What role do the ideas of freedom and autonomy (“being self-governing”) play in this week’s readings? What does it mean to be free in both of the readings, and how do the authors suggest that a state of peacefulness is potentially obtainable?
https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49013/tulips-56d22ab68fdd0
Discuss and compare how we see the idea of “spiritual awakening” portrayed in the specific primary texts included in our course materials by Phillis Wheatley, Jonathan Edwards, and Harriet Beecher Stowe.
What contextual factors led to this awakening, and what did it mean for those who experienced it? What elements of a “spiritual awakening” do these authors/texts share in common, and how/why do other elements differ? How is their depiction of spiritual awakening significant to our study of American literature? Be specific with your evidence and your insight.
Respond to the prompt.
Consider the topics Whitman addresses in the two poems. What topics do the poems have in common? How does Whitman develop these shared topics in the poems? Use evidence from the poems to support your answer.
Native American Oral Literature 29-57
Each essay should be 250 or more words.
Our question for this week:
In the poetry section of Native American Oral Literature, we read “Cherokee War Song,” and “Lenape War Song.”
From your readings of the Introduction, the poems, and the notes included in the textbook, what are the key values of the speakers in these poems? Quote specific examples from the poems to support your stance.
Required text is norton anthology of American literature volume for 1 ninth edition
In the story Sonny’s blues by James Baldwin write about the meaning and function of music in this story what does it represent.
Write about the meaning and function of music in James Baldwin story Sonny’s blues.
Choose one
Essay questions for a test don’t have to be essay answers
Question 1 Edgar Allan Poe developed a theory of the construction of a tale. He wrote:
How does he craft “Annabel Lee” and “The Raven”? How do the elements of each poem work together to carry a “singular effect” to the end?
Refer to “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne in Journeys in Literature: American Traditions.
Respond to the prompt.
Authors use paradox to present ideas that, on the surface, seem contradictory. But with deeper analysis, readers figure out that the ideas together make sense. In addition, the intentional pairing of opposing ideas can enhance their meaning or even create new, unexpected meaning.
What are some examples of paradox in “The Birthmark”? How does Hawthorne’s use of paradox affect your understanding of the characters and the plot? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
Write about the topic “How does Jefferson represent both the best and the worst of Enlightenment thought?” The primary text for Jefferson’s is linked below. Ignore the first paragraph about the topic proposal.
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1776-1785/jeffersons-notes-on-slavery.php
Question:
What is America and its view of freedom (or what is an American)?
What does it mean to be an American and what does freedom mean in America?
