English 207 American Literature I Writing Assignments

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How To Submit Your Papers

Please submit your writing assignments to me via e-mail. Save your file as a Word file (.doc or .docx), a Rich Text File (.rtf), or a PDF, and attach the file to your message. When sending assignments, your e-mail message should include your name, the class number (English 207), and the name of the assignment which is attached. Use correct MLA format to set up your pages and document your sources; for more information see The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University. Make sure that you eliminate spelling, grammar, and other mechanical errors from your writing. Send your e-mail to me at annw708@gmail.com

About Wikipedia, SparkNotes, and Databases

DO NOT cite Wikipedia in academic essays. Since it is not edited by reputable experts, it often has errors and isn't reliable. It's okay to use it as a starting point for your own research, but go on and find other sources to verify the information, and cite those in your essay.

Also avoid SparkNotes, ENotes and similar sites. Teachers hate them since they provide only the most superficial analyses. Avoid citing them in academic papers; instead, go find analyses from more reputable academic sources: university and scholarly websites, peer-reviewed journals in library databases, and books. Don't be scared by that word "databases." The databases are just collected electronic versions of articles published in print magazines, journals, and newspapers. They also sometimes contain e-books. You can search them and find tons of good material. There's more about how to use the databases on the Writing About Literature page.

Writing Assignment 1

Choose one of the following topics and write a complete, considered answer. Be sure to support your statements with evidence from the text, and be sure to document correctly. Required length: 2-5 pages (500-1250 words). Use correct MLA format and citation techniques in your essay and your Works Cited list.

This assignment is due Friday, March 17th.

1. Based on the selections you have read, how was the world-view of the Native Americans different from that of the Europeans who explored and settled the New World? In your opinion, did these differences make conflict between the two groups inevitable?

2. Compare creation myths from two cultures, one American Indian and one other. What cultural values and attitudes do they reveal? How do those values and attitudes compare to each other? (For example, you might compare Navajo and Hebrew creation myths; or Egyptian and Huron creation myths; or Inuit and Japanese creation myths.)

3. Based on what you have read in in "The Way to Wealth," how would Benjamin Franklin's values compare to the values of the Native Americans whose tales you read?

4. Based on what you have read in in "The Way to Wealth," how would Benjamin Franklin's values compare to the values of Winthrop and Bradford?

For information on using MLA format to cite and document correctly, see The Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University, or The Purdue University Online Writing Lab.

For help writing this assignment, go to Writing About Literature ; for more specific help, feel free to e-mail me with questions.

Writing Assignment 2

This assignment is due Friday, April 21st.

1. By the time Thomas Jefferson lived and wrote, the world was a very different place from that of the early Puritans. What would John Winthrop have thought of Jefferson's ideas?

2. Olaudah Equiano, Harriet Jacobs, and Frederick Douglass present powerful indictments of slavery in their narratives. Choose one, and explain how s/he creates emotional involvement on the part of the reader.

3. Why is "Rip Van Winkle," like so much satirical fiction, popular as a children's story?

4. At first glance, Poe's tales of horror and his detective stories seem to have little in common. Upon closer inspection, do you find they share any of the same themes or techniques?

5. Irving and Poe both wrote stories in which there was a good deal of suspense. What were some of the techniques they used to create suspense? How were their techniques similar or different?

6. Because of the popularity of the play Hamilton, many people have started reading Alexander Hamilton's writings--his Revolutionary Writings, for example, or The Federalist Papers. We did not read any of Hamilton's work in this class, but if you choose, you may read an essay or two of his, and compare his ideas about how the country should be governed with those of Jefferson or Winthrop.

For information on using MLA format to cite and document correctly, see The Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University, or The Purdue University Online Writing Lab.

For help writing this assignment, go to Writing About Literature ; for more specific help, feel free to e-mail me with questions.

Writing Assignment 3

This assignment is due Friday, May 12th.

1. By the 1800s, many American writers were exploring the theme of alienation, each in his or her own way. Yet the country was growing and expanding, with what seemed to many to be endless possibilities. Are these writers saying that the American Dream had gone sour already? Choose one of the following--Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorne, or Melville--and discuss his handling of this issue.

2. The mid-1800s in the United States saw a literary explosion: Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Emerson, Whitman, and Thoreau all wrote their most powerful works between 1835 and 1855. (Well, okay, Billy Budd was later--but Moby-Dick was written in 1851.) We know that they all read each other's work. Did they share the same ideas and opinions? (You may leave Whitman out of your discussion, if you wish, and you may narrow your discussion to a comparison of 2 writers, if you choose.)

3. Irving, Poe, Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau, Melville, and Whitman lived 200 years later than Winthrop, in a world Winthrop wouldn't have recognized. Did any of Winthrop's influence remain in the ideas of these writers? You may deal with these writers as a group, or choose one and examine his work closely in respect to this question. (You may leave Whitman out of your discussion, if you wish.)

4. Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman are all strongly conscious of the conflict between the real, concrete world and the life of the mind. That is, we all live in the real world and have to deal with other people, professions, and mundane daily details. But in our minds, we often live a different life, thinking of other things--some are contemplative or creative things, for example. Choose one of these writers, and explain how this conflict is reflected in his writing.

5. In The Scarlet Letter, is Hester Prynne "Emersonian"? That is, for her, is there "at last...nothing sacred but the integrity of her own mind"?

For information on using MLA format to cite and document correctly, see The Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University, or The Purdue University Online Writing Lab.

For help writing this assignment, go to Writing About Literature ; for more specific help, feel free to e-mail me with questions.

Final Exam

Write a brief answer to the following question:

Of the works we have read this semester, which one have you liked the best? Explain. Which one did you like the least? Explain.

This assignment is due on the night of Tuesday, May 30th by midnight.
NO LATE FINALS WILL BE ACCEPTED, as I have to turn in grades immediately!!!

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