Name
Date
Hour
Early American Literature Chart
Title
The Speech of Miss Polly Baker (p. 20) Author Benjamin Franklin
Characteristic
Evidence/example in literary work
Puritan beliefs displayed
(explain which ones, if
any)
x
Typical early genres
(sermon, religious poem,
religious tract, diaries or
journals, short fiction)
Settings firmly grounded
in the new world
Short fiction
Focus on issues unique to
the new world
Creating new social norms; what should the government be
like?
Concerns about Native
Americans
x
Concerns about slavery
x
Developing new social
codes and/or a national
identity
Single motherhood not wrong: she argues that she raised her
children herself, was no burden on society, didn’t seduce any
husbands/break up families; thus she shouldn’t be punished.
Fictional plots are simple;
stories are more like
sketches
yes – monologue, just one scene, not much plot; however, there
is a conflict that is resolved.
Use of realistic dialects
Flavoring particles “’tis like”; sentences have long-ish, natural
structure.
America – Connecticut