Personal Synthesis

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe ultimately embodies one major message, that slavery is wrong. While many disagree with her methods of interpretation to her audience, I believe Stowe is clever in her strategies of swaying her audience to believe her.
In class we frequently discussed how religion played a major role in Stowe's novel. As a class we came to the conclusion that religion played such a major part in the novel because it bonded 1800's society together and played on their conscience's. Although this method may seem outdated and unrelatable today, Stowe was cleverly aware of of it's influence and frequently utilized it through her character Mrs. Bird. Because Stowe's audience was primarily women, and women were seen as the "moral compass", Mrs. Bird was the perfect way to appeal to women, she appeals to their womanly power over their husbands when Mrs. Bird shames her politician husband, "Now John, I want to know if you think such a law as that is right and christian?...You ought to be ashamed, John!"(72) by giving them Mrs. Bird she inspiring women to speak to their husbands sensitive sides on the topic of slavery. Stowe should be commended on her strategies in speaking to her target audience in such a clever way.
Stowe also appeals to her audience by making her characters relatable. While reality in 1800's didn't allow for much input or daily talk from slaves,  Stowe makes dialogue for her negro characters, thus making it easier for readers to identify personally with the them. The fact that the title of the book is dedicated to a negro character is a huge stride in making slaves seem human to society.
Overall for the time it was written for, Stowe was extremely proactive in her novel, using every connection she could to bind whites to blacks in a way that wasn't offensive to think about. While her methods may seem inappropriate and offensive today, it is important to remind ourselves that Stowe came from a very different time. It isn't fair to judge her novel based on today's standards, just as it wouldn't be fair for her to judge today's society on, say, the issue of gay marriage. We have developed with different ideas throughout the years, and the important thing to remember is what is right at the core, and in this case it still stands true, that every human being is created equal.

Critical Commentary

James Baldwin's critical commentary has a very negative view on Stowe's method in her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. He points out that each slave character is given some "white" quality that deems them socially aknowledegeable; that is except for Uncle Tom, who has no white qualities at all. Eliza is described as being partially white, and although her husband George is black he is given the ability to be an excellent mechanic, thus socially "humanizing" him. Baldwin argues that Stowe further demeans blacks by making the only true black character, Tom, illiterate and submissive.

Although Baldwin makes a good point in criticizing Stowe's writing on a deeper level, I believe that he altogether misses her intention. His point of view is limited as he is able to only understand slavery from today's views (or at least he is only acknowledging today's views) and not looking at it from where people in the 1800's would have. I believe Stowe was thinking very intelligently when she thought about her target audience in order to influence their views on slavery. Stowe had to be very clever when describing her negro characters to white society. By giving certain negores "white" qualities, she made it easier for readers to sympathize and relate with them. Also by tying religion into her novel she did not make "God and salvation become her personal property(535), however cleverly used it to bind all of 1800's humanity together.

In conclusion, I believe that Baldwin overlooks the true intentions behind Stowe's literary strategies, by allowing himself to be blinded by his current knowledge. To be fair, he does make excellent points, however, only in light of the social opinions of today. If Uncle Tom's Cabin was meant to become a "timeless" novel his critical analysis would be very relevant, however, it is a book of a time that has long passed.

Texual Background and Context

Images are worth a thousand words, especially historical images. It's amazing to see how propoganda worked in the 1800's and realize how much our world has changed today. Headlined "Great Sale of SLAVES", this article reveals how african americans were dehumanized and treated like cattle. Listed off by gender, age, and skill ability, the description also holds a paragraph about the plantation the family is coming from.

The description of the past slave owners is especially interesting as it runs parallel to the text. Beecher Stowe reveals how slaves from different slave owners may have different attitudes. An example may be from where Tom is traded to his last master who is cruel and has raised some of his own slaves to feel superior to others, in fact these slaves "Sambo and Quimbo...hate[ed] each other, [but] were joined in one mind by no less cordial hatred of Tom "(375). Ultimately a result of their owners encouragment, this ends up with Tom being beated to death by them after refusing to give away the location of the women slaves who have run away.

This image also calls to memory the very first scene is Uncle Toms Cabin where Shelby calls Jim "Come here, Jim Crow...show this gentleman how you can dance and sing"(3) This shows how slaves were seen as products rather than humans, and had to have qualities that were of use to the slave owners.

Ultimately, this image represents the whole reason behind why abolotionists felt the way they did towards slavery. It's interesting to think about what would have happened if society would have treated their slaves more humanely all around. Maybe slavery would have lasted longer.

"The Yellow Wallpaper" Absolute Control

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" holds many ambiguous themes, however, one of the most intruiging is the theory that the woman in the bedroom is completely insane. While the story holds many instances when it seems as if sanity is intact, for example when her husband comes to vivist the room, the majority of the story revolves around her solitude, which allows for her her mind to be exposed through the narrorator. One of the most interesting examples that contribute to the idea of her complete insanity is the mention of multiple names. While the woman in the room herself is nameless, there are three other women mentioned. Jennie is mentioned as being Johns sister, a woman named Mary who takes care of the baby, and then most interestingly at the end, a woman named Jane mentioned. Jane has no actual role in the story, but acts as something so pause on. My question is, has the woman become this woman named Jane? Or is Jane the woman she has seen in the wallpaper? The woman says "I've got out at last,"... "in spite of you and Jane. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!". To me this suggests that Jane is the woman she has seen inside the wallpaper, and that she has felt trapped by her, and this is why she felt she needed to tear it down. By tearing down the wallpaper she frees herself spiting Jane and spiting her husband. Although she does this act and is somewhat "freed", I believe that the woman at this point has receded into her own mind. Maybe this is her freedom, because her mind is the only place she can have absolute control.