"And Ain't I a Woman?"

"And Ain't I a Woman?" was an address to the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in 1851 delivered by Sojourner Truth, an important activist for women's and slave's rights. This speech is more Regionalist than Realist or Naturalist. Regionalism works use the dialect of the characters' area. Since this is a speech, there are no definite characters, but the dialect is still there. Even in the title of the speech, the rest of the speech's word usage should be apparent. The use of the word "ain't" should point toward a background in the South, which Sojourner Truth has. The reader can also infer that Truth felt very comfortable with her audience. She even converses with them and points them out at times such as when she says, "Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it?" Someone in the audience whispers intellect and Truth responds with "That's it, honey." (Truth 370). This plain, relaxed dialogue is indicative of Regionalism.

This speech is not very closely associated with naturalism. It does feature a common heroine from a lower class of society, but that is about it. There is not really any human nature at play here, unless you count wanting to be equal with men a part of human nature. Truth does not take a psychological approach to her view on equality for women. This speech is also not in any way about survival or fate, so it would not fit very comfortably under the title of a Naturalist work. Sojourner Truth is also not the type of woman to sit back and let fate play out. No, she is going to fight for women's rights. This is another thing that sets her apart from Naturalist writers. She did not trust in fate to get her out of slavery, and she did not trust in fate to get equal rights for women.

This speech could also be called Realism in nature because Truth presented a scenario that did actually happen in real life. She was also pretty detailed in her complaints against men. For example, "That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman?" (Truth 370). She gets specific, and calls upon things that a man actually said he thought women needed help with. She tells the truth that women deserve equal rights to men in a frank and understandable manner. This is also in the style of Realism.

This was a very powerful speech, despite its short length. It is fortunate that we had a forward-thinker like her to bring about women's rights. She thought about realistic ways to get equality for women, and her speech "And Ain't I a Woman", reflects her Realist attitude. To some, this speech may sound like bitter complaints from a bitter woman, but for the most part, I think she was just stating the facts that she had seen throughout her life and saying that something needed to change.

Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman?" Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 370. Print.

Anonymous Collection

The Realism works in the anonymous collection mentioned in the title are "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Go Down, Moses," and "Keep Your Hand on the Plow". Personally, I failed to see how any of these are Realist or Naturalist works. They are songs that the black slaves made up to spite their masters. Their masters did not want their slaves singing about freedom because they were paranoid crooks. Therefore, the slaves sang songs about freedom that were thinly describing something else in a giant metaphor for freedom. It amazes me that the masters did not catch on more often than they did, as the songs listed in this blog are all very obviously about freedom. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is about a chariot that will come to take the slaves "home", though does not specify where that is. It could literally mean their home of Africa or to freedom. "Go Down, Moses" is about the bible story where Moses frees the Jewish slaves under the Egyptian pharaoh. Last, but not least, "Keep Your Hand on the Plow" is about another biblical story in which an apostle of Jesus and his companion are imprisoned, but escape due to an act of God. The songs clearly speak of freedom, which at the time, was not a very realistic concept.

The main thing that I see in these songs is Regionalism. The songs are all in the common language of the slaves, which was not very "sophisticated". The Southern dialect is apparent in these songs, which makes sense because most of the slaves in this time period were in the South, working in any number of places. "Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home," is the main line of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (Swing). It is very simple so that it would be easy to remember and sing. "Let my people go" is also a staple of "Go Down, Moses" (Go). Simple, yet effective. Also, these songs could be said to display the aspects of Regionalism because of the area in which they originated. Many slave song originated on the plantations where they worked for long hours a day. The only thing they had to keep them occupied was their singing. These songs were created on the plantations, which were often like their own enclosed worlds. Therefore, they were very area specific.

These songs could also be considered Naturalistic in how they deal with human nature. It is against human nature to want to be held captive as a slave. Each of these songs reflects that by singing of freedom. In "Keep Your Hand on the Plow", the song says, "Got my hand on the gospel plow, wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now..." (Keep). This "journey" is the journey to freedom. These also show Naturalism because the heroes are from the lower classes. Moses was a poor slave, the Apostles were also poor for religious purposes, and the slaves themselves were poor and of low class in society. The heroes of the songs are all from the poor lower classes of society, which is a Naturalism characteristic (Campbell).

Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 27 July 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm.

"Go Down, Moses." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 346. Print.

"Keep Your Hand on the Plow." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 347. Print.

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 348. Print.

Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural and Gettysburg Addresses

Abraham Lincoln's "Second Inaugural Address March 4, 1865" really does not have many characteristics of Realism, Naturalism, or Regionalism. If anything, I would say that it was closer to a Puritan or Romantic work. I get the Puritan part because of how Lincoln mentioned God's providence many times such as when he wrote,"If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove..." (Lincoln Second 339). The overtones of religion are not particular to Realism, which is why I thought this might be better suited as a Puritan work. However, the "Second Inaugural Address" has a Naturalistic tone because of the belief that a high power is controlling our fate. Lincoln is basically saying that they were able to have slaves because the Lord allowed it. I think of this as a Romanticism work because it sounds really lofty and details Lincoln's dream for the future. The other side to that coin though, is that his dreams were born from the reality of the Civil War. We obviously know that what Lincoln hoped for in this speech came true, as we do not have slavery today. Therefore, we can say that what Lincoln wrote could happen, making it a Realist work.

Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" is a better example of Realism than his "Second Inaugural Address". It makes historical references to the beginning of America, which could be associated with Realism because events such as the forming of America, the Civil War, and the battle of Gettysburg actually did happen. This speech also has a bit of Regionalism in it, as it describes the atmosphere of the area, as well as what occurred there. Naturalism also is apparent here because fate had a part in what happened at Gettysburg, and Lincoln also says that the fate of the soldiers who died will not be forgotten. "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." (Lincoln Gettysburg 402). Turns out that he was wrong about the part where we would forget what he said that day, but the Naturalistic tones are there.

Both of the speeches show Realism/Regionalism tendencies in the words themselves. The language of both is not very fancy. That is not saying that the words have no impact or deep meaning because that is not the case. Abraham Lincoln just was not pretentious when writing his speeches. The simple writing he preferred is a characteristic of Regionalism and Realism (Campbell both). This was also one of the many things that people loved about him.

I do not think that either of these should count as a true Realism speech. While the characteristics that I pointed out above are in the speeches, there are also hints of other writing styles that are not related to Realism. Also seeing as how both the excerpt of the "Second Inaugural Address" and the "Gettysburg Address" were very short, there was really no room for Realism.

Lincoln, Abraham. "Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 339. Print.

Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 402. Print.

"The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro"

"The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" by Frederick Douglass was a speech that he wrote, presented to a white audience on the fifth of the July. The few paragraphs in the excerpt that I was given to read made it hard to distinguish whether it was, in fact, a realism work of prose. This part of the speech criticisms the white Americans' enslavement of the Negros. He says that all the Americans celebrating the fourth are basically hypocrites. "What, to the American slave, is your fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim." (Douglass 337). If anything, I would categorize this speech as a Naturalism work. The main people being featured are the black slaves, a poor class governed mainly by Social Darwinism. The bitter tone of this reflects the harsh treatment of the slaves. Douglass is thinking about the psychological aspect of Naturalism and how human nature affects the world. He does not say it directly, but it can be inferred that he thinks the white peoples' nature is responsible for their harsh treatment of the black slaves. Apparently it is also in their nature to be whining hypocrites. "Your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery." (Douglass 337). The "Hero" of this fits best with naturalism, when making Douglass himself the hero. He was from the lowest of the lower classes of society, but rose to higher levels through self-education and his own hard work. He was the ideal hero of the time period.

This could also be given the blanket title of Realism for a few reasons. The first major reason is the amount of detail that Douglass puts into describing how the blacks feel and describing the white peoples' personalities. He uses many synonyms to describe both, such as "bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy" (Douglass 337) to describe the feelings of the whites in rationalizing slavery. This could also be categorized as a Realism work because it was obviously a historical event that actually happened. Therefore, the criteria of the events described actually being able to happen applies in this case. Realism also used the plain everyday speech of the time (Campbell). This is evident in "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro". Douglass uses some pretentious language, but as he is holding his white audience in contempt, this is understandable.

I did not really see any characteristics of Regionalism in "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro". Douglass may have incorporated aspects of Regionalism later in his speech, but not in this excerpt. He makes no mention of the sectional differences, other than those between blacks and whites, which was present in basically any region of that time. There was also no detectable dialect of any sort in his writing and a considerable lack of dialogue, which was also a characteristic of Regionalism.


Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 21 Mar. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm

Douglass, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 337. Print.

Regionalism Definition

Regionalism is another branch of Realism, sometimes called local color writing. Like Realism, Regionalism is detailed and character-oriented. Regionalism is more sentimental and influenced by Romanticism writing as well (Campbell). As the name implies, Regionalism deals with various regions and areas of America. The literature still has the detail-heavy feel of Realism, and those details go toward describing the area in which the story takes place (Campbell). Regionalism first started showing up after the Civil War. Though Reconstruction had ended and the country was supposedly one again, deep sectionalism still remained. Americans were identifying with where they lived on a larger scale than any previous time in American history. Regionalism was a way to express pride in where you were from. The setting in Regionalism works is described in detail and often becomes a character in itself (Campbell). Regionalism settings are often very natural, often set in remote or hard to reach places. The characters in Regionalism often take a backseat to the character and feel of the region itself. So much so that they would sometimes become stereotypical, whether by speech or personality traits particular to the region (Campbell). Local dialect also plays a big part in Regionalism, as it is often used to establish where the characters are from. Mark Twain was a pioneer in this aspect of Regionalism. His characters often spoke in his regional dialect, giving them a real-life feel that was new to readers. No one would expect a little boy from a small town to speak in proper American English, especially if they were from the same region. Therefore, it makes more sense to have characters such as Tom Sawyer in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, speak in his local vernacular. Many Regionalism and local color stories have a nostalgic feel to them, a desire for the often-remembered, never-lived "golden age" that is always in the past. They also express an uneasy feeling toward change, unless of course, the change is that return to the golden age (Campbell).

Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 20 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html.

Naturalism Definition

Naturalism was a branch off of Realism. The two are similar in that they depict events as true to life as possible and pay particular attention to the characters. Naturalism is more pessimistic than Realism, often focusing on themes such as survival of harsh conditions, the lower classes, and fate (Reuben). Well-known Naturalism authors include Frank Norris, Jack London, Stephen Crane, and Edith Glasgow (Campbell). Naturalism is similar to Realism in that it depicts events that could plausibly happen in real life. Granted, some of the events are a little far-fetched, but they could happen under the right circumstances. The obvious conclusion when it comes to Naturalism would be that it deals exclusively with the type of nature we find outside. While this could be true for some works of this literary period, it is not true for all of them. Nature does play a large role in works such as Jack London's Call of the Wild and Sea Wolf, but less of a role in other works by authors of the time. The type of nature that is the focus of Naturalism is human nature. Specifically the events that lead up to and cause the decisions we make in our lives. The American Dream is present in these works to varying degrees. Many Naturalism works feature poor people, immigrants, or poor immigrants. Obviously, these people would strive for the American Dream as a way to better their lives. In the case of the immigrants, they journeyed to America so that they could try for the American Dream in the first place. The Hero is typically one of the down-trodden members of society, ordinary in practically every way. Social Darwinism and fate are used as devices to control the characters in their endeavors (Campbell). The outlook on Society was rather bleak, which is understandable, considering the characters. Naturalism probably came about because of the rise of Industrialism. The cities were crowded with people that seemed to be at the mercy of Social Darwinism. Naturalism differs from Realism in the way that it looks at the psychological workings of these people, rather than just the characters themselves (Campbell).


Campbell, Donna M. "Naturalism in American Literature." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 27 July 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm.

Rueben, Paul P. "PAL: AmericanNaturalism: A Brief Introduction." California State University Stanislaus | Home. 25 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap6/6intro.html.

Realism Definition

The dictionary defines Realism as "a manner of treating subject matter that presents a careful description of everyday life, usually of the lower and middle classes." ("Realism"). Some other characteristics of Realism are the close attention to detail, a focus on the character rather than the environment, realistic occurrences, common language, and an objective and unobtrusive narrator ("Literary"). The close attention to detail is pretty self-explanatory. The characters were more important in Realism than the settings they were placed in. The main focus was their reactions and development as the events unfolded. Realism literature was set in realistic places and featured events that could actually happen in real life. It was also written in the common, everyday language of the area/time. It didn't try to be pretentious with fancy sounding words. Realism had an unobtrusive narrator, which means that the narrator just told the story, they didn't try to embellish it or interrupt with their own thoughts ("Literary"). Realism was brought on by the rise of the middle class in the industrial society. People were thinking in a more realistic way and turning to science to better their lives. Realism was around from about 1860-1910(Regionalism). The hero was the average man, usually from a middle class background. The realistic characters participated in realistic events in a realistic setting, and the author wrote about how the character changed throughout. The American Dream was pretty much the same as it was now. The people just wanted to improve their lives as much as they could. The Realism style probably occurred because it was the time period right after the Civil War had ended. People wanted something simpler and more true to life. I think the Civil War had disillusioned people with fantasy because they learned during the war that it wasn't really beneficial to them to imagine things that would not happen. A lot of nonfiction works were also written during this time, such as slave narratives and memoirs.


Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 21 Mar. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm

"LITERARY PERIODS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS." Web. 26 Jan. 2011. http://staff.edmonds.wednet.edu/users/hansonk/LITERARY%20PERIODS%20AND%20THEIR%20CHARACTERISTICS.htm

"Realism." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Realism.

"Regionalism and Realism." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 486-494. Print.