Realism Denfined

Realism, a popular writing style used by various significant authors, determined a factual basis for writing. The style is said retain "nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material," as stated by William Dean Howells; a prominent author who often used the Realism writing formation (Barney). Following the Civil-War era, various authors began to use this modern style of writing (Barney). The style of writing could be a particular response to the new-found inspiration of factual material. Dialect, Local Color, and Pragmatism were common usages during this Realism time period (Barney). Because of this usage, successful writers obtained the use of actuality in their definitive writing style. This style embodied one's use of factual material and the differentiation of writing from a Romantic response to a particularly realistic approach (Barney).

With the contrasting usage in Realism, readers who are accustomed to the Romanticism style will be rightfully displeased by the unrelated dialect. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn display these common aspects of a factual-based writing style (Barney). The novel, written by Realist writer Mark Twain, represents heavy dialect in the "uneducated" protagonist, Huck Finn (Barney). Because of this source of realistic writing, one may see an eventful yet factual representation of a definitive character and his or her actual motives and actions. This is a common occurrence throughout the Realism period. Because of authors such as Twain and Howells, a supportive reader may discover an adequate display of the writing style (Barney).

Between 1865 and the 1890's, following the Civil-War era, Realism made its definitive approach in the literary community (Barney). Various authors believe that factual information was to be displayed, and that Romantic pieces, which retained much significance, display inappropriateness in the altering literary community (Barney). Multiple Realism pieces gained much success for the use of strong dialect and pragmatism. Because of this, a newly connected writing style was established, which defined the altering community in the time of Reconstruction. A time of actuality was needed and Realism provided this sufficiently.


Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "realism." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0738&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 27, 2011).

Journal #32: Memoir of Break

My break consisted of mainly working. I mean I got to hang out with my friends a bunch, which I am thankful for, but it mainly just consisted of me going to work and dealing with absolutely terrible people on a daily basis. I mean some customers are just unbelievably stupid sometimes. I cannot stand how one could not understand how to do anything right, and then blame their problems on me or possibly that of the company. It is not my fault that you did not receive your extremely discounted television. You did not wait in line long enough on Black Friday in order to obtain your expensive item, that is not my problem. Do not yell at me when I have only had an hour of sleep and am completely running on an energy drink and some coffee. My Christmas break just disappointed me. I realized I have a job now and cannot really enjoy things like I used to in the past. I now have to take full responsibility and do my job accordingly. I believe this experience allowed me to think of why I should quit the company and possibly move onto something that will treat me better and further display my personality. The negatives of my job greatly outweigh the positives, which only shows how much I truly hate it. I cannot stand commercials with it, I cannot stand people asking me why I was not working a certain day they come in. I mean come on? I obviously do not work every single day of my life. I went from working roughly 32 hours a week to 4.5. The paychecks are not terrible and I want to continue to find a way in which I can leave the company for good. I do not enjoy anything about it and I want out. I believe I truly realized this around Christmas break and that is why I am ranting on about this in this topic. It is not because I want to talk about it, its because I value independence and my job robs me of it. Thanks a bunch!

Journal #33: Originated in Springfield

Out of the various things that have come out of good ole' Springfield, perhaps the band Park is one of my favorites. Park consists of Springfield natives who just really enjoyed music. The originality of the band only further displays the brilliant music scene that Springfield had once had. A heavier band with catchy riffs and choruses, Park made a large impact on the music community. Once signed, Park faced more success. Although the band eventually resigned from the music industry, their music and inspiration continues to live on in Springfield, Illinois. Various artists have paid respect to the band for inspiring new musically challenging projects and successes. Recently, Park played another reunion show at the Hilton. As well as Park, the Graduate also toured, playing along side the inspirational band. The Graduate also originated in Springfield, Illinois. Unlike Park though, the Graduate was able to pick themselves back up after a collapsed label. Currently, the Graduate resides on Razor & Tie. Although I am truly inspired by the music scene in Springfield, I feel that it still have room for much more improvement. Recently, the music community in this area has began to loose its former luster. I believe a new improvement could be greatly appreciated for our music community.

Along with the music community in Springfield, Illinois, I must comment on Black Sheep Cafe. Located on the corner of South Grand and Eleventh, Black Sheep has been the home for many musically driven artists and fans. When Black Sheep had just began, budgets were small and conditions were not as adequate as the present day Black Sheep. Although the conditions were not as good, fans still saw their favorite local artists due to their strong devotion and support. The atmosphere of the venue further displays Black Sheep's impact on the music community. With the connection of loyal Black Sheep fans, the venue should remain standing for sometime longer; that is if the location is not contaminated by consolidation and greed.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge adequately displays Realism and the characteristics which determined a Realism piece. The piece begins with much detail. The protagonist is residing on the a railroad bridge in Alabama. This bridge will be the area where the protagonist is subjected to be hung. With this specific detail provided, one may obtain much similarities between Bierce's piece and that of a traditional Realism piece. The f actuality of the story is also a notable aspect of Bierce's work. Because the narrator of the story does not successfully obtain his intentions, the factual aspect of the story is further elaborated upon.

Much like Dark Romanticism, Realism relies on specific detail and imagery. Bierce retains the use of imagery in his piece often. Realism's ability to remain factual and appropriate to characters allows for further comparison to the writing style. Nature is a strong aspect of the Romanticism writing style. With that said, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge does not relate with nature as a primary source or characteristic. The story seems to retain more prominent sources such as people or factual event. The piece does not retain much fictitious material, which is much more common in a Romanticist piece. Because of this, readers can relate with the subject matter more than that of a Romanticism story. Many can compare Bierce to dark, yet acclaimed author, Edgar Allen Poe. The two authors contain similar writing styles. The strong use of imagery is a reliable source in which the two can be compared. Although they are similar in some aspects of writing, the subject matter is drastically contrasting between both authors. Bierce, which also heavily relies on imagery, obtains the use of flashforwards and factual subject matter (Bierce). Poe, along with his descriptive details, retains the use of spirituality and naturalistic aspects. With this said, many readers can determine a definitive difference between each style of writing. Various authors from each style have contrasting subject matter, because of this contrast, the line regarding Realism and Romanticism is set.

Protagonist, Fahrquhar, relies on his use of daydreaming and flashforwarding. Much like modern pieces, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge can definitively display the contrasting usage in a Realistic work. Throughout the passage, Fahrquhar uses his psychological connection in order to obtain success. Although he relies heavily on this, his intentions are inevitably unsuccessful; his rope does not break and therefore, his subjected consequence is obtained. Again, this yet another contrasting aspect of Realism. The psychological use is not as heavy in Realism, yet it is still prominent in the writing style. Because of this specific aspect from the passage, one may speculate that Bierce retained much connection with the use of time and flashfowards. The passage reflects the use of tangible events and objects rather than an unrealistically-based story, hence the title "Realism." Among these tangible objects or events, factual sites and locations or realistic characters may display Bierce's intended use (Bierce).

After much inspection with An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, a reader may gain a similar satisfaction that is received with Romanticism in a Realism piece. This is due to the Realistic writing style, which coincides with that of a Romanticist style. Although the styles are similar, one may gain more satisfaction with Realism due to its ability to further elaborate or grow on factual material. Bierce is successful in his attempt to coexist with other various Realism authors.

Bierce, Ambrose. "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce; II Page 1." Page By Page Books. Read Classic Books Online, Free. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. .

Journal #31: Daydreaming

I find myself daydreaming often. I daydream about random situations in which I can get myself out of. I often find myself dazing off or not paying attention to any action or dialogue thrown in my direction. It makes me feel bad at times, but there is nothing I can do about it because it is truly just my personality. Sometimes I wish I could quit my job and just obtain a large sum of money that is routinely given to me throughout my lifetime. Perhaps I can reach this by getting hit by a bus or car. This would be initially painful, but I always think about how life would be without the dreadful job in retail. So I continue to daydream about Best Buy rupturing into flames or receiving money from the government. Life would be brilliant. Outside of work, I often daydream about owning ridiculously cool cars that I can just drive all the time. Possibly supercars with extraordinary mechanics can one day be in my garage; this will sadly never happen because supercars are worth a ridiculous amount of money.

Sometimes I daydream about situations and how I would approach a particular situation. This seems to be common among all human beings, so I am not ashamed about it. Everyone has some kind of idea on how they will deal with some situation. I quite enjoy the idea of having things play out perfectly fine in your head, although you are quite disappointed when it does not in actuality. I guess I am a bit spacey but there really is not anything wrong with it. I could care less if I did or did not daydream. It is extremely common among most people, therefore I believe I should probably just embrace it. Most people tend to think of a situation in which they can successfully obtain positivity and effectiveness. Perhaps a situation in which one wins the lottery or asks out the girl of his dream. This would be pretty cool if your dreams could determine reality. Although I believe it would be cool, not everyone can receive every little object or idea that they initially wanted. Life is not really fair and if anyone wants to learn from their mistakes, they must mess up first.

Journal #30: Wearing a Uniform

I do not entirely agree with the idea of Pleasant Plains High School students wearing uniforms. It stifles one's individuality a bit and I feel that it is kind of unnecessary to have school uniforms. People do not abide the dress code all that they should but the facility will just run into the same problems if a uniform-based dress code was initiated. I believe it is almost pointless to try and change it from what it is currently. I also believe that less and less people are disobeying the dress code. The faculty has luckily backed down a bit with dress code but I believe they will usually try and find something that someone is not abiding by. It is almost as if they want someone to disobey that.
I do not think any school should entirely support uniforms. I believe everyone should be able to express their individuality and by initiating a dress code, students will not only resent this, they will also lose a sense of originality. I am also not supportive of the idea because I have to wear a uniform at my job, which also angers me. With my job though, I can understand the use of a uniform a bit more. Because of this, I am content with idea of wearing a uniform at my job. If not for this, customers would be unaware of my occupation and what I am intended to do. At school though, I cannot seem to find a definitive reason as to why I would possibly need a uniform. I do not enjoy wearing a uniform and therefore, I quite enjoy the opportunity to wear casual clothes during school and my free time. Also, I can see issues with laundry. When wearing regular clothes, one does not need to consistently worry about their clothes being washed because they do not have to wear the same things everyday. I just have no respect or support for the idea of a uniform in school. In fact, I pretty much hate the idea of it. I do not think any school should partake in a dress code consisting of uniforms.

Journal #29: Persuasion of the Purchase of an Album

Bright Eyes, a truly inspirational and lyrically inclined project-headed by Conor Oberst, allows for great motivation and inspiration among the indie community. In 2005, Oberst released his authentic and completely original album I'm Wide Awake, It's morning. The album, in its entirety, is unique, mixing melodic themes and folk-inspired backgrounds. Yet Oberst's lyrics and almost exotic vocals seem to make the album that much better. Oberst has been commended for his lyrical content. Part of Saddle Creek records, the label developed under Oberst and his brother, entails various groups established in the indie, indie-folk genre. These groups only further display the genre's new prominence in the contemporary music industry.
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, contains multiple songs which established much recognition. "Lua, The First Day of my Life, and At the Bottom of Everything" seem to be popular songs on the record. Along with Oberst's loyal fans, many critics have recognized the album. In an article containing the "Top 10 Indie Albums," I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning retained its place as a high number. This place displays many fans support and new found recognition with the group. Although the album has been highly commended, I believe it is only a catalyst to Oberst's music. Much like Radiohead's critically acclaimed album, The Bends, Bright Eye's album only creates a new-found interest in the musician's work. Fans will typically discover earlier albums by the musician. Putting this aspect aside, I believe the album is a definitive example of an effective indie-folk album. As Bright Eyes enters its final album, Oberst's career will only continue to grow due to his various side projects, which have gained much recognition as well. I believe Oberst's musical intentions have allowed him to create inspiring music. Not to positively comment on all of Oberst's interactions in the music industry, I feel that his intentions and successes completely define his career. He has sucessfully established a name in the underground scene and has yet to contaminate his music with greed and fame. Although he retreats from the mainstream music industry, I feel that his music still enthralls the genre, while not disassembling his name. Oberst, a true revivalist in the music industry, has picked a wonderful time to end the Bright Eyes name.