Tree for Thought :: Free Essay Writer

Tree for Thought On a winding hillside along Birch Lake, various trees and organic landscapes hide my sacred place. It is located in the backyard of my grandparents’ house. To the average outsider, it is just another pine tree growing among piles of leaves and pine needles that blanket a grassy hill leading down to the lake. In my world, it was a place where I could lie at an acute angle and visit a tree I gave life to. I still remember the smell of the freshly baked bread my grandmother made that morning. I was only six years old, but when a fresh loaf of bread came out of the oven, I had the appetite of an adult. After stuffing ourselves, Grandma and I made our way to the shed in search of tools to plant a tree. As we searched for a shovel, fumes from the leaky gas tank of the lawnmower kept us in high spirits. We eventually found a spade and looked for a place to dig. The hill in the backyard was blocked off with a short fence. Dilapidated stairs led down to the beachfront. Grandma and I scaled the foot-high fence and sidestepped down the incline. About ten steps down, we found the perfect place for the tree. She gripped the ribbed, rubber handle of the shovel and began carving a hole into the fertile soil. I cradled the newborn tree, making sure he would be able to enjoy the new home we were making for him. The clouds were threatening as if they were predators preparing for an attack on their prey. The rolling thunder, snarling and growling, kept us working at a fast pace. My grandmother assured me that Spike that’s what I named the tree ¾would be fine when the storm struck later that afternoon. Once she finished digging the hole, we could have fit a soda can perfectly inside, but Spike fit much better. He seemed to like his new home. In time, mossy friends would keep him company, rain would nurture him, and dogs would soon make him their own. Grandma sent me back up the hill to grab the watering spout so we could feed Spike’s green needles the nutrients they needed to keep him alive and well. We were careful not to drown him, knowing that he would receive more water later that day.

Exposing Social, Economic and Historical Realities Through Marxism

Exposing Social, Economic and Historical Realities through Marxism Karl Marx was a theorist of the Realism period, this time period brought a revealing of the truth and great change with a shift toward more democratic governments. Marx concerned himself with realistic issues that carried over in literature even though he was not a literary critic. Many writers during this time wrote realistically, writing stories that represented their own lives with minor changes or of their surroundings. Both, D. H.Lawrence, author of â€Å"Odour of Chrysanthemums† and William Faulkner, author of â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, are products of their time with accurately representing their social, economic and historical realities of alienation through their works. The Realism period brought a severe separation between the three social classes; the aristocracy did not commonly form relationships between the proletariat and bourgeoisie unless it consisted of work and the same goes for relation ships between the proletariat and bourgeoisie classes.Often times even people within the same class did not socialize because their cold and lackluster surroundings reflected onto their social relationships. Elizabeth Bates from â€Å"Odour of the Chrysanthemums† did not socialize with the other miners wives and mothers and even her husband because she was a product of her surroundings, â€Å"the fields were dreary and forsaken, and in the marshy strip that led to the whimsy, a reedy pit-pond, the fowls had already abandoned their run among the alders†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 51).One would think that with surroundings like this socialization with others would make it more bearable but it has the opposite effect, making the only incentive to go outside either for Walter to provide for the family, go to the bar which would make Elizabeth resent Walter or for Elizabeth to meet John or Annie on their way home from school. Emily Grierson in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† represents the opposing spectrum; Emily is from an Old South aristocracy but is also socially alienated from her surroundings.The change the Realism period brings for Emily is a more modern outlook for society, Emily comes from an old fashioned way of doings things that the younger generation looks forward to changing and because she is one of the few that represent and participate in old southern traditions she further alienates herself from her town while everything but her and her house change, â€Å"only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and gasoline pumps—an eye-sore among eyesores† (pg. 86).Emily can be understood as deeming her surroundings lackluster compared to her vivacious and lively southern traditions that she has worked to keep alive even though the town is moving forward without her, â€Å"when the next generation, with its more modern ideas , became mayors and alderman, this arrangement created some little dissatisfaction† (pg. 86), Emily will only suffer more from lack of socialization because no middle ground can be sought where she is not willing to change and where the younger generation will only become more modernized.Elizabeth Bates and Emily Grierson are accurately portrayed by D. H. Lawrence and William Faulkner’s realization of social hardships faced during the realism period that alienated people from society. Money is the single most distinctive factor in the hierarchy of classes and the Realism period made the effort to reveal the injustices of poverty and slavery that society was forced to deal with during this time. The economic injustices during this time made the separation of classes even greater with the rich becoming richer and the poor hitting a new low.Elizabeth Bates represents the proletariat class and represents the extremity of some working class families by relocating so Walter can better provide for their family in â€Å"Odour of Chrys anthemums†. Economically, the alienation between her and Walter stems from the fact that he works long hours in the mine and then chooses to spend his earnings at the local bar,† he was merely drinking over there at the ‘Prince of Wales’ (pg. 56).While Walter works Elizabeth’s very limited past times include sewing and making clothes for their children, â€Å"he was dressed in trousers and waistcoat of cloth that was too thick and hard for the size of garments. They were evidently cut down from a man’s clothes (pg. 51), the Bates family is already alienated by being a part of the working class but Elizabeth alienates herself further when their money tight situation is stressed when the family cannot provide new clothes for their children but Walter is blowing money at the bar. A Rose for Emily† offers a different outlook on the economic issues surrounding inequality, Emily coming from the aristocracy class owns a Negro slave named Tobe, this is not uncommon in the Old South but considered unethical as the realism period reveals socio-economic injustices. Already alienated because of Emily’s southern traditions, owning a slave in a town where there are a majority of bourgeoisie and proletariat families who did not own slaves, makes the town feel as though she is using her wealth for the wrong reason.Granted there is no indication that Emily treats Tobe inhumanely he is still used as a servant, â€Å"†¦Tobe! The Negro appeared. Show these gentlemen out† (pg. 87) and often ran errands for her â€Å"†¦and the only sign of life about the place was the Negro man—a young man then—going in and out with a market basket† (pg. 88). Given two very different views on the economic injustices of this time shows, regardless of class, the alienation in this period is prominent due to the financial situations of families and differing of classes.Both, â€Å"Odour of Chrysanthemums† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† were written in the Realism period, where writers wanted to accurately portray everyday life and the historical background behind each story brings understanding to the alienation and struggles of each character. The historical background behind â€Å"Odour of Chrysanthemums† consists of a time where coal was the leading energy source and the men that became coal miners normally came from a long family line of previous coal miners.The areas in which the coal mines were located were often wastelands which had no other purpose than to retrieve coal from and reflected the lives of the people who worked in them who led uneventful and unrewarding lives. The social and economic alienation of the Bates family stems from being financially unstable. Oddly enough, in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† Emily Grierson’s social and economic alienations are rooted in the exact opposite reason of the Bates family, because she belongs to the aristocracy class.Emily lives in the Old South in the time where many of the old southern traditions are dying out and many people of her age have already passed. Emily is unwilling to change with the new order of the younger generations which socially alienates her and manages to hold onto her wealth in a town where few aristocrats live making her the minority. Historically, the background during the Realism time period offers more understanding for â€Å"Odor of Chrysanthemums† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† and why their alienation is caused by the same yet different social and economic issues.Karl Marx revolutionized literature in a way he could have never imagined; by wanting to study the historical view and notion of class struggle he created realism in literature. William Faulkner and D. H. Lawrence capitalized on this and became famous writers of their time; both â€Å"Odour of Chrysanthemums† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† were the outputs of their author’ s time period. Both authors represented the social, economic and historical realities of their main characters that experienced alienation from society and even members in their own families and portrayed everyday life during the Realism period.

The Women Present At Valley Forge - 832 Words

The Women Present at Valley Forge As Abigail Adams will write to her husband John to â€Å"remember the ladies† during the Continental Congress, so too must we must not forget the many women who played a vital role here during the winter encampment at Valley Forge from 1777-1778. Officers’ Wives Martha Washington- (1732-1802)- During the Revolutionary War, Martha joined her husband for part of each winter encampment, he attended, including the 1777-1778 encampment at Valley Forge. Martha arrived in the beginning of February and left in the beginning of June. Much of Martha’s time at the encampment was involved in running the household at Washington’s Headquarters. This would include organizing daily meals for the staff, entertaining guests and officers’ wives. According to Pierre Etienne Duponceau, secretary to Baron Von Steuben wrote, â€Å"In the midst of all our distress there were some bright sided of the picture which Valley Forge exhibited...Mrs. Washington had the courage to follow her husband to that dismal abode†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Catherine â€Å"Caty† Littlefield Greene (1753-1814)- Was the wife a Gen. Nathanael Greene, the new appointed quartermaster general of the Continental Army at Valley Forge. â€Å"Caty† Greene was twenty-four years old when she arrived at the Valley Forge in January of 1778. â€Å"Caty† Greene entertained other officer wifes and took part in the celebration of the French-American Alliance on May 6th, 1778. 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