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We started off the term today familiarizing ourselves with the course. We learned about the wiki site before diving into the course itself.
This course will explore Post-Civil War America; the 70 or so years after the end of the Civil War, which was in 1865. We began by looking at Asher B. Durand’s painting, Kindred Spirits (1849).
We explored the ideas of American Transcendentalism and the notion that prior to the Civil War, Americans had developed an understanding of culture and their journey toward transcendence. This painting demonstrates the presence of an American identity in this moment, prior to the Civil War, in American history. We see the successes of America as cultural, no longer strictly political and related to the Revolution. This painting reveals the independence of America, as we had our own nature and path to transcendence and the ability to create a culture of our own. In this painting, the path toward the transcendence includes a very American journey through American forests and nature, culminating in arrival at the prominent light source of the painting. The idea that the painting emphasizes the strength of American culture and of American success is in stark contrast with the following painting we viewed—Winslow Homer’s, Veteran in a New Field.
In this second painting, we noticed the sense of enclosure and trapped feeling it exudes. The farmer is virtually stuck; his path toward any sort of future is to cultivate the endless wheat field. This act, in and of itself, is seemingly destructive. Instead of focusing on the intrinsic beauty of nature, this second painting limits natural space in addition to depicting an agricultural scene. We touched upon the anonymity of the scene as well; the idea that the farmer, and therefore he/she who cultivates the land, could be anyone. Upon closer inspection, one sees evidence of an agricultural tool that was painted over in order to depict the farmer with a scythe, suggesting that cultivation, that which provides life (food) to individuals, is also detrimental to the environment.
These two paintings when taken together pose a question or critique of post-Civil War society. Whereas before the war, Americans confidently defined their culture as one of art, natural connection, and transcendence, after the war, images such as the second we viewed suggest that perhaps we no longer had a clear path to transcendence and even freedom. After the Civil War, the definition of American society, race, equality, and unity were all at stake. The juxtaposition of these two images, bookends of the war, demonstrates the rapid deterioration of American confidence and poses a question of society. At this point in time, Americans struggled with their own identity and therefore poses the question of redefining American culture and society in order to determine the fate of the nation.
Tuesday's class was occupied by a discussion of Frederick Douglass' "What the Fourth of July is the American Slave." We looked at two aspects of his speech: the rhetorical strategies he utilized in his deliverance and what he was trying to convey with his language. We finished the class with a out-loud reading of a Whitman poem.
Douglass' speaking strategies were highlighted by his refusal to acknowledge that America belongs to African-Americans the same way it does to whites. He does this by repeating that the nation is 'your' nation, while talking to his predominantly white audience. Another strategy he uses is often breaking into a scathing tone, almost accusing his audience and their ancestors for the current predicament that faces the American black population.
In the speech, Douglass initially praises the founding fathers, commending them for their heroism and good will and just actions. However, he later turns on them, calling them out for creating a nation flawed at its core in that they declared themselves free from England while they themselves were enslaving themselves. The hypocrisy grows considering that England has already banned slavery, making a nation more free than America, 'the land of the free.' He uses his statement as a jumping off point to get the audience to see that the time was ripe to start a revolutionary movement to force America forward in its morality by emancipating the slaves. He calls for a radical, forceful revolution, a revolution similar in force to that of an earthquake or a whirlpool. Claims that the natural progression of American society will not free the slaves, will not make America whose core values stretch to all Americans. Douglass States that America must revolutionize, not progress in the same way it has for the last 80 years. He uses the most powerful and intimidating parts of nature to force his claim into the minds of his audience, connecting their powerful, sudden nature to the powerful, sudden nature that the revolution must contain.
Upon reading Whitman's poem, we identified how Whitman used the opposite side of nature: the soft, beautiful, and delicate side. Compared to Douglass' use of the violent side of nature in prewar America to illustrate his case, Whitman's utilization of the softer side of nature to create a depiction of an event in post-war America creates a stark difference in the natures of the times. It could be interpreted through each author's use of nature that pre-war America could be described as possessing a lot of turmoil and violence, while post-war America was delicate and fragile.
Today, we looked at Gardner’s Photographic Sketchbook of the Civil War. We focused on one photograph of a former slave in an unoccupied army camp. We first learned the different steps of analyzing photographs, beginning with noticing the literal elements in the picture. For this particular image, we observed a former slave leaning against a brick chimney in the middle of the photo, two tents behind the chimney, one tied up horse, a wooden floor in the foreground and a fence in the background.
From there, we recognized general themes or patterns in the photo. We first observed many vertical lines and rectangles made from the trees and chimney in both the foreground and background. In addition to the vertical lines, we recognized man-made materials or objects appeared in the foreground compared with the natural background consisting of trees.
Following our discussion of patterns and repeating images, we focused on specific elements of the photograph. First we looked closer at the man leaning against the chimney. Given the time period and circumstances of the environment, we concluded this man was most likely a former slave that had either been freed or runaway and joined the war effort. One observation we had of this figure was that he was not laboring or interacting with his environment and instead, remained posed for the picture as if taking a rest from his previous work. Next we concentrated on the reoccurrence of trees in the image, as they fitted with our vertical theme and represented strength or power as they are physically rooted in the ground.
Similarly, the chimney acted as a symbol of power and sturdiness as it was the only lasting part of the house that no longer existed. We concluded the man was drawing strength from this central point of the house, while contradicting societal conventions, as a slave would most likely not have had the opportunity to own a house or feel the comforts of one he worked in. Likewise, we found it interesting that the man aligned himself with the man-made structure and not the natural elements in his surroundings, therefore going against the transcendental beliefs, while focusing on industry and technological advancement. Typically, white people would have been associated with manufacturing and production, therefore the man is contradicting this belief and perhaps seeking domestic acceptance. Lastly, we noted the vertical lines and the man associating himself with the chimney led to the idea of the chimney and vertical lines representing phallic symbols, which the man was drawn to.
Through viewing these photographs, we found largely an emancipationist attitude over a reconciliationist feeling, desiring the abolition of slavery at all costs.