<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" 
    xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
    xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
    xmlns:admin="http://webns.net/mvcb/"
    xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
    xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd">
	<channel>
<title>Beka&#x27;s RSS Feed</title><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/index.html</link><description>Hot News&#x21;</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>rebekah.russell@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2007</dc:rights><dc:date>2007-05-27T16:04:33-05:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
<admin:errorReportsTo rdf:resource="mailto:rebekah.russell@wku.edu" /><sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
<sy:updateBase>2000-01-01T12:00+00:00</sy:updateBase>
<lastBuildDate>Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:22:56 -0600</lastBuildDate><item><title>Fond Memories</title><dc:creator>rebekah.russell@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-27T16:04:33-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/2ce6f76aba3def13c3b9563ae9f85d4d-17.php#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/2ce6f76aba3def13c3b9563ae9f85d4d-17.php#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We&rsquo;ve been home for a few days now; the laundry is almost done, my fridge is restocked, and I&rsquo;ve gotten used to sleeping in the same bed again.    Now the question is this: what did traversing all over New England do for me the last couple of weeks?


...I have seen some of the most beautiful countryside, been in one of the busiest cities in America and walked where our Founding Fathers did, and I&rsquo;ve touched the very pages some of America&rsquo;s finest writers have, but where does that leave me now?


The easiest answer is to just say that I&rsquo;m more enlightened regarding early American literature, that I identify more with writers of that period, and that I&rsquo;ve found a much better appreciation for those early works.    But, even though it&rsquo;s the easiest answer, I feel as if I need to dig more deeply.    This trip, above all else, has shown me that some of the greatest treasures for a student of literature aren&rsquo;t necessarily located in London or anywhere else in Europe; they are here in our backyard. ...  I don&rsquo;t need a passport to reconnect with my studies on a physical level, and that, above anything else, is something that I will walk away from this trip with that I will never lose.  
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Twain&#x2019;s Steamboat Hideaway</title><dc:creator>rebekah.russell@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-24T19:58:17-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/69522872b2284988c42788b112eabdee-14.php#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/69522872b2284988c42788b112eabdee-14.php#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As I stepped into foyer of Twain&rsquo;s steamboat house in Hartford, Connecticut, I was blown away.    The stenciling on the walls, the dark wood work, and the dark paint quickly reinforced the idea that Twain truly desired to be surrounded by the finest things available.    Several beautiful chandeliers, solid wood furniture, and even running hot water set Twain&rsquo;s house among the most innovative and fancy of his time.     Yet, at the same time, you can still see Twain&rsquo;s younger side throughout the house.    His upstairs writing place, or his billiards room, reminded me of a room in which he could relax and enjoy the company of his peers.  

...From his works, we can easily see that Twain has a serious side concerned with achieving greatness in his life, and at the same time, he wants to revel in the fantastic and picaresque qualities of life.    One thing is for sure, when he designed his home, Twain called on both Huck and Tom for decorating advice! 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Power of the Environment</title><dc:creator>rebekah.russell@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-23T16:04:11-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/28b06cfbf767c9be650c8637221e8cd1-16.php#unique-entry-id-16</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/28b06cfbf767c9be650c8637221e8cd1-16.php#unique-entry-id-16</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[From the upstairs window at Arrowhead, the home of Herman Melville, you can still make out the mountaintops that inspired the great American author of Moby-Dick fame.    The view is quite different now, for there are many more trees in the field adjacent to the mountains, obscuring visitors&rsquo; views.


Yet, if you imagine the environment as it was for Melville, you can make out the head and tail of the great whale that inspired Melville to write his American epic.  ...  Greylock, it was covered in bright white snow, forming a giant white whale.    This is the ultimate display of just how much, we as writers, are influenced by the things around us.    So, if you have writer&rsquo;s block, look out the window!    You never really know what may inspire you out there.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Priceless Adventures at Harvard</title><dc:creator>rebekah.russell@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-22T18:34:51-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/4683a81294cce77af0271da63e0b6c22-13.php#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/4683a81294cce77af0271da63e0b6c22-13.php#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Whenever I read an old novel, it&rsquo;s always a challenge to make a connection with the author. ...  Today, though, I was able to reach out and touch the greatness of some prominent American authors.


...The original hutch where her manuscripts were found is also in the room; how much more personal can you get? 


We weaved through endless passageways and doorways to a small conference room upon leaving Emily&rsquo;s room.  ...  There was the original manuscript of Hawthorne&rsquo;s The House of the Seven Gables; one of Thoreau&rsquo;s many journals was also on the table.  

...As I turned the pages filled with handwriting hundreds of years old, I could not help but finally feel connected to these great writers.    Even though these manuscripts could not come home with me, I was bringing home something just as precious when I left the Houghton.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>History on Every Corner</title><dc:creator>rebekah.russell@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-21T20:48:18-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/899311884b9cf8f04f25bfac6ea7e6ba-12.php#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/899311884b9cf8f04f25bfac6ea7e6ba-12.php#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today I followed Sarah Adams, a lovely woman dressed in 1700s era clothing around downtown Boston.    No, I wasn&rsquo;t dreaming: it was the Freedom Trail tour!    Boston truly is one of the richest historical cities in America.    As we meandered through the bustling streets we traveled to the cemetery where Sam Adams himself is buried, to the North Church where great, independent thinkers met to discuss hot political issues, and even to the site of the Boston Massacre.    After we brushed up on our history through impromptu quizzes for Blow-Pops, it became even clearer to me that the American Revolution really did start here in this great city.    Even though the &ldquo;shot heard &lsquo;round the world&rdquo; came from North Bridge in Concord, Bostonians fanned the great fire and they&rsquo;re sure proud of it.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Save the Whales&#x21;</title><dc:creator>rebekah.russell@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-20T20:26:24-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/eaa7a94f24f9ad387c170a7710e80e81-11.php#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/eaa7a94f24f9ad387c170a7710e80e81-11.php#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;m all for saving the whales, and today at the Nantucket Whaling Museum, I certainly learned why.    The whale hunting process is gory, bloody, and terribly dangerous for everyone involved (especially the whales!).    However, as I sat in a wonderful presentation on the whaling history of Nantucket, it was hard not to sympathize with the islanders.    They originally came to the island to raise sheep.  ...  No wonder they had to turn to the ocean for their livelihood.)    Without whales, though, would Nantucket even be the same island it is today?    Even though the practice of hunting whales is so horrible and ended up placing whales on the endangered species list, the very essence of Nantucket would not be the same without that part of its history.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>An Island Adventure</title><dc:creator>rebekah.russell@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-19T07:56:53-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/1aca0e35c27f28b5dac7503d439c8ae7-10.php#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/1aca0e35c27f28b5dac7503d439c8ae7-10.php#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Nantucket Island is roughly 15 miles long and three miles wide.  ...  A small group of us (five to be exact) biked 10 miles out and eight miles back into the center of the island today.   It was cold, misty, and definitely a challenge but it was beyond amazing.    The landscape here is wonderfully picturesque;  we passes two inland ponds (well, maybe we should call them lakes) and the signature lighthouse that signaled us on to the beach.    As we rode up and down the hills and I came face to face with natural beauty, I couldn't help but think of Melville's writings: the gentle hills appear as rolling waves as you travel.    If you stay in Nantucket Center and never venture out to the shore, you could never really get a sense of how much like the sea the island truly is.    Even though 18 miles nearly killed me, it was well worth it.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hard Rain and Fast Thoughts</title><dc:creator>rebekah.russell@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-18T19:36:38-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/0b9aea1f297f70509d959608ad7fb651-9.php#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/0b9aea1f297f70509d959608ad7fb651-9.php#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Despite traveling through Plymouth Plantation and the Mayflower II, all I could think about on the travel over here had nothing to do with literature sadly.  ...  He quietly followed us down the street even though we played the slow-walking, picture-taking, completely out-of-place roles of tourists.  

...As we stepped off the ferry and set foot on a not-so-dry island, we desperately looked for a cab.    We enjoyed no success for five or so minutes, but suddenly a van pulled to the curb and motioned for us to pile in; she was going our way.    As we got settled, the driver stayed outside in the dreary, cold, harsh wind and rain to call the remaining group another cab.  


...As readers, we are trained to look to our books for examples of how we can make situations and lives around us better.    Today, for the first time in a long time, it feels as if life itself is finally emulating my literature.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Obvious Questions at the Concord Museum </title><dc:creator>rebekah.russell@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-15T20:49:23-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/c67623323fe3149ce7fa3a04824ff1a5-8.php#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/c67623323fe3149ce7fa3a04824ff1a5-8.php#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Concord is a fairly liberal town but the real issues that get the town moving aren't necessarily political anymore, our excellent tour guide told us.    The issues effecting the town are questions of preservation and history.    The local high school wants to take eight acres of Walden Pond and build soccer fields.  

...My mouth sort of hung open in disbelief after he told us this.  ...  The pond not only represents one of the most famous literary settings, but it represents one of the last natural hold outs in our world.  ...  People can actually swim in it, and the water is so clear you can see to the bottom.  ...  Obviously the answer is no, but the town folk around here are screaming, cursing, and debating each other over it until they're worn out.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Quick&#x21; Man your keyboards&#x21;</title><dc:creator>rebekah.russell@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-14T16:03:36-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/8cc1629f0cbed9f747b538c7c224a58f-15.php#unique-entry-id-15</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/beka_files/8cc1629f0cbed9f747b538c7c224a58f-15.php#unique-entry-id-15</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This afternoon we visited Wayside, a one-time home for the Alcott family, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Margaret Sydney.    We were given a private tour; the house is not open for the season yet.  


The most striking thing about this house is the state of disrepair that it is in.    Even though it was home to widely famous authors, the house itself is not receiving the funding it rightly deserves.    The house is under the National Park Service&rsquo;s wing; however, the house welcomes fewer guests in comparison to other Park sites, so it receives less funding.


...Everybody man the keyboards (or pen and paper) and send a local Congressman a letter to let him or her know some of America&rsquo;s greatest treasures are in danger.    Surely our government representatives would agree that such important historical sites need our help?]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
</rss>