Unit 1 study guide- Early American
Literature
Part One: Vocabulary: You are responsible for knowing the definitions of the following
terms! They are located in your textbook.
1. Myth- Story passed down through generations explaining why the world is the
way it is
2. Cause and Effect- the concept that all actions have consequences; everything
that happens is a result of some cause.
3. Repetition- In poetry, the recurrence of a word in a sentence or line of the poem.
4. Imagery- visually descriptive figurative language
5. Folk tales- short, simple story handed down, usually by word of mouth, from
generation to generation
6. Trickster tales- Story about animal or person who engages in trickery, violence,
and magic and who is neither all good or all bad
7. Creation Myth- Story explaining how the universe, the earth, and life on earth
began
8. Primary Source- offers direct, firsthand knowledge—such as diaries and memoirs
9. Secondary Source- offers indirect, secondhand knowledge, such as biographies
and research papers
Part Two: Native American Literature Background Information: Use your notes on
Native American Lit. and your textbook to find this information! If you lost the notes,
remember that the PowerPoint is available on my website.
● The Native Americans faced hardships regarding __politics__________,
____food________, and ___shelter__________.
● They created stories in order to explain __why things were happening to them
_____________________________________________________________________.
● At this time, there was no ___written_____________ language. Therefore,
stories were told by ___word_______ of _____mouth_______, or
_______oral________ traditions.
● The 4 common elements (or themes) of Native American stories are:
○
○
○
○
_hero’s journey_________________________
__trickster god________________________
__creation story________________________
__nature changes________________________
Part Three: “The World on the Turtle’s Back”
● What caused the pregnant woman to fall through the Sky World?
Temptation and greed; she was craving bark from the forbidden tree and fell through the roots.
● How does the pregnant woman build the Earth?
She planted the roots that she grabbed on her fall into the dirt from the bottom of the ocean.
● What does the pregnant woman do to make the plants grow?
Walks around them in circles in the direction of the sun.
● What is placed over the daughter’s body when she faints?
Two arrows, one dull and one sharp.
● The right-handed twin is born the ___normal______________ way, while the lefthanded twin ___is born through the mother’s
armpit.___________________________________.
● What happened to the twins’ mother after they were born?
She died.
● The right-handed twin represents __good_____________, while the left-handed
twin represents __evil____________. The Iroquois believe these are present in
__all_____ people.
● Because the twins represent these things, the world is
___balanced____________.
● How does the right-handed twin discover the left-handed twin’s weakness?
The left-handed twin tells the truth.
● Who becomes the moon?
The twins’ grandmother (the pregnant woman from the beginning of the story).
● “The World on a Turtle’s Back” is an example of which type of Native American
story?
Creation myth
Part Four: “Coyote and the Buffalo”
● Who are the tricksters in this story? Why?
Coyote- lies to Buffalo about how he will use the cow
Old woman- tricks the Coyote into leaving the cow
● What causes the Buffalo to come back to life?
Coyote kicking dirt on his skull/angering him/disrespecting the dead
● Why does the coyote make the Buffalo new horns?
To prevent him from killing him and so that Buffalo can fight Young Buffalo and get his family
back.
● What does this story show us about how the Native Americans view humans and
animals?
Because the animals act like humans, we know that humans and animals were viewed
as equals.
● Name two traits that the Okanogan people would have valued.
○ Generosity- Buffalo Bull gives Coyote a cow and in return,
gets new horns and his family back.
○ Forgiveness- the Buffalo forgives Coyote for disrespecting
him
● Name two traits that the Okanogan people would have disliked.
○ Greed- the Coyote eats more of the cow than he is
supposed to and in turn, loses it completely
○ Disrespect- Coyote is disrespectful of the dead (Buffalo) and
is chased and punished.
Part Five: “La Relacion”
● “La Relacion” is a __letter__________ written from Cabeza de Vaca to ____the
King of Spain____________________.
● Where were the conquistadors supposed to be going?
Florida
● Where did Cabeza de Vaca’s ship actually land?
Galveston Island (TX)
● What did Cabeza de Vaca and his men give the Karankawas Indians?
Beads and shells
● What were the Spaniards afraid the Native Americans would do to them?
Sacrifice them to their idols
● Which type of source (from your definitions on page 1) is “La Relacion”? Why?
Primary because it is a letter written by Cabeza de Vaca about events that he witnessed
himself.
Part Six: “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”
● What type of source is “..Equiano”? Why?
Primary because it is a narrative of an event that he experienced.
● What did Equiano think the White men were going to do to him?
Eat him
● Name two of the questions that Equiano asked while on the boat about the White
men.
-How is the boat moving?
-Are there white women?
● When Equiano describes the sights and smells that he experienced on the ship,
he is using what literary term/device?
Imagery
Part Seven: Writing & Topic Sentences
● Your topic sentence should ___restate_____________ the question and give a
__general______________ answer or reason why.
● Write example topic sentences for the following questions:
○ Should texting while driving be illegal?
Texting while driving should be illegal because it is one of the leading causes of traffic accidents
among teenage drivers.
○ What is your favorite piece of Native American literature that we read in
class?
My favorite piece of Native American literature that we read in class is “The World on a
Turtle’s Back” because it gives an interesting interpretation of how the world was
created.
○ Is Cabeza de Vaca a reliable narrator (can we trust the story he tells)?
Cabeza de Vaca is a reliable narrator because he was a trusted leader and he
experienced firsthand the expedition that he writes about.