The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Regionalism And Local Color

• The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Regionalism And Local Color Book
• The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Regionalism And Local Color Examples
• The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Regionalism And Local Color Meaning

“The Outcasts of Poker Flat” is an unflinching look at the way we distinguish between those who are good and those who are not. Harte suggests that the line between good and evil is not nearly as sharp as we often think.

Regionalism

Regionalism is a kind of literature that base or focus on one region and the culture inside it. We will get some knowledge about an ethnic group of people, their customs and cultures, their traditions, and the environment of a specific region they live in, when we read the regionalism.The regional writers study about a specific region that they are going to write by recording, celebrating, and mythologizing that particular region. The recording process includes the speech, mannerisms, behavior, and beliefs of the people in the location. Regionalism also includes local-color writing.Mark Twain and Bret Harte are two of the most powerful American regional writer.

Regionalism was popular in the late 1800s, during the Cold War. The regionalist writers including Mark Twain tried to record, celebrate, and mythologize the change of the American culture due to the arrival of the refugees.

Local-color isthe shift toward interest in particular regions led to the movement. It is done by painting. Local colorists often tend toward the romantic and sometimes the sentimental. The colorful characters and situations in local-color writing can’t achieve without the use of the vernacular, the language spoken by the people in a particular locality.

Readabout Regionalism and quickly summery it in your unit1.doc

Regionalism

Regionalismliterature will focus on a specific area of character such as beliefs, behavior,and life style. This is to reveal the beautiful language within itself. Forexample, the regionalist writer will show the specific characteristic of itspeople and the locale area. So that people will know the culture of differentplaces and understands how their life is as well as knows what to deal with thepeople when visiting the place.

Read about BretHarte p.622 and summery it.

BretHarte

BretHarte was a classical writer. Before he became a writer, he had been working atschool as a minor teacher then moved to the local newspaper as an editor. Soonhe became very popular among other. He appeared as a local color writer whoexpresses different regional literature of different places. The story “TheOutcasts of Poker Flat” appeared during the year 1869.

Read “TheOutcasts of Poker Flat” and respond and think critically 1-17+vocab check

TheOutcasts of Poker Flat

1.Whyare Oakhurst and the others forced to leave Poker Flat?

= Oakhurst and the others are forced to leavePoker Flat because they win so much money from the townspeople. As well as the

residents of the Poker face wants to improve the town by expelling the group ofundesirables.

2.Why does Tom Simson act in the capacity of a“devoted slave” to Mr. Oakhurst?

= Mr. Oakhurst once won him $40 in a Sandy barbut Mr. Oakhurst decides to return the money to Simson and tell Simson not to

try to gamble again. So Tom admires Mr. Oakhurst as god and plans to go alongwith Mr. Oakhurst as a devoted slave with his

sweetheart, Piney Woods.

3.What has happened to the characters by thestory’s end? Which two might still be alive?

= Mr. Oakhurst gives the snowshoe to Simsonand tells him to go to the Poker Flat. The snow continues to fall nonstop. Theyhave

no food as well as the woods for making fire are decreased day by day.After Mr. Oakhurst goes sent Tom, he hasn't returned to

the cabin. So the two thatmight still be alive are Simson and Uncle Belly as the writer doesn’t mentionwhat’s happen to them

after going out from the cabin.

4.How does each outcast react to thedifficulties of the situation? Faced with hardship, do the

The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Regionalism And Local Color Book

characters act noblyor treacherously? Explain.

= Well, only Uncle Billy shows out thetreacherous reaction. He steals other’s transportations and foods then leavesthe group. The less of characters react nobly to each other. For example, beforeMother Shiptondied, she decides to give her food to other. As well as when Mr. Oakhurst givesthe snowshoe to Tom to go to town in order to save Piney instead of himselfgoing. The Duchess also reacts nobly, as she takes role of Mother Shipton andtakes care of young Piney. At the end, Oakhurst shows the treacherous reactionby killing himself as he finds that there is no way and to survive.

5.Add a column to your chart, and for eachprediction, indicate whether your prediction came true.

Use your notes toanswer this question: What changes in the characters surprised you?

= This is very surprised me when I know howthe story ends. I don’t think Mr. Oakhurst will kill himself as he seems to bethe leader

of the outcast group. He as well tells Tom that there is still beinga chance to survive even though, it is one in hundred. So I don’t

think he willsuicide.

Match eachVocabulary word with its synonym.

1.InterpretWhenTom appears, Oakhurst has “a vague idea that the situation was not fortunate”(page

628). Why might Oakhurst be uneasy?

=Oakhurst recognizes that the situationinvolving his outcast group is already in a bad situation, so when Tom Simsonappears,

Oakhurst sees that things have gone from bad to worse. Oakhurst alsoknows that Simson is innocent and Simsom cannot belong

to the undesirablegroup. Simson as well seems to be happyto meet with the outcast group, and he did not recognize the

situation thegroup is in. Oakhurst sees the signs in the sky of bad weather, and to him,Simson may have been still another sign

of the bad luck that has struckhim.

2.AnalyzeHow does each of the outcasts— except Uncle Billy—change in the course of thestory? What causes the changes?

= The outcasts start to change their behavioras they have to stay together in one house in a snowy day for more than oneweek.

They have to share food and try to make each other from being upset fromwhat has happened. From just knowing each other by

face, they start to help andcare about each other’s life. Since the beginning, this group is an undesirablepeople who get

expelled from the Poker Flat. They all start to change theirbehavior and adjust to each other.

3.InterpretIn which ways is Oakhurst both the strongest and weakest of the outcasts?

= John Oakhurst is a clam person. He facesthe bad situation with no fear. Soon, Oakhurst becomes the leader of theoutcasts

group, and when the snowstorm hits, he tries to keep their spirits up.He makes a pair of snowshoes and sends Tom Stimson back

to Poker Flat to seek arescue party. However, when the party finally arrives, they find that Oakhursthas committed suicide rather

than face a slow death by freezing. It is in thisregard that Oakhurst is referred to both the strongest and weakest of thegroup.

4.Analyze Chooseone character from the story, and analyze how Harte brings him or her to life.

Which details reveal the most about the character? Cite at least three detailsfrom the text.

= In the beginning, Mr. Oakhurst is a grumblebut after he gets expelled from the Poker Flat as an undesirable. Mr. Oakhurst,

himself, becomes the leader of the less of the group. He becomes moreresponsible. From just doesn’t care about thing around

him, he starts to careabout other as he is the most calm person. These show how the characterdevelops himself through the

whole story. There is also a situation, when Mr. Oakhurstreturns the money to Simson. This shows that Mr. Oakhurst is a good

person. Aswell as when, Mr. Oakhurst gives his snowshoe to Simson and help pick up thewood for Duchess and little Piney before

he leaves the house and never return.

5.Extend An archetype is an imaginativepattern repeated through the ages. Harte is credited with

inventing the Westernarchetypal hero— self-reliant, solitary, and fearless. The original Westerners

were only human, yet why do most people prefer legend over reality?

= People need something to look upand related to. People as well need high powers to idolize thing that theycan’t touch or see it.

The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Regionalism And Local Color Examples

The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Regionalism And Local Color Meaning

Literature