Independent Readings Between 1865-1910: Expanding

¶ … Independent Readings Between 1865-1910: Expanding Frontiers

"Outcasts of Poker Flat" Outline

Exposition/Introduction: Poker Flat is a town that has suffered financially due to gambling and immorality and they lay the blame on gambler John Oakhurst. In lieu of hanging him, the town government decides to expel him and three other immoral characters from their midst, including the Duchess, Mother Shipton, and Uncle Billy.

Rising Action: The four characters are escorted out of town and reluctantly set out to live in Sandy Bar, which is a difficult journey away. They meet up with a pair of runaway lovers, Tom and Piney, and retreat to an abandoned cabin, where their mules are stolen by Uncle Billy and there is an extended snowstorm which traps them.

Climax: Mother Shipton passes away and John sets out through the snow to get help.

Falling Action: Because they are stuck alone in the cabin with few resources and John and Tom have not returned, the Duchess and Piney die.

Resolution: The body of John Oakhurst is found by the Poker Flat law, dead by his own hand, run out of luck.

"Woman's Right to the Suffrage" Summary

In her speech, Susan B. Anthony argues that women are citizens in the same way that men are and are thus entitled to vote according to the Constitution of the United States. She says that if states fail to recognize women as citizens, it is akin to saying that liberty is only a privilege that the ruling class (i.e. The rich, white males) is given. If this is practiced, she further says, then the United States cannot call itself a democracy. The intended audience for the speech was clearly the educated, male ruling class. She uses logic to appeal to them, by saying that if citizens are just people of the United States and citizens are allowed to vote, and women are people, then they should be allowed to vote. The speech was chosen for a high school literature book because it uses a variety of literary techniques, including rhetorical language.

"Booker T. And W.E.B." Summary

This poem deals with the differences in philosophy between the characters Booker T. And W.E.B. Booker T. believes that education should be limited to the practical realm, as jobs are available cooking and farming. W.E.B., however, argues that a person should be able to study whatever he wants. Another element of the back-and-forth argument is that Booker T. says that the fight for civil rights (and the right to vote) is not as valuable as working hard to get money and buy property. W.E.B. comes back by saying that property is useless if there are not educated black people who can protect the land that others earn. He also alludes to lynching, by saying that money does not protect a person against the "rope" or "fire."