Early American Literature: Analyzing Theme, Lesson, And Acti

Early American Literature Analyzing Themethe Lesson Activities Will H

Early American Literature: Analyzing Theme The Lesson Activities will help you meet these educational goals: 21st Century Skills—You will use critical-thinking skills. Directions Please save this document before you begin working on the assignment. Type your answers directly in the document. _________________________________________________________________________ Write a response for each of the following activities. Check the Evaluation section at the end of this document to make sure you have met the expected criteria for the assignment. When you have finished, submit your work to your teacher. 1. Analyzing Theme: Colonial Narratives Choose one work by Roger Williams or a section of Samuel Sewall's diary or a few poems by Anne Bradstreet. Then complete both parts of this activity. a. Keeping in mind that pieces of literature often have more than one dominant theme, write down just one theme from the work you chose. Type your response here: b. Analyze how the writer advances the theme you selected throughout the work. Use the chart to map out how the theme is introduced, continued, and concluded. To support your ideas about how the theme is advanced, cite at least two passages for each phase (introduction, continuation, and conclusion). In addition, research essays about your chosen theme using your library’s reference resources or the Internet. Type your response here: Passage (page reference) Ideas (argumentative claims or comments or viewpoints) Style (images, allusions, figures of speech used to advance theme) Explanation (i.e., how the passage conveys the theme) introduction continuation conclusion 2. Analyzing Theme: African American Literature Read the Phillis Wheatley poems “To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth” and “On Being Brought from Africa to America.” a. What universal theme does Wheatley convey in “To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth”? Type your response here: b. Identify three words or images Wheatley uses to describe bondage and oppression in “To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth.” How do these words or images advance Wheatley’s ideas about the institution of slavery and its effect on slaves themselves? Type your response here: c. What comment on life does Wheatley convey in “On Being Brought from Africa to America”? Type your response here: d. Identify three words and images Wheatley uses to advance her ideas about the lives of slaves in “On Being Brought from Africa to America.” Type your response here: e. Compare and contrast the themes of both of these poems. Type your response here: 3. Analyzing Theme: American Indian Literature Read one American Indian poem, story, or tale (including American Indian trickster tales, which use the figure of an animal or a man to make a comment about the human condition). What universal theme does the work you read convey? Identify and explain two ways in which the writer carries out the universal theme. Type your response here, including detailed analysis and examples.