Does Washington Irving style and tone relate to “Rip Van Winkle”?
Washington Irving
Who is Washington Irving? Washington Irving is an author and editor of short stories. He also served as the United States ambassador to Spain and helped to promote international copyright before his death. On April 3, 1783, Washington Irving was born in New York. Washington Irving was one of eleven children. His parent’s names were William Irving Sr. and Sarah. They were both Scottish-English immigrant. Washington Irving was named after George Washington because the Americans looked at George Washington as an American hero of the American Revolution. Washington Irving was privately educated. He basically educated himself. Washington Irving liked to study law and write essays. After Irving moved back to New York from France and Italy, he began to practice law. Washington Irving was an average student. In 1807 Washington Irving and his brother, James Kirke Paulding, wrote the Salamagundi paper. The Salamagundi was a collection of funny essays. Irving wrote an essay called “A History of New York” but he didn’t use his regular name on the essay. Washington Irving went by Diedrich Knickerbocker. These are the first steps that Washington Irving made to become an amazing short story writer of stories like “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle”.
http://www.biography.com/people/washington-irving-9350087
What style of writing does Washington Irving use in his short stories? After reading “Rip Van Winkle”, I noticed two things about his writing style. Those two things are the way he use symbolism and imagery. The online Google dictionary says symbolism is, “The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities”. Symbolism is another form of representations. Washington Irving uses symbolism because he wants to show his readers the problems he has with the world in a d different way. Imagery also plays a big part in his short stories. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary says imagery is, “The product of images: the art of making images”. Using imagery while reading is like using the imagination. Washington Irving uses imagery so his readers can see what Irving is visualizing with his words. Imagery and symbolism are the two main things that make Washington Irving’s writing styles so good and unique. You can see symbolism and imagery in the story “Rip Van Winkle”.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imagery
Rip Van Winkle
How is Irving’s tone and style of writing directly related to his experiences? Where in the text is this best demonstrated? Irving’s uses of imagery relates to what he saw in real life. When Irving was younger, his parents made him move to Tarrytown, New York because there was a bad breakout of yellow fever in his hometown. This is where he first experienced the wonderful views of the Catskill Mountains. Irving describes the views of the Catskill Mountains in “Rip Van Winkle” he says, “every change of season, every change of weather , indeed, every hour of the day, produces some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains…. they are clothed in blue and purple and print their bold outlines on the clear evening sky.” This description helps the reader visualize the mountain in their own mind as they read. Irving tone relates to his sense of humor. Irving likes to joke a little because writer back then were serious about everything. That’s why Irving chose to write fictional short stories. In “Rip Van Winkle”, Irving uses stuffy language, sophisticated words, and irony to make fun of his characters. In the story Irving writes, “a termagant wife may, therefore, in some respect, be considered a tolerable blessing; and if so, Rip Van Winkle was thrice blessed”, this quote shows the tone of Irving’s sense of humor and sarcasm. I learned some of this information from watching the video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vxZa36lGBU
http://www.storynory.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/rip-van-winkle.jpg
Washington Irving was an author and editor of short stories and essays. Irving was an average guy that likes to write about fictional stories. Irving’s writing style was unique for short stories. Irving used imagery and symbolism so the reader would continue to be engaged into his stories. Irving’s personal experiences and sense of humor relates to his writing and tone in “Rip Van Winkle”. It was very interesting to learn and research about Washington Irving. I think it is neat that people still talk about his work to this day.
“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson is a writer who is known to be an American Transcendentalist. In 1841, Emerson founded and co-edited a literary magazine called “The Deal”. “The Deal” had several different essays in it. The one essay that stood out to me is the essay called “Self-Reliance”. “Self-Reliane” was an essay that up lifted people every time they read it. The essay is really good. The one thing that stood out to me are the quotes from the essays. The quote that stuck out to me was “nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles”. In other words, nothing can make you happy like the way you make yourself and nothing can bring you joy like you accomplishing major goals in your life. I chose this quote because I believe people don’t believe in themselves any more. I find it strange how people go to other people about their problems. The other person could give the best advice ever but they’re not going to solve the problem the same way you do because everybody is unique in some special way. This is why I believe people should believe in themselves a little bit more. Accomplishing a major goal in life is a really good feeling because no one knows the hard work and pressure other people go through just to make a better life for themselves. Overcoming all the doubts and fears leads to an amazing excitement. This is why I selected this quote.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
This quote also meant a lot to Emerson as well. There weren’t a lot of events that could relate to this quote at that time but it does relate to Emerson’s life. Ralph Emerson overcame a lot of stuff in his life. I think the “nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles” part relates to things like Emerson’s graduation from Harvard, getting a license to become a minister, and being ordained to the Unitarian church. The goals Emerson achieved brought happiness into his life. I think the “nothing can bring you peace but yourself” part relates to the death of his first wife Ellen Tucker. Emerson was really sad at this point in his life. He even denied God at this point of his life but he began to get his life back together by himself. Things began to come around for him because he was at peace with himself. This is why I think Emerson’s life relates to the quote.
http://www.biography.com/people/ralph-waldo-emerson-9287153
Barack Obama
Can the quote relate to anybody today? Yes, I think the quote can relate to anybody that is trying to make a better life for themselves. Most people grew up dreaming of becoming a movie star, professional athlete, singer, or some kind of celebrity so any success story could be a form of triumphing over principle. One major star that comes to my mind is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah started in a small town in Mississippi now she is one of the most popular black women on television. She is a true definition of the quote because she made it to fame her way and she worked hard. Another success story that could work is the story of Barack Obama. Barack went against the odds of becoming a black president but he stuck to what he knew and made it as the 44th president of the United States. These two people relate to the quote now.
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/947814/thumbs/o-OBAMA-PORTRAIT-570.jpg?5
This a mini biography of Oprah’s life
Who is Nathaniel Hawthorne? Why are his stories so dramatic? Does his dramatic effect still show today?
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Who is Nathaniel Hawthorne? Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American writer who wrote short stories and novels. Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804. Hawthorne grew up under the strict beliefs of puritanism. Nathaniel’s original last name was Hanthorne but Nathaniel added a “w” to his last name so he could separate himself from his grandfather’s ways. His grandfather’s name was John Hathorne. John Hathorne was a judge on the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials got a lot of innocent women killed because of the false information. Nathaniel was basically raised by his mother. When Nathaniel was four, his father died from yellow fever. When Nathaniel became older, his uncle wanted him to seek a higher education. Nathaniel’s uncle, Robert Manning, paid for him to get a higher education at Bowdoin College. Nathaniel was against going to Bowdoin College but he went anyways. Nathaniel was an average student because he didn’t like what the school offered. Nathaniel was quoted, “I do not want to be a doctor and live by men’s diseases, nor a minister to live by their sins, nor a lawyer and live by their quarrels. So I don’t see that there is anything left for me but to be an author.” This is the quote that led to Nathaniel’s become a writer of dramatic short stories and novels.
http://www.egs.edu/library/nathaniel-hawthorne/biography/
Why are Nathaniel’s stories so dramatic? I believe Nathaniel’s stories are dramatic because of his writhing style and the story types. Nathaniel’s writing style is neat to me because he over use dialogue. The over uses of dialogue helps describes the visuals of a character in his story and it also helps deliver the emotions of the characters. The over uses of dialogue makes a reader visualize the story easier in their heads. Nathaniel did this because the printing companies weren’t really good at printing pictures for books. Nathaniel picked up the “over uses of dialogue” technique from a British writer named Sir Walter Scott. This technique is shown in stories like “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Birthmark” but it’s really shown in “The Scarlet Letter”. Another thing these stories have in common is the story types. Nathaniel likes to write a lot of romantic fiction stories. This type of story makes it easier for the reader to become more interested because there is a lot of emotion shown in the stories. The uses of over dialogue in romantic fiction go together very well to make a great story.
http://www.e-scoala.ro/referate/engleza_nathaniel_hawthorne.html
The Notebook
Wait For You
Scandal
Does Nathaniel’s dramatic effect still show today? Yes, Nathaniel’s dramatic effects still show today. They show in all sorts of entertainment like movies, novels, and even television shows. Movies like “The Notebook”, novels like “Wait for you”, and television shows like “Scandal” all have romantic drama in it just like some of Nathaniel’s stories. Nathaniel’s romantic drama will continue to influence movies, novels, and television shows because some people fell like they can relate to some of the events in the stories. This is why romantic dramas are so entertaining today.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51umIyoNsHL._SX500_.jpg
http://www.singleblackmale.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/scandal-image.jpg
http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/WaitForYou-Amazon.jpg
Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American writer who wrote short stories and novel. Nathaniel used a technique of over usage of dialogue. This made his romance fiction stories really good because readers can visualize the story in their minds as they read. The dramatic effects Nathaniel used in his stories are still used today in movies, novels, and television shows. This is why I think Nathaniel Hawthorne is a really good writer.
What does it mean to be called an “Uncle Tom”?
Harriet Beecher Stowe
In 1852, a woman by the name of Harriet Beecher Stowe published an anti – slavery novel called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was about the life of a slave named Tom. Tom was a well educated slave. He was very obedient to his slave mater so he didn’t get into too much trouble. In the novel, Tom was sold to another slave owner because his slave master had to pay off a debt that he owed. After Tom was sold, he began to work hard so he can become a free man because he wanted to get back to this family and live a normal life again. That doesn’t happen because Tom dies from a really bad whipping. Tome gets whipped because he didn’t want to tell on two slaves that ran away from the house. The novel is really good but there are a lot of questions that stuck out to me like what does it mean to be called an “Uncle Tom”? Is this term still being used today? Is there a similar term currently used to describe the attributes of an “Uncle Tom”?
http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/stow-har2.jpg
What does it mean to be called an “Uncle Tom”? The Merriam-Webster online dictionary says “Uncle Tom” means, “a black (person) who is overeager to win the approval of whites (people).” People have their own definition of the term “Uncle Tom” because its slang. Slang is made up words that are substituted for different meanings. The online Urban Dictionary shows plenty of different definition to the term “Uncle Tom” because there isn’t a solid definition for the term. I think “Uncle Tom” means someone who is willing to do whatever they can to get approval from someone in a higher position. The definition of “Uncle Tom” is based on the opinion of whoever is saying it.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uncle%20tom
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Uncle%20Tom
Jalen Rose
Spike Lee
Is “Uncle Tom” still used today? Yes, “Uncle Tom” is still being used to this day. The term is still being used mostly in the black community. There are famous black people that are calling other black people “Uncle Toms” like Jalen Rose and Spike Lee. Jalen Rose is a well know point guard who played in the NBA. In the famous “Fab Five” documentary, Jalen Rose called Grant Hill an “Uncle Tom” because he played basketball for Duke University. Duke didn’t have a lot of black players on their basketball team at the time so Jalen felt like Grant Hill did whatever he had to just to play basketball at Duke. Spike Lee is a well known director in the black community. Spike Lee called Tyler Perry a “Uncle Tom” because Spike Lee feels like Tyler Perry’s movie character Madea is a form of coonery Spike Lee thinks Tyler Perry is degrading black people just to sell his movie.
http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2011/04/tyler-perry-says-spike-lee-can-go-to-hell
http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Jalen-Rose-ESPN1.jpg
http://cdn.necolebitchie.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/spike-lee.jpg
Is there a similar term currently used to describe the attributes of an “Uncle Tom”? Yes, the term that comes to my mind is the term “sell out”. The online Free Dictionary says “sell out” means, “to betray one’s cause or colleagues.” This term is another form of slang so there isn’t a solid definition for it. A lot of people think there are a bunch of “sell outs” in the hip hop industry. Most rappers will do whatever they can to make money. Some even go against the image their label made for them to become famous like Ice Cube. Ice Cube was a gangster rapper that rapped about the life of a gangster. Things started to change the older Ice cube got. Ice Cube began to go a different route so he became an actor. Ice Cube acted in different family oriented movies so his fans felt like he “sold them out” just to make money. A lot of rappers still “sell out” just to make money.
http://www.hiphopsite.com/2010/03/16/the-20-most-embarassing-sellout-moments-in-hip-hop-history/
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sell+out
The term “Uncle Tom” has evolved a lot since the publishing of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. People still use the term to this day. Even famous black people use the term to degrade each other. There isn’t a lot of words that relate to the term “Uncle Tom” but “sell out” is the closes thing t
Is there Paine in us today?
Who is Thomas Paine? The Thomas Paine biography on “Bio True Story” website says, “Thomas Paine was an influential 18th-century writer of essays and pamphlets.” Thomas Paine was boring in England in 1737. Thomas received very little education as a child. As he grew up, he learned how to read and write. At the age of thirteen, Thomas Paine began to work. His first job was with his dad as a corset maker. Thomas picked up another job as an officer of the excise. In 1760, Thomas experienced a lot of pain in his life. He lost his wife and his child in childbirth plus he lost his business as a corset maker. With all the pain and problems going on is Thomas’s life, he decides to speak his mind about his job in an article called “The Case of the Officers of Excise.” This was an article talking about Thomas taking defense on higher pay for excise officers. This article got Thomas fired from his job but it also lead to other great writings of Thomas Paine.
http://www.biography.com/people/thomas-paine-9431951?page=1
http://www.biography.com/imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/P/Thomas-Paine-9431951-1-402.jpg
After doing my research on Thomas Pain I asked myself, what makes Thomas Paine relevant today? There are plenty of things that make Thomas Paine relevant today but the one thing that stood out to me the most is how he related to the first amendment. The “Word Net” website says that the first amendment is “an amendment to the Constitution of the United States guaranteeing the right of free expression; includes freedom of assembly and freedom of the press and freedom of religion and freedom of speech.” Thomas Paine was a very opinionated man when it came to writing. I feel like he expressed the first amendment very well with his work. For example, in his pamphlet titled “The Age of Reason,” Thomas talked about the place of religion in the society. This pamphlet relates to the first amendment because it expresses the freedom of religion. The first amendment also shows in “Rights of Man” and his most popular work titled “Common Sense.” “Common Sense” was about Thomas’s views and opinion on why America should be free from British rule. A lot of political people didn’t like it but the common people loved it. Some reports say that “Common Sense” sold as may copies as the Bible. I think that is any amazing achievement.
http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=first%20amendment
http://www.biography.com/people/thomas-paine-9431951?page=1 (Common Sense)
Is there Paine in us today? Yes, I think a lot of people relate to Thomas Paine today. People today still express the first amendment when they want their opinions or views to be heard publicly. Instead of people trying to write books or pamphlets to be heard, they use the internet. The internet is the best way for people to talk about their views and opinions because plenty of people use it. This is how bloggers, writers, and news reporters make themselves well known today. For example, a economic professor at Pepperdine University named Gary Galles wants to give his view on the freedom of association so he used the internet. Cary believes the Constitution protects the freedom of association because it relates to freedom of assembly, which is in the first amendment. If people don’t feel comfortable about writing on the internet, then they will make a video. This is why YouTube is popular. I believe Thomas Paine made a huge mark in history for opinionated writers, bloggers, and reports.
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=22783
(FirstAmendmentMike Views and Opinion of Today)
Thomas Paine was a very open and opinionated writer who made himself a part of American history. Thomas Paine is still relevant today because of the first amendment. The first amendment gives people the right of freedom of expression, assembly, the press, religion, and of speech. I believe there is a little bit of Thomas Paine in everyone because everybody has their own opinions. This is why bloggers, writers, and reporters are important when it comes to speaking their mind on the internet. After writing this blog about Thomas Paine, I feel like it is okay to speak your mind because somebody may feel the same way as me.
What was the major effects of the Great Awakening?
Jonathan Edwards
In American Literature, I had to read a story and sermon. The story was called “Personal Narrative” and the sermon was called “Sinner in the Hands of an Angry God.” This story and sermon was written by a man named Jonathan Edwards. Jonathan Edwards was born on October 5, 1703 in East Windsor, Connecticut. Jonathan was raised by two Christian parents. When Jonathan became older, he went off to college. The college he attended was called Yale University. Jonathan graduated from Yale at the age of sixteen. He was the first of his graduation class. Jonathan was very educated about religion and the ways of the Bible so he seeks to become a pastor. In 1726, Jonathan became a pastor in Northampton, Massachusetts. Jonathan wasn’t the average pastor during that time. Jonathan had different views on the Enlightment. He felt like people should make their own decision on what they believe instead of the church making it for them. This lead to the sermon titled “Sinner in the Hands of an Angry God.” Jonathan sermons started to spread quickly. This was the beginning of the Great Awakening. Like it says on the Great Awakening website, “The Great Awakening was a spiritual renewal that swept the American Colonies, particularly New England, during the first half of the 18th Century. Certain Christians began to disassociate themselves with the established approach to worship at the time which had lead to a general sense of complacency among believers, and instead they apoted an approach which was Characterized by great fervor and emotion in prayer.” After reading about the Great Awakening I began to wonder, what was the major effect of the Great Awakening?
http://www.great-awakening.com/?page_id=12
http://mrdonnelly.tripod.com/pernarr.html
Religious Freedom
The major effect that I noticed during the Great Awakening was the religious freedom. People during that time didn’t make the own decision on what church they wanted to go to or how to deal with their sins. The church, The pastor of the church, made that decision for them Jonathan Edwards’s sermon showed Christians that they had the freedom to believe in what Christ wanted them to do and how to deal with their own sins. This led to revivalism during the Great Awakening. The online Meriam-Webster dictionary says revivalism means, “the spirit or methods characteristic of religious revivals.” Revivalism played a major role in Christian’s lives during the Great Awakening. The “From Death to Life” website says, “Revivalism emphasized the appeal to the emotions as well as to the intellect. It believed that one’s Christian life begins with one’s response to gospel’s call for repentance and spiritual rebirth by faith in Jesus Christ.” I believe the religious freedom is one of the best things about the Great Awakening because the religious freedom shows that the Christian will get a better understand of what Christ wants for the instead of others.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/media/640×360/Religious-freedom-part-four.jpg
http://fromdeathtolife.org/chistory/revival.html#fga
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revivalism
I liked learning about the Great Awakening because I feel like I can relate to some of the Christians during those times. I grew up in a Christian home were everything the family did had to be revolved around Christ. I really didn’t like that because I had no freedom to express myself in anything else. Growing up like this made me hate the ways of a Christian. As I got older, my mom slowly let me express myself. This freedom made me want to learn more about Christ so I could keep a balance between certain events and Christianity. The Great Awakening is a really great thing for Christians to know about because it basically sets up the way people view things today. I hope people actually go back to this period in time and learn about the Great Awakening because it may open some people eyes on certain things.
How did the Puritans live?
In my literature class, I had to read a couple of poems written by a woman named Anne Bradstreet. Anne was a very interesting woman. She was raised in the sixteen hundreds. Women around that time didn’t have much to say or do because they didn’t have the same rights as men. Anne was different from the other women. Anne was way more educated and smarter than the other women because she had an interest in literature. She loved literature so much that she became a poetic herself. This was interesting to me because Anne was a puritan woman. The online Webster dictionary defines puritans as, “a member of a 16th and 17th century protestant group in England and New England opposing as unscriptural the ceremonial worship and the prelacy of the Church of England.” After reading about Anne and the definition of a puritan, I started to wonder how did puritans live?
http://www.annebradstreet.com/anne_bradstreet_bio_001.htm
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puritan
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/uploads/authors/52bd3143cc/448x/anne-bradstreet.jpg
When I did my research on the puritan’s lifestyle, two words came to my mind. Those two words are religion and plain. I chose those words because I feel like they describe a puritan’s life very well. Puritans were big on religion. They base their whole lives around being religious because they want to go to heaven with their God. Like Shmoop says in The Doctrine, “Puritans believed in the concept of predestination: that God chose each human being from birth for salvation or for condemnation. Only God knew the fate of each person.” The love for Anne’s religion is shown in the poem titled “The Flesh and the Spirit.” Some historians say puritans weren’t afraid to die because they had a faith in seeing their God one day. Religion plays a major role in a puritan’s life.
http://www.shmoop.com/new-england-puritans-pilgrims/religion.html
The other word that describes a puritan is the word plain. The puritan lifestyle was very plain and dull. The fashion and the writing of a puritan revolved around the word plain. The puritan fashion was very dull. The puritans dressed like pilgrims. Everything on a puritan was covered so no skin was exposed. The only colors the puritan wore were black, white, and grey. The women wore coifs, shifts, waistcoats, aprons, and petticoats. The men wore felt hats, ruffs, doublets, cuffs, breeches, garters, stockings, and shoes
http://web.ccsd.k12.wy.us/techcurr/social%20studies/images/pilman.jpg
http://mrswiles.wikispaces.com/file/view/PILGRIMWOMAN.jpg/45508111/PILGRIMWOMAN.jpg
Puritan writing style was plain as well. Puritans didn’t use big words or express a lot of emotion in there writings. This is why I was interested in Anne Bradstreet. Anne wrote in cuplets and she could write a sonnet. Sonnets are difficult to write. Her writing style showed that she was educated and smart. The plain witting style is the best way to describe puritan literature.
http://www.ehow.com/info_8115548_characteristics-puritan-writing.html
Just like any other life, the puritans had their ups and downs. They treasured their lives to please their God. Everything from the fashion to the writing was plain and average. After doing this blog I feel like the puritans were good people that lived an easy life. I wonder if people still live the same way the puritans did?
Is John Smith really telling the truth?
In my American Literature class, I had to read two stories wrote by John Smith. The stories are called “The General History of Virginia” and “New England and the summer Isles.” These two stories tell the adventure of John Smith’s life. The stories are really interesting because they talked about how John Smith settled in Jamestown, Virginia and what happened in Jamestown. These stories are the early sources of American history but they brought a major question to my mind. Is John Smith really telling the truth? In this blog, I will tell my views on things that make me wonder how John Smith could be lying.
John Smith is classified as a captive narrator. Captive narrators write stories about the adventures and events of them being imprisoned by someone else. These stories attend to have heroic moments, crazy battles, and dramatic roles. A narrator like John Smith can easily lie about the events he wrote because he only tells one side of the story. That one side of the story is usually the views of the narrator. John Smith was a salesman back in New England. Salesman usually lie to sale their products, so is John Smith telling the truth in his stories?
The only reason why I’m questioning John Smith’s words is because of a couple of things in the stories that stood out to me. One thing that stood out in the stories, were John Smith’s heroic moments. In “The General History of Virginia,” John Smith wrote that he was in a battle with two hundred salvages that wanted to capture him. Two hundred people for one person is an outstanding number to me. During this moment in the story, John Smith said he had two men tied to his arms so the salvages wouldn’t hit him with arrows. The two men shields sound heroic but they were a failure. John Smith still managed to get hit in the thigh. John Smith became captured later on with an open wound on his thigh. With all the diseases and illnesses around this area, why didn’t John Smith die from an illness as a prisoner? The medicine wasn’t advanced enough to help him out with his open wound at the time. These heroic moments made me question John Smith’s stories. Another thing that stood out to me is the mysteries of Pocahontas. Where did she come from? Why did she save John Smith from begin killed? On About.com(http://womenshistory.about.com/od/mythsofwomenshistory/a/pocahontas.htm) they say, “Some historians believe that the story is not true. The earliest surviving story of the incident by Smith is quite different and he only told the version of being saved by an ‘Indian Princess’ after she became famous. Smith was known to go to great lengths to promote himself and his role in the earl colony. “They also say, “In 1612, he writes of Pocahontas’ affection for him, but his ‘True Relation’ does not mention Pocahontas or an execution threat when he tells of his expedition and meeting of Powhatan. It is not until 1624 in his ‘General History’ (Pocahontas died in 1617) that he writes of the threatened execution and Pocahontas’ dramatic role in saving his life.” These two quotes lead me to wonder, is John Smith telling the truth in his stories?
I believe that John Smith is telling the truth to a certain extent. There are evidences of the diseases and stuff like that but I still feel like John Smith changed a lot of the story just so he can make himself sound better. Like my mom always told me, “There are two sides to every story, the lie and the truth.” I still believe that the two stories are good sources for American history but I feel like people need to watch what they read because you never know how the narrator is trying to persuade you into believing something.
Video:
Powhatan Tribes- Pocahontas and John Smith – Native American
Cited Sources
Info:
Lewis, Jone. “Pocahontas Saves Captain John Smith from Execution.”About.com . Jan. 1999
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/mythsofwomenshistory/a/pocahontas.htm
Picture:
New England Chromo. Lith.Co. “Pocahontas-saves-Smith-NE-Chromo”.1870
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pocahontas-saves-Smith-NE-Chromo-1870.jpeg
Myself
My name is Courtney Gorman. I was born and raised in Douglasville, Georgia. Douglasville is thirty minutes outside of Atlanta. I’m usually known as the nice guy that doesn’t say much. I don’t say much because I like to observe people before I get to know them. Once someone knows me, they realize that I’m very random but cool. I enjoy playing, watching, and coaching basketball on any level. It is a very entertaining sport to me. I also like to draw and play video game. These things are a couple of things I like to do in my free time. When I’m bored in Jacksonville, that’s what people usually see me doing.
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