American Literature

Sophomore/Junior level of College

 

Erika Louviere

Mr. Lowe

ENGL-2326-71

DATE

 

 

1000 Words

MLA Format

Due No Later Than Sunday 11th at Midnight

 

The assignment this week is to examine the First and Second Great Awakenings of the United States. On the surface, they may not seem too deeply tied to one another, but upon some analysis, the argument could be made that they are actually the same movement that manifested in different ways at two separate points in history. In your opinion, in what ways are the two Great Awakenings tied to one another? Did the first lay the groundwork for the second? Is it possible that they really are both the same movement that manifested in different ways at two separate points in history? Also, how do you think these “Awakenings”” shaped our country and culture today?

 

 

Below was last weeks assignment with the links provided below.

The information provided is not apart of the assignment for this week and is not required to be  referenced to necessarily but I provided the information since the two assignments linked to each other. 

 

4th Week – Great Awakenings

There were two “”Great Awakenings”” in American history. The first was a spiritual awakening that led to the American Revolution. The second led to the abolition of slavery. Inside this folder we are going to examine both. This week. your only assignment is to read the material inside.

 

 

 

First Great Awakening Supplemental Material 

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/147/147-h/147-h.htm

http://assets.press.princeton.edu/chapters/i13331.pdf

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/Winthrop’s%20City%20upon%20a%20Hill.pdf

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/edwards_jonathan/Sermons/Sinners.cfm

 

2nd Great Awakening Supplemental Material 

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15399/15399-h/15399-h.htm

https://thehermitage.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Sojourner-Truth_Aint-I-a-Woman_1851.pdf

https://www.studenthandouts.com/00/200701/douglass.pdfv

 

“

Gender and Transcendentalism

Transcendentalists had no problem rebelling against conventional thought and tradition: as you have seen in these readings, they embrace nonconformity as a central tenet of their philosophy. They also, true to their name, believe higher truth is found in transcending reality. However, it is debatable whether writers can escape their culture completely, specifically in the way it which culture shapes gender roles. Transcendentalists like Emerson and Thoreau are more enlightened on gender issues than most people of their time, but when Emerson says (for example) that “Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist,” one wonders whether he also means “woman” in that declaration (just as we wonder about the scope and intention of “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence). Yet when Margaret Fuller died, Emerson said that he had “lost my audience,” and we know later feminists found inspiration from the Transcendentalists. So, it is complicated; it is also a hot topic in Transcendentalist studies, and for this paper you will get a chance to jump in and join the argument.

 

Choose two texts  (See additional materials) we’ve read for Module Two, and argue for which text makes a more effective argument against oppressive gender norms and roles. First, you must define feminism in a 19th century context; then you must measure two texts against that definition, and evaluate which one is more effective. Make sure to provide textual evidence to support your claims. It is crucial in this essay that you clearly identify and focus on particular gender roles or expectations that are discussed in both texts. (An example of a traditional gender norm is that men are more rational, while women are driven more by emotions.) You may choose two texts from the same author, or choose texts by different authors, but the texts should be ones we’ve studied in Module 2. Remember the sage advice of Paul Roberts: when assigned a choice of topics for a paper, always “take the less usual side!”

As with all papers in this class, it must conform to the standards of college writing.  In this class, I require that essays be: typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. standard font, 1-inch margins, with a clever and interesting title attached (please no cover pages).  MLA format is required for this paper: that means you need to include in-text citations and a works cited. Please see the Writing Toolkit module for help. This paper should be around 4-5 pages; anything less may not do justice to the topic. You may view the rubric for the paper here; the syllabus also has information about how I grade your papers.

“

CLASS: American Literature

COURSE WORK LEVEL: Sophomore/ Junior LEVEL

FORMAT: MLA 

Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. Penguin Books, 2019.

 

MUST-READ IN ORDER TO DO ASSIGNMENT

Read “On the Road”” by Jack Kerouac. Do not read the original scroll version.

https://www.bookscool.com/classic/On-the-Road-984490/1  this is a link to the book if needed.

 

THE ATTACHED FILE IS MY PAPER AND THE OTHER STUDENT RESPONSES. MUST Read in order to complete the assignment. 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

This week you will have an essay due no later than August 1st at midnight over the prompt listed below. It must be in MLA format and 1000 words