...In Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle, one may think the story is for entertainment, but there is also the key point of Politics which is of more importance and can be reflected on with a better perspective. Rip Van Winkle was a gracious and charitable man whom many people from his village admire with sincere respect. He had a caring heart for both people his age, and for children, but did not have a good home life. He was constantly nagged by his wife and was lazy. Unlike working, Rip spent his days away from home fishing and hunting. According to Wyman, Rip ventures out to the mountain to hunt, encounters the ghosts of Henry Hudson’s Half Moon crew, joins in their revealing, and falls unconscious. After his twenty-year sleep, Rip experiences...
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...At the time when Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” was written, a transition was occurring in the literary landscape of the post-revolutionary United States, from the rational and mimicking nature of the enlightenment to the more creative and fantastical style of romanticism, which is exemplified in Irving’s story by Rip’s journey from the civilized world of his home town into the wilderness of the Kaatskills. In “Rip Van Winkle,” the titular main character dislikes work, and abhors the idea of being productive, and in order to “escape” the “labour and clamour,” (452) of his busy home, as well as his nagging wife, he walks aimlessly into the Kaatskill forests. He brings his hunting rifle and his dog, named Wolf, whom he views as a “fellow...
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...Washington Irving is often named "the Father of American Literature." He is best known for his work of “Rip Van Winkle”, a historical fiction story, written around the time of the American Revolution. The character of Rip Van Winkle that Irving creates certainly has a unique personality and character that stands out from everyone in the story. In the story of Rip Van Winkle, Rip could be described as a thoughtful, easy-going person but also irresponsible. Irving creates the character of Rip Van Winkle as a thoughtful man. He was adored by just about everyone who knew his name. Rip “would never refuse to assist a neighbor even in the roughest toil” (151). He never made an excuse to not help someone else, even if it meant to put off his own work. This characteristic creates positive effect of his personality and heart to others around him and the reader. The author continues to mention his thoughtfulness saying that even “the women of the...
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...The True Meaning of Rip Van Winkle In order for a prosperous future to occur, the present must be secure and the past must not be forgotten. Much can be said though, about the advance of mankind throughout the ages, with complete disregard to the woes and struggles of the past. Furthermore, while it would appear that the brawls of the present are almost always shaped to lend perception of a greater future, history dictates that this is not always true. In this vein, the story of America is not that much different than other epics from our past. From great reason, our ancestors sought significant change. Change brought about revolution both in the literal and intrinsic sense, and soon broader horizons quickly unfolded into an unprecedented amalgamation of opinion, social action and success. Throughout this time however, America has not been absent its critics, nor has it been isolated from internal critique either. One such example of this internal American critique can be found in Washington Irving’s, “Rip Van Winkle.” Therefore, the purpose of this brief work is to discuss the theme of Irving’s timeless masterpiece and offer critical insight as to its deeper meanings. The tale of Rip Van Winkle is set in the whimsical wilderness of the Catskill Mountains in pre-revolutionary America. As the story portrays, Rip is a simple man caught between his own ferocious hedonistic motivations, and the insurmountable demands of his condescending and oppressive wife (Perkins). ...
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...Franklin and Washington Irving both write passages regarding it, they both have two different ideas or approaches with it. In Benjamin Franklin’s The Way to Wealth, Franklin establishes a firm belief in what it means to be hard working and in Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle, the life of the main character puts that belief to the test. In life, generally to be successful one must be a hard worker and be wanting to strive to reach their goal. Benjamin Franklin strongly believes in having to be a hard worker to be...
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...not involve war, independence, or anything of the sort. That event was the publishing of Washington Irving’s short story “Rip Van Winkle.” The importance of this tale is deeply unrecognized by many people. Those who do realize this story’s significance consider “Rip Van Winkle” as the first writing that criticizes life in the newly independent United States. Throughout time, analysts have realized the subtle criticism of life before and after the American Revolution in this seemingly playful myth....
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...Washington Irving “Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them.” Washington Irving, a well-known short story author in the nineteenth century, spoke these words of wisdom. Washington Irving became famous in America for his fine works from The Specter Bridegroom to Rip Van Winkle to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. These satirical sketches are all based on the local areas in New York where Irving resided. His adventures through life spread the word of his writings and he became one of the first renowned short story writers in Europe. Washington Irving was born in New York, New York on April 3, 1783. His mother, Sarah, and father, William Irving, Sr., had eleven children including Washington. He was named after the United States first president, George Washington who was sought to be the greatest hero of all time to his parents. “… He attended the first presidential inauguration of his namesake in 1789” (Biography Channel). Irving was privately schooled and later went to study law in New York after his return from travelling Europe. In 1804 he travelled to France and Italy, while writing journals and letters. When he returned in 1805, Irving continued law school but did poorly for he barely passed the bar exam. (Biography Channel). After Irving finished his studies, he went on to write humorous essay with his older brother William Irving, Jr., and James Kirke Paulding. The Salamagundi papers published the essays in 1807 to 1808....
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...Rip Van Winkle Summary: “Rip Van Winkle” is an American masterpiece of the short story. It is based on local history but is rooted in European myth and legend. Irving reportedly wrote it one night in England, in June, 1818, after having spent the whole day talking with relatives about the happy times spent in Sleepy Hollow. The author drew on his memories and experiences of the Hudson River Valley and blended them with Old World contributions. “Rip Van Winkle” is such a well-known tale that almost every child in the United States has read it or heard it narrated at one time or another. Rip is a simple-minded soul who lives in a village by the Catskill Mountains. Beloved by the village, Rip is an easygoing, henpecked husband whose one cross to bear is a shrewish wife who nags him day and night. One day he wanders into the mountains to go hunting, meets and drinks with English explorer Henry Hudson’s legendary crew, and falls into a deep sleep. He awakens twenty years later and returns to his village to discover that everything has changed. The disturbing news of the dislocation is offset by the discovery that his wife is dead. In time, Rip’s daughter, son, and several villagers identify him, and he is accepted by the others. One of Irving’s major points is the tumultuous change occurring over the twenty years that the story encompasses. Rip’s little Dutch village had remained the same for generations and symbolized rural peace and prosperity. On his return, everything has...
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...Goethe’s, The Sorrows of Young Werther, and others. The American Romantic movement was influenced from the European gothic style of writing; the American writer, Washington Irving acts as a bridge, displaying this style in his works, and essentially sparking the American Romantic movement. Of course, to start a movement so widespread, Irving needed inspiration; fortunately, his trip to Europe included scores of opportunities for such, and played an integral role Irving’s starting of the American Romantic Movement. Specifically, one such inspiration he picked up from Europe was the habit of keeping journals. Irving’s journals became one of his most prized possessions, and in them, he was constantly trying to improve on his writing. (Williams). Another source of inspiration for Irving was the European myths and legends that he learned of. In fact, “Irving's most important friendship in Granada, both now and during his second visit in 1829, was with this Spanish peasant, Mateo Ximénez, who acted as his guide and who told him many tales which later appeared in Irving book. (The Alhambra 1832)” (Williams) (22) “Irving wanders into the town of Sleepy Hollow, New York, and is told of the story of the Headless Horseman, also known as the Galloping Hessian.” (Characteristics) (Booksie)A final source of influence for Irving’s writings are the, “delightful letters,” that Irving wrote to Mlle. Antoinette Bolviller, a niece of M. D'Oubril, the Russian minister at Madrid. Irving took great...
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...Irving's “Rip Van Winkle” tale is a myth, but also a part of American mythology. In “Rip Van Winkle”, Washington Irving skillfully incorporates three characteristics that come together and make an excellent and enjoyable story for its readers. The first characteristic is that the story is set in a remote place, in the past. Second, “Rip Van Winkle” includes exaggerated and remarkable characters. Lastly, the tale of Rip Van Winkle includes magical and mysterious events and shares the consequences of them. Washington Irving uses exaggerated characters, detailed settings, and magical and mysterious events to create an amazing story that helped create American mythology. The characters of “Rip Van Winkle” are exaggerated. The most exaggerated character is Dame Van Winkle; Rip Van Winkle’s wife. Dame Van Winkle is a nagging and brawling woman, who doesn’t give Rip a break. Irving says, “his wife kept continually dinning in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and the ruin he was bringing on his family” (Irving 64). This gives the reader more incite on Dame Van Winkle...
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...The Inconsistent Van Winkle Rip Van Winkle fails to represent a prototype for an American hero because he lacks the work ethic promoted by American culture to achieve the American Dream. Washington Irvin’s story depicts Rip Van Winkle lazing around his home and village. While he is beloved by all except for his wife because he is amiable, generous and a storyteller, he fails to properly tend to his farm. Rip Van Winkle’s 20-year slumber can be considered punishment for his idle ways, even though Irving somewhat sentimentalizes the easy-going lifestyle that Rip Van Winkle demonstrates. In the early 19th Century, when Irving wrote the story, America was an agricultural country that relied upon the productivity and hard work of its family farmers. The work ethic in American culture demanded discipline and personal responsibility, neither of which Rip Van Winkle demonstrates. “[I]t was the most pestilent little piece of ground in the whole country; everything about it went wrong, and would go wrong” (Irving 3). Irving’s description of Rip Van Winkle’s farm illustrates his condemnation of Rip Van Winkle’s failure to honor the work ethic of the American farmer in the early 19th Century, the primary strength of which is individual autonomy and national improvement. However, Irving also sentimentalizes the lifestyle and slumber of Rip Van Winkle, and thus he recognizes the drawbacks of the work ethic. After he awakens, the war is over and life has returned to normal...
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...short story “Rip Van Winkle” Washington Irving explains the story of a man who is so bossed, bothered and controlled by his wife that when he falls asleep and awakens 20 years later, he is thrilled when he realizes he no longer has to deal with her. Rip Van Winkle wakes up and the people who were the colonists of Great Britain were now citizens of the United States of America. Irving’s compulsive use of historical references makes the reader question if he is symbolizing something else through this relationship of husband and wife. We can gather this easily but what we cannot understand is why Rip is so surprised that Independence from Great Britain is declared. Irving just might be suggesting that much of society did not feel...
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...Rip Van Winkle I believe Washington Irving’s purpose for writing ‘Rip Van Winkle’ was to teach a lesson and to comment on the American Revolution at the same time. I think that the lesson Irving is trying to teach is that if you live an idle life, life will pass you by. Rip was not concerned with working to support his family or to achieve any sort of goals. He was only interested in doing things that he enjoyed and that did not help to support his family. He slept for twenty years, and when he awoke the world around him was completely different. When Rip was out in the woods hunting, he got sidetracked and went off with a strange man. This lead to him drinking too much and falling asleep for twenty years. While Rip slept, the world went on and changed very drastically. His wife died, his children grew up, and America won its independence from the British. These things did not seem to bother Rip, but many people would regret missing out on so much. Irving uses symbolism throughout this story. He uses Rip to represent America and Madame Van Winkle to represent England. Rip’s disdain for his wife represents the way the colonists felt about England. When Rip wakes up from his twenty year nap he sees an eagle, which is supposed to represent the new American freedom. Rip goes back to his village and sees that it has changed quite a bit, many of the men he once knew died fighting in the war. He finds that his wife is also dead, which grants him the freedom to do as he pleases for...
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...A Rose for Emily Summary How It All Goes Down You might want to look at our discussion of the novel's setting before you enter here, or at least know it's there to help if you get tangled up in this story's crazy chronology. Also keep in mind that the narrator of this story represents several generations of men and women from the town. The story begins at the huge funeral for Miss Emily Grierson. Nobody has been to her house in ten years, except for her servant. Her house is old, but was once the best house around. The town had a special relationship with Miss Emily ever since it decided to stop billing her for taxes in 1894. But, the "newer generation" wasn't happy with this arrangement, and so they paid a visit to Miss Emily and tried to get her to pay the debt. She refused to acknowledge that the old arrangement might not work any more, and flatly refused to pay. Thirty years before, the tax collecting townspeople had a strange encounter with Miss Emily about a bad smell at her place. This was about two years after her father died, and a short time after her lover disappeared from her life. Anyhow, the stink got stronger and complaints were made, but the authorities didn't want to confront Emily about the problem. So, they sprinkled lime around the house and the smell was eventually gone. Everybody felt sorry for Emily when her father died. He left her with the house, but no money. When he died, Emily refused to admit it for three whole days. The town didn't think...
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...encouragement to Washington, it symbolized that all Americans regardless of the color of your skin could obtain freedom of speech. Additionally, Wheatley shows that all Americans should support the movement for independence, regardless of your social status or the color of your skin. “Hear every tongue thy guardian aid implore (Wheatley 411.28)!” Wheatley is asking the General to listen to all American, not only the high society individuals, but also ordinary people, and slaves as America begins its journey to independence. Wheatley’s poem shows that regardless of how you came to be in America, freedom of speech is something that even a once enslaved black woman could achieve. Moreover, freedom of speech does not always come in the form of a complaint. Wheatley is hoping for a future that includes a new Republic independent of Britain and gives admiration to the leaders of the military. Additionally, Wheatley brings to light that the fight for freedom in America is something that other nations also want, “And nations gaze at scenes before unknown (Wheatley 411.6)!” Also, Wheatley knows that the fight for freedom includes everyone in America. “The land of freedom’s heaven-defended race!” implies that...
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