Clara Barton

Clara Barton, born December 25, 1821, in Oxford MA, was a very educated women.  She was home schooled and retained knowledge at a very quick pace.  At age 15 she opened a public school and began teaching.  Later, she had no medical experience, save nurse her dear brother to health for two years.  As the civil war started, she began advertising or medical supplies for the victims of the Bull Run battle.  In 1862 she was granted permission to join the army ambulances to nurse the wounded and provide comfort.  She followed for 3 more years, and eventually put together an organization of nurses that provide the correct comfort.  She continued collecting medical goods for the soldiers, and was placed head of the nurses under Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butlers.  She, as a woman, was not used to being in a leadership role.  Later after her role in the civil war, Barton established the American Red Cross in 1881.  She ran it until she retired in 1904, and later died in 1912.

 

From Paumanok Starting I Fly like a Bird

From Paumanok starting I fly like a bird,
Around and around to soar to sing the idea of all,
To the north betaking myself to sing there arctic songs,
To Kanada till I absorb Kanada in myself, to Michigan then,
To Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, to sing their songs, (they are inimitable;)
Then to Ohio and Indiana to sing theirs, to Missouri and Kansas and
Arkansas to sing theirs,
To Tennessee and Kentucky, to the Carolinas and Georgia to sing theirs,
To Texas and so along up toward California, to roam accepted everywhere;
To sing first, (to the tap of the war-drum if need be,)
The idea of all, of the Western world one and inseparable,
And then the song of each member of these States.

The tone of this poem is extremely positive.  Whitman seems to explain how the absence of war is blissful in the west.  The areas in the west were not states yet, but Americans still lived there.  therefor it was not really affected.  Whitman seems to be an anti-war man for his attitude.

 

Beat! Beat! Drums!

BEAT! beat! drums!–Blow! bugles! blow!
Through the windows–through doors–burst like a ruthless force,
Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation;
Into the school where the scholar is studying;
Leave not the bridegroom quiet–no happiness must he have now with
his bride;
Nor the peaceful farmer any peace, plowing his field or gathering his
grain;
So fierce you whirr and pound, you drums–so shrill you bugles blow.

Beat! beat! drums!–Blow! bugles! blow!
Over the traffic of cities–over the rumble of wheels in the streets:
Are beds prepared for sleepers at night in the houses? No sleepers
must sleep in those beds;10
No bargainers’ bargains by day–no brokers or speculators–Would they
continue?
Would the talkers be talking? would the singer attempt to sing?
Would the lawyer rise in the court to state his case before the
judge?
Then rattle quicker, heavier drums–you bugles wilder blow.

At the beginning Whitman explains drums as a wonderful sounds and the bugles an a triumphant honor.  As the poem goes on the bugles and drums become annoying.  The drums become terrifying as they approach in the distance.  By then end of the poem he explains the drums as terrible loud.  They are getting old, and obnoxious.  
The drums seem to represent the war itself.  At the beginning of the civil war everyone was excited to see a battle.  What they did not realize was how brutal it was.  The war started to become an issue and by the end people wanted it to stop. 

Whitmans tone is positive at first showing the attitudes of the people of the civil war time period.  He does not show his attitude inside.  by the end of the poem the mood changed to an annoyed writer  bored with the drums.

 

PFC Charles Howard Roan

Looking up several essays on “War Heroes” I found that war heroes seem to be chosen if they are killed in action, or died trying to save the lives of others near.  I also found that people who are not deemed heroes should still be credited, but the “heroes” show distinct amounts of sacrifice.

In saying that, I found a man PFC Charles Howard Roan who shows a great amount of courage and sacrifice. Roan was originally from Claude, Texas, and was born August 16, 1923. After high school he joined the service with his brother Henry C. Roan Jr.  They were stationed in California before being deployed to Japan in World War II.  On June of 1943 the Marines were sent to the Pacific Ocean.  In September of 1944 on Peleliu of the Palau Islands, Roan was with five other comrades when a Japanese frag grenade was thrown among them. In order to save the rest of the men, Roan not thinking twice about it, threw himself on top of the grenade absorbing the impact.  This impact in turn killed him, ripping his insides to pieces.  This courageous jump saved five other men who went on to win the battle of Peleliu.

PFC Roan received several medals: The Medal of Honor, The Purple Heart, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and The World War II Victory Medal. He brought honor to Texas, and was considered heroic. In honor of this man a Naval Destroyer was named after him.  Roan showed great courage for sacrificing himself to save five other men.  He gave his life so the others could live on.

For some background the Peleliu Island was covered in trenches, in which if a grenade were thrown in one of these trenches, there would be no escape.  A grenade works by having a pin as a safety, a trigger that mixes chemicals. These chemicals build up and explode sending shards of metal in almost every direction, flying for about 200 meters.  by diving on a grenade your body would absorb *most of the shards, but they would still exit through the body with lethal force.

Below i have provided a couple of pictures for examples.

 

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

With large debts to be paid Arthur Shelby is close to losing it all.  Shelby sells two of his slaves to a mean slave owner- Mr. Haley.  The slaves names are Uncle Tom and Harry a son of Mrs. Shelby’s maid.

Before selling the slaves Emily Shelby tells Eliza they wont sell Harry.  When Eliza and George find out Harry was going to be sold anyway they flee hoping to find a way into Canada.  Mr. Haley pursues them, but they evade capture by crossing the frozen Ohio River.  Mr. Haley sends a Slave hunter to capture them – Loker.  Eliza and her family unite with some Quakers who agree to escort them to Canada.

Haley then takes Tom and forces him to leave his family. and good friend George Shelby (Mr. Shelby’s son).  Tom is sold to a Mississippi slave market.  There he meets Eva, who is a beautiful young white girl.  Eva falls into the river and Tom dives in and saves her life.  Her father Augustine St. Clair buys Tom from the traders.  Tom then moves to New Orleans with the St. Clair’s, and becomes a Christian.

Eliza and her family were still fleeing from Loker.  George shoots Loker in side.  They take Loker with them to the next Quaker settlement, so that he may be healed.

Meanwhile, St. Clair discussed slavery with his cousin Ophelia.  She hates that slavery is in existence, but is also racist against black people.  St. Clair likes black people, but does not mind the idea of slavery, considering he can do nothing about it.  St. Clair buys another slave, Topsy, a young black girl who had been abused by her previous owner.  Topsy had been arranged by St. Clair to be educated by Ophelia.

Later, Eva dies of a sickness and everyone around her changes.  Ophelia begins to love black slaves, Topsy grows to become more comfortable around people and begins to build relationships, and St. Clair was about to set Tom free.  Just before Tom is set free, St. Clair attempts to break up a fight, and in the process is murdered.  St. Clair’s wife sells Tom to a harsh slave owner, Simon Legree.

Tom meets Emmeline who is Legree’s sex slave.  Cassy the old sex slave of Legree tells Tom she was taken from her daughter and had been pregnant with another.  She killed the child before birth, because she could not bear to be seperated from another one of her children.  Legree extremely dislikes Tom, because he would not whip another slave when askked to do so.  Tom was beaten ruthlessly for this.

Loker now a changed man by the help of the Quakers, decides to help Eliza and her family reach Canada.  They reach Canada and become free.

Tom encourages Cassy to run away along with Emmeline.  Tom refuses to tell Legree where they had gone.  Tom is beaten until he is close to death.  George Shelby, his original owner’s son, come to buy Tom back, but is too late and Tom dies.

Cassy meets up with Eliza and George, and they find that Eliza is Cassy’s long lost daughter.  They set up a village for escaped slaves back in Africa.  George Shelby, in honor of Tom, frees all of his slaves.  Tom inspired a lot of people to do good, and even convert to Christianity.