American Literature Review Sheet – Unit 1
Works read in class:
Native American Stories
“The Earth on Turtle’s Back”
“When Grizzlies Waked Upright”
“The Iroquois Constitution”
Explorative Narratives
“A Journey Through Texas” by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
“Journal of the First Voyage to America” by Christopher Columbus
Narrative Accounts
“The General History of Virginia” by John Smith
Puritan Literature
“Huswifery” by Edward Taylor
“To My Dear and Loving Husband” by Anne Bradstreet
Sermons (still Puritan)
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards
Autobiographies
“The Autobiography” by Benjamin Franklin
“Poor Richard’s Almanack” by Benjamin Franklin
Slave Narratives
“The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Equiano” by Olaudah Equiano
Formation of America
“The Declaration of Independence” partly by Thomas Jefferson
“A Hymn to the Evening” a Hymn by Phillis Wheatley
“To His Excellency, General Washington” a Poem by Phillis Wheatley
Speeches
“Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry
“Speech in the Convention” by Benjamin Franklin
Letters
“Letter to Her Daughter from the New White House” by Abigail Adams
“Letters from an American Farmer” by Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur
Concepts with which to be familiar:
Origin Myths
Oral Tradition
Explorative Narratives
Firsthand Accounts
Primary Sources
Secondhand Accounts
Secondary Sources
Narrative Nonfiction
Style
Tone
Explorative Narrative
Journal
Historical Narrative
Captivity Narrative
Slave Narrative
Puritan Plain Style
Apostrophe
Sermon
Age of Reason
Autobiography
Aphorism
Speeches (Types, Techniques, devices)
Accent
Dialect
Format of the Test:
Matching
Quotes: Know the work, the author, who is speaking, and importance of the quote in
regards to the rest of the work.
Short answers: about a paragraph per question
Essays: Plan on writing a lengthy, solid essay
Possible Essay Questions:
** BE VERY SPECIFIC IN YOUR ANSWERS, AND USE
EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXT**
1.) Compare and contrast the views of God between the Puritan and Native American
writings.
2.) What are the roles of faith and reason within the Puritan writings and the literature
from the Age of Reason?
3.) How does the idea of freedom differ in the various works we have read?
4.) Explain the role of speeches in the formation of America as a new and free nation, and
analyze one of the speeches read in class.
5.) List and describe the literary differences between explorative narratives, slave
narratives, and autobiographical narratives. Use examples from the works we have read.