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1500
Native American Literature
Native Americans did not have a written language, instead they passed down their literature orally from generation to generation. They passed down their history, myths, and legends. Although there were many different and diverse tribes that passed along these stories, they often referenced similar ideas; a respect for nature and a devotion for many gods. -
Period: 1500 to
Native Americans
The Native Americans lived in American for much longer than any other race. The developed a vibrant and complex culture before Europeans arrived. -
1501
The World on the Turtle's Back
An Iroquois creation myth. Today there are still over 25 different versions of the myth. In the myth is an explanation for how people started living on the earth. In the version in the English book, the world forms from a little bit of earth on a giant turtle's back. -
Period: to
Unit 2, Puritans
The Puritans arrived in America at around 1630. Unlike the Pilgrims, which came to America around ten years earlier, the Puritans seeked to reform the English church. They believe that god already has chosen those who will go to heaven, and so they spend a lifetime trying to determined whether or not they are deemed by God to be sent to hell. -
To My Dear and Loving Husband, Anne Bradstreet
To My Dear and Loving Husband was published after Bradstreet's death. Even though the poem is unorthodox for Puritans, because Anne was talking about her more personal love for her husband. The poem shows a classic example of the strict poetry structure Puritans often follow. In this poem Anne uses an Iambic Pentameter structure meaning that she used ten syllables in each line and set up each syllable so that they were unstressed and stressed. "If ever two were one, then surely we." (line 1) -
The Crucible, Nathaniel Hawthorne
Although the Crucible was written in the 1900s, it is set in the time of the Salem witch trials. Although the account is historical fiction,the curable gives insight into how people talked and the mood of that time. Nathaniel Hawthorne describe Puritans as not only strict and harsh, but ignorant, cruel and destructive. -
Period: to
American Romanticism
This movement is known for it's idealism of nature, individualism, and imagination. -
The Devil and Tom Walker was released, written by Washington Irving
The Devil and Tom Walker was released as part of the book, Tales of a Traveler. Although Irving's previous books were wildly successful, like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Tales of a Traveler was very unpopular. The criticism that Irving got for the book went as far as to push him from writing any more fiction. The devil and Tom Walker is a good example of Romanticism because it studies human nature, like greed and also talks about nature as very beautiful and with personification. -
Period: to
Romanticism to Realism
As America went through the Civil War, attitudes began to change. Once Americans saw the horrors of war the the Romantic attitudes were not as appealing, they wanted realist or honest views of life. -
Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman
Leaves of grass was re-revised and added to throughout Whitman's life. The book started out with 12 poems, and by the last edition released in 1892, the book had nearly 400 poems. Whitman didn't follow the traditional structure of poems and in his poems Whitman celebrated American life in a sometimes called brash or outright way. -
The Civil War Ended
The Civil War is the main reason that America grew out of Romanticism. -
The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls, Henry Wordsworth Longfellow
This poem is a good example of Romanticism because of it's emphasis on nature. In the poem, the rising and falling of the tide is a way to show passing time, the phrase creates a cyclical or repeating theme in the poem. The sea will still be rising and falling even when the traveler is gone, the sea and nature's beauty remains. -
The Publication Emily Dickinson's first volume
Emily's poetry was only published after her death. Emily was known as a recluse throughout her life, but she is also known for her witty and honest writings. Dickinson made at least 1,775 poems by the end of her life. -
My City, by James Weldon Johnson
In this poem the city of Manhattan has captivated the narrator, and the narrator will be the most sad to lose the memory of that city in their death. The poem is considered Modern because of it's descriptions of, "shining towers, her avenues, her slums-" (line 12) and the thought that when the narrator dies they will forget everything, this phrase might be hinting at a belief in no god. "The threshold o the unknown dark to cross, What to me then will be the keenest loss," (line 2-3) -
Period: to
Modernism
In the 20th century America moved forward, towards the future. This period brought great changes for women's rights, but it also left tradition values behind, good or bad. -
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
This book is widely known and taught in high schools across America. It talks over tough subjects like death and possessing little money. The author uses a plain and unstructured what to write about such subjects, making the book lean towards Modernism. -
Citations
https://www.absolutearts.com/mixed_media/e._tilly_strauss-world_on_back_of_turtle-1403525119.html https://englishwithmrspierce.com/2018/01/09/native-american-oral-tradition-4/ https://www.slideshare.net/linaizzie/the-tide-rises-the-tide-falls-15579829 https://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/ https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/leaves-of-grass.aspx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Mice_and_Men http://www.thomaslegion.net/orderofsurrenderingconfederateforcesandarmiesoftheamericancivilwar.html -
Citations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_and_Tom_Walker https://www.thoughtco.com/victims-of-the-salem-witch-trials-3530332 http://public.gettysburg.edu/~tshannon/341/sites/Gender%20and%20Sexuality/Marriage%20and%20Courtship.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Weldon_Johnson HOLT, MCDOUGAL. Holt Mcdougal Literature: Assessment File Diagnostic and Selection Tests, Grade 9. HOLT MCDOUGAL, 2011.
