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1500
Native American Literature Characteristics
Native Americans passed down stories through story-telling. Native American stories are cyclical in nature and contain metaphors to compare objects. Literature is not dominated by humans because humans and animals are inter-changeable. -
Period: 1500 to
Early American Literature
The beginning of American Literature including Puritans, Native American literature, and the famous author, Anne Bradstreet. -
Period: 1500 to
Native Americans
Native Americans had a diverse culture with over 2,000 tribes and 500 different languages. They formed communities, trading networks, and working cities. Native Americans told stories and survived together -
1550
"Coyote and the Buffalo"
In the story "Coyote and the Buffalo," the speaker teaches us a lesson of honesty and keeping our promises. Coyote made fun of Buffalo Bull and then the Bull appeared to him angry. Coyote was able to redeem himself by giving him new horns and the Bull gave him a cow and told him not to kill it. Coyote killed it and when he asked for another cow, Buffalo Bull refused because of the dishonest act of Coyote. -
Europeans come to America
By interacting with American Indians, Europeans gained allies to be able to claim all land east of the Mississippi River. The learned the American Indian ways and their culture too. The Europeans took land, broke up communities, and brought sickness to the American Indians. They also took away literary traditions that were in place. -
Period: to
Puritanism
The English Puritans thought that all humans are sinners and they wanted to help people overcome the pain of sin. They saw hard work, thrift, and responsibility as righteous. Puritans saw people pull away from the Puritan ways and they were strict on the established Puritan rules. They did not accept ideas or new rules from other people. -
Burning of Anne Bradstreet's house
Anne Bradstreet was a Puritan Poet who wrote "Upon the Burning of our House." This story is about her house burning and how she turns to God for help. She does not show anger at losing all of her belongings in the fire but takes comfort the place that God prepared for her above. She says that missing her worldy possesions is a sin and she needs to focus on her true home in Heaven. -
Period: to
Romanticism
The Romantic period was interested in the common man and childhood. Romantics believe that humans were naturally good and that knowledge is gained through intuition rather than deduction. This period consisted of strong emotions, awe of nature, celebration of the individual, and imagination. Romantics expressed their appreciation for nature in their literature and elevated the achievements of the misunderstood. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchass doubled the size of the country when Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France. Many settlers moved west in search of money and land. Native Americans were forced to move west. -
Walt Whitman birth
Walt Whitman was an office boy, typesetter, printer, newspaper editor, teacher, carpenter, and journalist. He published many novels and short stories in the 1840s. He did not pay attention to the traditional poetry and wrote about the aspects of an American life. Whitman is one of the most successful poets in history. -
Period: to
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalists focused on nature and the truths that it held. They believed that nature reveals spiritual truth and that people are inherently good. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are examples of Transcendentalist writers. They believed you should rely on yourself to provide yourself the truth and not the society around you. The "father of Transcendentalism" is Ralph Waldo Emerson. -
The Devil and Tom Walker
"The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washing Irving was a story that contained many characteristics of Romanticism. This story was about Tom, a greedy man, who was greeted by the Devil, who gave him an offer of treasure and money. Tom began to be scared of God putting a curse on him because he stole money from many people. Tom suddenly turned religious but it was no use. The Devil is a physical being which is highly imaginative. Tom's emotion state shown is a characteristic of Romanticism. -
Period: to
Whitman and Dickinson
Whitman, a bearded, big and outspoken man, was always writing about current events including the assassination of Lincoln. Dickinson was self-inspired and shy. They both wrote poetry in such radical form that it was not appreciated until later. Whitman and Dickinson used different types of poetry in order to emphasize certain words and express themselves better. They used free verse and figurative language that added to the emotions. -
Thoreau's new home
Because Thoreau believed in the fact that nature is an escape from the hard city life, he abandoned his normal life and built his own home near Walden Pond. He said he is not lonely at Walden because he is a part of the Milky Way. Thoreau tells us to simplify our lives so that we are not filled with stress. "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life." - Thoreau -
Slave Narratives
Slave narratives were published by former slaves who had escaped to the North to share their experiences. These slave narratives taught people the truth about the conditions of being a slave and what they experienced before abolition. Personal experiences were key to writing in this time period. People wrote diaries and letters to share their experiences of the war. Slave narratives were important to antislavery because it taught people that slaves were real people who suffer. -
Leaves of Grass
Whitman wrote this small book because he saw America as a great poem and he wanted to show it on paper. Instead of writing poems in the traditional poetic form, he wrote them in free verse. His lines were loose and informal which was a step away from normal meter. Most of the 800 copies of this book were thrown away. -
Period: to
Romanticism to Realism
Slavery divides the nation into The Confederate States of America and The Union. The Civil War happens and Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant to give The Union the win. Slave narratives were published by former slaves who had escaped to the North. People shared their experiences in diaries and letters. Realism became a popular style because of the influence from the war and the tragedies that happened during the war. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott claimed that living in a free state made him free but the court said otherwise. The supreme court was full of people who agreed with the idea of slavery. They said Dred Scott was not considered a person but was property. They said there was no reason for a white man to respect a black man. Northerners were furious and concerned with the laws in the South. -
The Chambered Nautilus
"The Chambered Nautilus" by Oliver Wendell compares a chambered nautilus to a human. It shows that like the chambered nautilus, human souls tend to constantly search for the newest things and do not go back to the older models or homes. The "outgrown shell" is where humans outgrow their clothes or get tired of their home and want something newer like the nautilus. Oliver Wendell received a bachelor and medical degree from Harvard and wrote three novels. -
The Civil War Starts
President Lincoln was elected which angered the South and caused them to secede from the Union. Confederate cannons fired at Fort Sumter in 1861. The Confederate army was confident in their skills as fighters over the Union. Robert E. Lee, leader of the Confederates, surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, the leader of The Union. Around 618,000 people died which is as much as all other American fights combined. The War changed America's view on literature and they turned to the unsentimental realism. -
Period: to
Fireside Poets
The Fireside Poets were a New England group of poets focused on moral themes in their work. Their name came from a tradition to sit around the campfire telling poetry. They wrote to promote social reform and appreciated nature. They wrote about abolition, women's rights, temperance, and improvement of factory conditions. -
Period: to
Modernism
In this time period, people focused on the "American Dream." They abandoned the traditional poetry style and created poetry and short stories with new themes. Internal monologue, the voice inside the character, was emphasized during this time. The Civil Rights Movement occurred along with the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920s, the roles of women changed because of the 19th Amendment. People were concerned with the societry turning towards destruction. Lonliness and isolation were common themes. -
The Changing of Female Life
The passage of the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. The government no longer had control of voting based on sex. The emergence of the flapper, a young woman that kept up with the newest fashion and accessories gave women more attention. More and more women were earning wages in the workplace following these significant events. New technology made family life easier and female writers were now celebrated. -
The Great Depression Starts
The Great Depression was when many people became poor and suffered. Workers lost their jobs and the banks could not provide enough money for the people. Unemployment rates were as high as 25 percent and millions went hungry and lost their homes. The Dust Bowl was a severe drought included in the Great Depression that added to the horror. Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to make problems better by offering New Deal programs. Ultimately, World War II caused the end of this time of trouble. -
Period: to
The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl started in 1931 when the "black blizzards" began. Dust from the over-plowed land began to blow around after the crops died. Many families moved west in search for jobs. FDR approves the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, which provides 525 million dollars to the relief of the drought. In the fall of 1939, the rain finally comes and brings an end to the drought. -
Of Mice of Men
This story is about George and Lennie, friends that have a dream of owning a farm together. Lennie has the mentality of a child and does not realize his great strength. Curley is an angry man who has a wife that loves to flirt with men. Curley gets in a fight with Lennie and Lennie breaks his hand. Lennie accidentally kills a puppy and Curley's wife when she lets him touch her hair. Curley wants to kill Lennie but George does it. George and Lennie do not achieve their dream because of Lennie. -
The Crucible
In the beginning, Reverend Parris's daughter, Betty, is sick. The town believes at it is witchcraft because Betty and Abigail were dancing in the woods before with Tituba. Abigail accuses Tituba of witchcraft and Tituba says that she is a witch. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail and his wife Elizabeth finds out. Elizabeth is arrested and Proctor blames it on Abigail. Abigail accuses Proctor of witchcraft and Proctor refuses to confess. Proctor is hanged because he would not confess.
