Art about field trips, raccoons, Pearls, and you.

            The literature of early America provides us with an insight of how America was founded and the issues surrounding it. Much of the literature involves Indians already in America. Stories of hardship, capture and rescue are plentiful. Stories of the good life in America, to sell to England. Stories tempting morality and emotion. Stories that introduce irony to situations and make the unspoken a reality. 

     America + Literature à American Literature!
            When I hear “America”, I think of patriotism and eagles, and little flags in the ground. You know, those flags everyone puts out for the Fourth of July, but nobody ever goes back to pick up, so they blow into the road and people just run them over. A sign of true respect for your country. I also think of George Washington and the thirteen colonies. The Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, and Philadelphia. The colors of Red, White, and Blue fill the mind along with visions of gold stars. I must say, apple pie and mashed potatoes also come to mind, along with the song “Sweet Home Alabama”, but that could just be a southern thing. Which, reminds me of the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, and the “fight over slavery, which wasn’t really a fight over slavery”. I strongly suggest you take U.S. History with Dr. Gossweiler if you get the chance. The Civil War is the part of America I like the most probably, along with present day.

            Now, when I hear “literature”, story is the first thing to mind. Followed closely by books and novels. Not too many good connotations come with the word “literature” to me. Usually boring and sleep are also on my mind. If I think positively, art comes to mind. Literature is definantly a form of art. Other than that, not much comes to mind. According to dictionary.com though, literature is “The body of written works of a language, period, or culture” and can include music and printed materials, such as magazines I suppose. That makes literature seem a little less sleepy.
            If you put my thoughts of America with my thoughts of literature, the most logical definition would be: boring books about flags, wars, and apple pie. Actually, “American Literature” to me is a collection of stories written by authors from America, or stories written about America, if not both. Stories telling the history of this country, how it came about and how things have changed. Stories that tell about various aspects of the country, not just it’s settling. To be “American Literature” it need to be about America, or written by a person from America, simply.
     ”Just around the river bend” …

Lies Captain John Smith. Also comes a Walt Disney motion picture. Funny, in the story by John Smith, Pocahontas was only a small part, yet in the Disney movie, she was a main character. In real life, Pocahontas was a young teen, yet by Disney standards she looked to be near twenty and so in love with Captain Smith.  The magic of Hollywood and money. John Smith’s stories told the People of England about Virginia and the settlement of Jamestown in a means of gathering more people. I highly doubt John Smith intended his brief story about Pocahontas to turn into a movie about a twenty year old Native American who makes friends with Flit the hummingbird and Meeko the raccoon. I actually highly doubt she had a raccoon that followed her everywhere, and greatly doubt its presence in John Smith’s story. Once Pocahontas was older, she never fell in love with John Smith, he was dead by then. She fell in love with and married John Rolfe. You can visit “The Real Pocahontas” at http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/1001/poca.html for more information there. I found it very interesting.

John Smith provided America with much of what it knows about the Native Americans today, with his many stories and books about Virginia, including “The General History of Virginia”. The Native Americans themselves provided the rest, as read in “Native American Voices I”, showing hundreds of “Indians” were here well before John Smiths arrival in the early 1600’s.

     A spoonful of sugar makes the reality go down.

            Of all the works so far, The Scarlet Letter is my favorite. It has really caught my interest because it questions everything from the time period. It takes an unacceptable event and presents it, thus bringing it into reality; which I find very interesting. The Scarlet Letter is like an Early American soap opera. A husband missing. His wife has a child with the minister. The town doesn’t know the daddy. * gasp * The husband is alive. The husband and minister become friends. The husband suspects the minister. Tune in next week for chapters 9-13.  Definantly a drama. Quite possibly suspense if you’ve never read the story before.

            I just like how Hawthorne follows the time period’s morals, feeling and traditions, and brings such a racy issue to life. Hawthorne’s story also gives us a historical insight to the time frame by showing us how life was. How others were treated and how people acted.

     What am I talking about?

            Through the stories of settling and foundation; the stories of Indians and the White-man; stories of fighting and happiness, we see America. We see reality brought to the people attention. The harsh treatment and public humiliation of people made real. Through literature, we see individuality and expression. We see creativity in all its forms. The all-encompassing American literature allows for the individual expression of others through many means of writing, and not needing to follow strict guidelines or rules. This is American Literature. Enjoy …