My
initial thoughts on the reading were fairly scattered due to the style in which
it was written. As a result I chose to focus my analysis on the last two pages
of the passage particularly on the outbreak of violence that occurs near the
end of the story. After the class discussion however some of my ideas became clearer.
Professor Cooper called several details to my attention that I had previously not
picked up upon. The “Genius of the Valley” rising from the burial mound as well
as the referral to the riot organizers as “chiefs” led to me to believe that
perhaps similarities were being drawn between the rioters and Native Americans.
That after the Native Americans had been successfully displaced (killed), poor
workers would eventually become the next group of people to be persecuted.
Prior to putting my opinions on paper I decided to consult with a friend who, being an English major, I hoped would be more familiar with the writing style. In her opinion the story had elements of Romantic literature and so I decided to analyze the story again within that context. The use of flowery and dramatic language, the detailed descriptions of nature, as well as well as the date in which the story was written all matched up with my research regarding Romantic literature. In addition the Romantic Era peaked between 1800 and 1850 which corresponds to the date the story was published.
Rereading
the story with the knowledge that Romanticism emphasized an appreciation for
untamed nature, I now believed the story is a warning about the dangers of
rapid industrialization. While the author describes the St. Louis of the future
as awe inspiring he includes details such as the noise, the dirty streets, and
the endless clouds of smoke. This is meant to contrast with his earlier descriptions
of nature in the Illinois countryside. That same contrast can be seen again in
the author’s description of the violence just prior to him waking up back in
the idyllic countryside. Finally the author ends their story with what is
essentially a warning to the reader to think deeply about what he has just
written. My questions now are who was the writer directing this warning towards
and does the tone and style compare to other pieces of Romantic Literature?
Relevant Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism
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