IndexModern American ProseSkating by Annie DillardThe Long Solitude by Loren EiseleyOn Being a Journalist by Ellen GoodmanPrologue by Stephen Jay GouldOn Discovery by Maxine Hong KingstonChildren in the Woods by Barry LopezThe Swiss at War by John McPheeThe Pen and the Scalpel by Richard SelzerTo Err is Human by Lewis ThomasIn Search of History by Barbra TuchmanChoice: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Alice WalkerThe Essayist by EB WhiteThe Right Stuff by Tom WolfVocabularyThe Characters of Caleb's Crossing deal with problems of prejudice against gender and racial discrimination. The character Bethia, the daughter of a Puritan minister, faces a lack of control over her life due to her gender. Even though the novel is set in the 1600s, when a woman's independence was completely unheard of and it was normal for the man of the family to make the woman's decision, there were still different levels of severity. Bethia's older brother, Makepeace, displays harsh control over his sister throughout most of the novel. Makepeace constantly shouted in a superior tone at Bethia such as: “Enough! Pride is a sin, sister. Be careful” (18). You might think of Makepeace's ways towards women (especially towards Bethia), on the extreme side of the spectrum. However, a man like Samuel did not treat Bethia like Makepeace. Samuel demonstrates respect and some independence towards Bethia, given the time period. Gender discrimination is still prevalent in today's society. In some parts of China and India, women are considered second class. Or in some parts of the Middle East, women cannot do anything without permission from their father or another male family member. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Racial discrimination is another problem faced by the characters in Caleb's Crossing. The English settlers considered themselves superior to the Wampanoag. Caleb and Joel faced the difficulties of being a different race than the English colonists as they progressed through the colonial world (i.e. their college education). When Bethia was a child, and didn't know any better, she called the Wampanoag "saviors, heathens, barbarians, pagans" (10). Because the Wampanoag were not white and did not live their lives as the settlers did, they considered them inferior. Racial discrimination is still present in today's society. There is a lot of racism towards Middle Easterners. Many think that all Middle Easterners are terrorists and people without morals, all because of terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists/jihadists. Caleb's personality was different than I thought it would be. In my previous knowledge and understanding of Native Americans, they either fully converted to Christianity or remained true to their Native American beliefs. However, Caleb incorporated both Christian and Wampanoag beliefs into his daily life. When Caleb came to live in Bethia's family, he states that Bethia "God did not create the sun" (96). He says this after telling Bethia "Not a morning went by, as far as I can remember, without singing a greeting to Keesakand as he awoke" (96). Caleb took his two beliefs and combined them, resulting in a wiser and more understanding person. Even though Bethia Mayfield went on to marry Samuel Corlett, Caleb is her true soulmate. Although they are not from the same parents, they are brother and sister. Their bond is stronger than the one Bethia has with her real brother, Makepeace. From the beginning, Bethia stated that Caleb “had quickly become more of a brother to me than Makepeace” (25). As the years went by,Caleb continually cared for Bethia, in a brotherly and protective manner. Caleb confides to Bethia that "if I were your brother, I would not sell you into vile servitude just to provide myself with a future" (145). This shows that Caleb would put Bethia before himself, a true brotherly act. Even when Caleb dies, Bethia still has a bond with him. Bethia says that Caleb "visits me, in my dreams..." (309). The strong bond that Caleb and Bethia share is stronger than any other character in the novel. A soulmate is someone who is truly right for another person, and that's exactly what Caleb is for Bethia, and vice versa. Religion is an important aspect of the world in the novel, Caleb's Crossing. Christianity is the foundation of settler life. Bethia's father, a Puritan minister, would go on a mission to convert the Wampanoag to Christianity. The Puritan lifestyle was simple, one had to do their daily tasks and pray, in return, they would earn God's grace. In Bethia's life, they did “the chores that needed to be done, and then they sat down to pray” (15 ). They would do it, even in times of pain. If it weren't for religion, Caleb would never have entered the colonial lifestyle. Caleb would never have had the opportunity to go to college if Bethia's father had not been so passionate about his Puritan missions. Doing something unchristian was immensely serious and could potentially be punishable by law. When Bethia, out of anger, cursed, "God curse you, Makepeace" (178), she was ridiculed by being severely punished. Bethia was forced to wear a sign on her clothes for a week and was scolded by Makepeace with violent beatings. In Caleb's Crossing, Caleb's wit and strong aptitude for learning are not held in high regard due to his ethnicity. If Caleb were white, then his academic excellence would be admired by all, as it should. Caleb faced hardships just to earn an education, like the colonists. In academia, Caleb was treated as an outcast as "fellow scholars did nothing to make them welcome, and instead came up with a variety of little insults, such as leaving no room for them to sit on forms in the classroom and never making a observation". to one during dinner or during short recreations in the courtyard” (129). Being treated like an outcast by his peers demonstrates how his Wampanoag heritage was used against him and prevented him from being accepted. This happened to Joel too. Because Caleb and Joel were Native Americans, they worked twice as hard to earn what was so easily given to the white settlers. Unfortunately this still happens today, in the United States. People expect that some minorities will not achieve what others can. Race and ethnicity do not define a person's success, a person's actions do. Bethia's enthusiasm for learning is most engaging in the novel, Caleb's Crossing. As a child, Bethia loved to learn and was able to retain information well. Bethia desired knowledge, so when her father stopped giving her lessons, she listened to those of her brother Makepeace. She would even "chip in with all the answers my brother (Makepeace) couldn't give" (15). Bethia even managed to learn the Wampanoag language simply by listening to her father's lessons. Even as Bethia grew up, her love of learning did not die. Bethia even took a menial job in a college pantry, just so she could listen to college lectures. Bethia explains to Master Corlett that "all my life, the only thing I have wanted is an education of the kind barred to me by my sex" (239). Throughout the novel, all Bethia wants is to be able to learn, is ahis constant desire. Bethia takes a pitiful job at a college pantry to expand her already impressive knowledge and reveals how important education is to Bethia. This aspect of Bethia makes the reader have a huge amount of respect for Bethia's character. Modern American Prose If Black English is not a language, then tell me what is? by James Baldwin.Baldwin explains how important language is, explaining that it can be used as a tool. Baldwin also writes about how Black English is its own language. “Blacks came to the United States chained to each other, but from different tribes: neither could speak the other's language” (37). Baldwin's use of a colon further helps him convey his point. This particular use of syntax makes the reader logically understand the author's point. Keep a Notebook by Joan Didion. In this essay, Joan Didion writes about how she keeps a notebook and records her random events from daily life. “Why did I write it? To remember, sure, but exactly what I wanted to remember” (99). Didion asks rhetorical questions, which results in an engaged reader. The writer's informal, conversational style is demonstrated through this essay. Joawn Didion has a stream of consciousness writing style. Skating by Annie Dillard This essay is about Annie's childhood during a big snowfall, in which she writes about her memories of their Irish Catholic neighbor skating at night. This essay also explains the experience of Annie with Catholic racism when she was a child. “What was she doing out there? It was all so bold. I expected a car to hit her at any moment: the open road was a fatal place, where I was forbidden to do it?” set foot. Author Annie Dillard's use of details makes the reader know more about the little girl, Annie. The detail of being banned from the streets was additional information. The details used by the author reveal how much did the event mean anything to the author and how much it influenced her. The long solitude of Loren EiseleyLoren Eiseley states that man is alone throughout his life. However, he can strive to be an intellectual human being. “His, however, are not the cold-blooded ways of true fish.” Eiseley's use of commas in the sentence causes the reader to stop and think about what the author is trying to do. say. His choice of diction of the word “however” also allows readers to think more deeply about what the author is saying. Being a Journalist by Ellen Goodman In this essay, Goodman writes about journalism and how you can connect larger events with those in your personal life. “To meet my “quota,” I need two opinions a week, even if I assure you that some weeks are overflowing with ideas, opinions filtering, while other weeks I can't decide what I think about the weather” (187). Goodman's use of commas in this particular sentence makes the writing seem more like a conversation than an essay. What Goodman talks about is a common feeling that everyone can relate to, making his writing enjoyable with his readers. Goodman uses commas constantly, not just in this particular passage. This method allows the reader to reflect on what they have just read. With Goodman's writing style, the reader can feel connected to the writer and his work. Prologue by Stephen Jay Gould Gould wants America to return to the ancient roots of intellectual science. And he continues by saying that protecting the environment is not only for the good of the Earth, but above all for the good of the human race. time scale of millions of years” (211). Gould conveys his knowledge of science in this passage. Although he combines this with his.