Louisa May Alcott’s “The Brothers,” highlights the wickedness of slavery and the issue of racial superiority through the depiction of Bob’s story, which is told primarily through the narration of Miss Dane. Through Miss Dane’s interaction with Bob, one can deduce that she is rather complacent in the quest against slavery and does little to break down the racial divide. In addition, Miss Dane claims authority over Bob’s identity right away, which prohibits Bob from attaining a sense of liberty and merely continues the vicious cycle of oppression. Bob also exhibits signs of self-hatred due to his mixed race, finding it difficult to identify with neither blacks nor whites. The nation’s current racial conflict also makes it difficult for Miss Dane to escape prejudice herself, which Alcott conveys through Miss Dane’s attitude toward Bob’s behavior. Although Robert escapes slavery, it becomes rather difficult for him to escape prejudice. Alcott condemns Miss Dane’s actions in “The Brothers,” because of the way she claims ownership over Bob, which consequently prohibits Robert from claiming an identity of his own.
Little Women considers the place of women in society by presenting the portraiture of several very different but equally praiseworthy women. As we read the novel, we experience their different interpretations of femininity, and we see a range of different possibilities for incorporating women into society. Because the novel was written in the mid-nineteenth century, historical setting places limits on what women can do. However, modern readers may be pleasantly astonished by the novel 's tendency to push the boundaries of women 's traditional roles. This book insists that women have a great deal to contribute, certainly to the home and domestic sphere, but also to literature, art, and an honorable society.
Books that are more of this time, and sound more of the way eighth graders can understand. Are better for them to read. The topics that books use now are more about what eighth graders have to face. During the time that Little Women was written they dealt with things we don’t really have to deal with, and we deal with some things that they might not have had too. Overall in today’s time the world has changed. People have changed in many ways such as: how we dress, how we talk, how we act. All of these ways show that the world has changed ,and that kids in the eighth grade shouldn’t be reading these old book if it doesn’t relate to today’s
A noticable interesting topic about the story is the way Liberty acts. It seems Ayn Rand, the author, has something against women even though she is a woman herself. The meaning of this is, the women out there that act like girls and only care about fashion and themselves is what is being spoken of. The literary element that is being focased on deals with this issue. This essay will focas on the story "Anthem" written by Ayn Rand containing the literary element of character.
As stated by intellectual Joseph Wong, “influence is our inner ability to lift people up to our perspectives” (Young Ch. 6). Throughout history, numerous writers have utilized their ability to impact their readers to encourage their audience to follow the author’s principles and beliefs. Louisa May Alcott, born in Pennsylvania in 1832, was the type of writer to use her power to influence her lectors’ views on the topics and issues that she was passionate about. Alcott’s father, Amos Bronson Alcott, was a writer, lecturer, and educator, and her mother, Abba May, was a strong-willed and independent woman and bright educator. Her brilliant parents helped Alcott grow to be an intellectual, an independent female, and, as mentioned by Clark Moreland in one of his lectures, “…a dark headed, volatile, and energetic child” (“Lecture 3.4…”). After her parents fell into deep debt, Alcott began to work to support her family. She served as a seamstress, teacher, and, of course, a writer. As an open-minded individual, Alcott was an advocate of many causes and policies, and, through her compositions, she shared her beliefs to guide her readers towards integrating her ideals into their lives. For instance, in 1863, Alcott released her work “My Contraband,” first titled “The Brothers.” The piece featured a Civil War nurse, Faith Dane, in the Union side who was in charge of caring for a captured, dying Confederate captain and
The literary world during this time period was dominated by men, but the world was changing, and women began to make a name for themselves as creative and legitimate writers. During the time in history women were also fighting for their rights to be heard and treated equally among men. Also, the issue of slavery was at its peak as the country became divided behind the issue, and the prospect of a civil war was becoming more of a reality.
One thing that people seem to forget is that people seem to become desensitized after a certain amount of time. Accomplishing the things that Alcott did during her time of the Civil war, allowed her to become a better person, more mature. Fortunately, Louisa desired to know life in all its uncertainties, being given an opportunity to experience life in “all its true variety”. As a nurse, she saw and bandaged thousands of wounded soldiers, little did she know that maybe she fell in love with one man in
The civil war was a tragic war, Many people fought and lost their lives to give us freedom. The civil war was not supposed to happen, Abraham wanted freedom and wanted everyone to be friends and get along but some people didn’t like what he wanted so they went to war to fight for it. The civil war happened in the year 1861-1865, During the war 620,000 people lost their lives fighting for the country. This passage is not only about the civil war but it is about women’s rights and It tells the reader about how the sneaky they were during the civil war.
Think of our society today and the role that women play in it. Women impact people’s lives every single day. In The Things They Carried, there were a couple of women that were brought up in the book, and it showed the enormous effect that the women’s presence had on the men during the war. Mary Anne and Linda were two girls who played huge roles, yet were not even the main characters. Their roles consisted mainly of altering the soldier's personalities and perspectives life during this time. The women brought about the idea of love, humanity, and strength. All of these ideas were put into major effect in the book in many ways.
Louisa May Alcott is an American Novelist best known as the author of the novel “Little Women”. Louisa was born in November 1982, grew up in Germantown- Washington D.C and was known to be an abolitionist, feminist and also a naturalist. Being a naturalist meant that she believed that nothing existed beyond the natural earth i.e. no such thing as spirituality or the supernatural. Her family suffered from financial difficulties and so Alcott had to work to support her family in an early age. She penned the story “My Contraband” (1869) which was formerly known as “The Brothers” (1863). Contraband was a black slave who escaped to or was brought within union lines (Alcott 759). In “My Contraband”, Louisa
Louisa May Alcott, best known as the author of Little Women, was an advocate of women’s rights and temperance. Published in 1868, Little Women follows the lives, loves and tribulations of three sisters growing up during American civil war. The independence of women is a major theme in Little Women. Since its publication the novel has constantly been read and remembered for its feminist spirit. Little Women examines the place of women in society by presenting the portraits of several very different but equally praiseworthy women. We experience their multifarious interpretations of femininity and we see a range of diverse possibilities for integrating women into the society.
The Victorian Era hailed many prolific authors, which were mostly male. A woman who wanted to be a writer at this time was not respected and would have been accused of being whimsical and flighty. However, women such as Louisa May Alcott redefined the norms and followed her heart with her pen by writing Little Women. The novel follows the lives of the four March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March – detailing their passage from childhood to womanhood trying to find their place in society. Even though so much has changed in the last fifty years, gender roles still take a huge toll in society. Unfortunately, breaking down gender roles is not easy; as women are still
"Four women, taught by weal and woe To love and labor in their prime. Four sisters, parted for an hour, None lost, one only gone..." (365-366). Jo wrote these lines in a poem, after Beth died. This is the most significant struggle for Jo. Jo and Beth are the two middle sisters in the classic novel, Little Women (1869) written by Louisa May Alcott. This is a classic novel about an American family of four daughters, a father who is off at war and a mother who works for the food. Jo and Beth are best friends and Jo sets the example for Beth.