Plantation Life

• Slaves experienced long days of hard work.  They worked about fifteen to sixteen hours a day.
• Landowners liked the idea of the importation of slaves because they needed laborers to help them maintain their plantations.
• Landowners also needed laborers to help plant and pick cotton and other farming crops.
• Slaves working for their masters on a plantation weren't allowed to read or write.
• Slaves were given jobs according to their physical capabilities.
• Slaves weren't given time to rest.  They worked in all climates.
• Children who were between the ages of six and ten would work as water carriers while children between the ages of ten and twelve were formed into groups for weeding.
• If a slave disobeyed their landowner, they would receive harsh treatments such as branding, chaining, mutilation, and murders.  These forms of treatment were prohibited by law.
• Slaves would also be punished by drowning, whipping, beatings, and hangings.
• Women were sometimes punished by being raped by the landowner, his sons, or any other white male.
• Slaves would eat three to four pounds of salt pork or bacon. They would prepare their meals themselves. Lack of good, sufficient nutrition resulted in diseases related to nutrient deficiency.
• Slaves in a plantation did not live inside the homes of their owners.  Instead they lived in slave cabins, which were made of logs with clapboard sidings.  The floors were just dirt.  Slaves contracted diseases from these living environments as well because of the leakiness and draftiness that came along with it.  It was also cold and wet.

Works Cited:
http://cghs.dadeschools.net/slavery/antebellum_slavery/plantation_slave_life/health.htm
http://www.ehow.com/about_4569437_southern-plantation-life.html
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkV5uCcNk_DPNA7edWXt4u_EMA4rVW5771hhf0VX-EUrp4V_Tdhaq8cY-mwFQFWewRbh6mtJXnZccsef2NKnoHtEQBJwtpxJi16zlPEaDMYLft2JGikpqkFmr6a9P_xkxO0CbTElZYUJD/s1600/Slaves.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bluebeerriver.blogspot.com/2011/01/miac-report-revisited.html&usg=__ZI5p5Xek7eCcwUUv4-VSBr7Y4BA=&h=267&w=280&sz=55&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=UqRJK2aypMjY9M:&tbnh=141&tbnw=146&ei=QwaMTaT7BoPVgQfR3oyfDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dplantation%2Blife%2Bfor%2Bslaves%2Bfacts%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1362%26bih%3D595%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=784&vpy=235&dur=1997&hovh=213&hovw=224&tx=194&ty=142&oei=QwaMTaT7BoPVgQfR3oyfDQ&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0

Fugitive Slave Act/Law

• The Fugitive Slave Law was a part of the Compromise of 1850.  The Compromise of 1850 allowed the admission of California as a free state in the United States.  It also prohibited slave trading in the District of Columbia.
• The Fugitive Slave Act was created in 1793 to enforce that runaway slaves be returned to their rightful masters.
• The Fugitive Slave Law was an addition to the Fugitive Slave Act.  This law added that legal and justice representatives of the United States had to return slaves that they found running away or be prone to a fine of $1,000.
• The law was created because officials were afraid that runaway slaves that were unattended would rebel against the nation
• Those who were caught protecting these runaway slaves were to be punished by spending six months in jail and pay a fine of about $1, 000.  Slave owners could also decide if they wanted any other punishments to be laid on them
• Abolitionists opposed this law.

Works Cited:
http://www.nationalcenter.org/FugitiveSlaveAct.html
http://www.zoomcoin.com/rare-coin-articles/civil-war-fugitive-slave-law-of-1850/
Mr. Anthony
Picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://thomaslegion.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/slave_kidnap_poster_1851_boston.jpg&imgrefurl=http://thomaslegion.net/fugitiveslaveactof1850.html&usg=__LuZFH1Fzvq9xR_64cADv-ExdLhc=&h=370&w=250&sz=49&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=4mlzXOR4yXm9NM:&tbnh=138&tbnw=92&ei=_wCMTfKzKcz0gAfZ7-iuDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfugitive%2Bslave%2Bact%2Bfacts%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1362%26bih%3D595%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=234&oei=_wCMTfKzKcz0gAfZ7-iuDQ&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=31&ty=64

Abolition Movement

• Abolitionists were people who wanted to destroy slavery.
• The Abolition Movement first came about in the early 1830s.
• The American Anti-Slavery Society brought in thousands of people with petition drives and printed material that spoke about the immorality of slavery.
• The goal of the abolitionists was to emancipate the slaves and to end racial segregation and discrimination.
• Religious groups wanted to end slavery because they believed that it was sinful practice.  They also believed that it was morally wrong.
• Preachers like Nathaniel Taylor and Lyman Beecher led religious revivals in the 1820s to try to get people to see how wrong slavery was.  This was called the Second Great Awakening.
• William Lloyd Garrison published a newspaper called "The Liberator".  This paper criticized slavery and talked about how wrong it was.  It was heavily supported by free African Americans.  They also spoke about how racial prejudice was also wrong. 
• This newspaper angered many slavery supporters.
• The Abolition Movement ended in 1865 since abolitionists didn't really need to protest slavery anymore because it had ended after the Civil War, but their mission hadn't been completed. 
• Their mission had been completed when African Americans were finally given the right to vote.

Works Cited:

http://afgen.com/abmovement.html

http://americanabolitionist.liberalarts.iupui.edu/brief.htm

Mr. Anthony

Picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.georgehigh.com/images/slavery_abolition_poster_gosnay.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.georgehigh.com/custom3.html&usg=__rE1w5TK9Ol8lbzlstWeV2lQKM2Q=&h=398&w=500&sz=47&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=uDNwAa0r2mO-eM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=163&ei=4_uLTaaxGdH0gAebhNzEDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dabolition%2Bof%2Bslavery%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26biw%3D1345%26bih%3D595%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=800&vpy=121&dur=923&hovh=200&hovw=252&tx=132&ty=79&oei=4_uLTaaxGdH0gAebhNzEDQ&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0

Slavery and its Setting in North America

• Slavery began in the South during the 1600s because slaves were needed for labor on the plantations.
• Landowners were most interested in these slaves because they needed laborers that would help maintain their land.
• Once slaves would arrive in America, they were immediately treated as property.
• Slave owners were so cruel that they could break up a family or a marriage by simply selling some of their slaves.
• Slavery divided the North and the South because slavery was supported much more in the South than it was in the North.
• Northerners were abolitionists because they wanted to destroy slavery.  On the other hand, Southerners were pro-slavery, obviously because they wanted to continue slavery.
• The Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery to expanded into new territories above the Louisiana Purchase.  This was an agreement between those who were anti-slavery and those who were pro-slavery.
• The Kansas-Nebraska Act soon violated the Missouri Compromise because these two territories were given the change to choose between become a slave or free state.  Since these two territories were located North of the Louisiana purchase, it was prohibited for them to practice slavery.
• It was this type of tension that sparked the Civil War between the North and the South.
• After the war ended in the year 1865, slavery was terminated.

Works Cited:
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112391/slavery.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24714472/ns/us_news-gut_check/
http://www.religioustolerance.org/sla_hist.htm
Mr. Anthony
Picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.crgate.com/slavery.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.crgate.com/shist.htm&usg=__nA8wqkOJmJV-xXc-amhHTFyyH6w=&h=769&w=1200&sz=338&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=61Cmwal8myB-zM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=185&ei=afGLTbbmLYecgQeUkdGiDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dslavery%2Bin%2Bnorth%2Bamerica%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26biw%3D1345%26bih%3D595%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=750&vpy=254&dur=1981&hovh=180&hovw=281&tx=206&ty=59&oei=afGLTbbmLYecgQeUkdGiDQ&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0

"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" Symbol

Symbol
: What do the "dead walls" and Bartleby's "dead wall reveries" represent?
What's the significance of the setting? Why is it a story
of "Wall Street"?
Why do Turkey and Nipper have nicknames, but the Boss is never named, and we never learn Bartleby's first name?
What's in a name?

The "dead walls" can represent Wall Street, which is the location of the office where the employees in the story work in. This can also represent the walls that keep people isolated from each other in society in that time period.  New businesses were the focus of that time, leaving little time for people to communicate with each other and build relationships with each other.  This brings us to Bartleby and his "dead wall reveries".  Bartleby sort of builds a wall up against him that keeps everyone out of his life.  He keeps to himself a lot and he isolates himself from everyone else in the office, including the Boss.  He now only becomes concerned with himself and his thoughts.  Building that wall before him results in him slipping away from the world. He wants to slip away from the world because he is tired of everything in it.  When slipping away, he loses interest in everything in reality.  This is why Bartleby always replies with "I would prefer not to" when asked to do something.  Instead, Bartleby would prefer to focus on his own thoughts and bring himself into his own little world.

The walls are also the reason for why Turkey and Nippers received their nicknames and for why the Boss and Bartleby never reveal their names.  Since these walls prevent people to communicate efficiently with each other, they can only refer to each other with names based on what they know about them. The narrator refers to one of his employees as Nippers and another one of his employees as Turkey.  The reason why is because the narrator does not have enough communication with them to call them by their actual names.  He only calls them by what he sees of them.  Ginger Nut, for example, is nicknamed Ginger Nut because he is always seen delivering ginger nut cakes to employees.  The Boss' name is never revealed for the same reason.  He is only known as the Boss, the one who is in charge of the law firm. This nickname emphasizes his role in the story.  Bartleby is the only character who has only one of his real names used.  His first name is never mentioned probably because the Boss focused more on his character than anyone else.  It could also be because his last name was all the Boss knew of him.  A name represents what or who we are most of the time.  This is shown in the story because, as I said before, the Boss refers to some of his employees with a named based on how he sees them.

"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" Ambiguity

Ambiguity: Exactly why does Bartleby always "prefer not to"? Why can't he make friends, or communicate? What's at the heart of his
rebellion? Why doesn't he quit and get a different job?
Why does the Boss have sympathy for Bartleby?
What else in the story seems open to individual readers' interpretation?

Bartleby always prefers not to because he cannot deal with the world anymore.  He can't find a purpose in life because of his previous occupation, which was at a dead letters office.  Bartleby's experience at his previous job caused him great depression and hopelessness.  He saw the many letters that did not get to their recipients and these letters went straight to him at the dead letters office.  Now Bartleby doesn't find any reason to obey the Boss because he feels that there really isn't a point in doing it.  Since Bartleby is feeling hopeless, he comes very bored and stubborn.  He becomes an introvert, not wanting anyone to come into his personal life.  He doesn't want anyone to disturb him.  This is the reason why he can't make friends or communicate.  He keeps to himself so much that people just give up in trying to get something out of him.

Bartleby does not want to quit and get a different job most likely because he doesn't want to go through that change.  Since he is losing hope in life, Bartleby feels that doing so will have absolutely no point.  He feels that even if he does get a new job, he still won't be satisfied because he does not want to conform to the rules of that job.  He does not like to conform because he believes that conforming is burdensome. 

As I said in one of the previous blogs, the Boss feels sympathy for Bartleby because he sees that Bartleby is alone and depressed.  It appears he has no family to help him.  The Boss also finds out that Bartleby has been staying in his office overnight.  This implies that Bartleby is homeless.  That implication made the Boss assume that Bartleby was homeless.  Another thing the Boss observes is that Bartleby barely eats anymore.  When he visits Bartleby at the prison, he finds out that Bartleby has not been eating.  He is starving himself.  These are not the only things that are ambiguous to readers.  The reader may be left wondering Bartleby doesn't accept the Boss' offer to live with him.  That could have possibly been because of Bartleby's hopelessness in life.  The reader may also be left wondering why the minor characters, such as Nippers or Turkey, actually do continue working.  Sometimes I wonder if they actually do enjoy working at the law firm. One may never know.

Works Cited:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi355H0xmc-m-4pzrqc2zapFO9s9fZ1ANb4-1ml1c8Ttt9zGaGgmSHd9W9V1Y3y_z2bhJ4BKRy_5jR_oeDOXnK-BJYUtt8DOyph6UDnEsAS0tjMpKuLhi-tNbmUcBP8_6q9afCmdyDgseWv/s1600/bartleby+quote.bmp&imgrefurl=http://oler-grimes.blogspot.com/2011/03/she-would-prefer-not-to.html&usg=__EUm5mLJTvmW4ZccvgsZg6dVMNQg=&h=238&w=212&sz=21&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=-g8sKFT5Rf7GIM:&tbnh=134&tbnw=119&ei=St-LTcDaLcPogAeCy-S8DQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbartleby%2Bi%2Bwould%2Bprefer%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1362%26bih%3D595%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C292&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=436&vpy=115&dur=436&hovh=190&hovw=169&tx=100&ty=145&oei=St-LTcDaLcPogAeCy-S8DQ&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:0&biw=1362&bih=595

"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" Paradox

Paradox
: Bartleby is stubborn, self-absorbed, rebellious, and insubordinate, yet many readers, and even the narrator, the Boss himself,
have a deep sympathy for him. Why?
Others?

Although Bartleby is stubborn, self-absorbed, rebellious, and insubordinate, people like the readers, including me, and the Boss in the story have a deep sympathy for him. The reason why we all feel this way about Bartleby is because we see that he is helpless.  At first, he just seems like an annoying and rebellious employee that doesn't want to do anything.  As the story unfolds, though, we begin to see there is something wrong with Bartleby since he isn't eating normally and he sleeps in the office.  By now, the reader assumes that he has no where else to stay or go and that he has no family to support him.  He begins to show that he is lonely and bored with everything.  It is like he is fed up with the world already.  One can sympathize with him on that because there are points in our lives where we feel that we can't deal with the world.

The story goes on and the reader gradually begins to process that Bartleby does not have a life and doesn't have much going on for him.  All he does is sit in his office doing the same work over and over, refusing to do any other things.  The fact that he doesn't even tend to his basic biological needs worries the reader even more.  I actually felt closer to him somehow so I felt as if I was worrying about one of my own friends.  The reader realizes now that Bartleby is acting stubborn, self-absorbed, rebellious, and insubordinate because there is something making him feel this way.  I knew that something must have happened to him for him to be acting this way because a person does not act that way for no reason.  Even though we don't know exactly what happened to Bartleby, we know that it is something bad and this makes us feel very sorry for him.  He seems so dead inside.  This makes the reader want to help him somehow.

Works Cited:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.spokesmonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/bartleby-x3.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.spokesmonster.com/tag/hijinx/&usg=__BkXh6TojmNccugb0LRHrRURBeOU=&h=600&w=500&sz=86&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=nacC2tw9jdvPmM:&tbnh=136&tbnw=106&ei=YdSLTd65E8rZgAfJnOjICA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbartleby%2Bthe%2Bscrivener%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1362%26bih%3D595%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C321&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=118&vpy=57&dur=1123&hovh=246&hovw=205&tx=128&ty=182&oei=YdSLTd65E8rZgAfJnOjICA&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:0&biw=1362&bih=595

"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" Irony

Irony
: The Boss doesn't recognize that his own passiveness is as persistent and frustrating as Bartleby's. Or that his genteel, self-
interested interest in Bartleby is leading to no good.
Can you think of other ironies?

As stated above, one of the ironies in "Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is that the Boss does not recognize that his own passiveness is as persistent and frustrating as Bartleby's. Another one of the ironies of the short story that is stated above is that the Boss' civilized and self-intersted interest in Bartleby will eventually lead to something bad.  These are not the only ironies of the story, though.  One other form of irony in the story is the Boss' attitude towards Bartleby and his occupation.  At first, the Boss epitomized your typical New York City office boss by showing how he worked with rules and by showing that he supported the guidelines of ownership, which in other words means that he liked the idea of being in control and making sure everything in order.  By having everything in order, there were no conflicts.  This appealed to him because, as he said in the short story, he liked things the easy way.

As time went on, though, the Boss began losing these qualities and it is all because of his experiences with Bartleby.  Due to his sympathy for Bartleby, the Boss now looked at the job he worked at as a burden.  The Boss realized that he didn't approve of the fact that his scriveners would write about the affluence of the wealthy or that he came to dislike the fact that his scriveners were forced to copy documents that were made to protect the guidelines of ownership, which he had previously fully supported.  The Boss' changes were what basically made up the irony of this short story.

"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" Meaning (Theme)

Meaning (Theme) : 
Does the story leave you thinking anything? Feeling anything? What do you make out of it all?
Passive aggressive
people are difficult to accommodate, difficult to ignore.
Passive resistance is a radical form of rebellion. 
Offices, where Americans spend
the greater part of their lives, are not democracies.
Have a life outside work! Don't expect your occupation to bear the burden of your
existence.
What other ideas does the story suggest to you?

This story leaves me thinking about how certain jobs affect some people.  Bartleby's previous occupation at the dead letters office brought him depression and feelings of hopelessness.  I actually never thought that jobs could have that effect on people.  I understand that people with jobs experience things like stress and exhaustion, but I never really thought about any other emotions brought on by one's occupation.  After reading Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street, I started to wonder if there are others who experience what Bartleby did.  I wonder if that is what people who always complain that their job is driving them crazy feel.  In addition to that, I now feel scared that this might happen to me if I ever get a job that I am not pleased with.  Now I think things like 'Will I become depressed because of that occupation?' or 'What if I am driven insane with the negative emotions I experience?'. 

Now I can understand why employees are always complaining that their occupation isn't doing them any good.  I can understand why some employees are always in a bad mood.  Reading Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street clarified for me the reason why some working people show negative attitudes or feelings.  I know now that these feelings come from the fact that these employees are not happy with where they work.  Maybe the people who I see frowning all the time on the train are employees who don't feel satisfied with their occupation.  Bartleby's passive resistance was finally understood when the Boss revealed that he used to work at a dead letters office, which is a really depressing occupation.  The effects of that occupation of Bartleby were obviously really serious.  I have yet to see those serious effects on someone and, when I do, I believe I will have a better understanding thanks to Bartleby.

Works Cited:
Picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://allgodslonelymen.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/tc-author-photo-bw.jpg%3Fw%3D88%26h%3D120&imgrefurl=http://allgodslonelymen.wordpress.com/&usg=__u2zCzHX7zDpEQ9CTknztR61XG2o=&h=121&w=88&sz=5&hl=en&start=24&zoom=1&tbnid=wjx6-cpVSlk5yM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=70&ei=pending&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbartleby%2Bunhappy%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1362%26bih%3D595%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C476&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=228&vpy=298&dur=16&hovh=96&hovw=70&tx=88&ty=67&oei=5cOLTcb1FZPUgAfRgbXHDQ&page=2&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:24&biw=1362&bih=595

Slave Trade

• The slave trade began when Europeans wanted to expand their empires into the New World, but the one thing that they needed most was laborers to help them achieve their goals.
• During this time, the Triangular Trade also took place.
• The first stage of the Triangular Trade was Europe taking manufactured goods, such as tobacco, cloth, metal goods and guns, to Africa.  Those imported goods were traded for African slaves.
• The second stage of the Triangular Trade was shipping these slaves to the Americas.
• The third stage of the Triangular Trade was sailing back to Europe with newly produced goods made by working slaves on plantations.

• The slave trade was when slaves from Africa were sent to the New World in ships controlled by European whites.
• Most slaves were taken against their will.
• Slaves in these slave ships traveled across the Atlantic Ocean in cramped places.
• Slaves who disobeyed the European sailors would be whipped, shot, or severely injured in other ways.
• Slaves were cramped into small  and unsanitary spaces on the slave ships.  This made it easier for diseases to spread.
• Sailors would force slaves to dance for exercise.
• Slaves would try to end their nightmare by either trying to starve themselves, which didn't work so well since slave traders would force-feed them, or by simply jumping off the ship.
• About six million slaves were brought to the Americas during the slave trade.

Works Cited:

http://africanhistory.about.com/od/slavery/tp/TransAtlantic001.htm

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/slavery.htm

Picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/slavery/slave-ship-2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/Transatlantic.htm&usg=__HGawvHIQFgWKil_DB1rUkov7rg4=&h=580&w=592&sz=226&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=hMYQ-d5GTpsF4M:&tbnh=134&tbnw=137&ei=lY-KTePSNtCugQfT6IC-DQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dslave%2Btrade%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1362%26bih%3D595%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=814&vpy=79&dur=102&hovh=222&hovw=227&tx=156&ty=150&oei=lY-KTePSNtCugQfT6IC-DQ&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0

Harriet Jacobs

• Harriet Jacobs was born in the year 1813 in Edenton, North Carolina to her mother Delilah, who was a slave to a woman named Margaret Horniblow, and her father Daniel Jacobs, who was a slave to a man named Andrew Knox.
• Harriet Jacobs did not know that she was born a slave or that she was the property of Margaret Horniblow until she was six years old.
• Harriet's mother died in the year 1819. Harriet was then sent to live with Margaret Horniblow, who was nice enough to teach her how to read and sew. Unfortunately, her mistress died in the year 1825 and, because of what she ordered in her will, Harriet was to become Horniblow's niece's slave, Mary Matilda Norcom, who at the time was only three years old.
• Harriet was now under the control of Mary's father, Dr. Norcom, who would make sexual advances on Harriet without her consent.
• After becoming illicitly involved with a man named Samuel Treadwell Sawyer and having two children with him, Dr. Norcom sent Harriet to one of his plantations. Harriet soon went to hide at her grandmother's house for close to seven years. This happened before her children could join her.
• In the year 1842, Harriet ran way from Edenton by boat and arrived in New York where she worked as a maid for the abolitionist family of Nathaniel Parker Willis.
• She eventually reunited with her children by traveling between New York and Boston.
• Around that same time, Harriet began working with anti-slavery feminists, who later convinced her to write the story of her life.
• Harriet's previous slave owners wanted to re-enslave her. To keep them away, Willis' family bought Harriet and granted her freedom in the year 1852.
• It was the year after that she began working on her autobiography Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl and it finally became published in the year 1861 after failed attempts to do so.
• During the Civil War, Harriet spent her time in Washington D.C. helping with contra bands, teaching, and nursing black soldiers in the way.
• In the year prior to her death, she was involved in the National Association of Colored Women in Washington D.C.
• Harriet Jacobs died in the year 1897

Works Cited:
http://www.ncwriters.org/services/lhof/inductees/hjacobs.htm
http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/jaco-har.htm
http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/jacobs/bio.html

"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" Plot Exposition

What background information does the narrator relate that gives us a greater understanding of the events unfolding? Why does the information about Bartleby's previous employment come at the end of the story rather than at the beginning? Complication- How does the Boss react when Bartleby repeatedly refuses to perform his duties? How does his reaction intensify? What is the Boss' dilemma? Climax- Where do you feel the events reach their pinnacle? Where is the conflict most intense, the clash most explosive? Resolution- What's the outcome of the explosion? Epiphany- who has gained insight in this story, Bartleby, or the Boss, or anybody?



The background information given by the narrator that gives the reader a grater understanding of the events unfolding are the location where he works and his personality. The location of his job is at a law firm in Wall Street. Now the reader knows where this story will be taking place and they get an idea of what the characters will be doing. The introduction to his personality will also help the reader understand why the Boss responds to situations the way he does later on in the story. The only thing the narrator lacks at informing us about is Bartleby's background, but this is not his fault. It is Bartleby's introversion that is preventing the Boss from presenting background information. This also connects to why the information about Bartleby's previous employment comes at the end of the story rather than at the beginning.

The reason why this information comes at the end is so that the reader finally understands why Bartleby acted the way he did or why Bartleby carried the attitude he did. The reader discovered that Bartleby worked at a dead letters office, which is where letters that never reach the recipient are sent. Seeing that these letters never reached their recipient really made Bartleby feel hopeless and alone in life. This can explain why Bartleby refused to obey his Boss' orders at his job or even eat or find a home. All throughout the story, the reader becomes impatient wondering what Bartleby's deal was. This allowed the reader to feel what the Boss felt when he was trying to figure out why Bartleby kept refusing to obey him or why Bartleby refused to find a home for himself. But when the Boss finally discovered the root of Bartleby's introversion, the reader felt the same understanding and pity that the Boss felt.

When Bartleby repeatedly refused to perform his duties, the Boss was shocked. He couldn't really believe that one of his employees would not do what he would tell them to. As time went on, the Boss became frustrated, impatient, and later worried. After seeing that Bartleby may not actually have a home due to him sleeping in the office, the Boss begins to feel sorry for Bartleby. The Boss also grows increasingly curious. The events reach their pinnacle when the Boss decides to leave the office Bartleby works in. The Boss asks if Bartleby would be interested in other occupations but, again, Bartleby replies by saying that he would prefer not to. Things become more intense when the Boss learns that Bartleby has been arrested and imprisoned on vagrancy charge. The Boss begins to feel more sorry for Bartleby when he learns from the grub man that he hasn't been eating. He refuses to eat just as he refuses to do other things.

Because of Bartleby's refusal to eat, his body starts to fail and shut down. A few days after visiting Bartleby and finding out that Bartleby hasn't been eating, the Boss returns to find him lying down in the prison yard. He appears to be sleeping but when the Boss finds that he is absolutely motionless and that his eyes are open, he discovers that Bartleby is dead. It is after his death that the Boss discovers that Bartleby previously worked at a dead letters office. This explained Bartleby's previous behavior. The Boss is the character that gains the most insight because of the changes he went through. These changes were brought on by Bartleby's behavior. He becomes more humane and more caring because of Bartleby. He becomes more aware of the world and humanity. His experiences with Bartleby have allowed him to widen his horizons and open his mind up more to the world around him. After his experience with Bartleby, the Boss has gained a new perspective of the world.

"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" Point of View

Who tells the story? -the first person narrator, who is flawed but human...He's reliable, we trust him. His actions definitely support what he tells us about being a man who likes to take the "easy" way. What else is gained by telling this story this story from the Boss' perspective? Why not Bartleby's perspective? Why not one of the other clerks?

The Boss, who is the protagonist, tells the story. This means that this story is in first person point of view. Besides learning how the Boss likes to take the "easy" way, the reader also learns about how the Boss sees the character Bartleby. The reader can feel the tension and the impatience the Boss feels when Bartleby constantly refuses to obey his orders. In short, the telling of the story from the Boss' perspective allows the reader to gain a good understanding for why the Boss felt pity, impatience, and tension with Bartleby. This perspective allows readers to almost put themselves into the story and into the Boss' shoes.

If the story were told in Bartleby's perspective, the story would be very dull and filled with negativity and a feeling of hopelessness. If Bartleby was asked to tell his story from beyond his grave, he would most likely respond with "I would prefer not to". In addition to that, Bartleby is a man that always keeps to himself and doesn't let anyone into his personal life. So, if Bartleby were to actually tell his story, we would only get vague information from him because of this. The clerks also can't tell the story of Bartleby because they don't care about Bartleby. The Boss doesn't care at first, but as the story moves along, the reader starts to see how the Boss develops feelings of worry and sympathy for Bartleby. Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut could care less about Bartleby. They aren't the ones who worry about him not eating or not finding a home for himself. It is only the Boss that shows this. The Boss is also the only one who cares enough to want to know why Bartleby acts the way he does. The other clerks wouldn't be able to move their story along because they would only focus on their negative feelings for Bartleby. They would only want to talk about how much they wanted Bartleby to be removed from the law firm.

Works Cited:
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"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" Characters

Protagonist/Antagonist :What is the Boss up against in the person of Bartleby? Does Bartleby represent a force beyond himself as an individual? - Major/Minor: (Who are the major players in the story? What do we know of them? Are they likable? Sympathetic? Realistic? What's the function of the story's minor characters?) -Dynamic/Static: Who changes? Who stays the same? Is the story about growth or change? -Round/Flat: Who is the round character? Who are the flat characters?

The Boss is up against Bartleby's constant resistance and refusal to do anything at his job. It comes to the point where Bartleby even refuses to fulfill basic biological needs such as finding a home or feeding himself. The Boss is the protagonist of the story because the reader gets to see more of his emotions and attitude towards the situations and characters of the story. The reader also sees Bartleby through the narrator's eyes. In the Boss' eyes, Bartleby is against him and everyone else. This is what makes Bartleby the antagonist of the story. Bartleby does represent a force beyond himself as an individual because of his stubborn and resistant ways of responding to people. He also keeps to himself and refuses to reveal his life story to the Boss.

The major players of the story are the Boss and Bartleby. The Boss is obviously the boss at the law firm. He is a "rather elderly man" of about sixty years. Bartleby is an employee at the law firm. Around the time he is introduced, Bartleby is described as a hard worker, but as the story goes on he becomes stubborn and resistant with the Boss. When asked to do something by his Boss, he would simply reply with "I would prefer not to". Bartleby isn't exactly the most likable person of the story due to his stubborness and repetition. The Boss, on the other hand, shows a more likable personality due to his magnanimous and sympathetic attitude towards Bartleby throughout most points of the story. In a way Bartlby can be viewed as a realistic character in this story because he can represent many resistant employees that exist in reality. These are employees that are bored with their jobs and become stubborn over time as a result.

The minor characters of the story are Turkey, Ginger Nut, and Nippers. Turkey is an Englishman at around the same age as the Boss. He works well in the morning but when the afternoon hits, he becomes irritable. He is also submissive to the Bossbecause, before saying what he wants to say, he begins with the phrase "With submission, sir". Ginger Nut is a twelve year old boy that performs tasks ordered by the employees at the law firm. He received his nickname because he usually sends employees like Turkey and Nippers ginger nut cakes. Nippers is another employee at the law firm that, unlike Turkey, works well during the afternoon. He does not work well in the morning because of his problems with indigestion, which cause him to become irritable and impatient. The function of these characters is to show the typical American employees at your everyday office. There are always the submissive employees that always agree with their bosses so that they wouldn't anger them. There are also impatient employees that, when you speak to them, reply to you in a cantankerous manner. Then there are the assistants of the office, as shown by the character Ginger Nut. These assistants run errands that are ordered mainly by the bosses. They might be asked to fetch coffee or a new batch of copies.

The dynamic character of the story seems to be only the Boss because he changes into a selfless man who becomes more considerate of others' feelings. The static character of the story is Bartleby because he remains resistant, quiet, and lonesome. He also continues to keep to himself, not letting anyone else into his personal life. This also makes Bartleby a flat character. The Boss becomes the round character because of the way he changes his views. This story is more about change than it is about growth because we see how the Boss, the narrator of the story, changes his perspective of life. Bartleby is the one that changes the Boss because of what he had to endure with this stubborn man. The Boss becomes preoccupied with Bartleby and his strange, introverted attitude. He becomes more humane than he was before.