English 2230 - Fall 2007 Essay 1

English 2230 / Fall 2007

Critical Essay Assignment

There are a lot of writers and texts in The Bedford Anthology of American Literature that we just can not cover. For this essay, I want you to pick another writer from our anthology (see lists below) who is not on our assigned reading list (see the course schedule), and then read, think, and write about this writer, his/her text(s), and how the writer and text(s) connect to two (2) other writers from our assigned reading list. Library and/or internet research is not required, expected, encouraged, or even recommended; I'm much more interested in what you think about the writer and her/his text(s), in your responses, analysis, and synthesis. (But if you do end up doing some research, be very sure to cite and document your sources clearly, accurately, and correctly, using the MLA style manual, and include copies of all your research sources with your final draft.)

Make your pick based on your personal interests. (See the lists below and/or consult with me for suggestions; also just page through our anthology and skim the authors and texts we did not read.) Once you have chosen a writer, begin by reading the biographical headnote about your chosen writer and any editors' notes about his/her text(s). Then, read through the text(s) a first time, just to get to know what's going on (read at least what's listed below, but of course read more if you want). Next, read through the text(s) a second time, this time making notes about your personal responses -- for example, How does the text make you feel? What does the text remind you of or make you think about? When you read through the text a third time, "analyze" it -- that is, make notes about what "features" (literary elements) are important in the text, how the text "works," what the text "does" or what it was meant to do. Finally, read through the text a fourth time, this time making notes about how this text "relates to" some of the other writers we've read.

When you begin to plan and write your essay, follow closely the "Paper Structure" outline given below so that you include everything that's necessary. Use the "bullets" in the outline as "guides" to get you thinking and writing. You do not have to include or respond to every bullet item, but you do need to include all five major sections (and it's up to you whether or not you use section headings in your paper). In essence, you will begin by briefly introducing your chosen writer to your readers (your peers in this course) and summarizing your chosen writer's text(s) -- you cannot assume they have read the writer and text(s) you have chosen. Then, you will want to share some of your important personal responses and reactions. Next, you will want to share some discoveries that you made when you were analyzing and interpreting the text(s). Then, you will want to establish how this writer is similar to and different from two (2) other writers from our assigned reading list. Finally, you will want to wrap up your essay by reflecting on your reading of this writer and possibly recommending to others whether or not to read him or her.

Choosing a Writer:

1.) If you like reading about Stories/Myths of Creation/Origins, consider:

The Introduction to "Native American Origin and Creation Stories" (pp. 29-33) and two (2) of the following:
Iroquois Confederacy -- pp. 33-40 (7)
Cherokee -- pp. 40-43 (3)
Akimel O'odham (Pima) -- pp. 43-46 (3)
Lakota -- pp. 46-50 (4)
Hupa -- pp. 51-53 (3)
N. Scott Momaday -- pp. 54-59 (6)

2.) If you like reading about William Bradford and the Early Explorers and Colonists, consider:

Christopher Columbus -- pp. 66-73 (8)
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca -- pp. 74-85 (12)
Samuel de Champlain -- pp. 86-91 (6)
Captain John Smith -- pp. 106-123 (18)

3.) If you like reading about the Puritans (Bradstreet and Taylor), consider:

John Winthrop -- pp. 153-166 (14)
Mary Rowlandson -- pp. 190-228 (39) -- perhaps read the first few and last few "removes"
Jonathan Edwards -- pp. 276-309 (44) -- perhaps choose just one of the longer pieces

4.) If you like reading about "Writing Colonial Lives" (Franklin, Occom, and Equiano), consider:

Francis Daniel Pastorius -- pp. 244-251 (8)
Elizabeth Ashbridge -- pp. 376-389 (14)
John Woolman -- pp. 390-401 (12)

5.) If you like reading about the early Romantic writers (Freneau, Wheatley, Irving, Sedgwick, and Bryant), consider:

Augustus Baldwin Longstreet -- pp. 556-567 (11)
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft -- pp. 577-584 (7)

6.) If you like reading about race, slavery, and labor issues (Apess, Douglass, and Jacobs), consider:

An introduction (617-618) and David Walker, William Lloyd Garrison, and Orestes A. Brownson -- pp. 619-626 (8)
African American Slave Songs -- pp. 925-933 (9)

7.) If you like reading about women's issues and rights (Fuller and Fern), consider:

An introduction (617-618) and Catherine E. Beecher, Seneca Falls Woman's Convention, Elizabeth Oakes Smith, and Sojourner Truth -- pp. 627-638 (12)
Lydia Maria Child -- pp. 645-653 (8)
Harriet Beecher Stowe -- pp. 747-763 (17)

8.) If you like reading about "American Facts and American Fiction" (Hawthorne, Poe, Melville, and Davis), consider:

The "American Contexts" section: "The Role of the Periodical Press -- pp. 944-965 (22) -- perhaps choose 3 of the 5 selections
Donald Grant Mitchell -- pp. 1119-1134 (16)
Elizabeth Barstow Stoddard -- pp. 1134-1149 (15)
Louisa May Alcott -- pp. 1178-1191 (14)

9.) If you like reading about the Romantic poets (Longfellow, Poe, Whitman, and Dickinson), consider:

An introduction (1200-1201) and Lydia Sigourney (1201-1205) and Elizabeth Oakes Smith (1210-1213)
An introduction (1200-1201) and Ralph Waldo Emerson (1205-1209) and John Greenleaf Whittier (1218-1222)
An introduction (1200-1201) and Frances E. W. Harper (1228-1231) and Rose Terry Cooke (1231-1233)

10.) If you like reading about Civil War issues, consider:

The "American Contexts" section: "The Meanings of the Civil War" -- pp. 1352-1289 (38) -- perhaps choose 3 of the 13 selections

Paper Structure:

1.) Introduction -- (probably only one paragraph)

Introduce the author(s) and title(s) of the text(s) you have chosen.
Perhaps provide a brief sketch of the writer's biography.
Perhaps provide a brief context (historical, social, political, etc.) for the author(s) and/or text(s).
Perhaps explain why you chose this(these) particular writer(s) and/or the text(s).
Perhaps "forecast" the main ideas of your reaction, analysis/interpretation, and synthesis.

2.) Summary of the text(s) -- (probably only one paragraph)

What is the text about?
What are the main ideas or sections?
What is the "intended effect"?

3.) Reaction to the writer(s) and text(s) as you see them -- (probably only one paragraph)

Your thoughts, feelings, ideas, opinions, questions, etc.
What did you find interesting and/or unusual about the text(s)?

4.) Analysis and interpretation of the text(s) -- (at least two paragraphs)

What is the "overall" theme, message, moral, argument, purpose, etc.? How does the text show this?
Does the text fully achieve its purpose and/or intended effect? How? Or, why or why not?
What is the form and structure of the texts? How do they contribute to the meaning of the text?
How would you describe the style and tone of the text?
Is there any special symbolism and/or imagery in the text?

5.) Synthesis -- connect the writer/texts to two other (assigned) writers through comparison and contrast -- (at least 3-4 paragraphs)

Obviously, pick writers that have some obvious reasons for comparison and contrast.
How, specifically, are they similar, and to what extent?
Maybe more importantly, how are they different, how do they "diverge," and why?
Consider themes, arguments, forms, structures, styles, tones, symbols, imagery, literary movements or periods, etc.

6.) Evaluation and Conclusion -- (probably 1-2 paragraphs)

What is the value of reading this writer, if any?
What did you gain from this exploration?
Would you recommend this writer and text(s) to others? Why or why not?

Samples (from English 2230, Fall 2004):

Sample #1 -- Connecting Royall Tyler to Susanna Rowson and Samuel Sewall -- click here

Sample #2 -- Connecting Judith Sargent Murray to Anne Bradstreet and Benjamin Franklin -- click here

Sample #3 -- Connecting James Grainger to Philip Freneau and Sarah Wentworth Morton -- click here

Information for Writing about Literature

Evaluation Criteria: Your essay will be evaluated based on (1) the clarity of the main ideas, (2) the strength and clarity of the explanations and evidence, (3) the use of the structure provided, and (4) the use of language -- reasonable “correctness” in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics. In other words, your ideas and how you present and explain them are most important; “grammar” is only taken into account to the degree that it detracts from your presentation. A final word of warning: you are able to use the Bedford Anthology of American Literature and your notes as you write your essay, so be careful that you are accurate with your use of authors’ names, quotations, and factual details from the texts.

Formatting Requirements: Your essay should be at least three (3) full pages long but no longer than five (5) full pages – double-spaced and word-processed – with 1.0” margins, and a 12-point “normal” font (e.g. Times New Roman or Arial). No title page is needed: simply put your name, the course, my name, and the date in the upper-left-hand corner of the first page; put a page number on all subsequent pages. Please follow the other formatting directions given in class, including instructions for in-text and end-of-text MLA citation and documentation conventions.

Rough Draft (Peer Review) Due Date: ______________________________ (four copies of a complete draft)

Final Draft Due Date: ______________________________