handful. The inconsistencies that are associated with everyone's belief about religion run into deeper ruts of confusion. This confusion leads people to have distorted views as to what they believe and what their religion is all about. This is no different from the feelings about slavery by Christians in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. Throughout the novel, Christianity presents itself in a few different lights; as a twisted and deformed glimmer of what religion is supposed to be with undertones of bigotry and prejudice, an innocent yet naive child that brings joy to everyone he or she meets, and as Uncle Tom himself, the standard for what a Christian is supposed to be. These different portrayals of Christian living come from Stowe's own beliefs about Christians and brings them into the light.
Even today, with literature constantly crossing more lines and becoming more shocking, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin remains one of the most scandalous, controversial, and powerful literary works ever spilled onto a set of blank pages. Not only does this novel examine the attitudes of white nineteenth-century society toward slavery, but it introduces us to the hearts, minds and souls of several remarkable and unprecedented characters.
It is extremely difficult for the modern reader to understand and appreciate Uncle Tom’s Cabin because Harriet Beecher Stowe was writing for an audience very different from us. We don’t share the cultural values and myths of Stowe’s time, so her novel doesn’t affect us the way it affected its original readers. For this reason, Uncle Tom’s Cabin has been heavily scrutinized by the modern critic. However, the aspects of the novel that are criticized now are the same aspects that held so much appeal for its original audience.
Rarely is one work of literature so significant that it has the ability to change a society or cascade it down a path of ruinous conflict. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is a work that provided such a catalytic occurrence. To this day, this work of fiction brilliance is considered one of the most instrumental American works to ever be published. Selling over a million copies in its first two years and being the second bestselling book next to the Bible, what makes this accomplishment even more incredible is the fact that a woman wrote this book during a period in history when women were not granted the ability to have roles of influence or leadership, in any society1. In 1852, when the book was published, women were nonetheless confined to domestic obligations. With the help of the books, Uncle Tom’s Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and Social Analysis: Linking Faith and Justice written by Joe Holland, one is able to understand how much of an impact Stowe had on America’s history with the way people viewed slavery. The percussion of Uncle Tom’s Cabin caused much conflict between the abolitionists and the antislavery citizens. This work is important to history because it created the idea of finding a place for religion in society, shone a light on how African American slaves were treated, pushed the United States to a realization with the idea of whether slavery could continue to be a cornerstone of American life and how it contributed to the beginning of the Civil War. As Abe Lincoln said of Stowe, “the little woman who started the Great War1.”