The end of humanity - The rise of the machine

Fred D. Heath
English 48A
Journal for Melville
September 29th, 2009

Herman Melville

1819-1891

"What I feel most moved to write, that is banned, -it will not pay. Yet, altogether, write the other way I can not. So the product is a final hash, and all my books are botches." (pg 2305 The Norton Anthology)

"He who has never failed somewhere, that man can not be great."
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In the first quote Melville speaks of his inability to write what he desires because there is no money in it, furthermore, he says that he can no longer write for the pleasure of the masses because his work becomes worthless in doing so. I think that Melville struggled quite a bit with this problem, especially after being alienated, and shunned as a lunatic. He starts his career with amazing success, only to lose it all when he becomes truly great. He was a man that dreamed of writing great books comparable to Shakespeare, but the public simply wanted entertainment. Don't give cake to monkeys, they won't appreciate it.

The last quote says rather plainly that if you haven't failed you haven't lived. I chose this quote because even though Melville went through so much failure in life, he never truly gave up. I admire this quality in him. This stubborn 'all or nothing' philosophy. Luckily he was in a situation, being the third of eight in a well off family, that he was never thrown into a state of poverty. Even though he was able to live comparatively comfortably however, he had many hardships, and throughout all the trials of his life, he stuck it out and followed his dreams and I find that to be something worth respecting. The road of virtue is never an easy one.

In a period of growth that would forever change the United States, Melville depicts some of the inherent problems of an industrialized society that has lost sight of the values of individuality in his novella 'Bartelby the Scrivener'. Rebellion, conformity, madness, alienation and the social morals that bind them, are just a few of the subjects that Melville touches upon in his short story. Bartelby, the protagonist, is a man who refuses to conform to the society that he has become a victim of. Representing the pre-industrial world of the past, he refuses to become an agent of the contemporary world of industry, and decides to give up working as a mindless scrivener. By refusing to work as a part of the system however, the narrator, a man who represents a world that has no use for individuality, doesn't know what do do him and the rest of the short story is devoted to society's response. Forced to treat him humanely because of Bartelby's respectably obtuse manner, and confused by his actions, they treat him like a madman, fear, alienate, and ultimately imprison him for not conforming to society's desires. In the end, Bartelby dies, a victim of the society that has killed him, and the individuality that he represents. We all become outdated eventually, it is the price of progress.

One of the things I admire most about Melville is his courage. Deciding to go out and work on a whaling boat, jumping ship, and joining the navy, were all amazingly courageous considering his upbringing. Then he comes back and has the ambition to up and write a book, and does it! Taking the most courage of all however, was his decision to continue writing as he wanted to write instead of conforming to the desires of his audience. Living the life he preferred, as apposed to the life he did not.


"It is not down on any map; true places never are."

"A whale ship was my Yale College, and my Harvard."

The Conscience of a Nation

Fred Heath
Eng 48A
Journal on Stowe
9/29/09

Harriet Beecher Stowe

1811-1896

"If it were your Harry, mother, or your Willie, that were going to be torn from you by a brutal trader to-morrow morning... how fast could you walk? How many miles could you make in those few brief house, with the darling at your bosom, -the little sleepy head on your shoulder, -the small, soft arms trustingly holding on to your neck?"(Norton 1712)

In this quote, Stowe speaks to the reader evoking a sense of sympathy for the difficult situation in which the slave Eliza finds herself in. Drawing empathy to the sore subject of slavery, she describes the desperation of a mother who seems doomed to lose her child.

"Any mind that is capable of real sorrow is capable of good."


To me, this quote seems to define Stowe's purpose in publishing 'Uncle Toms Cabin'. By depicting the reality of slavery, Harriet Beecher Stowe forced America to confront the moral dilemma of slavery with a conscience. Faithful that if she could show slavery as it truly is, people would realize the inhumanity of it, and make a change.

Stowe, obviously intending to garner sympathy for the abolitionist cause, forces the reader to empathize with the position of the black slave Eliza throughout 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'. Moving beyond the politics of the situation, Stowe shows in first-hand detail the difficult life of a slave. Describing the feeling of imprisonment and the desperation of a fleeing mother she makes the audience feel, as a slave feels, drawing out the inherent wrongs of a society that allows, and supports slavery. Another important factor that should be taken note of is that Stowe casts the issues of slavery in a light that recognizes slaves as people too. The story is centered around a black woman with a child, instead of a black man, provoking an emotional response regardless of race.

Uniting A Nation

Fred Heath
Eng 48A
Journal for Lincoln
9/29/09

Abraham Lincoln

1809-1865

"Both parties depreciated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and one would rather accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came." (pg 1636 Norton)

"If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that... I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free." (Wikipedia-letter to Horace Greeley)

The first quote truly exemplified Lincoln's power over words. Forgoing the controversial subject of slavery, he simplifies the origins of the war, subtly labeling the confederates as the aggressors of the war, and the union as the resolute defenders of a nation. Though the statement is not necessarily true, being as the secession of the confederates from the union wouldn't have destroyed the nation, it is true, in the notion that the secession was in effect a declaration of war. Lincoln tries to express this truth as passively as possible however, and admits that neither North or South wanted a war, nor did they expect the bloodshed that was to follow. By expressing that neither the North or South expected such a terrible war, he does allow, that perhaps if they had know what was to come, they would have solved things differently. A powerful, yet gentle kindness, his words admit a respect, and more importantly, an empathy for the South.


In my second quote, Lincoln plays the part of the diplomat. Crafty yet pragmatic, Lincoln separates his duty as a leader representative of the people from his own personal moral ethic, and in doing so appeals to both sides. He plays his part as leader of the Union by expressing his desire to preserve the Nation, but stands his own moral ground, and rallies support from the Confederates by reminding them that his primary goal is that of reuniting the States, not the abolition of slavery.

I admire Lincoln for his ability to rise to the challenge that he faced. I can think of few presidents who could have risen to the occasion as he did. It makes me wonder how much guilt he carried with him to the grave. I believe he fought for all the right causes, but there is no gentle way of killing your own countrymen, and the remorse he must have felt can be seen in his writing. How would the United States have turned out had he not been assassinated, I wonder.