Essay 1 Directions: Native Americans, Explorers, Pilgrims, & Puritans

When writing about historical literature, be sure to compose an essay that specifically focuses
on the literature we are studying instead of historical events like you would in a history course.
In our essays in American literature, you must shift your focus to specifically focus on the texts
themselves.
What does that mean?
Two sentences randomly taken out of an essay:

Bad: The Indians were a tight-knit community.

This gives a simple historical fact. You can find this in a history book. Not good.

Good: The Native American legend, Glooscap and the Coyote, illustrates the
significance of community with the repetition of words that are associated with family
when describing daily life in the tribe.
This offers analysis of the text beyond mere recall of the story. It gives a point,
illustrates the significance of community, and offers areas of the text that support
that, with the repetition of words that are associated with family. Good.

Something to Keep in Mind!: In order to keep focused on the literature, do not quote the
editors of the textbook in your essays. Perkins & Perkins only provide historical and biographical
background, so that information will be mostly irrelevant. If you do quote them, keep it to a
minimum since the editors are not the focus of our studies.
Prompts: (Choose one)
1
Subject

Native American Oral Tradition

Intended
Learning
Outcome

Analyze the relationship between Native American oral tales and themes that
are unique to their culture.

Prompt

Analyze the universal themes in Native American oral tales by explaining how
stories reflect a specific universal theme that you think would be unique to
Native Americans. Trace one unique theme throughout several stories and
explain why it is important. Use specific examples to support the presence of
your theme.

2
Subject

Native American Myths and Legends

Intended
Learning
Outcome

Compare the unique use of personification in Native American tales.

Prompt

Compare the personification of animals across several Native American tales.

Use specific examples from several tales regarding how the personification is
used to achieve a specific purpose.

3
Subject

European Explorers

Intended
Learning
Outcome

Analyze the way the Explorers texts were written in regards to the audiences
they wrote for.

Prompt

Analyze the composition choices of the European Explorers writings by

pointing out specific choices, like diction, that make their writings tailored to
the specific audiences that they were intended for back home.

4
Subject

Native Americans and Pilgrims

Intended
Learning
Outcome

Compare the different cultural perspectives in the writings of the Native

Americans and Pilgrims.

Prompt

Given the first encounters of the Native Americans and Pilgrims in their
writings, compare their different cultural perspectives and explain why the
differences are significant. Use specific examples from their writings to
illustrate those differences.

5
Subject

The writings of John Smith and William Bradford

Intended
Learning
Outcome

Compare the different visions of the New World

Prompt

Compare the different visions John Smith and William Bradford have of the
New World in their writings. Which vision is more compatible with present
America. Use examples from their writings to support your argument.

6
Subject

The writing of John Smith

Intended
Learning
Outcome

Evaluate the reliability of Smiths narration

Prompt

Evaluate the reliability of John Smiths narration based upon the credibility of
the details he provides to tell his story. Use specific examples from his text to
justify your evaluation.

7
Subject

John Winthrops A Model of Christian Charity

Intended
Learning
Outcome

Evaluate the concept of love and the church-state in Winthrops text

Prompt

Evaluate the concept of love in John Winthrops A Model of Christian

Charity in regards to the perfect church-state. Give examples from his text to
support whether his concept of love is idealistic or impractical.

8
Subject
Intended
Learning
Outcome

Prompt

The poetry of Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor

Compare the focus in Bradstreet and Taylors writings on either life on earth
and human relations or on spiritual rebirth and how each influences
composition choices

Compare Bradstreets focus on life on earth and human relations with Taylors
focus on spiritual rebirth. Include specific examples from their texts that
illustrate the way imagery, tone, and diction are influenced by their focus.

9
Subject

Michael Wigglesworths Day of Doom

Intended
Learning
Outcome

Analyze the rhetorical devices used in Day of Doom to achieve a purpose

Prompt

Analyze the rhetorical devices used in Michael Wigglesworths Day of Doom

by explaining how specific choices in the writing add to the impact of the
poem. Provide specific passages to illustrate how the poem achieves a specific
purpose.
Rhetorical devices: Irony, simile, metaphor, ethos, pathos, logos, allusion, etc.
See a full list of devices with explanations at the following:
http://www.virtualsalt.com/rhetoric.htm

See next page for grading criteria

Grading Criteria:
You will be graded on the following:

Essay addresses the prompt

Has a clear thesis/main idea in the introduction that unifies the essay. The thesis cannot
be implied or vague.
Thesis cannot be a simple fact or a question. Thesis must be debatable.
Body paragraphs have clear topic sentences that suggest the direction of each
paragraph
Body paragraphs provide textual support (quotes) in each paragraph from the literature
being analyzed. (Intro and Conclusion do not have to contain quotes).
Body paragraphs use sufficient analysis to support the thesis.
Body paragraphs do not merely summarize the literature.
The entire argument focuses on the literature as the subject of discussion. It does not
turn in to a history lesson and go off topic.
Uses proper paper format (MLA)
Uses Standard American grammar and spelling. (Also, no text messaging language,
profanity, or slang)
Has a Works Cited page at the end that follows proper MLA format (The Works Cited
page does not count towards the minimum length requirements).

ANALYZE, DONT SUMMARIZE!! Dont write a book report where the essay simply summarizes
the texts. There must be an argument present in your essay.