Abraham Lincoln and Calamity Jane :: essays research papers

In The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln by Helen Nicolay and Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane, By Herself, tone is employed to more effectively display the purpose of the essays. In The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln, Nicolay uses a tone that demonstrates triumph through tragedy, weaving specifics about Lincoln’s ancestors with the trials he faced. In Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane, By Herself, Mrs. Burk (Calamity Jane) uses a tone that is familiar to the world of documentaries, starting her story at her birth and ending with where she was when she wrote the autobiography. One must remember that The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln is a biography, and Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane, By Herself is an autobiography. The contrasting of these two fine pieces of literature makes some specifics about tone and purpose stick out in one’s mind. The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln uses a tone that is personal and endearing in order to inspire the reader to face circumstances in their life with the notion that a sunnier day will come only if they try their hardest to make the best of their current situation. Tone is also used to display Abraham Lincoln as a man who did just that to become â€Å"the greatest man of his time†. The biography begins nearly 175 years before Abraham Lincoln was born. It traces its way through the pioneering of his forefathers into the â€Å"west† by specifically pointing out hardships faced on the unfriendly trail. (They faced solitude, privation, and all the dangers and hardships that beset men who take up their homes where only beasts and wild men have had their homes before.) However, â€Å"they continued to press steadily forward† even though they lost most of what they had when they started their journey. The determined family continues on through the death of Abraham ’s grandfather, till Abraham is born â€Å"in deep poverty†. Throughout this initial background, it is hinted that Abraham will be â€Å"a wonderful man†, and it is noted how ironic it is that such a great man is to be born and raised in such a humble place. It is stated that of his early childhood â€Å"almost nothing is known†. The author still manages, however, to dig up an anecdote which portrays Abraham as a â€Å"generous child†. He was â€Å"large and strong for his age†, and when a â€Å"severe mysterious sickness† breaks out, Abraham pulls through, though many die around him.