• Sparknotes The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Summary
• Outcast Of Poker Flat Summary
• Bret Harte The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Summary
• Outcasts Of Poker Flat Summary
• The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Summary
• Poker Flat Summary

Human societies all across the world follow a set of beliefs which influence their attitude and thinking. There are certain values which are honored and followed by the members of these human societies. Among these values, the value of virtue and purity is considered to be most important for the welfare of the society. The significance attached to virtuous behavior and purity in human society is depicted in the short story “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” by Bret Harte. The story follows the journey of four outcasts who are exiled from their community named Poker Flat.

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• The Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) is a launch facility and rocket range for sounding rockets in the U.S. State of Alaska. The world's largest land-based rocket range, it is on a 5,132-acre (20.77 km 2) site about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Fairbanks and 1.5 degrees south of the Arctic Circle.

In the short story, 'The Outcasts of Poker Flat,' realism, regionalism, and naturalism are apparent. Poker Flat distinctly demonstrates several scenarios in which naturalism occurs. The townspeople detest the outcasts and wish for them to depart from town.

Although these four outcasts are expelled from their community for failing to follow the values of virtue and purity, they display their virtuous qualities in the course of their journey when they seek to protect a young couple of lovers. Through the element of symbolism, the author brings forth the mistaken notion of virtue held by the people in the community of Poke Flat. Symbolism People regard that virtuous behavior is the most important factor which influences the welfare of a human society.

If the members in a particular society are virtuous, then the peace and harmony in the society is maintained. But if some of the members of the society indulge in immoral behavior, then the peace of the society can be threatened. It is this thinking that induces the people of the town in the story “The Outcasts of Poker Flat”, to banish four individuals, who are thought to be indulging in immoral activities, from Poker Flat. These four individuals are John Oakhurst, The Duchess, Mother Shipton and Uncle Billy.

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John Oakhurst was a gambler whereas Uncle Bill was a drunkard, who was also doubted of being a robber. Mother Shipton owned a brothel while The Duchess worked as a saloon girl. The people of the town desired to deport immoral persons living amongst them hoping that the town will flourish after the departure of such people. “A secret committee had determined to rid the town of all improper persons. ” (Harte 23). These four people were judged by the society as immoral persons so the people of the town ordered them to leave the town.

After being exiled from their town, the four people embark on a journey to reach another camp which was less respectable compared to the Poker Flat. In course of their journey, they decide to halt at a place to take rest, where they are joined by Tom Simson and Piney Woods, young lovers who have eloped from their homes. Owing to a snowstorm and stealing of mules by Uncle Billy, all of them are forced to stay in a cabin discovered by Simson. It is during their stay in the cabin, that the virtuous qualities of the four outcasts are revealed.

Although the outcasts behaved in a manner which was unacceptable to their society, they strove hard to protect the lives of the young lovers. Being at the mercy of nature, the outcasts struggled to keep them alive with the aid of the rations available in the cabin. Mother Shipton sacrifices her life to save Piney by leaving her rations for Piney. “It contained Mother Shipton’s rations for the last week, untouched. “Give ’em to the child,” she said, pointing to the sleeping Piney. ” (Harte 30).

By giving her life for the sake of saving Piney, Mother Shipton reveals her virtuous quality. The same virtuous quality of the outcasts is presented in the story when Piney and The Duchess hold each other and sleep peacefully. The snow covers them and the author describes this happening in a manner which represents the purity of The Duchess and Piney. “Feathery drifts of snow, shaken from the long pine boughs, flew like white-winged birds, and settled about them as they slept. ” (Harte 31). The white-winged birds are symbolic of virtue and purity.

In their death, Piney and The Duchess looked so peaceful that it was hard to point out who was the sinner and who was innocent. “And when pitying fingers brushed the snow from their wan faces, you could scarcely have told from the equal peace that dwelt upon them which was she that had sinned. ” (Harte 32). The snow washed away all the sins of the outcasts. Through the symbolism in the story, the author brings forth the virtues of the outcasts who were exiled from their community for improper behavior.

The snowstorm aids in revealing the virtues of the outcasts and the snow expunges the distinction between the sinner and the innocent. The snow in the story is symbolic of the purity of the outcasts. Conclusion The story “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” by Bret Harte depicts the journey of the four outcasts who are considered to be improper individuals by the people of the town. But their virtuous qualities are revealed when in course of their journey, they make every effort to save the lives of young lovers.

Being held back in their journey by the snowstorm, the outcasts and the lovers stay in a cabin surviving on the rations available there. One of the outcasts, Mother Shipton sacrifices her life to save Piney from death. Her sacrifice brings forth her virtue which was overlooked by the people of the town. Similarly, the virtue of The Duchess is exposed when in death she looks similar to the Piney who was pure and innocent. The snow in the story is a symbol which represents the purity and virtue of the outcasts.

Works Cited

Harte, Bret. Selected Stories of Bret Harte. BiblioBazaar LLC. 2006.

Outcast Of Poker Flat Summary

The Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) is a launch facility and rocket range for sounding rockets in the U.S. state of Alaska. The world's largest land-based rocket range, it is on a 5,132-acre (20.77 km²) site about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Fairbanks and 1.5 degrees south of the Arctic Circle. More than 1,700 launches have been conducted at the range to study the Earth's atmosphere and the interaction between the atmosphere and the space environment.^[1] Areas studied at PFRR include the aurora, plasma physics, the ozone layer, solar proton events, Earth's magnetic field, and ultraviolet radiation. Rockets launched at PFRR have attained an apogee of 930 miles (1,500 km).

PFRR is owned by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Geophysical Institute, which operates it under contract to the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. Other users include the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the Air Force Geophysics Lab (AFGL), and various universities and research laboratories. Since its founding in 1948, PFRR has been closely aligned with and funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and its predecessor, the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA).

History[edit]

The University of Alaska had performed auroral research since the 1920s, and when sounding rockets were developed for this purpose, the university decided to build a range for them. The UAF Geophysical Institute leased the land that became the PFRR from the state of Alaska, and the range's facilities were initially completed in 1948 with leadership and vision from T. Neil Davis. PFRR's first supervisor, Neal Brown, directed the facility from 1948 to 1965. In the 1990s, new facilities were built with a $30 million grant provided by Congress. Refurbishment of older facilities is an ongoing project.^[2]

Facilities[edit]

Poker Flat Research Range has five launch pads, including two optimized for severe weather, that can handle rockets weighing up to 35,000 pounds (16,000 kg). Range facilities include an administrative facility, a concrete blockhouse used as a mission control center, several rocket assembly buildings, a 2-story science observatory, and a payload assembly building.^[3] Three S-band antennas are used to collect telemetry, and a C-band radar is used for tracking rocket payloads in flight.^[4]

Poker Flat's activities are changing with the recent addition of SRI's PFISR (Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar) phased-array antenna and the recent purchase of several Insitu drones.

Bret Harte The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Summary

The Alaska Ground Station (AGS) supports PFRR operations of many NASA and other nation's spacecraft including Aqua, Aura, Terra, and Landsat 7 with S band and X band services. The Honeywell Datalynx PF1 & PF2 antennas were hosted at the range, as part of the Earth Observing System Polar Ground Network (EPGN), along with the Alaska Ground Station (AGS).^[5] However, PF1 & PF2 were purchased by Universal Space Networks, now part of Swedish Space CorpSSC and later moved to SSC's North Pole facility and renamed USAK04 and USAK05. Other ground stations in the EPGN include the Svalbard Satellite Station (SGS), the Kongsberg–Lockheed Martin ground station (SKS), and the SvalSat ground station (SG3) in Norway, as well as the SSC North Pole facility.

Sounding rockets[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Poker Flat Research Range General Information'. April 2003. Archived from the original on 2004-09-17. Retrieved 2006-04-11.
2. ^'Poker Flat Research Range History'. April 2003. Archived from the original on 2005-12-31. Retrieved 2006-04-11.
3. ^Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Sounding Rocket Program. Wallops Island, Virginia: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight Facility. August 1994.
4. ^'Poker Flat Research Range Facilities'. September 2004. Archived from the original on 2001-04-28. Retrieved 2006-04-11.
5. ^'Universal Space Network Buys Honeywell’s Datalynx' February 2008. Retrieved 2017-08-20

Outcasts Of Poker Flat Summary

Further reading[edit]

• Davis, Neil (2006). Rockets over Alaska: The Genesis of the Poker Flat Research Range. Alaska-Yukon Press. ISBN978-0977814107.
• Merritt Helfferich, Neal Boyd Brown, and Peggy Dace. 1980. Poker Flat Research Range: Range Users' Handbook. Geophysical Institute: University of Alaska Fairbanks.

External links[edit]

• Poker Flat at Encyclopedia Astronautica.
• Aurora rocket article from USA Today.

The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Summary

Coordinates: 65°07′N147°28′W / 65.12°N 147.47°W

Poker Flat Summary