Letter to His Son

A man by the name of Robert E. Lee wrote a story/speech called "Letter to His Son". The letter displays his evident opinion on the newly dividing of our country between northern and southern. It is quite obvious that is not for the idea of splitting our country in half. He says, "I must try and be patient and await the end, for I can do nothing to hasten or retard it." (Lee) This shows that although he does not like what is going on he can do nothing about it really for he is just one man. This make him seem to be kind of a talker and not so much a walked, or in other words likes to blow hot air but doesn't seem to want to do anything about it. This to me separates him from Thoreau because Thoreau was more of a talked and an actor, while Lee on the other hand falls short when it comes to acting on what he is saying. Lee and Thoreau yet are still very similar because they do both hit the very political topics of the time. Emerson is also very similar because Emerson likes to use a lot of specific examples and ideas. Such as when he says, "I see that four states have declared themselves out of the Union; four more will apparently follow their example" (Lee) This is an example of how he specifically shows exactly what was going on during the time, right at the beginning of the civil war. Lee had a very opinionated outlook on what was going on. His words may have even come out a bit biased at times though making the story slighted a bit, but generally the facts are the facts and there is very little altering in that sense. Robert E. Lee was actually a general for the Confederates army which could very easily explain is evident biased attitude. (Long. Although it was biased the writing itself is a historical classic no matter what.

Long, See A. L. "Robert E. Lee Biography." The Civil War. Son Of The South, 2003-2008. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. .

Lee, Robert E. "Letter to His Son." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 385. Print.