American Literature 1

Assignment Sheet

(subject to change)

 

Mon.  Jan. 27th

 

Have read: 

 

  1. Anne Bradstreet  pgs. 394-395
  2. “The Prologue”  pgs. 396-97
  3. “The Flesh and the Spirit”  pgs. 403-5
  4. “Upon the Burning”  pgs. 409-10
  5. Cotton Mather  pgs. 507-09
  6. “Wonders”  pgs. 509-12
  7. “Trial”  pgs.512-14
  8. “The Negro Christianized”  pgs. 527-32

 

 

Response #2 Due:

 

Wed. Jan. 29th

 

  have read: 

1.      Eighteenth Century  pgs. 565-583

2.      “Cluster”  pgs. 633-634

        3.  John Locke, “Essay” pgs. 635-36

        4.  Pope, “Essay on Man”  pgs. 636-638

        5.  Paine, “Age of Reason”  pgs. 643-644

        6.  Johnathan Edwards  pgs. 645-47

        7.  “Sinners in the Hands”  pgs.  666-677

        8.  John Woolman  pgs. 689-91

        9.  “Some Considerations” pgs. 703-708

 

 

Mon.  Feb. 2nd

 

Have read:

  1. Voices of Revolution  pgs. 800-02
  2. Ben Franklin  pgs. 804-807
  3. “autobiography”  pgs. 829-890

 

Response #3 Due:  Franklin is thought to be the father of the modern autobiography because he marks a shift in personal philosophy that lauds the individual over the group.  Discuss the ways in which Franklin makes himself an example of this type of modern man—the competitive, self reliant individual.

 

 

Wed.  Feb. 4th

 

Have read:

  1. Crevecoeur  pgs. 921-22
  2. “What is an American?” 928-933
  3. Thomas Paine  957-958
  4. “Common Sense”  pgs. 959-965
  5. John and Abigail Adams pgs. 976-77
  6. Letters between the Adams’ pgs. 979-82
  7. “letters from Adams to Jefferson” 986-90
  8.   Jefferson  990-993 
  9.  “Query VI”  pgs. 994-999
  10.  “Query XIV”  pgs. 1003-1007
  11. “Query XVIII”  pgs. 1009-1010   

Mon. Feb. 9th

 

Have read:  the novel Charlotte Temple, including the introduction by Kathy Davidson and the Preface.

 

 

Wed.  Feb. 11th

 

Paper #1 due on Charlotte Temple

 

 

 

 

 

Mon. Feb. 16th

 

Exam #1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wed. Feb. 18th

 

Have read: 

  1. Early Nineteenth Century  pgs. 1389-1423
  2. Jane Schoolcraft  1422
  3. “Mishosha” 1423-1428
  4. “The Forsaken Brother”  1428-30
  5. Elias Boudinot  1442-44
  6. “An Address To the Whites”  1445-1452
  7. Seattle pg. 1472  “Speech”  1473-75
  8. Elias Boudinot  pgs. 1488-1489
  9. “An Address to Whites”  pgs. 1489-1497
  10. “Account of the Gold Rush” 1538-41
  11. Josiah Gregg, “Commerce” 1549-1555
  12. Frederick Oldmsted “A Journey”  1556-59

 

Mon. Feb. 23rd

 

Have read:

  1. Cultures of New England 1560-1561
  2. Emerson    pgs. 1578-1581
  3. “Nature” pgs. 1582-1609
  4. “Self Reliance”  pgs. 16211638
  5. “The Poet”  pgs. 1638-1653
  6. “Experience”  1653-1668

 

Response #4 due:  choose a topic upon which Emerson writes and discuss how his ideas show a change in philosophy from earlier American viewpoints.    

 

Wed.  Feb. 25th

 

Have read:

  1. Margaret Fuller  pgs.  1692-1694
  2. “Women in Nineteenth Century” 1697-1719
  3. Thoreau    pgs. 1735-1738
  4. “Resistance To Civil” pgs. 1738-1752

 

 

Mon.  March 2nd

 

Have read: 

1.  Walden”  pgs. 1753-1787

2.   Lydia Child 1842-43

3.  “Appeal in Favor”  pgs. 1844-45

4.   letter 34  pgs. 1858-1862

5.  Angela Grimke 1862-63

6.  “Appeal to the Christian Women” pgs.1863-71

 

Response #5 due:  Thinking of our consumer culture and capitalism in general, discuss the ways in which Thoreau’s Walden was forewarning us of the pitfalls of our modern life dependent upon possessing items, using credit, and consuming packaged factory made products--just to name a few.   

 

Wed.  March 4th

 

Have read:

  1. Frederick Douglass  pgs. 1879-81
  2. “Narrative”  pgs. 1882-1943

 

 

*note:  March 5th is the last day to withdrawal without penalty

 

Mon.  March 9th

 

Have read: 

1. Frances Harper pgs. 1997-98

2.  “The Two Offers”  pgs. 2007-2014

3.  Harriett Jacobs    pgs.  2029-2031

4.  “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” 

       pgs.  2031--2054

 

Response #6 Due:  Discuss any differences you or similarities you see between Douglass’ slave narrative and Jacobs’ narrative. Hints:  structurally, in terms of tone, gender issues, trajectory of events, or historical details. 

 

 

Wed. March 11th

 

Have read:

1.  “Women Question”   pg.  2081

2.   “Letters” pgs.  2082-2085

3.   “Letter XII”  pgs. 2090-2091

4..  Fanny Fern  pgs. 2100-2101

5.  “Hints to Young Wives”  pgs.  2101-02

6.  “Soliloquy of a Housemaid”  pgs. 2103-04

7.  “A Law More Nice”  pgs. 2105-2106 

8.  “Independence”  pg 2107

8.  “The Working Girls of NY”  pgs. 2107-2109

9.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton   pgs. 2109-2110

10.  “Declaration of Sentiments”  pgs.  2113-2115

 

Mon. March 16th

 

Spring Break/ No Class

 

 

 

Wed.  March 18th

 

Spring Break/ No Class

 

Mon.  March 23rd

 

Exam #2 

 

 

Wed.  March 25th

  1.  

Have read:

  1. “The Development of Narrative”  pgs.  2116-2119
  1. Washington Irving  pgs.  2143-44
  2. “History of NY”  pgs. 2145-2153
  3. “Rip Van Winkle”  pgs.  2153-2165

 

 

Mon.  March 30th

 

Have read:

 

1.  Hawthorne   pgs.  2242-2245

2.  “The Minister’s Black Veil”  pgs. 2267-2275

3.  “The Birth Mark”  pgs.  2276-2287

4.  “Rappaccini’s Daughter”  pgs.  2287-22306

 

Response #7 Due:  In what ways do Hawthorne’s short stories make a statement about his Puritan ancestors and their fear of material existence?

 

 

 

Wed.  April  1st

 

Have read: 

 

1.  Poe   pgs.  2459-2461

2.  “Ligeia” pgs.  2462-2472 

3.  “Fall of the House of Usher”  pgs.  2472-2485

3.  “The Black Cat”  pgs.  2495-2501

 

 

Mon.  April 6th

 

 

Have read: 

 

1.  Melville   2621-2625

2.  “Bartleby the Scrivener”  pgs. 2625-2651

3.  “The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of

       of Maids.”  pgs.   2651-2668

 

 

Wed.  April 8th

 

Have read: 

 

  1. “Benito Cereno”  pgs.  2669-2726

 

Response #8 Due:  If, as scholars believe, Melville’s “Benito Cereno” is a scathing indictment of slavery and white oppression, how does his story subvert white power without condemning black aggression, or do you disagree and believe the story actually condemns blacks and upholds white power.

 

 

Mon. April 13th

 

Have read:

 

  1. Rebecca Harding Davis  pgs. 2836-37
  2. “Life in the Iron Mills”  pgs.  2838-2863

 

Response #9 Due:  Discuss the Korl Woman and what she represents.  With this sculpture, what is Davis suggesting about the role of art in the arena of social reform.  Does art move people to help or does it merely make them feel sorry for others, which in turn appeases their guilt over other people’s downtrodden circumstances.

 

 

Wed.  April 15th

 

have read

  1. American Poetic Voices  pgs.  2864-66
  2. William Cullen Bryant  pgs. 2886-2888
  3. “Thanatopsis”  pgs.  2888-2890
  4. “To a Waterfowl”  pgs.  2891-2892
  5. Longfellow   pgs. 2897-2898
  6. “A Psalm of Life”  pgs 2898-2899
  7. “Aftermath”  2902
  8. Osgood  2904-05
  9. “The Maiden’s Mistake”  2908
  10. “Oh Hasten to My Side”  2908-2909

 

Mon.  April 20th

 

Have read: 

 

1.  Walt Whitman   2920-2923

2.  “Song of Myself” pgs.  2937-2982

 

 

 

Wed.  April 22nd

 

Have read: 

 

  1. Dickinson  pgs.  30423046
  2. “To Higginson”  pgs30883092

3.    Poems  J-14, J-49, J-67, J-130, J-213,

                   J-288,  J-322, J-324, J-341, J-401

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mon.  April 27th

 

have read: 

 

Poems:  J-435, J-441, J-501, J-686, J-712, J-732

               J-986, J-1078

 

Response #10 due:  take any one of Dickinson’s poems and explicate it.  In other words, explain the larger metaphor that she is using to create meaning.   If necessary, explain the poem line by line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wed.  April 29th

 

Wrap up course—discuss research

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday May 2nd:  Last Day of Class,  Paper #2 Due

 

Final Exam on scheduled date:  TBA