"The Cotton Boll" by Henry Timrod

Henry Timrod uses the poem “The Cotton Boll” to convey his views of the Civil War and his fear that the war will destroy the southern landscape; his views are effectively expressed through a comparison between the peacefulness of the land and the turbulent nature of war. This comparison is achieved through descriptions of nature and the weather. In the beginning, the speaker is sitting underneath a tree admiring the landscape around him; he describes the weather as being clear and sunny with a light breeze. To him, the fields are white and glowing in the sun, like a “sea of billowy gold,” and the land contains “all the common gifts of God.” The overall scene is calm and quiet except in rare cases when there is thunder, which he describes as “golden chimes.”

The speaker’s description of the weather and nature changes when he describes the storm, which is symbolic of the war. The scene is no longer calm as the “toil” of the water and wind creates a “dull booming” and a “mighty muffled roar.” The speaker also correlates the “Northern winds” with “the voice of woe.” These descriptions of sounds are very negative in comparison to the “golden chimes.” The speaker also associates war with change, similar to the movement of water and wind being able to “split a rock” or “carve a niche.” The description of nature and weather is used to foreshadow the coming of war and the changes that is brought about by war. The speaker appreciates the land and all the gifts it provides the people, and he does not want the landscape to change.

The poem ends with a request to God to help the South win the war and preserve the peaceful southern fields. The speaker states, “Oh, help us, Lord! To roll the crimson flood / Back on its course…” The speaker wants to drive the war back so that this landscape can be preserved. He realizes that “there is much even Victory must regret,” which means that the destruction of this landscape will be regrettable, even if the South should win the war. Timrod displays a very negative attitude of the north; he equates the north to the Goths or the Vikings who raided and plundered towns, when he states “till the Goth shall cling / To his own blasted alter-stones…” The association of the alter-stones to the north also implies that northerners are pagans who may participate in sacrifices; Timrod believes that the north will corrupt the landscape and stain it with blood.

Hawthorne's "The Birthmark"

Hawthorne’s work “The Birthmark” deals with the necessity of accepting sin and imperfections as a part humanity and mortality. In the story, some view the birthmark as a thing of beauty, a “token of the magic endowments.” The birthmark can be interpreted as the gift of life and free will that God gave mankind, from which sin is produced. The birthmark can also be interpreted as original sin, which all humans are born with. The birthmark is red, which is associated with blood and sin, and can be contrasted with the whiteness or purity of the surrounding cheek.

To Aylmer, the birthmark on his wife’s cheek is representative of earthly imperfection and a symbol of “sin, sorrow, decay, and death.” Aylmer viewed earthly things as lowly, seen in the tone in which he addresses his assistant; Aylmer, therefore, is obsessed with removing the birthmark, this sign of earthly imperfection from his otherwise perfect wife. He wants to rid his wife of “sin, sorrow, decay and death,” all characteristics of being human, in order to achieve a perfect being. However, the birthmark, like sin, is not simply a superficial imperfection but is embedded deep within her. In Aylmer’s dream, he attempts to dig out the birthmark but the birthmark sinks deeper and deeper until it is in his wife’s heart. Aylmer fails to realize that human sin and imperfections are the very essence or fabric of humanity and mortality, “the bond by which an angelic spirit kept itself in union with a mortal frame.” As in Aylmer dream, separating human sin and achieving perfection is impossible; removing sin is like removing life and free will. Because Aylmer does not understand this, he attempts to remove the birthmark anyway; he succeeds but at the cost of his wife’s life.

The Birthmark goes further to point out that because humans are imperfect, and the things that humans create also lack perfection. Nature “permits us indeed, to mar, but seldom to mend, and, like a jealous patentee, on no account to make.” The narrator states that “We know not whether Aylmer possessed this degree of faith in man’s ultimate control over nature;” however, Aylmer seems to think that through science, he can correct an imperfection left by nature. Indeed, Georgiana describes that Aylmer can ‘spiritualized’ physical objects or seems to have control over the spiritual world. It is clear that Aylmer does not. Both of Aylmer attempts at creating beauty failed; the plant dies just as Georgiana tries to touch it, and the picture Aylmer makes on the metal plate is blurry.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown"

Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown is about the necessity of having faith. In this story, Goodman Brown is forced to go on a journey that tested his faith. Hawthorne uses Faith as both Goodman Brown’s wife and as a symbol of Goodman Brown’s faith in the Lord and perhaps in humanity as well; Hawthorne describes the wife as “aptly named.” This use of symbolism presents itself many times in the story. Goodman Brown states “I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven,” which means that he will follow his wife to heaven and that having faith will take him to heaven. Goodman Brown also tells that traveler “With Heaven above, and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!” meaning that with his faith in the Lord, he will resist evilness.

As Goodman Brown continues on his dark journey, he sees Goody Cloyse conversing with the traveler and the minister and Deacon Gookin heading deep into the forest for the meeting. Because Goodman Brown highly respects these people, he begins to doubt "whether there really was a Heaven above him." However, Goodman Brown does not lose faith until he sees that most of the pious people of Salem including his wife gathered at the witch-meeting. He exclaims “My Faith is gone!” and “There is no good on earth and sin is but a name. Come, devil! For to thee is this world given.” Goodman Brown has lost his faith in all humanity and in the belief that he can be saved. When Goodman Brown returns to the town in the morning, his wife Faith is there to greet him; however, he does not believe her to be the ‘angel’ that he once thought her to be. He does not see the townspeople such as the minister and the deacon the way he used to. Despite his faith being beside him throughout his life, Goodman Brown ignores it, and, as a result, he becomes a “stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man.” Hawthorne is saying that without faith in the Lord and in humanity people will become the same type of person that Goodman Brown became.

The Group by Mercy Otis Warren

Mercy Otis Warren wrote The Group as a piece of propaganda to encourage the colonists to fight for freedom from oppression by the British government and its sympathizers. At the time Warren wrote this mock play, General Gage had replaced Governor Hutchinson as the leader of the British troops in the colonies, which added to the hostility felt by the colonists. Surprisingly, of all the characters in this play, Sylla who is representative of General Gage is portrayed in the best light. Sylla acknowledges that what he is doing is wrong and is perplexed as to how to reconcile his duties and his feelings. Though Sylla is imposing martial law on the city of Boston, he attempts to take into account the colonists’ feelings; Sylla does so by trying to keep the troops at bay so as not to insult the colonists. Sylla also reprimand the Simple Sapling for his desire of fame over his family's best interest by saying, “Has thou no sons or blooming daughters there,/ To call up the feelings of a Father, /Lets their young minds contaminate by vice, /Caught from such inmates, dangerous and vile, /Devoid of virtue, rectitude, or honor...” Sylla's statement is ironic because while Sylla describes the soldiers as being "devoid of virtue, rectitude, or honor," these very men lack the same qualities. In addition, this statement give an opportunity to show that men such as Simple Sappling and Hateall do not care for their wives and children. In addition to being sympathetic, Sylla is also loyal, though his loyalty is to the crown of Britain. Sylla states, “I only wish to serve my Sovereign well, /And bring new glory to my master’s crown, /Which can’t be done by spreading ruin around /This loyal Country.../Wrought up to madness by oppression's hand...” Sylla feels that he would desecrating the legacy of Britain’s past heroes, who fought bravely for freedom, if he were to fight the colonists who only desire freedom from oppression.

Sylla seems to be the tragic hero is this play; Warren may have used Sylla as a contrast to the other characters, who are morally inferior. While General Gage is relatively new to the colonists, the men represented by the other characters are well known; therefore, Warren may want to emphasize the immorality of these men. Sylla is portrayed as sympathetic, rational, and loyal, while the others are seen as greedy, selfish, fearful, and vendictive. Instead of being moved by Sylla’s compassion and reluctance to take military actions, these men begin to fear that they will lose everything they have worked for if there is no fight. After Sylla exits, Halzerod says, “ This balancing of passions never will do, /And by the scale which virtue holds to reason, /Weighing the business e’er he executes, /Doubting, deliberating, half resolved/ To be the savior of a virtuous state, /Instead of guarding the refugees and knaves, /The buzzing reptiles that crawl round his court…” Halzerod continues to say that he will attempt to convince Sylla to take “bloody resolutions.” This statement by Halzerod only increases the audience’s disgust for men such as Halzerod and Meagre, who want to destroy the colonies for personal gain. Though at first, Warren’s positive portrayal of Sylla seems perplexing, its serves its purpose well in contrasting the immorality of the other characters.

Benjamin Franklin " Autobiography Part 3"

In part three of the Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin continued to appearances as a tool of manipulation. Franklin manipulated the new member of the Assembly who opposed him to gain the member's favor. Franklin accomplished this by sending the man a letter asking the man for a favor, which was obliged by the man. Franklin was careful to omit this man's name, possibly because he did not want to tarnish his appearance to those who knew him and this man.

In part three, printing continued to be symbolic of success for Franklin; most of his financial and political success was related in some way to literacy and printing. Franklin used his printing as a mode of "communicating instruction" and initiating changes in society. However, when printing relates to other persons in the text, it does not correlate to success. In the case of Mr. Whitefield, printing led to his failure. As Franklin stated, "his writings and printing from time to time gave great advantages to his enemies...I am of the opinion if he had never written any thing...his reputation might in that case have been still growing...as there being nothing in his writing on which to found a censure and give him a lower character...". The difference between Franklin and Mr. Whitefield was their best mode of expression. Mr. Whitefield, on the other hand, was a powerful speaker, but he did not recognized that writings must be more tamed than speeches. Franklin once pointed out that he was not articulate in speaking; Franklin, however, was a very articulate writer, and writing was usually the first from of expression he utilized to gain public favor for the public projects he supported. Franklin showed he can easily manipulate words when he played on the word 'fire-engine' as a powerful gun and not a instrument used in putting out fires. With writing, Franklin was best able to utilize appearance in his favor; in this text and his other published writings, Franklin was careful to manipulate his appearances so that he and what he supports appeared in a favorable light.

This manipulating of appearance also manifests itself in the narrative voice he uses in part three. In this part, the voice of the narrator and the protagonist often were indistinguishable from one another. One instance occurred when Franklin the narrator distinguishes himself from the protagonist by allowing his voice to be heard. Franklin stated "But I am got forward too fast with my story." In this instance, Franklin the narrator wanted to distance himself from the protagonist to bring attention to this part of the text; the tone of the narrator is that of excitement in telling this story. Franklin wanted the readers to pay attention this part, which contained the abuses of power committed by the British officials.