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ENG 231-N888
Paper # 1
Major Writing Assignment: Paper # 1
Working Draft–11-13-23
Final Draft–11-17-23
Required Length: 5-7 Pages* (including the works-cited section)
* At Least 1200 Words (not including the required works-cited section)
Working individually or collectively as a group of up to five students, write an essay
(length: five-to-seven pages), explaining and discussing at least one of the related major
American literary themes listed below on page 2 of this assignment sheet. In your discussion,
incorporate at least two or more works from the first five weeks of our class reading list as
noted on page 3 of this assignment sheet to explain, exemplify, and emphasize the relevance of at
least one of these interconnected themes.
Use MLA format (9th ed.), twelve-point, Times New Roman font, and, in addition to
incorporating and citing your two primary sources, refer to and reference at least two
outside works to clarify and enhance your discussion, such as the selections in your
textbook on the author(s) and era(s).
Your final draft is due by 12:00 pm with a grace period until 5:00 pm on 12/8.
Upload your work via the specified portal located on Brightspace in the Content Coursework
folder for Week Five. This portal will open by 11/6 and remain open until 5:00 p.m. on
11/17.
Department policy stipulates that only essays uploaded through Brightspace’s TurnItIn
submission portal will be graded, so if you experience difficulty entering your work, first try a
different Internet browser, e.g., Google Chrome, etc. If you’re still having problems, contact
Central Piedmont’s ITS Service Desk ([email protected] or 704-330-5000) to resolve your
issue prior to the end of the grace period. When requesting assistance, be sure to provide the
following information for ITS:
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The name and section of the course
The name of the assignment
The navigation path
The error (if any) received
The web browser used at the time of the problem
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A phone number and/or email address to for correspondence
Prevalent Themes & Concerns in Early American Literature
Discovering and Probing Religious Belief, Commitment, Guilt, and Redemption
Many of America’s early settlements were founded by intensely spiritual groups and often because these colonists
wanted to have religious freedom. However, while most of these communities pursued such liberties for themselves, they
were often reluctant to extend or even vehemently opposed to permitting such rights to those holding opposing viewpoints,
considering such views as a danger, a threat to their immortal souls.
For these devout groups, a relationship with God was a fundamental part of their everyday lives. Therefore, they
tended to search for and see evidence of the divine in the world around them, not just in great, miraculous events but in the
typical, even mundane, occurrences.
Journeying from Innocence to Awareness
This New World brought new experiences and, as a result, new discoveries and perspectives, forever altering
individuals’ futures and worldviews. Thus, the concept of innocence is not just about blamelessness but more about connotations
of naiveté, of a lack of knowledge or understanding. Hence, this metaphorical journey transports characters, audiences, and/or
authors from a state of ignorance, misunderstanding, or lack of information to one of informed comprehension, a fuller appreciation
for and understanding of the world and their place within it. This theme traces and reflects that development.
Embracing and Exposing the American Dream
For many, this New World meant hope and a better life. For others, it meant torture, despair, and degradation. Much of
American literature explores and exposes the promises and limitations of living in America and of being an American. This
theme examines the joys and disappointments accompanying individuals’ pursuit of this dream of opportunity and
advancement through personal efforts.
Facing the Challenges and Reaping the Rewards of America’s Frontiers and Settlements
For many, America was a foreign, dangerous place where only a few, brave, and stalwart souls would venture or
could survive. For others, it meant new opportunities, a clean slate, and the chance to redefine themselves and forge a new
future. This theme explores these opportunities and expectations.
Exploring the Origins, Enduring the Trials, and Celebrating the Triumphs of the American Hero
The American hero, unlike European counterparts, tends not to be affluent and socially connected. Rather, he—or
she—is typically self-reliant, resourceful, and cunning. This frequently shrewd and surprisingly fortunate individual
succeeds not by virtue of family fortunes but by personal self-assuredness.
Celebrating Individualism: Deciding, Charting, and Seeking Personal Aims and Freedoms
Rather than simply following traditional expectations, many American literary authors and characters tend to favor
new, unconventional, and inventive ways to determine their future. This theme commemorates this transformative approach.
Struggling against Social Constraints
Not only did America’s early (and typically European) settlers challenge the practices at home and flee to the New
World for religious freedom and economic opportunity, but even today, Americans also continue to challenge any
infringements upon their personal beliefs and values. This theme reminds us of this American principle and practice.
Building a Better Society
Despite their fierce independence, many Americans also believe in the fundamental importance of helping establish
a better life for members of their community. This trend of active volunteerism, empathy, compassion, and generosity
pervades much of American literature. Ironically, however, this consideration and goodwill are not applied universally, and
the selectivity with which these sentiments are bestowed and withheld often yield tragic consequences.
Serving One’s Community and Benefiting from Its Support
While they savor their individuality and personal freedoms, Americans also relish uniting with and supporting
likeminded individuals, forming a symbiotic, mutually beneficial, relationship, for Americans continue to acknowledge the
importance of aligning themselves with and giving back to their nurturing community.
Probing Dark Mysteries
Many pieces focus on musing—and even brooding—upon mysterious themes. Sometimes, works simply ponder
topics difficult to comprehend but still uplifting, like: love, nature, and human imagination and creativity. In such works, the
conclusions are largely life-affirming. Sometimes, however, works focus on darkly disturbing images and considerations,
including: the nature of death, qualms about the afterlife, impermanence and uncertainty in the world, the subconscious self
(a dark double within), hope subsumed by despair, and similar misgivings. These works forebode a bleak, unsettling
outcome or future. This theme presents and explores these sometimes promising, sometimes disturbing contemplations.
Surviving and Succeeding through Pluck and Luck
This is the quintessential component in much of America’s early literature—and even in many of today’s
literary works—and headlines. Throughout America’s history, literary and otherwise, Americans have sought to
survive—and thrive—by looking to themselves and their own energy, fortitude, innovation, and opportunities; making
their way by recognizing—and pressing home—their own advantages; and by shrewdly, eagerly, and unabashedly
seizing serendipitous circumstances to promote themselves through their verve, skills, and good fortune.
Paper # 1 Reading Selections (Pick at Least Two Selections for Your Essay)
1. Week 1 10/16-20
a. Unit 1: Module A: Colonial Writer John Smith
b. Unit 1: Module B: Colonial Writer William Bradford
c. Unit 1: Module C: Colonial Writer John Winthrop
d. Unit 1: Module D: Colonial Writer Roger Williams “The Bloody Tenet of
Persecution”
2. Week 2 10/23-27
a. Unit 1: Module E: Colonial Writer Anne Bradstreet
b. Transitional Unit: Bridging Colonial & Revolutionary Sentiments—Writer Mary
Rowlandson
c. Unit 2: Module A: Revolutionary War Writer Benjamin Franklin
3. Week 3 10/30-11/3
a. Unit 2: Module B: Revolutionary War Writers Thomas Paine & Thomas Jefferson
b. Unit 2: Module C: Revolutionary War Writer Phillis Wheatley
4. Week 4 11/6-10
a. Unit 3: Module A: Early American Author Washington Irving
b. Unit 3: Module B: Early American Author James Fenimore Cooper
c. Unit 3: Module C: Early Indigenous American Author William Apess
d. Unit 3: Module D: Early American Influencers Ralph Waldo Emerson & Henry
David Thoreau
e. Unit 3: Module E: Early Indigenous American Speaker Black HawkThe Midterm
5. Week 5 11/13-17
a. Unit 3: Module F: Early American Author Nathaniel Hawthorne
b. Unit 3: Module G: Early American Author Edgar Allan Poe
c. Unit 3: Module H: Early American Influencer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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