#2

I thought it was unique that the readings showed how the axe was such a huge discovery in America. So many others possibilities and the axe gave the notion of a man making his own living and working for himself. How a man could go out in nature and make a future that he might not see till many years later, but the option was there. Unlike other countries this was not possible, but in America a man and his family could make a start for themselves and the axe was a representative. When looking at the axe I thought before reading it had never been really improved. American curved the handle, made the blade bigger, and basically created an axe that was much better than the European form. I also thought how political men of the past used an axe and the log cabin as a selling point. With American thought a man who had lived and made it for himself was a much better candidate. I think it was due to the notion that America was an agriculture society. Past leaders had all been agriculture men. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and many other all came from the same cloth. I really think this is why the axe and cabin seemed to relate to individuals at the time. Anyone could make their won destiny just like historical men of the past did. America was made on the notion that anyone could have freedom and the pursuit of happiness. So the axe was the metaphorical item that shoed America as the country that you could make it.

Blog #1

In my first blog I want to compare the reading assignment The Machine in the Garden with another class I’m taking this semester. The senior seminar class which I’m enrolled in is about the history of the suburbs in America. One of the main discussions we have had in the class was how the railroad and different styles of transportation effected the growth of suburbs in America. In the machine in the garden Marx discusses many writers, but Nathaniel Hawthorne and his description, while peacefully in nature one day the hearing of a train triggered a writing thought really made me compare to the seminar readings. As Marx describes many of these writers during the early 19th century had, "sensitivity to the onset of the new industrial power." This train that was heard is a metaphor for the advancement of technology and industrial power in America. A lot of these writers seemed to be influenced by this occurrence. Marx describes many of the writers to use non-direct comparisons in their writings to the growth of industrialism by such inventions as the train system. Was this change good for America? Marx gives the notion that many of these writers had an issue with the advancement that America was experiencing. In my seminar class we discussed how the suburbs would have not had such a growth if it wasn’t for the train system Things changed very quickly when the transportation system advanced. For many people they thought it was not the best thing for America at the time and they enjoyed the peaceful privacy.