American Literature

Discussion of Poe’s “The Raven”
1) After reading and listening to “The Raven,” do you feel like hearing the poem enhances your understanding or enjoyment of the poem?
2) What conclusions do you make about what happens on this night to the narrator?
3) How do you feel about the changes Lou Reed made in his version of the poem? Does he clarify anything for the listener with his version, or just confuse things more?
Respond to all the questions. Responses should be one paragraph for each question.
Make sure to include your name in the posting.

Discussion of Literature to 1700
Answer the following questions on this discussion board:
1. How did the “discovery” of America by Europeans affect the Native Americans? What changes occurred?
2. What were some of the differences between the Europeans and Native Americans with respect to language and literature?
3. What were the Puritan beliefs?
Make sure to include your name on the posting.
Please respond with at least one paragraph for each question or a listing.

Discussion of Tricksters
Review the information on both Native American and African American Tricksters.
1) What similarities and differences do you find in the two cultural tales (the tales or the characters)?
2) The Trickster is a character that has transcended cultures and made its way into general literature and popular culture (film and television) — do you know of any Tricksters outside of Native American or African American Tricksters?

Enlightenment Discussion
The Enlightenment was a significant departure from the previous era which focused on Puritanism more than anything else in American Literature.
What were some of the beliefs of the Enlightenment Era and how did they differ from the Purtian beliefs? Make sure to include your name in the posting.
Answer in 1-2 paragraphs.

Romanticism Discussion
This time period was a boom time for American Literature. American authors were attempting to make names for themselves and for America in general, as they sought to establish American Literature as something that could hold its own with literature from other parts of the world (most notably, England and Europe, of course).
The Romantics were the main group of writers in this time period and there is an irony in this. Where does Romanticism come from and what characteristics do you find in Romantic writing?
Answers can be simple listing or 1-2 paragraphs.
Make sure to include your name in the posting.

Poe and King Discussion
Both “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Boogeyman” deal with men who apparently have issues with their mental well-being — the narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” is defending his sanity and Mr. Billings is discussing his “case” with a psychiatrist. Do you believe either man is sane? Do you believe Mr. Billings at all? Was there some point in “The Boogeyman” that you stopped believing Mr. Billings’ story (if you ever believed him)?

Your answers should be 2-3 paragraphs.

Be sure to include your name in the posting.
Dickinson Discussion

Dickinson’s work has been divided into four major themes — Life, Love, Nature and Death/Eternity. Choose three (3) poems by Dickinson and classify them according to these themes — Identify the poem, identify the theme, and address why you believe the poem fits into that particular theme.
Don’t forget to include your name on the posting.

Realism Discussion
Realism and Naturalism were the two main literary movements during 1865-1914.
• What are the main characteristics of Realism?
• What are the main characteristics of Naturalism?
• How are these two literary movements similar? How do they differ?

Bierce Discussion
Bierce comes out of the Civil War with a very particular view of life.
Is “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” an example of Realism, Naturalism or Regionalism? Why? Focus on the main character – what is he like and what is he going through? Does the film version change anything by cutting out the “back story” (part II) of the text?
Be sure to include your name in your posting.

Chopin Discussion
Chopin uses a great deal of irony in her stories, but perhaps no more so than in “The Story of an Hour.” Discuss at least two (2) different instances of irony in that story.

Hughes Discussion
Review Hughes’ poetry. Choose one poem by Hughes and explicate the poem in 2-3 paragraphs. Look at the poem in detail and discuss meaning and what Hughes does to evoke particular ideas. Give your overall opinion at the end. See also Poetry Explication.