by HE10Realism
Last updated 10 years ago

Some believe that Poker Flat was a small settlement, which is now encompassed by the town of Copperopolis, in California. There are still building remnants dating to Bret Harte's time, that can be. The Outcasts of Poker Flat: 'The Outcasts of Poker Flat' is a short story by Bret Harte about a group of people run out of town for various crimes against the community.

Discipline:
Social Studies Subject:
History

Realsim in 'The Outcasts of Poker Flat'

Ashley Huckstep

•Regionalism is a story that focuses on specific features like characters, dialects, customs, and history of a particular region. 'The Outcasts of Poker Flat' is set during the time of the gold rush in California. You can tell the region the story takes place by the harsh wheather and the mention of the mountians. You also get a feel for how the people speak, and what type of people live in the region.

•Realism in literature is a story that shows the subjects as they appear in everyday life, without adding to it.

Naturalism is the aspect of realism that suggests nature has some control over humans. This is shown in “The Outcasts of Poker Flats” when after they stop for Mother Shipton, a storm comes in. The outcasts try to wait out the snow storm, but it continues. Mother Shipton, the Duchess, and John Oakhurst realize that while their supplies dwindle, they are at the mercy of mother nature, and unless the storm stops and they have a way to travel, they are stuck and may die.

Text to Text: This story reminds me of the story we read 'To Build a Fire.' In 'To Build a Fire,' the man tries to bulid a fire, but the snow from the tree destorys it, just like the Outcasts try to wait out the storm, but it continues. In both stories the main character dies becasue of nature's cruetly. This shows the natralist aspect of realism. Instead of natature helping the character like it may in Romaticsim, it watches the people in the story indifferently like it would in real life. The cold and lack of supplies kills the outcasts, and the man's inabllity to make a fire becasue the snow fell on the fire he had made with all of his matches kills him. The universe takes no notice of the people that live within it.

Text to World:I think that what the 'Council' of Poker Flats did, and the issue in the story of weather or not they had the right to bann people from the town or not still rings true today. We have the same problems in our justice system. How far can we go? If a man kills some can the goverment kill him? Or does that mean that they have stooped to the level of the cirminal? In 'The Outcasts of Poker Flat,' the outacsts are banished and end up dieing becasue of it, so the question is, who is worse the ones who committed the crimes or the ones who indircetly killed the crimials for their crimes? Both in the real world and in the story, you have too look at how much power should everyone have over eather other.

Psychology is another aspcet of Realism. In 'The Outcasts of Poker Flat,' it delves into Mr. Oakhurst mind as well as some of the other characters. One example of this is when they are discussing that Mr. Oakhurst doesn't drink, he thinks to himself, becasue it is a habit that doesn't go well with gambeling. When they talk about how Mr. Oakhurst takes a longer watch shift becasue he is used to not sleeping, he again mentions the fact he has this skill becasue of his gambleing. Thoughout the story he is defined as the gambler though his own mind and it shows the reader how he thinks. Even at the end when he kills himself he talks of his luck that had finnally run out before he shot himself. This displays Realsim, because Realist authors were interested in why people are the way that they are.

Outcasts Of Poker Flat Author

Recources:http://www.theoutdoorforum.com/NewHampshire/images/Old-Man-in-Snow-Storm.gif http://www.californiapictures.com/images/wteone.jpg http://universalnewsletter.net/sitebuilder/images/globe_and_rings_transparent-615x528.jpg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcwXVsRjhqU&feature=fvwhttp://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/upload/yuiupload/587498581.jpg http://www.huntfor.com/absoluteig/samples/1.jpg

Text To Self:In the sitituation that the outcasts are in, the older outcasts, Mr. Oakhurst, Mother Shipton, and the Duchess, remind me of myself. I can imangine that they must have felt pretty helpless when they realized that they were trapped in the cabin and would probably all die there. They must have felt guilty and responsible for Piney and Tom. One time when I got home from school, I discovered that my brother and three sisters and I were locked out. That day had been the one day this year that had an advisory warning for wind speed, and had been the coldset day of the year so far. When they had tried to use the key to unlock the door they discovered that the screen door was locked and doesn't have a keyhole, sotthey were locked out. I got home fifteen minutes after them, and after figuring out we couldn't get in, I tried to call for help, but could only reach my grandma, who was fourty minutes away. Becasue it was the coldest day of the year so far, only my brother was wearing a jacket, the rest of us hadn't thought to put one on. My littlest sister, Abby, only had a longsleve shirt on, so I took off my sweatshirt and gave it to her. This is kind of like when Mother Shipton saves her food for Piney and Tom. There was literally nothing I could do about the cold, execpt for wait with them, knowing we were all shivering, just like Mr. Oakhurst, the Duchess, and Mother Shipton could only wait with Tom and Piney, knowing that they were all most likey going to die.

Artists during this time painted normal things you would see everyday instead of people in a pose. It is very candid subject.

This video shows mother nature's indifference to the man's troubles.

ENGL 202 Test 2

ENGL 202 Test 2 Liberty University

Set 1

1. Which of the following is not an accurate description of naturalistic literary writing?
2. In “Chickamauga,” why does the boy climb onto the back of one of the men in the woods?
3. “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” is exemplary of local color or regionalism writing because
4. According to Crane’s “Do not weep,” for what purpose were these soldiers born?
5. According to Frank Norris, “Terrible things must happen to the characters” of what kind of literature?
6. According to naturalistic writers, human beings are shaped by _____________________.
7. According to the speaker of “We Wear the Mask,” what does the mask do?
8. In “The Revolt of ‘Mother,'” what does the mother do to the new barn?
9. In “The Story of an Hour,” Mr. Mallard
10. In “To Build a Fire,” what caused the fire to go out?
11. In “To Build a Fire,” what prevented the man from reigniting the fire?
12. In “Chickamauga,” the boy discovers that the source of the fire is
13. In “The Revolt of ‘Mother,’” why is mother so upset that her husband is building a new barn?
14. Many of the local color writers were
15. The major difference between realistic writing and naturalistic writing comes from their differing ___________________.
16. The men in “The Open Boat” are headed toward what point on the shore?
17. The writings of both of these authors depict the struggles of those at the fringes of society, those minority groups–of which they were a part–who had heretofore been unrepresented.
18. This literature emphasizes the environment over the people, the habits and customs of the group that inhabits a place.
19. Though sometimes labeled a realist, Ambrose Bierce may be classified as a naturalist because
20. What best describes the father’s replies to the mother in “The Revolt of ‘Mother’”?
21. What does the mask of “We Wear the Mask” hide?
22. What is the first plan the four men of “The Open Boat” devise toward being rescued?
23. Which of the characters in “The Open Boat” dies?
24. Which of the following best describes the difference between realism and naturalism?
25. Which of the following does NOT describe the human condition according to naturalism?
26. Which of the following is not one of the thinkers who influenced the rise of naturalistic literary writings?
27. Which of the following statements are true about local color writers?
28. Which of these pairs of authors wrote stories that both open by describing a hostile natural environment, bringing in complication from the outset of the stories’ exposition?
29. Which of these poems best illustrates the naturalistic view of man’s relationship to an indifferent cosmos?
30. With which of the following would Mrs. Mallard most likely agree?

Outcast Of Poker Flat Character Chart

Set 2

The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Selection Test Answers Key

1. Which of the following statements best explains how this passage contributes to the overall theme of the story in which it is found: “She didn’t know I was in the room, and when I asked her in a quiet, a very quiet voice, with the most restrained manner possible, what she was doing with the paper–she turned around as if she had been caught stealing, and looked quite angry– asked me why I should frighten her so!”
2. What is the name of the housekeeper (the narrator’s sister-in-law) in “The Yellow Wallpaper”?
3. James compares the art of the novelist with the art of this figure.
4. What was significant about Louisa’s (“A New England Nun”) afternoon tea ritual?
5. What is the name of the boat that sinks in “The Open Boat”?
6. Which of the four men in “The Open Boat” does not survive the swim to shore?
7. In “The Goophered Grapevine,” how does Dugal take advantage of Henry’s condition?
8. In “To Build a Fire,” what happened to cause the man distress–to require that he build a fire?
9. In setting up his definition of romanticism, Norris appeals to the definition and examples of which French author?
10. The man in “To Build a Fire” was traveling over a layer of how much ice covered by a layer of the same amount of snow.
11. Match the passage to the character who says it.
12. What type of realistic literature represents the dialects, customs, sights, and sounds of regional America?
13. According to Crane’s “Do not weep,” for what purpose were these soldiers born?
14. What activity is the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” forbidden to engage in?
15. Who is the man’s traveling companion in “To Build a Fire”?
16. What warning did the old timer give the man in “To Build a Fire”?
17. Which object has the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” managed to smuggle into her room by the last page of the story?
18. For what purpose has the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” along with her husband rented the colonial mansion for the summer?
19. According to the speaker of “An Ante-Bellum Sermon,” how will slaves gain their freedom?
20. Which of these pairs of poems both express the struggles of identity, living within a system that oppresses one’s hopes and dreams, requires a false face being presented to the world in order to survive, and–as a consequence–debilitates the possibility of finding wholeness?
21. Norris argues that romance is found in this place as equally as it can be found in castles and dungeons.
22. What does the man in “To Build a Fire” do to occupy himself while traveling?
23. When the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” and John arrived, there was only one piece of furniture in the room, nailed to the floor. What was it?
24. After prolonged investigation, the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” decides that by daylight, the wall-paper resembles “an interminable string of toadstools” (815 [full ed.] 1691 [shorter ed.]). But by moonlight, the wall-paper has two patterns, one in front and a second one underneath the first. What are they?
25. Which of these pairs of authors wrote stories that both open by describing a hostile natural environment, bringing in complication from the outset of the stories’ exposition?
26. What type of garment does Louisa (“A New England Nun”) wear in multiple layers?
27. Match the author to his or her character.
28. Why does the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” feel she has to hide what she is writing from John and his sister?
29. Which of the following is not one of the thinkers who influenced the rise of naturalistic literary writings?
30. According to naturalistic writers, human beings are shaped by
31. The man in “To Build a Fire” takes note of the lack of what (in the environment)? He calls attention to this lack several times.
32. In “To Build a Fire,” what was the man’s plan in using the dog to fix his situation?
33. Norris disparages what he calls the ____________________ business, something with which he claims many have confused romanticism.
34. Where had Louisa’s fiance gone to make his fortune? (“A New England Nun”)
35. Who is the key French naturalistic writer that American naturalistic writers looked to for their inspiration?
36. In “The Goophered Grapevine,” what effect does the cure that Aunt Peggy gives the slave have on him?
37. The speaker of “An Ante-Bellum Sermon” tells his congregation not to tell their masters what?
38. In “The Goophered Grapevine,” primarily what types of grapes does the narrator’s vineyard grow?
39. What does the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” believe she sees in the wallpaper?
40. What is the name of the husband of the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper”?