The Civil War raged in the country from This changed the landscape of literature in the United States from an idealistic, romantic tone to more realistic characters and plots The Setting

1.Reality is examined in close detail. 2.Character is more important than action and plot. 3.Complex ethical choices are often the subject 4.Characters are real and complex 5.Class status is important 6.Events will be believable 7.Diction is true to the land in which the story takes place 8.Humans control their own destiny 9.Characters act on their environments, not just react to it Characteristics of Realism

1.The Civil War 2.Migration to the cities, leaving the farms behind 3.More and more immigrants are moving to the U.S. 4.Sweeping economic and social reforms took place 5.Americans wanted realistic stories that dealt with the complexities of human life and American life 6.Did not want slow paced stories or stories with a lot of symbolism and allegory Influences on American Realism

“Man is the measure of all things. {people decide what is true for themselves and act accordingly.}” Protagoras Unit Quote

Ambiguity an obscure or double meaning Moral Concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character Moral Relativism Moral judgments are true or false only relative to some particular standpoint (i.e. a culture or a particular time period) and that no standpoint is uniquely privileged over others. Moral Compass A natural feeling that makes people know what is right and wrong and how they should behave Unit Theme: Ambiguity

Millgram Experiment An experiment focusing on the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience. Asks the question: how far will someone compromise their moral compass at the direction of an authority figure? Stanford Prison Experiment A group of college students acted as “prisoners” and “guards” for six days. Asks the question: how much influence does the environment have on one’s moral compass? The Experiments