Journal #2

After reading pages 311-333, I found a few connections between the readings and my personal experiences. The first and maybe most important one was that as time goes on certain things are always changing. The very last sentence of page 333 states "A distinctly national literature was no longer simply a patriotic hope or the distant possibility envisaged by early critics. It was increasingly a reality for publishers, readers, and writers in the United States." The same thing happens to all of us. When we are younger we wish to grow up, drive cars, and make money. It all seems so far away when we were younger, but now it is becoming a reality and we have to adapt to it. Another interesting thing in these reading is how important the little things are. For example, when one studies the American Revolution, he or she doesn't usually point to literature as the first thing they think of. Yet before Thomas Paine's pamphlet feelings of revolution and patriotism were non-existent. It was only after half a million copies sold that the people really got fired up. Similarly today, many people take the little things for granted and forget about them, and sometimes they can forget who they really are because they are chasing a bigger goal.

Major American Writers: Eng 20503: Prompt for Journal/Blog Posting #1

Major American Writers: Eng 20503: Prompt for Journal/Blog Posting #1: For Thursday's class, please post on your blog a response that is built upon our class discussion and your small group work. Use the followi...

When I think of the American Identity and what it means to be an American, a few things come to mind. The very first thing that pops into my head is ambitious. Most Americans I've met are ambitious optimistic people who set pretty big goals in life and honestly think they are going to acheive them. The next thing I think of is someone who works hard. An American is almost always hard working and strives to be at his/her best whether at work, on the playing field, and even at school. Also, the American identity to me is family and having a strong sense of family. There is a reason why you see big reunions for Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July, etc. it's because Americans feel strongly for the ones that are closest to them. Tying into that is friends. Americans like to identify themselves with other Americans, it's just how they're built and taught. After discussing this in class the other day I feel like my perception of what it means to be an American has changed just a little bit. It used to be whenever I heard the word American I would think medium to large sized house with a white picket fence, green grass, two cars in the driveway, and a nice happy family. While that may exist, the word American goes far beyond that stereotype.