Lab about Naturalism

In the group work for today's assignment I try to find out what influenced and inspired the authors who supported Naturalism to do so. It is hard but I try to go through their biographies and lifes to find anyhthing what made them decide to support Naturalism. I put every piece of information that could help me to answer this question in a document our group created in google documents and I cite every source of information I use.

Realism and Naturalism in "An episode of War" by Stephen Crane

I think realism and naturalism are both represented in the short story "An episode of War" by Stephen Crane.
One example for naturalism is in the beginning of the story when the lieutenant got shot and he realizes the blood running from a wound on his arm, as this was a situation in which no decisions made by the lieutenant could have prevented that outcome and was instead entirely affected by the environment and chance, which is an explanation consistent with the definition of naturalism.
The described effects of the gunshot wound, which greatly influenced the way the lieutenant physically operated, demonstrates an example of realism.
A further example in which realism is demonstrated in this novel regards the false statement spoken by the doctor. When he says, “Come along, now. I won’t amputate it. Come along. Don’t be a baby,” and eventually amputates the lieutenants arm (the exact opposite of his promise), realism is demonstrated because the main character was able to make the choice of whether to believe the doctor, therefore making a decision affecting his fate. The lieutenant’s choice was truly an example of realism.

What is important about the story "Daisy Miller" by Henry James

In today's class we talked about the story "Daisy Miller" written by Henry James. We specifically covered the plot, style of writing, theme (message of the author), tone and the relation to Darwinism.
It is important because Henry James criticizes Social Darwinism. 
James uses Daisy's story to discuss what he thinks Europeans and Americans believe about each other, and more generally the prejudices common in any culture.

Movements that influenced the American

In today's class we talked about different movements that took place in the past and have had an influence on the American. We specifically covered Literary realism, Naturalism and Eugenics. As examples we took the Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge".

Ambrose Bierce's "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"

Ambrose Bierce's "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a short story which takes place during the Civil War.

Union soldiers are about to hang a Confederate supporter who intended to burn down the Owl Creek Bridge. Shortly before the string finally broke his neck, he had an illusion, in which he imagined that the rope ripped and he fell into the river and was able to escape from the Union soldiers and to his family back home. When he was about to hug his beautiful wife, he felt a searing pain in his neck and everything went dark. He only completely invented the story of his flight in his mind. This makes the story very dramatic and the author Ambrose Bierce, who was once himself a soldier for the Union army and hated the war, wanted to show by this story how cruel the war was and that even the enemy (the Confederates) have feelings and suffered as well.

To the Person Sitting in Darkness, The War Prayer by Mark Twain

In the essay "To the Person Sitting in Darkness", Mark Twain criticizes imperialism by naming two examples:
the "Boxer Uprising" and the "Philippine-American War". He also mentions historical figures, especially William Scott Ament as part of his criticism. He describes how the Americans who he speaks of in the "us" form, plan their overtaking of the Philippines in a very "screwed up" way- how cruel and barbarous and fiendish had been the warfare made by those whose avowed purpose was to carry the blessed light of civilization and Gospel “to the benighted native”. In his opinion it is very poor "how in very truth these priceless blessings had been handed on the point of a bayonet to the “Person Sitting in Darkness.”" His style of writing is very sarcasm and when it was finished he himself did not want to print it.


In the short story "The War Prayer", Mark Twain criticizes the patriotic and religious blindness as motivations for war.
He begins his story with an unknown nation that is about to go to war. Everyone attends a church service for soldiers who have been called up. The people pray to God to grant them victory and protect their troops. Soldiers and their families are proud of "protecting their country from the evil."
Suddenly a stranger enters the church and announces that he is God's messenger. He tells the people that they should not only pray for them and their soldiers but also for the suffering and destruction of their enemies.
The story has a bad ending since the messenger was ignored.

Emily Dickinson

In today's class we were talking about the American poet Emily Dickinson.
We collected different contents about her (for example family, movements, famous works,life stations, her style of writing, historical background etc.). Then we read some of her short poems and we are supposed to choose one and interpret it. My choice is the epigram "This is my letter".

This is my letter to the world,
   That never wrote to me,--
The simple news that Nature told,
   With tender majesty.

Her message is committed
   To hands I cannot see;
For love of her, sweet countrymen,
   Judge tenderly of me!

In the first two lines Emily Dickinson expresses the feelings she has towards the world. She claims that nobody gives her attention.(We know from her life that she lived really isolated in her house with nobody else). In the next to lines she describes that the nature tells her simple news from the world around her.

In the second paragraph, Dickinson says that the nature has a message which is not accessible for her.

In the last two lines of the epigram , she begins to talk to "sweet countrymen" she could refer to the lover she had in her life. She tells them to judge tenderly of her; for her (either the natures's or her love).