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What Does Upon A Spider Mean

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Edward Taylor's "Upon a Spider" poem uses metaphors and symbolism to set up the anthropology of the colonial era. The poem describes the spider as a lowly creature that can still create a web reflecting God's glory, suggesting a pathway to the colonial era. In the fourth paragraph, Taylor uses a spider's web as a metaphor to illustrate the idea of small creatures having power and authority over their domains, a key theme in colonial-era anthropology. Taylor's poem "Upon a Spider" uses religious imagery, metaphor, and symbolism to emphasize the interconnectedness of all creation, the potential for violence in small creatures, and the power of even the lowliest beings to control their environment. Anne Bradstreet's poem "Verses Upon Our Burning …show more content…

Specifically, he claims that living a virtuous life not only benefits the individual but also contributes to the greater good of society as a whole. Franklin's sermon focuses on 13 virtues that one must follow to live a virtuous life. Virtues included temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. As Franklin states, "It will be necessary for me to be a little more particular”. His attention to detail specifies outlining the virtues and underscores the importance of living a virtuous life. Overall, both Bradstreet's poem and Franklin's sermon highlight the importance of religious faith and moral principles in shaping the colonial era despite their different …show more content…

As he wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This statement emphasized the value of independent freedom, which became the main theme of the Enlightenment era. Additionally, Jefferson's words, "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed," highlights the importance of democracy and the power of the people, which also became a primary theme in the Enlightenment. Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" played a major role in setting up the realist era. As he wrote, "Society everywhere is in a conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members," he spotlighted the importance of individualism and relying on oneself. This idea influenced the works of realist writers like Mark Twain. In addition, the theme of democracy and Costen

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In his writing a theme that is most prevalent is that of the American dream. Although not coined that yet, as the United States didn’t exist at the time. But right from the beginning Franklin speaks to the fact that he created his success and fortune from nothing but hard work, and intelligence. When describing Franklin’s Autobiography as a primary source, it is important to note that this theme of the American Dream. Most famously from the Declaration of Independence preamble, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” ( Dec. of Ind. Pre.).

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What is the purpose of all the contrasting, descriptive imagery? What elements underlyingly stand for other items? The poem opens with the speaker reflecting on their past and relating to frogs asserting that they

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Benjamin Franklin, while not specifically trying to define a statesman, wrote a list of twelve virtues he aspired to attain in his attempt at achieve moral perfection. After scouring Christian teachings, Biblical revelations and classical works, he determined that temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality,

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The man on the $100 bill earned his place as one of the most important people in history and revolutionary philosophies. In the Enlightenment Era, people were beginning to question the notions that people had always accepted as the truth, and Benjamin Franklin was not an exception. As the worlds of politics and religion were rapidly changing, he took his own beliefs and what he knew about previous events to try to find the best government and the religion that satisfied him. As an old man, he also questioned his younger self’s views of slavery and began to oppose it on moral grounds after having found out more about economics and morality. In the end, he also composed a list of thirteen virtues that would help people become the best

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Both men had some affiliation with Christianity: praise and thank God for their good fortune in life. Franklin wanted to attain Moral Perfection, given that he enumerated 13 virtues: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chasity, Humility. Franklin even contends to follow the actions of Jesus, The Son of God. He believed that the only religion that matters to him is the religion of hard work and material success. He values rationality and reasonableness above all.

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What begins with sorrow and pain ends in proclaiming and resting in the promises of the Lord. Bradstreet’s view and passion for her religion shows significantly in her two poems about the loss of her child and grandchild and one poem on her house

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In the poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, figurative language is used to emphasize and intensify the growing emotions of the narrator. To the narrator, the raven symbolizes bad fortune. Moreover, the raven is black and black can represent death or evil. Poe twists the bird into a controlling being who torments him over the death of a loved one and he is able to enhance that effect with the use of metaphors. The use of metaphors in this poem adds an eerie background to the bird and adds quality to the writing.

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Enlightenment views on government and policy helped the two new governments create their own unique system for governing. One ideal of enlightenment was equality. America believed in equality before the law. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created

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This quote portrays that Franklin's beliefs were prioritized in religion and the idea of doing good deeds to others. This idea is still existing in American culture

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Kenny Schlegel Ms. Sauer Literature 3 April 2023 Modern Heritage Families often hold heirlooms, such as jewelry, in high regard because of the history and memories associated with the heirloom. “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is about an African American girl, Dee, who reconnected with their African heritage and after coming back home from school wants to take some of her mother's heirlooms to preserve and use as decor in her new home. When the mother insists that the family quilts will go to the younger sister, Maggie, who has stayed at home Dee is furious because she feels that Maggie will not take proper care of the quilts by using them. In the end, the mother gives the quilts to Maggie because she wants her to use them and Dee gets upset

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Benjamin Franklin and His 13 Virtues In part II of Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography, he lists the 13 virtues every man should follow to establish a modeled “habitude” that would better life for all men of the time period. Although not all men of the 1780s were perfect examples of these virtues, these virtues are what the “old lights” strived to be. The virtues “occurred to [Franklin] as necessary or desirable” (Franklin, 428). The success of the nation was reliant on heading towards a similar goal - a goal to be a well-respected example for the nation.

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Franklin develops his ideas through his appeal to logos (the definition of perfection; People being far from it), ethos (old age and his experiences), and his allusion to the bible. Using logic and understanding, he explains why the Constitution could never be “perfect”, but could be beneficial so long as those enforcing it were vigilant and made changes accordingly, in order to emphasize the importance of unity, so that the American people had faith in their representatives and in their Constitution. Franklin addresses the representatives at the convention as his primary audience, whom he addresses with a thoughtful and mature

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Benjamin Franklin is known to be an “Archetypal American,” because of his beliefs on religion, self-improvement, hard work, and determination; but also his somewhat prideful spirit. Much of modern America is quite similar to Franklin in his actions throughout his lifetime. In his early years, Franklin’s father, Josiah, had a set plan for what he was supposed to do with his life, as a minister. Soon into his education, he found an interest in reading and writing, so he began pursuing a career in printing.

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Walt Whitman’s “A Noiseless Patient Spider” was initially published in 1868, in London Magazine. Originally, it was the third section of a larger poem, entitle “Whispers of Heavenly Death.” In the poem, “A Noiseless Patient Spider” the speaker, Walt Whitman repeatedly emphasizes the connection between the spider and his soul. In this poem, the speaker observes a noiseless patient spider on a promontory leaving a mark on its vast surrounding by weaving its web. The main idea of this poem is to draw the comparison between the spider and the speaker’s soul.

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“I Was Sleeping Where the Black Oaks Move” written by Louise Erdrich focuses on a child and a grandfather horrifically observing a flood consuming their entire village and the surrounding trees, obliterating the nests of the herons that had lived there. In the future they remember back to the day when they started cleaning up after the flood, when they notice the herons without their habitat “dancing” in the sky. According to the poet’s biographical context, many of the poems the poet had wrote themselves were a metaphor. There could be many viable explanations and themes to this fascinating poem, and the main literary devices that constitute this poem are imagery, personification, and a metaphor.

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