Carnival Post

Over the past two weeks, our class has tackled a number of authors and a number of topics. Each blog is definitely worth reading because each person has a different perspective, but for the purpose of this blog I will give you some direction of where to head if you are interested in a particular author or topic.

Jonathan Edwards

Edwards is one of those people who is typically either liked or disliked and not much in-between. His sermon was full of passion and feeling, as were the blogs written about him.

As a whole, most people agreed on the idea that Edwards appeared to be trying to scare people into Christianity. Overall, this was not the most effective aspect in his sermon, but he must have had some point behind it.

For those that liked the tone of Edwards, Lindsey’s blog would be a good place to go. Here, she talks about giving people the harsh reality. She found Edwards honest and emotional. “The harsh tone that is carried out during the sermon is needed I think in order for the listeners to understand the seriousness of Christianity.”

Dan and Nicole’s blogs share the opposite feelings of Edwards. Dan said, “I felt as though if i had attended his church and if he preached this kind of message I would find myself going to a different church.” Dan wasn’t the only one that felt this way. Nicole expressed her concern about not feeling motivated by a preacher like Edwards. Both blogs are a great place to go to see this side of Edwards.

Benjamin Franklin

Many people commented on the fact that reading Franklin’s work opened them up to a different side of him. It is common to see historical figures as just that, historical figures. Ben’s blog and Nikki’s blog both share how their understanding of Franklin changed. If you had this same feeling, check out these blogs to see what they said.

Some of the words to describe Franklin after reading were: passionate, thinker, businessman, intriguing, “self-made,” and impressive. If you want to learn more about Franklin as a person rather than just someone pictured in a history book, I encourage you to read the blogs and read him for yourself.

 

John and Abigail Adams

People really liked reading the letters between John and Abigail. Julia’s blog is a great place to start looking at Adams. Like others in the class, she expressed a likeness for the actual letter writing. In fact, she went as far as to say she detests digital communication. She does a nice job of talking about the importance of writing letters.

After reading what Julia has to say, I encourage you to check out Esther’s blog. She talks about how real the letters were and what kind of impression they gave her. Esther says it well when she states, “There were few terms of endearment and no passionate declarations of love. But it was the very simplicity of their affection that appealed to me.” The letters did not scream “romantic” but if you read closely, you can see the pure love between John and Abigail.

De Crevecoeur

Not a lot was said about De Crevecoeur. Andrew and Nikki were the only ones to write about this author (so far). Nikki has some great comparisons to John Smith that are worth taking a look at. Andrew has a discussion on identity and what role American plays in that.

Olaudah Equiano

In Ben’s blog he talks about his fascination with Equiano becoming a Christian as a result of his enslavement. This topic is one we talked about in class and seems to be on everyone’s mind. Sarah’s blog also touches on this idea and she says, “His faith is something else I think is very unique.  He believes in Christ, but was introduced to Him by these people who kept him bound in this position. I find it interesting how he still finds that faith.” There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Equiano faced a remarkable hardship but had such a positive outlook.

 

Phyllis Wheatley

Julia’s blog is where you will need to go if you are interested in hearing someone’s thoughts on Wheatley and poetry. Julia’s honesty about her experience with poetry is one that many people can relate to. As she points out, Wheatley is one that is best understood after a great deal of re-reading. Her following statement sums it up perfectly:  

“Phyllis Wheatley was a brilliant poet. The majority of her organized thoughts are overlooked unless you re-read and re-read some more.”

If you are interested in reading about Wheatley or have the same experience as Julia with poetry, this would be a great place to go!