Starting Up Again After Break

Above is a photo of the Frederick Douglass House in Washington, DC.

Good evening :)

I hope that everyone had an enjoyable break!

Tomorrow (Monday) we return to American Literature I.  I have already returned the essay part of the the exams to you, so I will return the objective part of the exam.  We will also go over the stand alone essay that will be due on April 21.  It will require some research, and on March 31, we will go to the library to meet with librarian Niyati Pandya.  

For Wednesday, we will return to Life Writing, moving onto the slave narrative with the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.  If we have time on Monday, we will prepare to start this very important work of life writing and American history.  I may also talk a bit about Equiano's Interesting Narrative and other autobiographies in our textbook.

Here are a few quick questions to start off the second half of the semester.  Feel free to create your own questions.

-- What are some of the themes that have arisen so far in American Literature?  Why are they important?  Which works embody them?  Why?

-- Choose one theme and a work that develops this theme.  Discuss how the work develops this theme.

-- Which themes have we ignored?  Why?

-- Which themes may not be as important?  Why?

-- How does Frederick Douglass' narrative continue the themes we have highlighted in the first half of the semester?

-- How does his narrative bring us into the literature/culture of The United States?

-- Compare and contrast his narrative with Franklin's or Equiano's.

-- How does Douglass bring others' voices and experiences into his narrative?

-- What is American about Douglass' narrative?  (Compare/contrast this work with Equiano's Interesting Narrative or other works from before 1776).

Keep up the good work!

Dr. Szlyk