John Woolman Syllabus Essay

Additions to Syllabus for Survey of American Literature I

1. From The Journal of John Woolman by John Woolman

“The Journal of John Woolman”, written by himself is a great literary work that should be added to the Survey of American Literature syllabus because students would be interested to learn about John Woolman’s beliefs as a Quaker and his admiring devotion and obedience to the work of God. The great impression that catches the readers’ attention of John Woolman is his simple lifestyle and his absolute obedience to God. Though Woolman was introduced to the work of God at a very young age, living by the words of God is often difficult and demanding. Woolman’s account of his own life often suggests as a constant struggle that he describes

The story is not only about the horror of red death, but also the irony of the impossible effort of escaping death regardless of power, wealth, and social status. The plot of the story was effectively written with an excellent exposition that introduces metaphorical settings, historic characters, and extraordinary situations, creating such a strong effect on describing the horror of the read death. For example, the transition in color and decorations of the seven rooms symbolizes the stages of life and the contrary of the seventh room depicts the last stage of life which is death. Poe describes that ceiling and the walls in the seventh room are hung with black velvet tapestries falling in heavy folds upon the carpet with the same material and hue (“The Masque of the Red Death” 688). However, “in this chamber only, the color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were scarlet—a deep blood color” (“The Masque of the Red Death” 688). This particular setting provokes such an unpleasant feeling toward the readers since the red color is often used as a conventional image or symbol which is associated with death.