Modernism

I have decided to put my focus on the Harlem Renaissance only for the mere fact, I was interested.I want to achknowledge the works of the African Americans who were coming straight out of the war. I want to see how the looked at life, how they felt, and also what ideas they stumbled upon.

The story "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston, was a sad story with a good moral to it. The story was about a woman who decided to work for the "whites" to make money to support her family, but her husband completely didn't approve of her decision, and hated her completely all around because of it. The woman would work then come home and clean and cook for him and her both while her husband was out man hoeing around with all different women. When he would finally return home he would fuss and carry on and often beat her. "Ah done tole you time and again to keep them white folks clothes outa dis house." "He picked up the whip and glared at her." This stuck in my mind and I could see it clear as day. It bothered me because no one deserves to be treated this way, and yes I know that how most marriages were back in the day but it was just exteremly wrong and these types of situations occur still to this day. It is completely not acceptable for a man or a woman to treat there spouse that way, or anyone for that matter. Something needs to be done. This story ended good, because Delia was terrified of snakes, or basically anything that moved. Well one day as a mean thing to do her husband went and put a rattle snake in her clothes basket. The snake slithered out shaking his tail, but she ran off. The next morning her husband came home and got attacked by his own set up. "Outside Delia herd a cry that might have come from a maddened chimpanzee, a tricken gorilla. All terror, all the horror, all the rage that man possibly could express, without a recognizable human sound."

In "Sweat", Zora relates this story to the Harlem Renaissance by showing the dialect of the African Americans to show a piece of their lifestyle. "You ain't got no business doing it, Gawd knows it's a sin. Some day Ah'm gointuh drop dead from some of yo' foolishness. 'Nother thing, where you been wid mah rig? Ah feeds dat pony. He ain't fuh you to be drivin wid no bull whip." Another example of the African American culture she describes is the way the women lives day to day. She shows how Delia doesn't have all the rights that the white people have, but she has to do what she can to survive.

Realism

1. Realism focused on the facts. So they made sure their writing was very detailed. The Story Of An Hour it shows this aspect very well. it details everything to the motions of her breathing, "Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously." It makes you picture the woman and exactly whats she is doing how she looks and her reactions and also her surroundings. It describes how her illness and how the loss of her husband has taken a toll on her. "Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach her soul." The woman is very tired and her body has become to much to even pick up, becaus she has let her emotions get the best of her. When she sits all her weight drops on top of her. It describes the outside and how the weather is. My favorite line was, "The delicious breath of rain in the air." It put you in a place in time of how it smells after it rain, that refreshing smell, and i love that peaceful picture i get in my mind.

The woman was experiencing heart problems before, but it's obvious her husbands death took a toll on her and led her to harsh grieving and cause her to pass. At the end of the story right before she dies, her husband walks into the door. "It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He was no where around the scene of an accident and had no clue that an accident had even occured. The news reported that Brently had been killed in the accident when in actuality he wasn't. The matter to be fixed in this story is accuracy. People needed to get better about getting the facts right. They reported him dead without even knowing he was for sure, and because of this, his wife died.

2. The part that caught my attention in The Battle With Mr. Covey was the trip Frederick Douglass took through the woods and the fight. It was so detailed that you could picture the image in you head. "After lying there about three quarters of an hour, I nerved myself up again, and started on my way, through bogs and briers, barefooted and bareheaded, tearing my feet sometimes at nearly every step;" it set you in that place, watching him travel across the thorns, briers, and all sorts of things tearing through the bottom of his feet. "While he was in the act of doing so, I watched my chance, and gave him a heavy kick close under the ribs. This kick fairly sickened Hughes, so that he left me in the hands of Mr. Covey. This kick had the effect of not only weakening Hughes, but Covey also. While he saw Hughes bending over with pain, his courage quailed." This explains that when Hughes came to help Mr. Covey while they were fighting he kicked him down and sickened him. After seeing this Mr. Covey knew he was helpless against Frederick.

The problem that appears doing this story is slavery. Its displays how horribly slaves were treated. Went sent from owner to owner, he worked harder than he ever had. They worked in all types of weather. The hot was never to hot, the cold was never to cold, and it never rained snowed or hailed to hard for them to not work in the field." Nobody should have to be worked that hard, certain weather should excuse a day working out in the fields.

The poor man was not even able to enjoy his days off. "At times I would rise up, a flash of energetic freedom would dart through my soul, accompanied with a faint gleam of hope that flickered for a moment, and then vanished. I sank down again, mourning over my wretched condition." Romantics would set you in the slaves dreams, the dreams of him being a free man and having an extravigant life, and a realist well they believed that was unnecessary. The problem needed to be put in peoples faces, the real problem not dreams of someone who is suffering. The problem with slavery needed to be brought to light and dealt with. This story invites you into what it was like for slaves so that maybe you could see how much of a problem it truly was.

3. I chose a quote about life as my example of Realism. The quote states, "I've made mistakes in my life I've let people take advantage of me and accepted way less then I deserve, but I've learned from my bad choices and even though there are some things I can never get back and people who will never be sorry I'll know better next time and I won't settle for less than I deserve." This is the prime example to me of realism. It doesn't cover coat at all. I'm letting you know that I've made bad decisions and let people run over me, but because I let that negative in my life before its made me a stronger person and it won't happen again.