Survey of American Literature

Write an essay in response to one of the following questions. If you wish to devise your own topic, you may do so as long as your topic 1) analyzes at least one of the assigned readings and 2) relates the analysis to something in your personal life or modern-day America more generally. These two elements are reflected in all the suggested topics, and you will need to address them both to get a good grade. You may want to consult with me if you decide to develop your own topic.

1. In “Model of Christian Charity,” John Winthrop refers to the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a “city upon a hill.” Explain the meaning of this simile, and discuss its legacy in American culture, particularly its influence on at least one later text/speech. Discuss the relationship between Winthrop’s statement and American exceptionalism. Consider whether it’s positive, negative, or some combination of the two that many Americans think of the nation as a city upon a hill. Be sure to provide a reasoned argument and evidence for your position and to take the opposing point of view into account.

2. Choose one of the poets we’ve read: Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, Phillis Wheatley, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, or Emily Dickinson. Highlight a theme the poet explores that is relevant to something you have experienced in your own life. Describe your life experience, how the poem explores such experiences, and what you learned from the poem. In discussing these issues, be sure to examine the poet’s style, how s/he uses figurative language to explore the topic, etc.

3. We have met a variety of types of individuals from a variety of walks of life while reading the material in this course. These include but are not limited to Native Americans, colonial explorers, Puritans, Founding Fathers, slaves, slaveholders, lawyers, and scriveners. Choose one of these types of people or any other that drew your interest while reading. Expand on what you learned about this walk of life by doing a little library research on the topic. Explain how the literary works that address them reflect on what life was like for this group. Back this element of your paper up with detailed analysis of the work. Then, reflect on what learning about this group helps us understand about our own society.

4. Compare and contrast Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Frederick Douglass’s Narrative as works of abolitionist literature. Which is the more powerful critique of slavery, and why? Be sure to take the opposing point of view into account. What could politicians or social leaders today learn from the methods used by the author you chose?