Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks-Humanities I T/F P.3
In his Author's Note, Russell Banks makes it clear that Cloudsplitter is a work of fiction, and not a version or interpretation of history. Nevertheless, the novel contains much historical information and raises a number of thematic questions. What is the relationship between fiction and historical fact in Cloudsplitter? Is "historical fiction" a deceptive distortion of history, or does it add to our understanding of history? Of the present? (Post one comment using MLA format- no less than 250 words.)
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The relation between fiction and historical fact in Cloudsplitter is that the fiction and the historical fact are blended together to create an interesting story. In Cloudsplitter, the history is what makes the story true, but the fiction is what makes the story interesting. The story talks about a boy trying to bring good to his father’s name because everyone hated him for doing something he did not do. As the boy grew up, things got worst and he hated everyone who hated his father. A high school girl came to the boy’s house and asked him to do a survey but he sent her away without knowing she had nothing to do with everyone else. As the story goes on, he writes letters to the high school girl and tells her why he is so mad at everyone.
Historical fiction adds to our understanding of history and of the present. Historical fiction adds to our understanding of history because when writing about history, people tie in bits and pieces of fiction to make the history seem more interesting. Historical fiction adds to our understanding of the present because when fiction, history, and the present are all put together, history explains the present when it repeats itself. Historical fiction has a way of telling what is going to happen in the present. For example, in the times of segregation and slavery, the blacks were fighting for blacks and whites to be equal, and now today a black man is elected president of the United States of America. This is one way that history repeated itself, Martin Luther King gave his “I Have A Dream” speech forty-five years ago, and now forty-five years later Barak Obama gave his acceptance speech for being elected president of the United States of America.
Cloudsplitter
In the Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks historical facts and personal opinions and experiences are mixed together creating a very biased and twisted account. It is a book of fiction however the historical facts are undeniable. Although it has historical background this book should be carefully reviewed when it is being used as a historical reference. The narrator’s bias also has a big part in the historical aspect. Being the son of a radical abolitionist Owen brown adds a special view point to the events that took place; although he could never be impartial he gives us a special understanding of one side of the argument. Owen Brown is very old, which is another reason that this book is not a very accurate account of history, while the main events are correct, the smaller more personal details could have been over exaggerated or embellished. I personally think that whenever history and personal narratives are combined the story should not be viewed as an accurate historical account.
The genre of historical fiction adds to our understanding of history by providing an individual account and one side of the argument. However the fact that it is from only one side of the argument is troubling, because some facts and events might be purposely left out. In general I believe that historical fiction should be avoided when using it to gain an overall understanding, but if you already have substantial knowledge historical fiction is a great way to gain an understanding of one side of an argument and their motives.
In Cloudsplitter, Russell Banks, its author, wrote in the perspective of Owen Brown, the last surviving son of abolitionist, John Brown. Russell Banks creates the story of Owen Brown, putting together the pieces after only finding very little about Owen on biographies about his father. So, Banks used the few facts he had, and created a lengthy story about John Brown’s infamous son. As far as Cloudsplitter goes, Owen Brown spent his whole life in between two of his desires: materialistic success and to end slavery in America. He also lived his entire life struggling to bring honor to his family name. As he narrated, he reveals his conflicted life, being the son of a highly controversial man, John Brown, widely known as a political martyr and an abolitionist. Banks effectively ties in Owen Brown’s fictional, emotional life into John Brown’s factual history.
Several historical facts were used in the book, but in his author’s note, Banks mentions that Cloudsplitter is merely a historical fiction novel. Banks formatted the book like a letter, utilized all the supplied information, and formed a relationship between fact and fiction by altering them according to how he felt about the story. Readers may never know what Owen Brown really thought of at the time, but Banks gave them a view on how Brown may think about his publicity and his religious and political beliefs. After reading this novel, readers will realize that historical fiction will help them better understand and interpret history in their own way. Cloudsplitter, for example, provided readers with an understanding of the movement against slavery in the 1840’s. Historical fictions can help readers understand the present by being provided with a perspective on the situation.
The book Cloud Splitter by Russell Banks is a historical fiction novel, even though it often tells what really happened in this influential period of time. He takes some measures to take it away from pure fact and more into a true fictional story, but the close connection to history is what makes it such an interesting and easy read. As its characters grow from their youth and teens, you see the ups and downs of the browns’ life, from James Brown’s debt, to their on the Underground Railroad can be drawn from this book. In the book, Banks shows us a side of John Brown not shown so much in other telling of his deeds, as a slightly crazed Wildman with his heart in the right place.
Historical fiction can be many things, and generalizing it would be a mistake. But for the most part, it adds to our historical understanding and expertise, showing a different view of the same events. The relationship of historical fiction, especially in Cloud Splitter, is the idea of fact, with the use of fiction when it is needed to fill in any gaps. An example of this is the son’s encounter with a prostitute, and other parts of the book where fact runs out. This book shows this very well, and expands on it by adding some parts of fiction and fact that wasn’t necessary. I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, with it being over seven hundred words long, I thought that I was buckling into a long and hard read. But I soon found that it was extremely good book and not at all like I expected.
Cloudspli
Blog of Cloudsplitter
Cloudsplitter was a very interesting novel. It was really different from the books that I read. There were a few things I didn't like about the novel. Like, why was the entire book a letter? I mean, why did it particularly have to be a letter. Why couldn't it be a book he was writing? I also didn't like how the father didn't really have a connection with his children. The only time he mostly spend time with them was when he was teaching the Bible. It was very tragic when Kitty, the baby, died. I wish that part was left out of the book. I was a bit confused when the mother died. It's not listed how she physically. I wonder, did the father have a stronger connection with Mary or the deceased mother? As I was reading, Owen seemed like he really didn't want to deal with his father or his rules. I wonder why he didn't try to run away from it all and start a life of his own. Especially, when his father owed alot of debt to the point where they had to move many times.
I wonder were any of these events involved in Russell's life. Did his father teach from the Bible? Did one of his siblings die in a tragic accident? Did he fall from the window and break his arm? Or maybe his childhood was a little better than Owen's. Recardless, this book was great, especially with the detail in each sentence that made it more visual. tter
‘Cloudsplitter’ Blog
In the Novel ‘Cloudsplitter’, there is a lot of historical information but in general the book is fiction as Russell Banks clearly stated in his introduction to the book. The book’s setting is in California and the story goes through the years of 1825 (At the birth of Owen, John brown’s son) to 1899 (During the final stage of Owen’s life).
Some historical facts in Cloudsplitter were famous events such as his unsuccessful raid in Harpers Ferry which led to his death, and all of his other violent contributions to the ending of slavery. This Novel showed many historical facts and seemed to be closely accurate to the life of John Brown but the book was fiction. For example the sub- plot of the conflict between Owen and his father as a shy child was created entirely by Banks. In the novel, Owen seems to strongly disagree with all of his father’s actions but his entire life was following his fathers footsteps, this is a historical fact but in the novel their relationship is exaggerated and is portrayed as much more dramatic than how it actually was. In terms of historical facts though, ‘Cloudsplitter’ showed many historical events and information. This is shown through the Novel’s portrayal of John Brown, his views of slavery and what his actions were to try and put an end to it.
Historical fiction helps us understand the past because even though the plot and characters are somewhat fiction the setting is not. It adds to our understanding of history through showing us how social life was like at that time, such as how people spoke, accomplished goals, solved issues and lived daily life.
The novel Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks is an interesting mix between twisted fiction and loosely based history. The fiction in this novel is so closely intertwined with history that it becomes difficult to distinguish what is real and what is not. Owen Brown, the main character, tells the story of his father through letters written to a young high school girl. All throughout the book I felt like Banks was throwing fictional history facts at me. One example of a historical account that I thought was fiction was where Owen finds the original copy of John Brown’s “Sambo’s Mistakes”. I could not believe that the famous abolitionist John Brown would “actually try to pass himself off as a negro” as Banks puts it. But then, after reading the excerpt from “Sambo’s Mistakes” I realized that it was real.
Banks had few historical facts about John Brown because little was known of him while he was living. So he used all that he knew which included all his children and works. But for the things Bank’s didn’t know, he used his imagination. Whenever Bank’s described how Owen saw his father he seemed to mix in false emotions and family struggles that the Brown family could have been enduring. Although it was difficult to tell what fact was and what was fiction this novel gave readers a sense of what John Brown’s life was like during the 1840’s. Historical fiction novels sometimes take away from essence of the actual encounter. Like this novel captures the essence of the era, but not of John Brown’s life.
Cloudsplitter
In Cloudsplitter, Russell Banks illuminates the fact that Cloudsplitter is fiction and not a description of history in the author’s note, but it became obvious that the two have a lot in common. This book may be fiction, but the facts within this story are very much true. This novel’s relationship with history is one of its greater aspects. When things are familiar to us we understand them better, which is what facilitated my understanding of this book. John’s contact with famous abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and others is another way that history played a part in this story. Books can always remind us of history. So much has happened in the past that it is really easy to compare history with anything.
Historical fiction is essential because it can assist to our understanding of the past and the present. As an example, historical fiction explains history indirectly, but explains it nevertheless. Additionally, many believe that history repeats itself so historical fiction, although it clarifies history, can also be explaining the present as well. Cloudsplitter is one of the many books that are comprehensible because they are historical fiction. This book was a great read because after reading it I had a better understanding of history, even if it only helped a little. This book, although it is not an interpretation of history, actually helped me with my understanding of many things, including the past, the present, and even a perception of how the future may turn out.
Shaneka Speight
Humanities I T/F P. 3
Mr. Igoudjil
Nov 20, 2008
Cloudsplitter
Although Cloudsplitter is fiction, there are many historical facts within this intriguing story. Russell Banks combined both fiction and fact by having some historic events. An example of this is the Civil War. More examples are conflict between races, Harpers Ferry, slavery, etc. From my point of view Historical fiction helps us to understand both history and present better.
Historical fiction gives us a better opportunity to learn more about history. Historical fiction also gives us a better understanding of history, although some characters are not real, the events usually are. Also, it tells us how either some or majority of the people reacted to specific events, whether it was controversy, races, opinion on war, or any thing of that nature. With Historical fiction we understand and realize why some people have certain views on different things whether its politics, to education, or health.
There are ways that historical fiction can improve our understanding on the present too. This can happen because the present branches off from history. For example, some people are still racist to this day. Another example of how historical fiction can improve our understanding of the present is that after we have been under attacks our defense and security have to improve. Also, after we have been through depressions we better manage our economy.
Cloudsplitter gave me a better understanding on what was going on in the past. Now I know about Harpers Ferry, and the different views that people had on African Americans, slave, and more. This book actually made me want to learn more about history.
During this blog I will interpret the idea of historical fiction. In the novel Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks the fiction and historical fact combine together. Also in the novel historical facts and personal experiences are created throughout the novel. I guess you can call this book a historical fiction. There is a big concept of the relationship between fiction and historical fact in this novel. The fiction in the novel is the characters. The historical fact in the novel is the historic information contained in the novel. This story is not only of Owen and John Brown, but of pre-Civil War America itself. The relationship between the two are they both combine together to make the story interesting. The novel is told from the point of view of the son of a father whose action and personality control both the son and the family. It is also told from the point of view of a position where the plans of that war and that conflict take place. I think historical fiction adds to our understanding of history and of the present. It adds up to our understanding of history because many writes combine history and fiction together to either represent or make the novel interesting in a better way. History also adds to our understanding of the present. It adds up to the present because history repeats itself. This novel provided the readers with historical information also kept the reader interested with the fiction. Overall I believe that historical fiction is a great way to help the readers to understand the view of the novel or situation.
In the novel Cloudsplitter, Russell Banks shows a mixture between fiction and historical information. The combination of fiction and historical fact in Cloudsplitter is what distinguishes this book from a regular historical novel. The fiction in Cloudsplitter adds interesting details that draw the reader into the book. With the help of fiction, Cloudsplitter becomes appealing to readers that are not interested in history. The historical facts in this book provide the reader with additional knowledge that helps him/her understand the reading.
I believe that “historical fiction” can help you understand history, but it can also mislead you into believing some things that are not historically true. This all depends on how you interpret what you read. For example, if you already know the difference between what is fact and what is fiction than you wont be misled. However, if you don’t know the difference you may be tricked into believing what is not true.
The genre historical fiction gives us the point of view of the author about the historical subject. In Cloudsplitter, Russell Banks attempts to show Owen Brown’s perspective of his father, John Brown. Although there is not much information on Owen Brown, Russell Banks is able to create an extensive story about the two. This may give a false interpretation of the relationship between Owen Brown and his father. Cloudsplitter should be used for entertainment purposes and not as a historical account of events because of the fictional nature of the book.
Historical fiction can add to our understanding of the present because it shows how history has changed and how it may repeat itself. Although the fiction may be misleading, it shows how our views have changed over time about a particular issue. For example, Russell Banks presents his views, based on little historical background, of how Owen Brown felt about his dad. In the future, this book will show how our views of Owen and John Brown have changed or stayed the same over time.
In the book Cloudsplitter, I really appreciated the viewpoint presented by the author, because, no one that wasn’t there can truly grasp what the actual reality of the situation was. The fact that the author can put such an interesting perspective on a history that is not well known makes the book compelling. This book was about the life of Owen Brown, the son of John Brown, famous abolitionist, and passionate martyr of the rights for slaves. However, Owen Brown was punished for his father’s passion and deeds. The author wove his opinions into the complex quilt that is the history that this book portrays. My favorite part was in the beginning, when it describes the death of Owen Brown’s mother, because it puts an interesting, and likely spin on fact. It goes deeply into how this event affected his entire life. The fictional aspect of this book actually improves our understanding of the past, rather than if the book were just bare facts. I really pitied Owen, because just based on his genealogy, people judged him for something he had no part of. Even though this cannot be taken as an accurate historical narrative, the bias of this book does not in fact bother me. On the contrary, I really appreciate it. I think that it makes the book much more relatable, and easier to connect to, than if the book was more like a historical biography. Although readers will never know the true feelings of Owen Brown, this book provides a good and connectable insight.
The book Cloudsplitter, by Russell Banks, is a novel about Owen Brown, the last surviving son of John Brown, the famous political terrorist. It is written as a letter from Owen Brown, now old and haunted. Throughout the story, he as well as all the characters change physically and mentally, being dragged along by their father, all in some level, just shadows of him. When Owen is young, his family is plagued by many deaths, and he is troubled by loving, fearing, and sympathizing with his father at the same time. As he grows up, Owen starts out reluctant to help his father, but is kept at his side by his strong connections to his father, which is ironically like slavery itself. As he grows, he turns into a man, and becomes a soldier and a killer, and then to the troubled old man who narrates it.
Though the book is well researched, it is a work of fiction, which allowed Banks much more creative control. With this control, he delves much deeper into the psyche of the characters. He portrays John Brown’s descent into madness, though it could also be clarity of his thoughts, where he realized what he was meant to do. The events written about deeply affected Owen Brown, and though the events are factual, they bring up emotions in him that cause him to spend much time talking about events more important to him than to history. Also, details given by him can’t be seen as totally reliable, because he was old and muddled, and some of the events were probably changed or blocked in his mind, just due to their troubling nature. Overall, it was a well written book, which helped me to understand the story of John Brown, as well as the fight against slavery and life in the 1800s as a whole.
In Russell Bank's (Cloudsplitter) the story is portrayed as if it is an autobiography by Owen Brown. Although it is perceived as fact, it is a fictional novel based on historical fact. This novel starts with the back story of the life of Owen Brown and the events leading up to Harper's Ferry. In the book, the narrator Owen Brown, explains his life and how it relates to that night at Harper's Ferry.
The genre of this novel is historical fiction. Many would argue that historical fiction novels, such as this one, distort the truth in a way that is entertaining. But by adding certain spins to what actually happened you start to think about how the world would be now if a certain event had not occurred. I think historical fiction is more powerful than just the facts about the event because it allows you to analyze the story on many different levels and gets you to think more. With historical fiction you can better learn from history get an understanding of how the a single action can affect the world around you. In a historical fiction novel you not only get to see different sides of the story, but you get a glimpse into what is perceived the people were thinking while they were at this event. Not only that but historical fiction is less bland than straight up non-fiction novels, and will attract a wider audience which will help more people understand the importance of a very interesting event in history.
Russell Banks’ novel Cloudsplitter tells the life of the legendary John Brown and his family in the eighteenth century told through one of his sons, Owen Brown’s, point of view. Although this piece is clearly fiction it also contained many historical facts. Banks’ captured the life journey of a white American abolitionist family just prior to the civil war with sectionalism. The nation was not quite undoubtedly divided between the north and the south; however it was known that several people in the north were taking part in freeing slaves and were against slavery. Owen Brown, trying to discover his beliefs and faiths was also trying to figure out where he stands. Based on that, we can conclude that Brown could have created and exaggerated many of the Brown’s experiences such as the encounter with the prostitute and the accidental shooting of Lyman Epps, to interest the audience because Russell Brown had no personal knowledge of these events. Examples of John Brown’s sanity, shows that Russell Banks embellished history by creating this character, John Brown, in which all his actions were directed by God. Immediate family and friends would be aware of Brown’s beliefs, however because John Brown lived over around one hundred and fifty years ago, and did not have a personal relationship with Banks. Therefore Russell Banks fabricated John Browns character and events.
Historical fiction can be both deceptive distortion in history as well as adding to our understanding of history. Russell Banks used realistic elements in his writing which was used for understanding history. He picked a specific time period, the eighteen hundreds, and used the Browns, to represent an average family of the time. He created many anecdotes of Owen Brown that were realistic stories during that period. Russell Banks novel, Cloudsplitter was used to help understand history because of those elements. However historical fiction can be interpreted as deceptive distortion in history if the author exaggerates and attempts to rewrite history. If in Russell Banks rendition of the time he fundamentally changed aspects of history we know to be true, this would harm our understandings in of history.
In the Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks, as Julian said, both historical facts and personal opinions and experiences are mixed together creating a very biased and twisted account. Historical fiction is when the storyline, or plot, is fictitious, but the historical aspects of the story are wholly true. Once again, as Julian greatly stated, we can’t use Cloudsplitter as a reference for historical events because, Owen Brown is biased. For example, a KKK and African-American group encounter will be described differently on both sides no matter what. So for Owen Brown, being the son of one of the most revered abolitionists, historical facts are going to be spun with more racial sensitivity. Owen Brown is a very old man. My grandfathers love to tell “tall tales” about “back in the old days.” Being older, they forget facts and begin to embellish. This occurrence is true when reading Cloudsplitter.
The genre historical fiction adds to our understanding of history by providing a sort of personal crafting of the story. However, this is not always the most accurate way. For example, in World War II, the Nazis were killing out the Jewish people. A Nazi survivor might recall the events as “doing the world a great favor”, whereas; a Holocaust survivor might recall the event as “the world’s greatest atrocity.” You see, neutrality is key in history. However, historical fiction is not limited. Historical fictions can help readers understand the present by being provided with a perspective on the situation. This is why historical fictions are good and how they are present in Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks.
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