American Literature I:  Final Examination

The final exam will consist of ONE ESSAY QUESTION to be chosen from the following list.  Begin your answer with a general statement that answers the question.  Support this statement with examples from the text(s) under discussion and analysis of each example (Support your assertions with evidence from each text.  Be sure to cite quoted lines and explain how your quote illustrates your assertion).   Provide historical context.  Write in complete sentences, shaping your response in essay form.  Write the letter of the question you answer at the beginning of your response.  All answers should be typed and double-spaced (1200-1500 words).

1. Using FOUR representative texts that we have examined this semester, compare and contrast the religious and cultural values they reflect  (At least one (1) text should be from the 17th century, at least one from the 18th century, and one from the 19th century).

2. "What is an American?" Choose FOUR authors representing different answers to this question. One of your authors should be Crevecoeur. Refer to specific texts, and discuss them in as much detail as possible (In addition to Crevecouer’s text, you should use one text from the 17th century, one from the 18th century, and one from the 19th century).

3. From the beginning the "American dream" (or the dream of a "New World") has been articulated and experienced very differently by different classes and ethnic groups, and sometimes within the same ethnic group by men and women, or by those who celebrated and those who questioned the dominant view. Choose FOUR authors or texts to illustrate these differences (You should use a minimum of one author/work from the 17th century, one from the 18th, and a minimum of one from the 19th century).

4.  Write an essay comparing/contrasting attitudes toward women.  In your response, you must use FOUR authors/works, a minimum of one from the 17th century, one from the 18th, and a minimum of one from the 19th century.