Margaret Mitchell Inspiration

Margaret Mitchell

During the modern period, Margaret M. Mitchell conquered many things. She overcame the normalities and pressures of her literary period. She also defeated the fear of the happenings in her surroundings. While many writers took on specific techniques, Mitchell defined her own personal style. She defied the “laws” of the moderns to perfect her novel to the way she desired. Mitchell was an award winning author and journalist for her hard work and dedication. Today, she has paved a path of inspiration and guidance for many female and student authors and journalists around the world. Mitchell will forever and always be remembered for her bravery, skill, talent, and legacy. The start of the Great War, better known
On September 2, 1864, William Tecumseh Sherman led a march toward the Atlantic that made its way into Atlanta. Through his march, he burned the entire city of Atlanta to the ground (Civil War 14). The damage from Sherman’s march was sixty miles wide and approximately three hundred miles long (Civil War 158-159). Mitchell’s inspiration for her novel, Gone with the Wind, came from her grandparents captivating “heroic” Civil War stories (DISCovering Authors). Her mother and brother’s interest in Atlanta history would also serve justice toward the inspiration of her novel.
Margaret Mitchell briefly attended Smith College in Massachusetts. Mitchell studied at Smith from 1918 to 1919. She received her M.A. degree from the university; it was an honor because she only attended the college for one year (MasterPlots 759).Mitchell returned to her hometown of Atlanta after her freshman year of college. After Maybelle Stephens passed away, Mitchell clung to her father’s side to aid him with her childhood household (DISCovering
She worked for the Atlanta Journal as a feature writer for four years under the name of “Peggy Mitchell.” Mitchell was on site, recording and reporting for many years. After she severely injured her ankle, Mitchell resigned from the journal to work in her own home. She also decided to become a freelance columnist for several newspapers in her community. While working independently, Margaret Mitchell worked under numerous names such as Elizabeth Mitchell and Peggy Mitchell. Mitchell volunteered to help the American Red Cross during the early 1940s. She also volunteered to sell war bonds during World War Two . This spur of creativity and selflessness motivated Mitchell to become a novelist. From 1926 to 1936, Mitchell wrote and perfected her novel, Gone with the Wind. “I am not as I was under the rule of Cynara.” (DISCovering Authors). Mitchell found inspiration from Ernest Dowson to retitle her novel from the functional title Tomorrow Is Another Day to its popular name today (DISCovering Authors). She also found a new way to write a novel. Unlike several authors, Mitchell wrote the last part of her book first. She found that it gave her inspiration and motive for the rest of the plot. Mitchell later decided to turn her award-winning book into a motion picture (MasterPlots