Cover Sheet: The Real Meaning of the Frontier Myth

Alex Mullican
12-10-10
Dr. Reed

 

Cover Sheet: The Real Meaning of The Frontier Myth

                The Real Meaning of The Frontier Myth, is the revised version of Essay II.  It informs the reader of the real meaning and definition of the Frontier Myth and shows different examples of what it is.  I included the reading, The Short Life of Francis Macomber , because I thought it was appropriate for relating it to the Frontier Myth.  I started off this writing process by reading the story, and jotting down notes.  I procrastinated a couple of days after I read and jotted notes, so it would sink in and so I would not get frustrated.  After I procrastinated for a while, I got back to work on outlining the paper and putting it in a draft format.  I turned on the country music and wrote the first draft.   I re-read over it to make sure there were no grammar errors.  Once I was confident my first draft was written well, I started adding notes and comments to the first draft.  I re-read it and proceeded to write my second draft.  After I wrote my second draft I once again, procrastinated.  I reviewed and made all the changes I could to make the final draft perfect.  Once I got the result and comments back from the teacher, I revised it to this finished product.

IRE Introduction Reflective Journal

Alex Mullican
12-10-10
Dr. Reed

 

IRE: Introduction Reflective Essay

                I have a very unique, but smart writing style.  I have many things I do while prepping for a writing assignment such as an essay.  I first read over the prompt to get an idea of what the essay will be about.  I brainstorm and write down what I know and have learned about the specific topic.  If I do not have a lot of information on the specific topic I re-read the reading and write down any notes that I think will help me during the writing process.  These notes I write down include things that I come across that I remember as I am re-reading over the draft.  I also come across different points I feel necessary to cover while reading the specific piece, so I add them to the draft I am revising.  My writing process is much like a baseball game.   A baseball game is very interesting, but a long process.  A baseball game has rules and guidelines the players have to abide by while playing the game.  A game, like any other sport, has an umpire to enforce the rules and make sure everyone is playing by the right rules and does everything the right way.  My writing process is very interesting in the finished product, but takes a long time to finish.  After all this work is done, I read over the information I have written down and think about what and how I can put this into an essay.  I give it a couple of days to sink in and re-think any ways to improve the order I am putting the information in the essay.  I do not want to do all, or too much work at once so I will not get overwhelmed or frustrated.  I then procrastinate for a while because the first part of the writing process was a bit tiring and long in some instances.  Once I think I have master the art of procrastinating, I get back to work.  I start outlining the first draft and see how it will be laid out and what information I will include in the work, adding any other notes and comments in the margins to help me.  Once I have gotten this far, I simply take into consideration the added comments and begin my first draft.  This is the part where I turn on my music.  The music I listen to while writing my essays is usually country music.  It calms me down, but helps me to think of different ways to say and put things into words.  After I have finished my first draft I re-read it to make sure I have no grammar errors and make sure everything makes sense.  For my second and third drafts I re-read the previous draft and think of more professional, yet interesting points I can add to the draft.  My writing process has rules and guidelines I have to keep in mind while writing my paper, such as: the use of commas, the structure of sentences, or how to use different tenses of different words.  When the final product is finished, I have a teacher to see if I have done everything right and to enforce my writing techniques, much like an umpire in baseball.   For my final draft, I put the country music in full-gear and really think about what I am writing and if what I am writing even makes sense.  I re-read the essay prompt and make sure everything I have written includes the information on the prompt, and I am finished.  My writing process can be related to many things metaphorically, not just a baseball game.      

Another thing that I can relate to my writing process is a box of pizza.  A box of pizza takes a long time to eat, but you can put many different things on it and in it to make it better.  Eventually when you are done, it was good pizza but you were full.  My writing process takes a while to complete, but I can put stuff in it to make it better.  Whenever I am done with it, I am very exhausted and do not want to write anymore, much like being full after eating a big box of pizza.

The Real Meaning of The Frontier Myth

Alex Mullican

11-21-10

Dr. Reed

Essay II: Iconography of Frontier Myth

The Frontier Myth is an extensive subject which contains many different iconic figures. These figures symbolize the far-reaching concepts of the Frontier Myth and what it encompasses, but also highlight the commonality of ideas within the myth. Iconography is the term used to describe the identification, description, and interpretation of the content of images. The iconography of the Frontier Myth gives the reader a background and better understanding of its meaning. The Myth of the Frontier deals with savagery, violence, and expansion which is exhibited with Manifest Destiny. This was the concept of expansion into the West and was the dream of most frontier men. A good iconic example of the Frontier Myth is “The Short Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway.

Macomber is a professional hunter. During this short story, Macomber and his wife Margot go on a safari in Africa. They are accompanied by another professional hunter and safari guide named Robert Wilson. Francis is not the “woman’s man”, but Wilson is. Macomber tries to live by the motto: “Survival of the Fittest”, but is not having much luck. He is portrayed in the story as being a slim, fit man, but is a coward. Macomber says some things to his wife which makes him appear cowardly and unattractive. This encourages her to pursue Wilson. While they are in the vehicle traveling along the lands of Africa, Margot kisses Wilson. She later goes into his tent and has sex with him. She is very attracted to him and he becomes her prey, stalking him throughout the story. While Wilson’s prey is water buffalo and lions, Margot’s prey is Wilson. Although Macomber exhibits a part of the Frontier Myth throughout the story for being a professional hunter, he also shows a lot of cowardliness. When they wound the lion, Macomber provides many excuses so that he will not have to approach the lion. He tries to think of another way to kill the lion such as lighting the grass afire. However, Wilson tells Macomber they have to approach the lion and forces him to finish the kill. With these actions, Wilson is showing more iconic ways than Macomber.

During the middle of the story, Macomber shows more cowardliness when he approaches the lion. When they approach the lion, he gets up and Macomber runs away, scared for his life. However, Wilson kills the lion and gets more attention and affection from Margot. Macomber constantly acts like a coward, not just by his actions with the lion, but also by his dogging of the water buffalo. His behavior fortifies Margot’s continuance of infidelity with Wilson. The unfaithfulness and constant ridicule by his own wife makes him realize he is behaving as a coward and needs to stand up for himself. He eventually becomes braver and begins killing his prey as he originally planned. The transition of Macomber’s behavior from cowardice to bravery shows how he is becoming more of the icon that symbolizes the frontier myth The frontier myth provides a sense of ‘regeneration through violence’. Macomber defines this perfectly. At first he was a coward and “bolted” away from the lion, but after he realizes what is happening to is life, he becomes more of a man and “regenerates” himself. He shoots a water buffalo, and then not being a coward, walks up to it making sure it is dead. By Macomber killing the buffalo, he gains more respect from not only the safari guide, but from his wife.

Gaining land and accomplishing their goals is a good definition of what the Frontier Myth is all about. The Frontier Myth mainly deals with civilization and savagery; man and nature. Hemingway does this simply by making Macomber deal with civilization and savagery. He does this by having Macomber deal with his wife’s infidelity and face the realization that to get her back, he must make a change prove to her that he can be a great hunter just like Wilson. Macomber is also dealing with man versus nature in the sense that he is hunting wild game and prey, and trying to live by his motto “survival of the fittest”. The Frontier Myth has many different iconic images and symbols hidden in its meaning. The Short Life of Francis Macomber” has these different iconic images and symbols, and that is why it is a good example of the Frontier Myth.

The Frontier Myth has to do with setting out to hunt, gather, or just simply reach a goal. The Frontier was not an easy place to live or settle. The myth provides a theory that people and obstacles are natural, and get in the way, but overcoming them in the enables the progress of civilization. The story of Francis Macomber relates to the Frontier Myth in many ways. The fact that Macomber is a hunter is the biggest iconic symbol of the whole story. At first, he is a coward and is afraid to approach the lion. His wife knows that he is a coward and taunts him constantly. She makes fun of him and commits infidelity many times with the safari guide, Wilson. Macomber gets tired of his cowardliness and what his wife is doing, and strives for a change to his life. He eventually reaches his “manhood” and approaches the water buffalo that he shoots. This is in contrast to his cowardly action to the wounded lion when he didn’t want to approach him, but preferred to run away. He rediscovers his masculinity and realizes he can live without Margot. Margot realizes he has become a better man and cannot cope with the thought that he might leave her, so she murders him.

The Frontier Myth deals mainly with violence, hunting, and becoming a man. The story of Francis Macomber defines the Frontier Myth perfectly. Although Francis starts off as a coward, he is able to face his fear and accomplish his goals. His success in killing the water buffalo and lion earns him the respect of everyone, making him a prime example of what the frontier myth is all about.

Works Cited:
Hemingway, Ernest. The Short Life of Francis Macomber. New York: Charles Scribner’s Son, 1936