Division and Discovery

The Civil War broke out; lives were changed. Wives were widowed, sisters lost brothers, daughters and sons lost fathers, and families were torn apart by the Civil War. Some believed the devastating war would be concluded quickly by some decisive victory, but instead they had to endure 4 long years of that terrible war. After the conclusion of the war the era that followed was one of healing, technological advances, as well as literary change.

The North and the South had reconstruction to do in their regions. The South had a lot more to reconstruct. Fields that were destroyed needed to be retilled and replanted. The cities that had been razed needed to be rebuilt. Whereas in the North little needed to be repaired.

There were some technological advances as well, after the Civil War. Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone had been invented. This brought on instant, as well as instantaneous voice over line. Also the invention or the discovery of alternating current allowed broader use of electricity. It allowed light bulbs to be used in rural areas as well as in urban areas.

Literary change occurred after the Civil War because of people’s realization that the potential possibilities of human nature is not true. The writing of truth and realism began. Walk Whitman, a man who lived during and after that war used realism in his writings; he celebrated the advancements of the age and put down the materialism and democratic corruption.

Another change occurred in literature. This change is called regionalism. Regionalism is a type of writing which produces the effect of the region. For example: if one was writing in the south, one would use writing to record their type of dialect with their accent. Local color was also brought in along with regionalism because not only was its effect to write accents but also the social customs were also needed for effect. Brett Harte was one who wrote in this type of style, and he is famous for his depictions of the western towns. Sidney Lanier and Henry Timrod both used this effect as well.

These literary forms bring to our tables and desks a real feeling. One that is true and very heart felt. As culture changed the writings changed with the eras.