English
312: American Literature to the Civil War
Shaw University
Fall, 2006
Instructor: Dr. E. Weil Office: 203 “The Cottage” Phone:
546-8207
Office Hours: MWF 10 - 11:00, 12 - 1:00; TTh 9:30 - 12:00
Home Phone: 870-6038 (before 10 PM) email: eweil@shawu.edu
Web: www.shawuniversity.edu; click “Faculty Websites”; click my name; follow
Eng 312 links.
Text: Baym, Nina, ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 6th ed.
Vol. A & B.
Course Goals: We will read and , hopefully, enjoy studying a variety of
literary works from the colonial period in America through the period of the
Civil War. We will improve our critical reading ability; likewise, we will
improve our ability to write clearly and analytically about literary works.
Although many of the works we will study encompass unfamiliar times, events,
language, and styles, we will use our natural curiosity and our research skills
to explore some of the best American early writings.
Additional goals:
1. to become familiar with various literary genres, such as poetry, fiction, and
non-fiction prose, including specific genre characteristics such as plot, theme,
imagery, & rhyme scheme, etc.
2. to improve the ability to interpret and critically evaluate literary texts
through close and careful reading.
3. to apply differing modern literary theories in such a way as to present the
possibility of a variety of interpretations of a text.
4. to increase historical, cultural, and contextual awareness and perspective in
order to appreciate problems of authorship and audience.
5. to develop an awareness of differing beliefs, values, and ideas, as presented
in literary works and to engage in critical analysis of these presentations.
6. to see literature’s relevance to our lives.
7. to see literature as a social act -- to understand how a culture influences
literature and how literature influences culture.
8. to improve writing abilities through writing well-organized, coherent,
thoughtfully-developed, and carefully-edited research essays.
9. to improve the ability to write extemporaneously by responding to quizzes and
examinations.
English 312 is intended to comply with the following “Core Standards for
Teachers in North Carolina,” including their accompanying indicators, as
approved by the NC State Board of Education March 7, 2002:
Conceptual Framework Theme: To produce graduates who are critical
thinkers and problem solvers with the professionsl dispositions and
technological skills necessary to function as competent and effective teachers
in a diverse world.
Standard 1: Teachers know and understand the English language.
Standard 2: Teachers know and understand the reading process.
Standard 3: Teachers know and understand written and oral composing processes.
Standard 5: Teachers understand the range, impact, and influence of technology,
print and non-print media in constructing meaning.
Standard 10: Teachers use instruction that promotes understanding of varied
uses and purposes for language.
Standard 11: Teachers foster in students an awareness of their own and others’
cultures.
Standard 12: Teachers recognize commonalities and individual differences within
the classroom.
Technology: Standard 1, Indicator 1: Teachers demonstrate introductory
knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology.
Standard 2, Indicator 3: Teachers identify and locate technology resources and
evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
Standard 3, Indicator 1: Teachers facilitate technology-enhanced experiences
that address content standards and student technoloy standards.
Core Standard 2, Indicator 8: Teachers teach communication, thinking, and
problem solving skills.
Diversity: Standard 2, Indicator 2: Teachers assist students in
developing multiple learning strategies to address discipline specific content,
communication, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.
Attendance: Attendance is essential. I expect you to be present, on time, and
prepared for class discussion, as I expect myself to be. We have 42 class
meetings scheduled. Each time you come to class you get 2.38 points (42 x 2.38
= 99.96). Think of it as if you are getting paid for attending class. You may
skip all you like, but each miss costs you 2.38 points. If you are tardy, you
get 1 point. Conduct your personal business at times when you don’t have class;
that’s what I do.
Requirements: There will be midterm and final exams. These will be part
identification/short answer questions and part essay questions. You will write
one research paper on either Henry David Thoreau’s Walden or Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter. See my website for details. You will
have 1-page writing assignments due on the day we discuss a work; there may be
quizzes on the readings.
A few words about plagiarism: There are two kinds of plagiarism,
unintentional and intentional. Unintentional plagiarism is the sloppy,
careless, unclear, or incorrect citation of sources. In other words,
unintentional plagiarism happens when you make certain kinds of mistakes.
Avoiding and/or correcting those mistakes is part of what this course is about.
The paper assignment links on my website demonstrate everything you need to know
and do, regarding MLA documentation. Pay careful attention to corrections I
make on your paper so that you can earn a better grade on your revision (if
needed). Intentional plagiarism means cheating -- turning in someone else’s
work as your own or copying from sources without providing documentation.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, such activities as buying ready-made
term papers, either from a person or from a website; downloading a free essay
from a website, in whole or in part; cutting and pasting material (even one
sentence) from a website to your essay without proper documentation; having
someone else write your paper or revise it for you; turning in a paper someone
else has turned in, either for this course or another; turning in the same paper
for two different courses. Please note that anything you can find on the
internet, I can find on the internet, whether it’s a term paper mill or a
website. To repeat: an essay which includes any plagiarized material
fails, scoring 0 points with no opportunity for revision. No second chances for
cheaters!
Your Final Grade: This will be determined by the number of points you earn
during the semester. The midterm exam will be worth 50 points, the final will
be 100 points, and the paper will be worth 100 points. One-page writings are
graded on a 10-point scale (your lowest of these grades will be dropped, if you
write more than 10). You can earn up to 100 points for attendance. When the
total number of possible points for the semester is determined, 90% will earn an
A, 80% a B, 70% a C, and 60% a D.
Readings & Assignments
During the semester, you will write at least ten 1-page writings as preparation
for our class meetings. Simply write a page in response to the question or
prompt listed for that date. You may do more than ten if you wish (what the
heck, do all of them!). Each typed sketch will be worth up to ten points
and I will count your best ten (100 points total possible) as part of your final
grade. Handwritten sketches will earn a maximum of 9 points. I will not accept
any 1-page writing after the class period when we discuss the work listed on the
syllabus for that day if you were present for that discussion. If you miss a
class and you write the sketch for that day, the sketch must be submitted the
day you return. The whole idea is for you to respond in writing to many of the
works we read because studies have shown that writing about literature helps you
to do the kind of thinking that enhances learning (and test performance).
Please remember to read the introductory material for each author or work
whether or not I specifically assign it.
F Aug 18: Introduction to the course; buy the book.
M Aug 21: Read “Pilgrim and Puritan” on pages 12-13. Read William Bradford,
Of Plimouth Plantation, Book II, Ch XI, XII, and XIX. Read Thomas Morton,
New England Canaan, Ch XIV. Read John Winthrop, “ A Model of Christian
Charity.” Compare/contrast Bradford’s “Mayflower Compact” and Winthrop’s
“Model.” OR Compare/contrast Bradford and Morton’s discussions of Merry Mount.
W Aug 23: Read Anne Bradstreet; “The Prologue” and “The Author to Her Book”.
Discuss the problems Bradstreet encountered as a woman in writing poetry during
the 17th century, as she alludes to them in her poems.
F Aug 25: Bradstreet; “The Flesh and the Spirit,” “Before the Birth of One of
Her Children,” and “To My Dear and Loving Husband.” Summarize the theological
argument presented in “The Flesh and the Spirit.” Also, identify the meter and
rhyme scheme.
M Aug 28: Edward Taylor; “The Preface” “Huswifery” “Meditation 8”. Discuss
the theological message in 2 of these poems. Also discuss meter & rhyme.
W Aug 30: Mary Rowlandson; from A Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration
of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. Intro, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 19th,
and 20th Removes. How does Mrs. Rowlandson make use of her religious beliefs to
help survive her capture and imprisonment?
F Sep 1: Jonathan Edwards, from “Personal Narrative;” Samuel Sewall, from his
Diary, 371-376. Compare/contrast these two works.
M Sep 4: Labor Day Holiday
W Sep 6: Phillis Wheatley; “On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield” “On
Being Brought from Africa to America” “To His Excellency General Washington”.
Discuss in detail the meter and rhyme scheme of one of these poems. Also
discuss the poem’s theme.
F Sep 8: Philip Freneau; “To Sir Toby” and “The Wild Honey-Suckle.” Discuss
the meter and rhyme scheme of “The Wild Honey-Suckle,” then explicate the poem.
Also read “The Selling of Joseph,” by Samuel Sewall, 387-390.
M Sep 11: Benjamin Franklin; Read “The Way to Wealth,” then skim Part 1 of
Franklin’s Autobiography. Then read the article in your course packet
from Smithsonian magazine; it’s an excerpt from a new biography of
Franklin. Write a character sketch of Franklin based on both readings. Or:
Write a page explaining how some of Poor Richard’s sayings are still true today.
W Sep 13: Franklin; Autobiography, Part 2 (588-599) and the essay, “On
the Slave Trade” (course packet). Compare/contrast the essay with Freneau’s “To
Sir Toby” and Sewall’s “The Selling of Joseph.”
F Sep 15: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; “A Psalm of Life” and “The Slave’s
Dream.” William Cullen Bryant; “Thanatopsis,” “To a Waterfowl,” and “The
Prairies.” Write an explanation of either “To a Waterfowl” or “The Slave’s
Dream.” Include a discussion of the meter and rhyme scheme. Also read “Why
Lewis and Clark Matter” in your course packet.
M Sep 18: Washington Irving; “Rip Van Winkle.” Summarize the action and
explain what you think is Irving’s point.
W Sep 20: James Fenimore Cooper; from The Pioneers (read all). Briefly
characterize Natty Bumppo (aka Leather-stocking), and describe the aspect(s) of
frontier society that disturb him.
F Sep 22: Edgar Allan Poe; “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado.”
Poe’s short stories are often called “psychological thrillers.” Why? Use these
stories to explain the term. Also read the article about Poe’s home in your
course packet.
M Sep 25: Poe; “Sonnet -- To Science” “The Sleeper” “The Raven” “Annabel Lee”.
Also read the quotation at the end of the syllabus. Poe theorized that music is
an essential characteristic of poetry. Choose two of these poems and describe
what is “musical” about them and explicate them.
W Sep 27: Midterm Exam. (50 points)
F Sep 28: We will go over the exam and begin a discussion of Transcendentalism
(no homework).
M Oct 2: Ralph Waldo Emerson; Read the introduction and Ch1 of “Nature.” Then
read “The Poet.” Summarize the main ideas of “Nature” and “The Poet.” How are
they “transcendental”?
W Oct 4: Read the Emerson material in your course packet, including the three
poems: “The Snow-Storm,” “The Rhodora,” and “Brahma.” Choose any of these
poems. What makes it “transcendental”? Include a discussion of the poem’s
meter and rhyme.
F Oct 6: Henry D. Thoreau; from Walden, Ch 2: “Where I Lived, and What I Lived
For”. Summarize. What makes Thoreau “transcendental”? Sometime this week also
read “Travel Deliberately to Walden Pond” in your course packet.
M Oct 9: Thoreau; from Walden, Ch 4: “Sounds” and Ch 11: “Higher Laws.”
Summarize. What makes these chapters “transcendental”?
W Oct 11: Thoreau; from Walden, Ch 17 “Spring” and Ch 18 “Conclusion.” Write a
summary of each of these chapters.
F Oct 13: Homecoming Convocation (no class)
M Oct 16: Read the intro material on Nathaniel Hawthorne. Read The Scarlet
Letter --“The Custom-House”. Summarize what the narrator tells us in “The
Custom-House”.
W Oct 18: Hawthorne; TSL -- Chapters I-IV. What promise does
Chillingworth extract from Hester? Why?
F Oct 20: Hawthorne; TSL -- Chapters V-X. Describe the authorities’ and
the townspeoples’ reactions to Hester’s public status. Describe Hester’s
attitude.
M Oct 23: Hawthorne; TSL -- Chapters XI-XVIII. Discuss the importance
of the second scaffold scene and the importance of Hester & Arthur’s discussion
in the forest.
W Oct 25: Hawthorne; TSL -- Chapters XIX to the end. Write a page
detailing as many meanings for the letter “A” as you can.
F Oct 27: Catch-up Day (We will have class.)
M Oct 30: Herman Melville; from Moby Dick, Chs. I, XXVIII, XLI, and
XLII. Write a page discussing Melville’s attitude toward “whiteness.”
W Nov 1: Harriet Jacobs; from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Briefly summarize the action and message of each chapter.
F Nov 3: Harriet Beecher Stowe; Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Chs III, VII, and
IX. Look up “sentimental novel” in Abrams (on reserve). How do you think
UTC fits the definition? Also read “North to Freedom” in the course packet.
M Nov 6: Abraham Lincoln; all selections. Write your own summary of the “House
Divided” speech or the Second Inaugural Address. Add a paragraph connecting
either work to today’s racial or political situation.
W Nov 8: Walt Whitman; “Song of Myself.” Read the 1881 version, beginning on
p.2232. This is the main poem of a life-long book called Leaves of Grass.
Also read the quotations from Whitman at the end of this syllabus. Discuss the
metaphors of the grass in “Song of Myself.”
F Nov 10: Whitman; “Song of Myself.” Why are some sections like catalogues
(i.e. 15 & 33)? Are some sections grouped in some way?
M Nov 13: Whitman; “Song of Myself.” Why are there 52 sections? What do you
make of the whole thing? Also read “A Supermarket in California,” by Allen
Ginsberg in your course packet.
W Nov 15: Whitman; “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking,” “The Wound-Dresser,”
and “Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night.” Write a page explaining what
is going on in “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking.” What does the speaker
learn?
F Nov 17: Whitman; “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.” There are three
primary images around which “Lilacs” is constructed. What are they? How does
the speaker’s response to them change during the poem? What does he feel he
learns?
Note: A couple of the Dickinson poems might not be in the anthology you
have; look them up online. In any case, read more poems than I have assigned.
M Nov 20: Emily Dickinson; 303 “The Soul selects her own Society” 435 “Much
Madness is divinest Sense” 441 “This is my letter to the World” 709
“Publication -- is the Auction.” Also read the quotation on syllabus p.5. Look
up “renunciation” in a dictionary. Write a page explaining how these poems
exemplify “renunciation.”
W Nov 22 & F Nov 24: Thanksgiving Holiday
M Nov 27: 185 “’Faith’ is a fine invention” 324 “Some keep the Sabbath” 258
“There’s a certain Slant of light” 1624 “Apparently with no surprise” 501
“This World is not Conclusion.” Choose one these poems and explicate it as
clearly as you can. Be detailed.
W Nov 29: Dickinson; 241 “I like a look of Agony” 341 “After great pain” 465
“I heard a Fly buzz” 712 “Because I could not stop for Death.” Describe
Dickinson’s attitude toward Death.
F Dec 1: Dickinson; 1463 “A Route of Evanescence” 328 “A Bird came down the
Walk” 744 “Remorse -- is Memory -- awake” 986 “A narrow Fellow in the Grass.”
Describe Dickinson’s attitude toward Nature.
Here are some quotations from some of the writers that I hope you will find
inspirational, or, at least, thought-provoking:
“I would define the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of beauty. . . .
Unless incidentally, it has no concern whatever either with duty or with
truth.” Edgar Allan Poe
“Music is continuous; only listening is intermittent.” Henry D. Thoreau
“The wisest definition of poetry the poet will instantly prove false by setting
aside its requisitions.” Henry D. Thoreau
“The poet is the sayer, the namer, and represents beauty. He is a sovereign,
and stands on the centre.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“For poetry was all written before time was, and whenever we are so finely
organized that we can penetrate into that region where the air is music, we hear
those primal warblings, and attempt to write them down, but we lose ever and
anon a word, or a verse, and substitute something of our own, and thus miswrite
the poem.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The sign and credentials of the poet are, that he announces that which no man
foretold. He is the true and only [teacher]; he knows and tells.” Ralph Waldo
Emerson
“For it is not metres, but a metre-making argument, that makes a poem, -- a
thought so passionate and alive, that, like the spirit of a plant or an animal,
it has an architecture of its own, and adorns nature with a new thing.” Ralph
Waldo Emerson
“The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem.” Walt Whitman
“A great poem is for ages and ages in common and for all degrees and complexions
and all departments and sects and for a woman as much as a man and a man as much
as a woman.” Walt Whitman
“The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has
absorbed it.” Walt Whitman
“If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I
know that it is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were
taken off, I know that that is poetry.” Emily Dickinson