Questions After 4/2 Class

Above is the statue of Phillis Wheatley in Boston.  It dates from 2003 and was sculpted by Meredith Bergmann.

Good evening :)

On Friday we are moving on to the short story with Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and Jane Schoolcraft's "Mishosha."  What is it like for you to move to this familiar genre--and to return to Native American writing?

Here are a few questions for you, which are based on today's reading & discussion as well as on Friday's reading.

-- Again, what is it like for you to return to poetry with Phillis Wheatley's work?

-- If you are familiar with African-American poets from the 1900s and 2000s, consider how Miss Wheatley may have influenced them.  Is it a good thing or a bad thing that she has influenced them?

-- Discuss Miss Wheatley's approach to poetry.  How did it appear to evolve over time?  Which themes did she favor?  Which devices did she try?

-- Compare Miss Wheatley's poetry to Mrs. Bradstreet's or Rev. Taylor's.

-- Compare Miss Wheatley's poetry to the work of these 18th c. British poets.  Some, like Alexander Pope's, are neoclassical.  Others are Pre-Romantic or Romantic.  The second poem is by Ann Yearsley, a servant-poet whose literary patron was Hannah More.

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19900

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/182526

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/238440

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173507

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173259

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172917

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172918

How do these other poems help you to understand Miss Wheatley's poetry?  Where does she fit in with these poets?

-- How does Miss Wheatley argue for her humanity in her poems?  Is it effective?  Is poetry in general an effective way of arguing for one's humanity?

-- What do her poems reveal about slavery in the colonies and/or Boston?

-- What do her poems reveal about religion in her era?

-- What do her poems reveal about the transition to the United States?

-- Again, what is it like for you to turn to fiction?

-- How are Irving and Mrs. Schoolcraft's stories similar to fiction you've read?  How are they different?

-- How do Irving and Mrs. Schoolcraft represent American identity and experience?  

-- Compare Mrs. Schoolcraft's story to the Native American myths you read at the beginning of the semester.

-- Are you familiar with the story of "Rip Van Winkle"?  Compare Irving's actual story to the versions you may be familiar with.

-- What do these stories reveal about the transition to the United States?

-- What do they add to American literature?

I am looking forward to seeing and hearing what you have to say!

Dr. Szlyk