Robert E. Lee – from "Letter to his Family"

This is a letter that Robert E. Lee wrote to his wife, following the battle of Gettysburg. It contains many examples of realism, but where it really falls is naturalism. He makes mention of God many times throughout his writing. Although this is not a real characteristic of realism, the way he writes makes it a naturalist writing. He writes about how God rules our lives, and how we can really do nothing to go against what He wants. If God had wanted them to escape, they would have been able to retreat. If not, they would have been destroyed by the Union Army. Realism was a large part of the letter to Lee's family as well because he talks about his "native state" and how he will return to it no matter what. This depiction of an area gives further connection the genre and shows his dedication to the Confederacy, and there is also common speech in this because Lee is simply writing a letter to his family and is not very concerned with things like having common speech or not. A large amount of Realism is also evident in the letter from Lee to his family. Since this a letter written by Robert E. Lee himself, it is obviously pretty realistic and accurate because he was a very prominent political figure with the possibility of a bright future ahead of him. This means that the things he talked about in his letter were real issues that were of interest to him, making it extremely relevant to Realism. Although he would be a leader of the Confederate Army and would be a hero for awhile, Lee was also a very real person who cared about his family, their safety, and what happened in the world. Government is really only mentioned, too, because Lee talks about how if a war were to erupt, the government would fail to prove a useless and laughable force. The American Dream, however, did only appear in the form of an uncatchable dream. Lee has seen an America of peace and hopeful prosperity, and his Dream is for that beautiful America to show itself to the world. The word choice he uses, however, has little effect on the overall message or meaning of the work because he is not trying to make a point or win over its reader. So, Lee was quite free to speak how he wished to speak, which happened to be in the common vernacular of the time. Besides describing the government and historical content of Lee's time, he also explores the human nature by giving the reader some idea of what typical Middle-Class citizens must be feeling at this time of turmoil. "As an American citizen, I take great pride in my country... but I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than a dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything...". These words sum up the patriotism, fear, and passion that lie within Americans at this time, and successfully convey the overall feeling and human nature of this time period to the reader.

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