Satirical Narrative Poem 'Half-Hanged Mary'

What would you do if you were accused of a crime you did not commit? Would you be angry, or would you fight it? What would you do if you were punished for proclaiming you were innocent? This was the reality of many people in Massachusetts in the late-1600s. The poem “Half-Hanged Mary”, by Margaret Atwood, is written about this situation. It tells the story of an alleged witch, Mary Webster, being hanged and left over night. The next morning, to the villager’s surprise, she was still alive. Mary continued living for another 14 years after the incident. Although, the theme seems to be about a witch surviving an execution; it is actually about an innocent person surviving an unjust assumption.

This informative book that the author, Joanne Freeman, focuses on a constructive journey of providing a comprehensive re-examination of the political culture that was exhibited in the historical orientation of American. The text has revealed an overwhelming unstable and a strange political world that is founded on the values of a code of honor and this has been achieved by exploring different materials that had focused on both the private and public figures. Relevant information explored are from key figures found in the history of America, including Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and Aaron Burr, which Freeman has utilized in building a strong argument on the subject of the book (Freeman, 2002).

    In paragraph two, Thoreau uses a depressing, problematic and facetious tone to get his message across. Thoreau explains how he is strongly against the United States government, and also points out problems of the government. Thoreau uses depressing diction when describing the problems of the government in order to make people feel hatred toward the government and realize how problematic it actually is. Thoreau uses Power of Three to exemplify the problems of the government, and further connects with the audience on an emotional level by pointing out how the citizens help lead to the countries’ problematic state. Thoreau’s use of inappropriate humor when he explains trade makes the United States government seem trivial and almost as a lost cause due to the problems caused by the leaders. His  relation of such a serious topic to a comical reference makes it an easier to understand situation. The use of this specific tone creates a more impactful rhetorical effect that is relayed in the paragraph.

In “The Irony of American History,” Reinhold Niebuhr explains that an ironic situation is marked by an inconsistency between intended actions and the eventual consequences of those actions, that upon deep inspection, are not merely derived from coincidence, but rooted in some form of connection between the two. Niebuhr notes that in order to discern irony, one must achieve a balance between hostility and sympathy towards the ironic event. In the aftermath of World War II, the United States emerged as the most powerful nation, with its ever expanding political, social, military, and economic influence extending the across globe. With the rise of communism, America tasked itself with being the liberator of the free world to quell off the newly emerging communistic powers and to ensure the spread of

However, to condemn those in positions of power for their actions is to misinterpret the volatile climate of the Cold War Era in which they operated. The polarized political thought and the turbulent domestic events that shadowed everyday life had a profound impact on American thought and culture and the lives of public figures who dominate the story. To truly understand the impact of these characters and the climate of the American Cold War theatre, the complexity of the dynamics within society must be understood from the point of view and the

Larry Schweikart believes despite the excessive racism, sexism, and bigotry throughout the history of the United States, when the story is told “fairly,” all that can be taken away is a sense of awe at the obstacles overcome, the blood split, and the nation built. Although corruption can be seen over the course of time, the freedom of the nation overcame all else and created a bright light of a society in a world of dark oppression. Schweikart emphasizes the idea that history is often taught from a single, biased perspective, clouding the true image of the American nation as it progressed over time. He also emphasizes the ideals of character, tied to liberty, tied to property, and how they were all necessary for success. More generally, Schweikart believes that throughout the history of the United States, it has proven time and time again to be a nation based on the principles of freedom and justice, exemplified through its actions in every aspect, such as the liberation of people’s and bringing them to a higher state of living, and the sharing of power with those who had none, no matter where they came from, or who they were. “All men are created equal”; the United states is the “last, best hope” of earth; and America “is great because it is good” all extend Schweikart’s basic ideals that the United States’ history, when viewed with the basic ideal of “the ends justify the means,” creates a story

“…this government never of itself furthered any enterprise…” (Thoreau, 1). Thoreau states his belief that the government never has its people in mind and only takes action when it will benefit the few rather than the majority. In this elaborate rant, Thoreau criticizes the government and the people who fail to make change in the country. Thoreau heavily relies on ethical and logical appeals to convey his clear message. “This is the whole history of ‘My Prisons’” (Thoreau, 10). Although Thoreau talks about how it is unethical for the country to go to war and promote slavery, to get people to sympathize with him, Thoreau summarizes his experience in jail for partaking in civil disobedience and not paying a tax. This anecdote depicted the country in a terrible light due to Thoreau’s description of the hateful jail experience. Although this strategy does emotionally appeal greatly to the audience, the full essay isn’t effective. Thoreau discusses many topics ranging from his personal experiences to flaws in the government, people, and legislature. In the eighteen pages of “Civil Disobedience”, Thoreau does not use transitional phrases when he switches between topics. Rhetorical questions’ abundance distracted the readers and it more than likely made them forget about the central theme. “Now what are they? Men at all? Or small movable forts and magazines, at the service of some unscrupulous man in power?” (Thoreau, 2). Rhetorical questions are used to evoke thought, but the use of some of them when they are not even related to the main message can distract the audience and make them think about something completely different. Thoreau also alluded to different events and people of the time. He also tended to allude to specific excerpts in literature in which he felt were related to what he was discussing. “Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note, as his corse to the rampart we hurried; not a

For this project I am going to discuss two different articles about President Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal. The first article is “The Washington Post Editorial Watergate: The unfinished business.” The other article that I will be discussing and comparing is one written by Dean Burch. “In Defense of Richard Nixon.” I will provide a brief summary of the two arguments as well as describe how the Watergate events changed American views in politics and politicians. I will also speculate how the events could have been different if the media and population during the Watergate scandal had today’s technology, an example being smart phones,

Mary Wollstonecraft’s epistolary essay “A Vindication of the Rights of Men” acts as a direct, scathing response to Edmund Burke’s opinionated piece regarding the French Revolution, “Reflections on the Revolution in France”. This essay will examine the use of satire as a mode in the opening sections of Wollstonecraft’s “Vindication”, as well as comparing her lexical choices to those of her addressee, Edmund Burke. The Oxford English Dictionary states that “satire” is “… [A] work of art which uses humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize prevailing immorality or foolishness, esp. [sic] as a form of social or political commentary.” Humour is too exaggerated to relate to Wollstonecraft’s work, but ridicule as a

Setting is also important, as it refers to the period this book was set in, the 1950’s. Ultimately, it is a reflection of what was happening in American society at the time, and what American society expected from each other. McCarthyism, as started by Senator Joseph McCarthy, was the most prevalent movement of the 1950’s, where there was great momentum for anti-communism and the suppression of the Anti-communist party. Freedom of speech was suppressed, just like speech and actions were inside the hospital. Here, the

Thoreau repeatedly utilizes satire to mock violent conflicts and show the futility and insignificance of wars between disparate groups, which directly applies to racial tensions and the presidential debate in today’s American society. Thoreau mocks conflict during the time by comparing it to an ant war, demonstrating the unimportance of the issues. Thoreau compares a war of ants to the conflict between two political parties: Republicans and Imperialists. While using satire to mock modern day conflicts of the time, Thoreau states, “I have no doubt that it was a principle they fought for, as much as our ancestors, and not to avoid a three-penny tax on their tea; and the results of this battle will be as important and memorable …..

Throughout America, a large fear is that the government is corrupt and does not care about the wellbeing of the citizens, and instead has hidden agendas that tear the country apart. In Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America this nightmare became a reality when a pro nazi was elected president instead of FDR. As life gradually got worse, it became hard for citizens to focus on things they once loved. The main character, Philip, was forced to grow up quickly amidst the political turmoil. In the novel, Philip’s stamp collection, his most prized possession, strikes the reader as a symbol that he grew up too fast.

During the earlier stages of my research, I danced around with many topics, all surrounding Thomas Jefferson and poetry. I thought to write about several scrapbooks of his that have been shelved at U.VA’s library for decades. I thought it would be an intriguing topic, when I discovered that a professor at DePaul University, Jonathan Gross, published the collection and titled it, appropriately, Thomas Jefferson’s Scrapbooks, Poems of Nation, Family and Love. These were poems that Jefferson had clipped from the newspaper, for the most part. While focusing on Gross’ scrapbook findings (which included the

McKay pointedly discusses and examines the radian inequality experienced by some American citizens during the twenties. Throughout the poem, McKay teeters back and forth between his intense positive and negative feelings of both America and the American way of life during this period, for example, his unexplainable love for the country versus the people’s racism which he personally encounters like when he says “l will confess/I love this cultured hell that tests my youth”(America,3,4). This was a very exciting time for many Americans as the roaring twenties were coming into full swing and society was celebrating the decade of carefree decadence, but there was a seedy dark side to America as well. For example, blacks in the South, where McKay

The term “Watergate” has become a common household name in correlation with people's thoughts about corruption in government. President Nixon was in office at the time of this scandal and is often thought to be the most famous face in America's conspiracy of wickedness in the government. The Watergate scandal had rocked everything our country thought we knew about the American Presidency because it had forfeited the common vision of the leader of the nation. Watergate had replaced the image of elegance and worldliness of the U.S. President with a scattered vision of corruption and extreme competitive measures that the country had never been a part of. Richard Nixon and his men had taken