LITR 5535: American Romanticism

Student Presentation on Reading Selections, fall 2003

Presenter:  Sherry Evard

Recorder:  Kina Lara

November 4, 2003

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Chapter IX—“In Which It Appears That a Senator is But a Man” by Harriet Beecher Stowe

On pages 784 and 785 of The Norton Anthology I have chosen passages that illustrate an issue of conscience—and through this we can observe attitudes associated with the romantic spirit.  Mary is most disturbed to find out that Senator Bird has helped to pass legislation that resists the abolitionist movement and favors the “great public interests.”  He has contributed to this injustice as an act of politics, even though he could not privately, within his conscience, go along with the very legislation he helped to pass.  Mary dresses him down quite sufficiently and has the last word as the story proves out.  Just as Mary expected, when confronted with the situation, the Senator cannot deny aid to the destitute slave woman and child who end up at his home.

In the dialogue between Mary Bird and her husband Senator Bird, we see attitudes of individualism, rebellion, and idealism. Of course Mary (feminine character fraught with emotion) is the one who stands up for justice even as it goes against the grain of society.  In this she exhibits a desire to think for herself (individualism), a willingness to break the law when it is wrong by her standards of God and conscience (rebellion), and finally a hope that goodness and decency will prevail (idealism).  The Senator, “but a man,” has little backbone (as Thoreau might put it), when it comes to standing up for the dictates of conscience.

“Resistance to Civil Government” by Henry David Thoreau

The passages selected from “Civil Disobedience” speak directly to the kinds of concerns that Mary and Senator Bird were facing.   According to Thoreau, a “common” authority known as Paley had established a theory that people should submit to civil government in the interest of the “greater good”—which, of course, is in direct contrast to what Thoreau and our fictional Mary were advocating.  Thoreau argues that “This people must cease to hold slaves, and to make war on Mexico, though it cost them their existence as a people” (840).  In other words, inhumane actions cannot be justified for any reason—not even the so-called “greater good.”  (Too often the “greater good” means selfish economic consideration.) It is the responsibility of the individual to act in the interest of justice.  Therefore the individual conscience must dictate what is right. 

Furthermore, Thoreau goes on to say that “if [the law] is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, [. . .] break the law. [. . .]  What I have to do is to see, at any rate, that I do not lend myself to the wrong which I condemn” (843).  Undoubtedly the instruction to “break the law” can be considered as a form of rebellion.  Finally through individualism and conscientious rebellion, there is hope that we will rise to a higher level in government (idealism):  “Thoreau concludes that we would prepare the way for a still more perfect and glorious State, which also I have imagined, but not yet anywhere seen” (853).

Questions for discussion were interspersed and considered throughout the reading of the separate passages.  The following questions were addressed:

1.  What attitudes associated with Romanticism (objective 1b) come to mind as they apply to these passages?  Select a sentence or an idea to establish the connection.

2.  Can you make a connection between the ideas in these passages and transcendentalism?

3.  Under Objective 2, Cultural Issues:  America as Romanticism, and vice versa—one of the objectives concludes with a question:  “American Romanticism exposes competing or complementary dimensions of the American identity:  is America a cultural base for sensory and material gratification—or—moral, spiritual, or idealistic mission?”  By considering the over-all tone of Civil Disobedience, how would you answer this question?  And today?

Question 1 and General Comments

Theresa:  You have the idea of the individual as separate from the masses.  You also see Mary’s individualism and rebellion.

Sherry:  Also this illustrates how Mary’s conscience spurred by emotion takes precedence over the Senator’s intellectual decision to vote as he did.

Holly:  It’s his “reason” that looks at private versus public. 

Mary:  You know, the husband goes against what he votes.  He helps the woman when he is faced with it.

Christy:  A lot of times, people can convince themselves logically but they can’t feel the emotion until they experience it.

Dr. White:  You could make an argument that she’s doing a kind of Socratic dialogue with him.

Sawsun:  Actually, I think the wife is trying to put the burden of slavery on her husband.  The burden of slavery cannot be reconciled by an individual; it is an economic issue.

Emily:  In the intro to the Stowe piece, it said she wasn’t trying to convince the nation; she was trying to appeal to individual minds.

Rosalyn:  The Fugitive Slave Act created a revolving door, so Stowe had to write on a national level.

Sheila:  When Lincoln met her, he said—so this is the little lady that started the war.

Question 2

Mary:  In Transcendentalism, the individual rises above economic problems.  He sets himself on a higher plain.

Sherry:  Transcendentalism is a rather vague concept.  It can almost be defined by the notion—let your conscience be your guide.

Question 3

Charlie:  Today we are very materialistic and sensory oriented.  We have sensory overload all the time.

Dr. White:  The questions about what we are doing in Iraq can be considered along those lines.

Rosalyn:  There is a spiritual void because of the materialism.

Holly:  We have evolved to become cynical.  There was serious turmoil during these writings.  People today have become apathetic.

Sherry:  We should always be conscious of the possibility that we are blinded by greed and economic considerations.

The previous comments are representative of the discussion that connected the selected reading passages to Romanticism.  None of these remarks are direct quotes.  They have been paraphrased with the best intention of accurate representation.