Author: Elizabeth Lagerback

The Witch

The Witch was a thrilling movie set in early colonial America, giving the audience some insight on what it is like to be a Puritan settler. The family this movie follows was banished from the Puritan colony due to a religious dispute. This is interesting because it mirrors why the Puritans came to the new world in the first place: for religious freedom. It also brings up the point that even though the puritans came to America for religious freedom, their new colony was not all religiously free. At the time, every settler was very religious, as you can see by the family in the movie constantly praying to god or repenting for their original sin. In their new “religiously free” settlement, they were banished because of a slight religious difference. The Puritans were about religious freedom, but more so for themselves. People practicing other religions or slightly different versions of their own religion were not very welcome in Puritan society. Whether or not this is a result of their intensity about religion, I am not sure. I think this is an important truth needed to separate American mythology from the truth about the early colonies.

Reading and Film Presentations and Discussion

Shane

On the outside, the movie Shane looks like a movie that showcases a classic battle of good and evil, but taking a closer look, it is a movie that hones in on more complex American ideals. Set in the Grand Tetons after the Civil War, Shane follows a family of Homesteaders, the Starretts, and a man trying to escape his past, Shane. They struggle to retain the rights to their land as a cattle baron, Ryker, tries to force homesteaders off of it. Shane moves in with the Starretts, and the Starrett’s son, Joey, idolizes him throughout the movie. In the end, Shane kills Ryker and his men, knowing it will save the Staretts and other citizens, yet force him to leave. He rides off in the distance while Joey cries for him to come back. All of this takes place with any real law enforcement (ex. police) too far away to interfere.

On its own, the idea of citizens buying land and getting a fresh start is a fundamentally American idea. The Starretts, searching for a better life for their family, start a farm in the Grand Tetons. With the looming threat of losing their land and their new life along with it, the Starretts fight back, preserving their American right. Likewise, Shane pursues a new life, which is a fresh start from his past. He is attracted by the family style of living the Starretts share, and he, too, fights for his right to keep the life he made for himself. However, he fights the good fight by laying low and not causing trouble, even when he knows he has the power to kill someone if he wanted to. At the end of the story he sacrifices his new life for that of little Joey’s, the future of America.

In the movie, Shane is depicted as the ideal American Citizen of the time, as he has strong morals and uses them to pursue the American dream. However, when he feels things aren’t right, and there isn’t law enforcement to intervene, Shane takes matters into his own hands, letting go of the life he’d built for himself in the process. Joey’s aggressive idolatry of Shane only solidifies his role as the classic American Hero.

The chilling ending of the movie raises the question of whether Shane absolutely had to go. He did a good thing for the Starretts, and Joey’s calling for Shane to come back makes it clear that he would love for Shane to stay with his family still. However, Joey is naive, and doesn’t yet fully understand the mark killing a man leaves on people. Though all acts of heroism require some sacrifice, it is worth questioning whether one can achieve the American dream and be an American hero at the same time.

Catch-All/Student Discussion Questions

Tocqueville on Slavery

I was very interested by what Tocqueville had to say in “THE PRESENT AND PROBABLE FUTURE CONDITION OF THE THREE RACES THAT INHABIT THE TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES”. Mostly, I thought a lot about his views on slavery, and what they really mean. Obviously, Tocqueville harbored some prejudices, as he was partially a product of his time. Still, he seemed to want to understand the hardships minorities faced in America, and recognized the problem of them. I was especially intrigued by his argument about how the South and the North cannot agree about abolishing slavery because it is much more convenient for the north than of the south. He points out that the farther north one goes, the less African Americans one will find. He makes many other points surrounding this idea, and I was just wondering how valid this is as an argument. In present day America, we now know that slaves were able to be integrated into society, yet it is clear to see Tocqueville has many apprehensions about this. How often should apprehensions such as these stop people from doing something they know is right? He argues that slavery will have a permanent effect on America, and to some extent, I agree with him. Tocqueville clearly sees a bad situation in America while he is writing, and ponders how it can be worth it for the people in power of the country to try and change it.

Catch-All/Student Discussion Questions

Tocqueville “EXTERIOR FORM OF NORTH AMERICA” Quote Analysis

Post author By Elizabeth Lagerback
Post date September 2, 2019
No Comments on Tocqueville “EXTERIOR FORM OF NORTH AMERICA” Quote Analysis

I was very intrigued by Tocqueville’s quote “If in polished countries the lowest of the people are rude and uncivil, it is not merely because they are poor and ignorant, but because, being so, they are in daily contact with rich and enlightened men.” I feel that Tocqueville is sympathizing with the lower class of Aristocratic countries, arguing that the poor is only “lower” in contrast with the rich. The feeling some of these people have, that they can never work their way out of their “inferior condition”, only divides them from their upper class counterparts. Tocqueville even goes so far as to argue that the reason some of the people he is referring to act so uncivilized is because they see no reason to be civil, and to fit in to a society where they are not equal. When they see these “rich and enlightened men”, followed by the feeling of never getting to join them, Tocqueville feels they will pull themselves even further apart. However, with some chance of reclaiming equality, it seems as though these people will try to fit into society more, in hopes of one day joining it and making it their own. I am very curious to know what Tocqueville would say about this quote contrasted with current American life. There is an underbelly of America that would consider their situation so dire that it is impossible to get out of, even though we do not live in an Aristocratic country. I would love to know what Tocqueville would say about that situation, and whether he would think it was the fault of the people, the system, or a combination of both.

Catch-All/Student Discussion Questions

“HOW EQUALITY SUGGESTS TO THE AMERICANS THE IDEA OF THE INDEFINITE PERFECTABILITY OF MAN” Tocqueville response, animals and humans

Toqueville’s piece seamlessly connects the ideas of freedom and potential in a new way. When reading his work, I felt that it seems obvious that a free man, who lives in a society of equality, has the ability and the drive to reach his full potential, but Tocqueville is one of the first to link these two ideas. I found it extremely interesting when he said the difference between man and brutes is that man is able to improve. I agree with this, but I would take it a step further to say that man is the only creature with the drive to improve. Animals could probably better themselves if they had the motivation to do so, or any capacity to conceive of a reason why they should. Animals have a fixed place in their food chains. There isn’t a reason for them to try to move up or down it, they solely want to stay int heir place and survive for as long as possible. I think Tocqueville argues that to some extent, this is what humans that live in Aristocratic nations are like. When humans have no way of escaping what they are “born” to be, they won’t even try to do so. Therefore, a productive society is one where everyone is considered created equal. The sky is the limit when everyone can possibly rise to the top, and destiny lies in the hands of the individual.