Realism in "The Awakening" and "The Story of an Hour"

Although Kate Chopin has quite often been considered a Regionalist writer, but when reading an excerpt of “The Awakening” and her short story "The Story of an Hour" it is clear that she is a strong Realist writer. "The Awakening" is all about the “awakening” of women from that state that they have been trapped in for such a long time. Both works present the feelings of women as a whole and is all about the social issue of women being stuck in the same position in life as wives and mothers. Even though none of this is directly addressed by the story, it is the underlying theme that Kate Chopin focused on in many of her works. Along with the subject of each story, the style used is another aspect of Realism. There is a strong emotional presence in the words which is how most of the women of the time were feeling and how they were writing.

This short excerpt of “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin literally is about a woman sitting alone in a house crying for no apparent reason. She states that the woman does not know why she is crying, but that it was not all that uncommon to her married life (Chopin "Awakening" 491). The woman is most likely crying because she is unhappy with her life. While she says that her husband is kind and not a bad person, she just does not feel that her life is complete (Chopin "Awakening" 491). In "The Story of an Hour," Chopin also presents ideas about a womans unhappiness and want of independence (Chopin "Story" 554) This is the idea that Kate Chopin tried to get across during her time writing. She felt that women had to realize that there was more to life than only being someone’s wife or a mother. This type of literature became more popular as the movement for women’s rights began and started its takeoff. The fact that this is what women were personally feeling at the time is what makes this a work of Realism as this genre is all about how people actually feel (Quinn). This is what makes Kate Chopin one of the best in the genre of Realism because her “awakening” she is able to spread the idea to other women of the country.

Another aspect that makes these works of Realism is the style in which they are written. The words used are very powerful and there is a lot of passion and emotion. There is a lot of description used to convey the emotions felt by many women in society (Chopin "Awakening" 491). Language is often one of the most simple, but also the most important parts of literature differentiate it from all of the other genres of the world. The word choice portrays how many of the women of the changing society felt.

With the language used in this sort excerpt and the subject matter used to address an underlying theme are what make this a great work of Realism. Kate Chopin is one of the greatest authors to make literature concerning the feelings of women in society. This work of Realism helped in the movement of women’s rights and exposed many people in society to the idea of how women actually felt.


Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 491.

Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 554-555.

Quinn, Edward. "realism and naturalism in American literature." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gfflithem0707&SingleRecord=True. February 13, 2011.

Regionalism in "O Pioneers!" and "A Wagner Matinée"

The short excerpt from Willa Cather’s novel “O Pioneers!” and her short story "A Wagner Matinée" both show many characteristics of the literary genre of Regionalism. There is a simple language; much like is used in the Midwest where "O Pioneers!" takes place. There are many references to things that are particular to the Midwest and an important part of the culture of the region. The mentality of the area as a whole is a critical portion of this excerpt that displays the characteristics of a work of Regionalism.

From this excerpt from “O Pioneers!” it is easy to tell that it is a work of Regionalism with strong focus on the entire Midwest. One of the contributing factors to this is simple the language used. Often it seems that the Midwest does not really have a vernacular, because for the most part this region of the United States speaks regular English. There are not many words that are particular to the area as there are in the South. This story is presented in a means of simple sentence structure and regular diction that is similar to the English used in the Midwest (Cather "O" 489). "A Wagner Matinée" also uses simple language as it seems like someone that you know is just telling you a story. Language is one of the key parts that separate just Realism to the narrower genre of Regionalism (Anderson). The language in this story is one part of what make it a work of Regionalism.

The setting and different parts of each story described are another part of what make these works of Regionalism. Simply that fact that "O Pioneers!" takes place in Midwest makes it Regionalism (Cather "O" 489). There are many references to farming and specifically the farming of corn throughout the area. This crop is particular to almost specifically the Midwest. Oftentimes authors use specific areas to draw from for the setting of a work of Regionalism. This allows them to make the setting an important part of the story as they can almost make the setting and the characters into one idea (Anderson). Willa Cather moved to Nebraska at the age of nine and this is the most likely explanation for the setting of the Midwest for many of her works, making her a Regionalist writer. This can be seen in her short story "A Wagner Matinée" because one of the characters in the story actually comes from a farm in Nebraska (Cather, "Wagner" 521).

Most times in works of Regionalism, the author will hone in on the mentality of the area in which the story takes place (Anderson). This is exactly what Willa Cather does in her story “O Pioneers!” The short excerpt explains how the people of the Midwest, even during a rough time for the farming industry, can stay strong and pull through (Cather "O" 489). This idea of remaining strong in times of hardships and struggles is a huge part of the Midwest and Cather was able to use this to create a major part of the story.

These works contain many of the most important characteristics of a work of Regionalism. There is a simple style of writing, much similar to the vernacular of the Midwest, as well as and overall tie of the setting to the characters and people in it. These are some of the major aspects of literature that make something a part of the genre of Regionalism. Willa Cather’s experiences growing up obviously show in her story “O Pioneers!” and "A Wagner Matinée" and are what making her a great writer of Regionalism literature.


Works Cited

Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True. February 13, 2011.

Cather, Willa. "O Pioneers!" Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 489.

Cather, Willa. "A Wagner Matinée" Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 521-526.

Regionalism of "And Ain't I a Woman"

“And Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth is a work that displays many characteristics of Regionalism. The language used is obviously Southern vernacular, which implies that this speech given is in the genre of Regionalism. The subject of women’s rights in general, and more specifically the rights of African American women who were slaves is also a sign of Regionalism because this was a huge issue following the Civil War not just in the South but in the North too. Social issues are a very important part of all works of Realism, and this speech addresses many of those issues.

Upon reading this speech by Sojourner Truth, the first thing one pays particularly close attention to is the type of language that she uses. Many of the terms used are part of word choice that comes from living in the South. Addressing the audience of the speech as “children” and “honey” are choices that make this a work of Regionalism (Truth 370). Language is often a very important part of Regionalism, as it gives the audience a chance to understand where that author has come from and allows the audience that is also from that particular area to connect on an even deeper level to the author. This is exactly what Sojourner Truth accomplishes with this speech and this is a very important part of Regionalism (Anderson).

Regionalism is all about focusing on one specific area and this speech does just that. The main idea of this work is to address the issue with treatment of African American women from the South (Truth 370). Sojourner talks about how women are not treated as they should be because they are not white. She says that there are men that say women should “be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere,” but she does not ever receive any of these things (Truth). This particular issue to the Southern women who were slaves is another important part of this speech that exemplifies Regionalism literature.

Being written in 1851, this work was a part of the early movement for Realism in the world of literature (Truth 370). Not only did this work speak of the problems of women being treated less because of their color, but also of how women in general are treated. This is an example of some of the first literature for women’s rights in general. Content about real life issues oftentimes points to a work being of the genre of Realism (Quinn). This speech given helped spark the movement for women’s rights and general equality throughout the entire nation.

With its Southern style of writing and vernacular and ideas about the rights of African American women “And Ain’t I a Woman” is an excellent example of Regionalism literature. Sojourner Truth with all of the things she did is one of the most important figures in equality movements for all types of people and this work shows those characteristics of her. Not only did this speech add to the strides taken in the advancement of African American women, but also to the rights of all women of the country making it a very important part of history.


Works Cited


Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True. February 13, 2011.

Quinn, Edward. "realism and naturalism in American literature." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gfflithem0707&SingleRecord=True. February 13, 2011.

Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg. 370.

Regionalism in "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" "Go Down, Moses" and "Keep Your Hand on the Plow"

During the time period of slavery in the United States, stories and songs were passed down orally among the slaves and became a huge part of African American culture. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” Go Down, Moses,” and Keep Your Hand on the Plow, though unknown who originally came up with them, are very important songs of the African American slaves have many characteristics of the subgenre of Realism, that being Regionalism.

All of these stories have the same characteristic of being thought of in the South on plantations. Though there is no known authors for these works, they survived by being taught and spread through all areas. The fact that these are all written in the South makes them Regionalism literary works. All share the common characteristic of using language popular to the area or vernacular and this is one of the main characteristics that separates Regionalism from being in the simple category of Realism (Anderson).

Along with the language used as a characteristic of Regionalism, the underlying theme is similar throughout all three. That common thread is in the comparisons and stories made and told respectively to religion. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” specifically references the Jordan River, which is the river that they Jews had to cross to reach the promise land in the Book of Exodus (“Swing” 346). Many times in these stories or songs of the African American slaves religion was used to make escape plans and keep spirits high about the situation that they were in. “Go Down, Moses” also makes a direct reference to Moses leading the Jews out of their persecution (“Go” 347). “Keep Your Hand on the Plow” also references two stories from the bible about people in captivity and also of enduring something hard (“Keep” 348). Collectively, religion was something that kept hopes high and faith in all of the slaves that were in captivity in the South. This is why this characteristic makes these songs a part of Regionalism as it is a characteristic of the literature of the particular are that they were written in.

The simple style that all of these songs were created in also lends to their being a part of the genre of Regionalism. All present a very simple style, often with repetition as a key part to the set up of the song. In “Go Down, Moses” every stanza ends with the same line, “Let my people go. (“Go” 347).” This repetition makes the songs so simple, but at the same time makes them extremely powerful emotionally. Most slaves were not educated and they only knew simple language, which can be seen in all three of these works. This adds to the fact that they are Regionalism literary works because of simple language being a characteristic of the South as a whole.

The songs and poems passed down orally through the African Americans are a very important part of literature as whole, but specifically Realism too. Their simple style and ties to religion are what make them perfect examples for works of the subgenre of Regionalism.


Works Cited

Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds."regionalism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, vol. 3, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL1330&SingleRecord=True. February 8, 2011.

"Go Down, Moses." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 347.

"Keep Your Hand on the Plow." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 348.

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 346.

Realism in Abraham Lincoln's "Second Inaugural Address"

Realism was a literary movement that began during the time of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, one of the most prominent leaders during that time adopted some traits of Realism literature in his speech for his second inauguration. In his speech, Lincoln follows the style of Realism with a very simple means of conveying his message. He very plainly presents the facts and makes a rational conclusion of what the county needs to do. Being a presidential inaugural speech, there is obviously content concerning society and the psychology of people, as it is targeted towards all of the people in the country. This is another characteristic that make this speech of President Lincoln an example of literature from the Realism movement.

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, he focuses on the wrongs that have been done to many members of the country through means of slavery (Lincoln 339). He states that God gives us the opportunity to make amend for the wounds that have been inflicted on the country, both domestically and among the likes of other nations of the world. This being the subject of this address lends to the fact that Lincoln used Realism literature because social issues were quite often the main idea that Realism literature revolved around (Quinn).

The way in which this work is presented also displays characteristics of Realism. A simple writing style with an almost monotonous flow were very popular to the genre of Realism as quite often a work of Realism is trying to present facts of actual events (Barney). This is exactly the way that Lincoln’s second inaugural address is written. Most all of his sentences are simple and deliver their own message or add to the main idea of the passage (Lincoln 339). Even though there is a lack of artistic style to this genre and this speech in particular, there is no lack whatsoever of emotion. The message that the author presents in this kind of work is enough to keep the audience interested in what is being said.

Being the President during the Civil War lends to the obvious fact that this is a work of Realism. The movement for Realism literature began primarily during the Civil War era (Quinn). President Lincoln’s second inaugural address was given in 1865, making it right in the beginning stages of Realism literature and Lincoln of the first writers and public speakers of this genre (Lincoln 339). Although this seems like a very simple and obvious reason for this work to be Realism, it has even more importance because it exposed many people of the nation to a newly established form of literature being used by persons in power.

With the literary movement of Realism beginning during the time of the Civil War, it is no surprise that Abraham Lincoln used this style a lot as can be seen in the “Second Inaugural Address.” The matters addressed by Lincoln and the way in which the speech was written, as well as the way it was likely presented are examples that make this a work of Realism. With the “Second Inaugural Speech” of President Lincoln, Realism made a very public appearance.


Works Cited

Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "realism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True. February 8, 2011.

Lincoln, Abraham. from "Second Inaugural Address." Glencoe American Literature. comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 339.

Quinn, Edward. "realism and naturalism in American literature." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gfflithem0707&SingleRecord=True. February 8, 2011.

Realism in "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro"

On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered a speech to a white audience entitled “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” (Douglass 337). This work contains many of the characteristics involved in literature of the genre of Realism. Obviously the speech fits the time period when the Realism movement began. The simple style used as well as the content concerning the social structure and society at the time are both characteristics of Realism. The words of Frederick Douglass serve as a perfect example of Realism in his speech, “The Meaning of July Fourth to the Negro.”

This speech fits the characteristic of the time in which it was written. The speech was delivered in 1852, right during the civil war (Douglass 337). Douglass became a fugitive from slavery in 1838 and started writing as a strong advocate for abolition (Watts). This shows that Douglass’s writing started right around the time of the beginning of the literary movement of Realism, making him one of the most important founders of the genre.

In his speech, Douglass speaks of the society of the African American slaves and that of the white Americans (Douglass 337). The entire speech revolves around how it is an injustice that the whites celebrate the Fourth of July because it is truly a day of sorrow, as it represents the cruelty that has been brought upon the slaves in America (Douglass 337). This is exactly the type of subject matter that is dealt with in American Realism. Issues about the way people are being treated by different levels of the social ladder are addressed which is a factor that defines this speech as a work of Realism.

As well as both the time period in which the speech was written and the subject matter of it, there is also a simple style used in the writing that contributes to this being a work of Realism. In the excerpt of the speech, Douglass uses very simple sentence structure making comparisons of how the whites feel and celebrate the holiday to how the slaves feel about the whites’ celebration (Douglass 337). This simple style, lacking much of an artistic flow was very popular to the style of Realism. Douglass uses this style to get his point across, with a strong, assertive tone presented to show the emotion felt by the slave population while still only presenting facts in the nature of a work of Realism.

Frederick Douglass is one of the leaders of the movement of Realism literature as he began his writing near the same time in which the movement began. He used styles typical to Realism of simple sentences with an almost monotonous flow while still delivering a very important message. The fact that this message was concerning the social issues of feelings towards a particular holiday of two different groups of people adds to this speech being a work of Realism. Frederick Douglass’ “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” is an ideal example of Realism as this speech is one of the first to be written in that particular style.


Works Cited

Douglass, Frederick. from "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Glencoe American Literature.comp. Wilhelm, Jeffery. McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH. 2009. pg 337.

Watts, Linda S. "Douglass, Frederick." Encyclopedia of American Folklore. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Online. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAFolk192&SingleRecord=True February 7, 2011.

Definition of Naturalism

Naturalism is a literary movement and sub-genre that came from Realism. The simple description of this literary style is one in which the author creates a scientifically accurate depiction of the story's events and other components of the work (Quinn). This comes at the price of creating very grim settings and stories as the real world is not perfect as it is depicted in some other genres of literature. The job of the author is to show how heredity and environment affect the actions and characteristics of the story's subject as a part of Naturalism (Quinn). Some of the main ideals held by authors of Naturalism come from the work of Charles Darwin in that humans are simply higher functioning animals rather than super intelligent creatures with souls (Sommers). A lot of times, Naturalism works are about the struggle of a protagonist being displaced from their regular environment and setting. Detailed descriptions of the events occurring come from this concept. The stories seem to be detailed and vivid records of events rather than an artistic story of a hero. One can see the connection to basic Realism as well as to Regionalism. In Naturalism, a focus on the setting is very important as well as the events being realistic, as found in the overall genre of Realism. Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, Theodore Dreiser, and Jack London are some of the most important American Naturalist because they were the ones that lead the literary movement to the style of Naturalism (Werlock). Most of these authors stuck to the ideal that the powerful will always control the weak and it is almost impossible to overcome a lot of hardships. This is what makes readers become attached to and very interested in the story and the characters as it is easy to sympathize with them and their rough situations. The sub-genre of Naturalism was a huge part of Realism and made contributions to literature that helped spark the popularity of the American novel.


Works Cited

Quinn, Edward. "naturalism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gfflithem0538&SingleRecord=True. Online. February 6, 2011.

Sommers, Joseph Michael. "naturalism." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CBSS450&SingleRecord=True. Online. February 6, 2011.

Werlock, Abby H. P. "naturalism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0501&SingleRecord=True. Online. February 6, 2011.