Charles Waddell Chesnutt "The Wife of His Youth"

Charles Waddell Chesnutt’s short story “The Wife of His Youth” presents a theme of blackness and the need to acknowledge one’s blackness. In the story, Chesnutt shows a group of light-skinned people who wanted to separate themselves from the darker-skinned African Americans. They view blackness as low, and they wanted o divorce themselves from being associated with blackness in the hopes of one day being accepted by the white race. Mr. Rider, who represents this view, says, “Our fate lies between absorption by the white race and extinction by the black. One doesn’t want us yet, but may take us in time. The other would welcome us, but it would be for use a backward step.”

In the story, Mr. Rider either has to acknowledge his blackness or seek acceptance in whiteness. Chesnutt uses the wife and Mrs. Dixon to represent the races, and to reveal the choice that Mr. Rider has to make. Mrs. Dixon represents the whiteness; as Mr. Rider states, “Mrs. Dixon was the palest lady he expected at the ball.” However, Mrs. Dixon is not white and will never be. Mrs. Dixon, therefore, represents the false whiteness that Mr. Rider seeks. He is seeking something that he can never achieve because it does not exist; he is not white. The wife represents the blackness of Mr. Rider’s youth and the reality that he tries to deny. When Mr. Rider first sees her, he describes her as being very black,--so black that her toothless gums, revealed when she opened her mouth to speak, were not red, but blue. She looked like a bit or the old plantation life.” His wife, however, brings back memories of his youth and past that he can hardly remember.

Mr. Rider is faced with a dilemma of whether to accept or deny his blackness. He reveals his internal conflict, when he says, “And then suppose that accident should bring to his knowledge the fact that the wife of his youth, the wife that he left behind him,--not one who had walked by his side and kept pace with him in his upward struggle, but one upon whom advancing years and a laborious life ha set their mark,--was alive and seeking him, but that he was absolutely safe from recognition or discover, unless he chose to reveal himself. My friends what would the man do?” In the statement, Mr. Rider’s blackness is the wife of his youth; his blackness is something that he attempted to abandon in order to move upward socially because he realizes that his blackness a disadvantage to him. The markings of the laborious life and advancing years are the markings of slavery and struggle that is associated with his youth and his blackness. Mr. Rider attempts to forget about these markings, but his wife’s appearance brings back all these memories. He realizes that his past/wife/blackness is calling out to him and desires to be acknowledged because it is what has made him what he is now. Mr. Rider decides to be true to himself, and he acknowledges his wife and his blackness.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

In Chapter XIV of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain contrasts Huck and Jim’s views through a discussion between Huck and Jim. Huck and Jim’s differing views provides incite into their characters and situations. Huck and Jim have differing views of their life on the raft; while Huck views life on the raft as an adventure, Jim sees it as a means for escaping slavery and seeking freedom. Huck states, “I told Jim all about what happened inside the wreck…and I said these kinds of things was adventures.” Jim counters by saying that “he didn’t want no more adventures.” Because Huck is free, he does not appreciate this freedom; he desires adventure and excitement. Jim, on the other hand, is a runaway slave; he is not free, and he is very aware of his situation. He does not desire adventure because he knows that it is dangerous and may threaten the freedom the he is currently enjoying. Huck describes Jim’s situation, stating “he crawled back to get on the raft and found her gone, he nearly died; because he judge it was all up with him…” To Jim, the raft is a haven, and on the raft, he was free from being captured. When the raft disappeared, Jim knew that he would either drown in the river or be captured and sold back into slavery.

Another part in this chapter that displays Huck and Jim’s differing views is the part in which they discuss king “Sollermun.” Jim states, “It lays in de way Sollermun was raised. You take a may dat’s got on’y one er two chillen; is dat man gwyne to be waseful o’ chillen? No, he ain’t; he can’t ’ford it. He know how to value ’em. But you take a man dat’s got ’bout five million chillen runnin’ roun’ de house, en it’s diffunt. He as soon chop a chile in two as a cat.” Jim is pointing out how people do not always appreciate what they have. Huck was raised free; he has always been free to do what he wants, so he does not appreciate his current freedom the way Jim does. Huck does not realize that all the risk he takes on his adventure could cost him his freedom. Jim, on the other hand, enjoys his current freedom, and takes careful consideration to preserve this freedom.

Jim’s views on equality can be seen in Huck and Jim’s discussion of why a Frenchman speaks differently. When Jim asks Huck why French people talk differently then they do, Huck compares a cat and a cow to a man; Huck tells Jim that a cat and a cow does not talk like a man because they are different from a man. However, Jim points out that a cat and a cow are not equal to a man. Jim says, “Well, den she ain’ got no business to take like either one er the yuther of ’em. Is a Frenchman a man?” Clearly, a Frenchman is a man, so Jim believes it is natural for a Frenchman to talk the way they do because all men are the same. This implies Jim believes that all men are equal; a slave is a man and is equal to a white man.

This chapter presents the views of Huck and Jim that gives insight into their characters. Jim’s views on freedom and equally are especially shown in this chapter. While Huck thinks Jim’s reasoning are nonsensical and views Jim as somewhat ignorant. Jim’s view are, however, representative of his situation in life.

Emily Dickinson's "It sifts from Leaden Sieves"

In the poem “It sifts from Leaden Sieves,” Emily Dickinson is very ambiguous as to what she is describing. (I had to google her poem to figure out that she was describing snow.) She did not use any terminology that is associated with weather. Dickinson’s choice of diction and metaphors also add to the ambiguity of the poem. Each stanza by itself does not bring to mind snow but taken together, the poem creates a complete picture; after one finds outs that the subject was snow, the poem made more sense. In the first line, Dickinson writes, “It sifts from Leaden Sieves.” Because of Dickinson’s use of the term “Leaden Sieves,” it was difficult to determine what she was referring to. Dickinson meant to relate snow to the way flour is sifted to remove the clumps; the flour falls from the sifter like scattered powder. Dickinson also uses the work “wood” which can bring to mind a piece of wood or something made of wood and not woods or trees. Dickinson also states, “It reaches to the Fence—/ It wraps it Rail by Rail;” one does not imagine the powder-like snow wrapping around rails like a ribbon or string would. The snow also “Ruffles Wrists of Posts / As Ankles of a Queen—;” this description brings to mind lace that covers a Queens ankles and not snow. One has a hard time imagining how snow can “Stump, and Stack—and Stem—/ A Summer’s empty Room—.” Dickinson is describing how the snow is covering the “Summer’s empty Room,” which may be a metaphor for the fields and gardens.

However, Dickinson also includes some descriptive words that bring to mind the whiteness and softness of snow. Dickinson relates snow to “Alabaster Wool;” alabaster is a white, translucent substance, and wool is soft and white. The word “Fleeces” also makes one think of softness. In the end, Dickinson writes “Then stills it’s Artisans—like Ghosts— / Denying they have been—.” Dickinson is saying that when the snow disappears, it leaves a haunting memory on the arts like herself.

In this poem, Dickinson is describing how snow covers the land in whiteness, like a “Celestial Vail.” Dickinson relates snow and whiteness to purity and beauty; the snow fills “The Wrinkle of the Roads—,” perhaps covering the flaws and imperfection of the roads. Her descriptions of how the snow falls on the land wraps around the rails and ruffles the post are images of beauty; the snow is beautifying the scenery.

Walt Whitman's "Beat! Beat! Drums!"

Walt Whitman’s poem “Beat! Beat! Drums!” supports Mark Neely’s assertion that Whitman does not include any comments or opinions about the Emancipation Proclamation in his poetry. “Beat! Beat! Drums!” may rather be a poem used by Whitman to call the people’s attention to the state of the nation during the Civil war. In the poem, the drums and bugles are so loud that it causes everyone in the towns and cities to take notice. The speaker describes the drums as a “ruthless force” that penetrates doors and windows and disturbs everyone’s lives; no one is left in peace or happiness.
The use of repetition in the line “Beat! beat! drum!—blow! bugles! Blow!” that begins each stanza adds to the sense that Whitman is calling the people’s attention. One could almost imagine the rhythmic drumming and blowing growing louder and louder throughout the poem. In the second stanza, the speaker implies the importance of people to pay attention to the issue that he is presenting. If lawyers, sleepers, brokers, and other people of the cities and towns can go on with their business, the drummers and bugle players must play louder. The speaker says, “Then rattle quicker, heavier drums—you bugles wilder blow.” The speaker encourages the drummers and bugle players to play louder as to drown out all noise of everyday life. The issue that Whitman is calling attention to is unknown, but this issue is important to everyone and touches everyone’s lives just like the sound of the drums and bugles. Whitman’s history may suggest that he is against slavery; however, the poem does not explicitly mention or even allude to slavery and the emancipation proclamation. Though Whitman does not explicitly include who is playing the drums and bugles or what these instruments are use to call attention to, it can be inferred that the drums and bugles are part of an army that is marching through the towns and cities, announcing its presence and calling attention to the war.