LITR220 Homework

American Literature before the Civil War

Two Part Homework minimum 300 words each part. MLA Format with works cited if applicable.

Part 1:  Compare the attitude toward the Native Americans revealed by at least three of the following authors: Mary Rowlandson, John Smith, Cotton Mather and St. John de Crevecoeur. You might consider the concept of the good Indian, the bad Indian, and the noble savage as part of your answer. Refer to specific native people to illustrate your response. Of these authors, who do you believe expresses the truest description of the native peoples? Contrast how these writings would be received today.

Part II:  Readers have been interested in de Crevecoeur's writings as a documentation of life in America at that time and as an idea of what being an American is all about. More recently, readers have also considered his work an examination of the whole human experience. Discuss your thoughts and reactions to de Crevecoeur's "Letters from an American Farmer" on any element that speaks to you and, also, specifically in terms of what it meant, and means today, to be an American.