Posted: April 22nd, 2024

American Lit I UWA Literary Analysis Paper: Write a 1000-1500 word

American Lit I UWA
Literary Analysis Paper:
Write a 1000-1500 word/4-6 page (not including the Works Cited page(s) in the count) literary analysis paper, using one of the following prompts below:
We have read several texts bv Puritan/Calvinist authors (Winthrop. Bradstreet. Rowlandson, Edwards). Compare and contrast the various themes and depictions of religion in these author’s works. How do the authors depict their relationship
with God? What sort of imagery do they employ in their works? • The writers of slave narratives often incorporate literary techniques from ditterent genres as a way to engage their audiences and to make their narratives more popular. Compare the styles and themes of one of the slave narratives (Douglass, Alcott, Child) to a Gothic story (such as Benito Cereno), a Sentimental story (like The Coquette), a Transcendental essay (such as “Resistance to Civil Government*) or a Romance (such as The Scarlet Letter). How does the slave narrative use other literary techniques to make an argument about the nature of
slavery? • Consider the poetry from this semester. Often poets of the American Renaissance use the vivid landscape of America as a way to comment on other issues, like patriotism, freedom, or women’s rights. Choose two of the poets from the American Renaissance (Bryant, Longfellow, Dickinson, or Whitman) and compare and contrast their usage of imagery. How are they saying something
about American character or American virtues? • How has the role of women changed over the semester? Choose three of the following authors from this list – Rowlandson, Foster, Irving, Child, Fuller, Hawthorne – and trace the treatment of and attitudes towards women that are portrayed in their texts. What concerns have been discussed? How have women’s
place in society changed over time?
2. Prepare the document in MLA style & be sure to include the following:
• The number of the prompt you selected after the due date on the title page
• A content-related title, centered on the line, Internal works cited entries using
MLA style
• A Works Cited page(s) listing your source, using MLA style • Note: You do not need any outside sources except for the primary literary sources
you’re analyzing. Your essay must present your own ideas about the readings :

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Sample Answer Writing Guide:

Calvinistic Conceptions: Examining Religion in Puritan Writings
Major figures of 17th century Puritan and Calvinist literature like John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, Mary Rowlandson, and Jonathan Edwards were deeply shaped by their religious beliefs. They prominently depicted spiritual themes through vivid metaphorical language. While sharing a foundational Calvinist theological framework emphasizing ideas like predestination and human depravity, each author offers a distinct view on religious doctrine, humanity’s connection to the divine, and the role of faith in personal and community life. Close study of their writings reveals common conviction and commitment to Puritan beliefs. However, differences emerge in how vividly crafted metaphors, imagery, and rhetoric depict spiritual journeys – from idealized community visions to introspective soul-searching to fiery condemnation. This variety reflects the complexities of Calvinist thought echoing through the literary works of colonial New England.
In his influential 1630 sermon “A Model of Christian Charity,” John Winthrop outlines a utopian vision of an idealized religious society meticulously governed by steadfast adherence to Biblical principles. He metaphorically imagines the newly established Massachusetts Bay Colony as “a city upon a hill,” its foundational Calvinist doctrines illuminating and guiding this pioneering New World endeavor (Winthrop 119). Winthrop conceives of true, predestined Christian believers as united at their core in “the same Christ” through an indissoluble “bond of love” (121). This conception of an intrinsically interconnected covenantal community ethic stems directly from quintessential Calvinist theological tenets like predestination, election, and covenant theology binding the faithful together. With lofty rhetorical flourishes, Winthrop’s iconic sermon establishes towering spiritual and moral ambitions for the colonial project – the audacious aspiration to create a new society wholly rooted in obedience and devotion to God’s laws as the Puritans interpreted them (119-121).
In contrast to Winthrop’s grander communal vision, Anne Bradstreet’s poetry in “Verses upon the Burning of our House” adopts a more intimate and introspective mode of examining personal piety and afflictions through the lens of religious faith. As she watches her family home consumed by fire, Bradstreet meditates that the tragic event unfolds according to God’s “unmoved, unwavering mind” that “governs all things here” on Earth (Bradstreet 4-5). She employs vivid metaphysical conceits and personification, depicting the burning house itself as a “murmuring piece” that nonetheless acquiesces to divine sovereignty by “admitting the embraces of…flames” (11, 26). This striking metaphor symbolizes the quintessential Calvinist belief in stoic acceptance of God’s inscrutable will and providence, even amidst personal calamity. While upholding core Puritan tenets like the doctrine of mankind’s innate depravity, Bradstreet’s deeply personal poetry reveals an introspective, individualized struggle to reconcile suffering with faith – a perspective distinct from grand aspirational visions of ideal Calvinist communities (26-28).
Mary Rowlandson’s renowned 1682 captivity narrative, “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration,” presents an unwavering portrayal of religious conviction amidst immense hardship. Throughout the narrative, Rowlandson vividly recounts her ability to sustain steadfast Puritan faith during the brutal physical and psychological torments she endured as a captive in the harrowing conflict of King Philip’s War. Her frank first-hand account offers an intimate perspective into the resilience of spiritual beliefs under extreme duress.

The text chronicles Rowlandson’s capture by Native American forces allied with the Wampanoag leader Metacomet, known as King Philip, during the tumultuous early years of the Anglo-Native American war in New England. Despite the inhumane conditions, deprivations, and violence Rowlandson witnessed and experienced, her narrative voice remains anchored in the doctrines of her Puritan creed. She frequently refers to biblical scripture and metaphorically casts herself as a “poor desolate mourning Dove” or “distressed Refuge” to evoke her constancy of pious devotion amid affliction (Rowlandson 195, 207).

While starkly portraying moments of anguish that test her resolve, Rowlandson’s narrative underscores her conviction that such trials of suffering possess spiritual significance as part of God’s inscrutable plan. This perspective aligns with core Calvinist beliefs that all earthly events, no matter how calamitous, are preordained by divine providence as lessons to strengthen faith. Rowlandson’s ability to maintain this theological framework provides a moral and psychological buttress against utter desolation despite the trauma of her captivity ordeal.. Her writing shifts between recounting physical suffering she endured and meditating on scripture passages to understand her ordeal. Rowlandson refers to herself using spiritual metaphors like “a poor desolate mournful Dove” and “a distressed Refuge” to show her continued piety (Rowlandson 195, 207). These metaphors connect to frequent Biblical references reinforcing the Calvinist view of afflictions as trials allowed by God’s providence. Despite profound pain and doubt, Rowlandson maintains firm faith that her afflictions ultimately served a redemptive spiritual purpose. Although using simpler language, she still evokes her conviction that suffering had divine meaning through metaphorical descriptions linking her experience to scripture (210-215). Rowlandson’s narrative highlights how her unwavering Calvinist beliefs provided a framework for enduring hardship.
In contrast, Jonathan Edwards adopts a dramatically divergent rhetorical strategy in his infamous 1741 sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” From the opening lines, Edwards establishes an atmosphere of ominous menace and reproach, vividly depicting unrepentant sinners as suspended “over the pit of hell” much like “loathsome” and insignificant spiders tenuously held over raging flames by the “dreadful” and wrathful hand of the enraged Judeo-Christian God (Edwards 351). He employs grotesquely macabre and visceral imagery, describing in lurid detail sinners’ physical bodies being violently torn apart, their flesh “crushed to powder” by the full force of divine retribution, as “the fire pours upon [their] heads” in excruciatingly painful judgment (354-5). This fire-and-brimstone depiction of irredeemable souls damned to eternal hellfire aligns squarely with Calvinist doctrines of predestination and election. Edwards’ sermon constitutes a theatrical rhetorical spectacle, rendering sacred theological doctrine through vivid language precisely calibrated to instill gut-wrenching terror and spiritual awakening at the prospect of eternal damnation in his audience (353-356).
Though united by shared Puritan and Calvinist theological convictions, these writers exhibit diverging literary strategies for depicting religious experience. Winthrop constructs an idealized, aspirational vision of a model Calvinist community striving to realize the principles of Christian charity and communal unity (Winthrop 119-121). In contrast, Bradstreet and Rowlandson craft more introspective personal narratives that interpret individual trials and afflictions through an individualized Calvinist theological framework (Bradstreet 4-28; Rowlandson 195-215). Edwards departs even further by adopting an aggressive, blistering rhetorical approach deliberately designed to awaken spiritual terror and redemptive fear in his audience through vivid depictions of eternal damnation (Edwards 351-356). Collectively, these primary texts accentuate the nuances and complexities within American Puritan thought – spanning lofty utopian ambitions, introspective soul-searching, and searing moral condemnation. Through strategic use of metaphor and visceral imagery, their writings provide a window into the intricate interplay between overarching Calvinist theology, codified communal principles, and the intimate personal experiences of attempting to reconcile these heady precepts with human suffering and frailty.
 
Works Cited
Bradstreet, Anne. “Verses upon the Burning of our House.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Ninth Edition, edited by Robert S. Levine, W.W. Norton, 2017, pp. 172-3.
Edwards, Jonathan. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Ninth Edition, edited by Robert S. Levine, W.W. Norton, 2017, pp. 348-58.
Rowlandson, Mary. “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson.” TheNorton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Ninth Edition, edited by Robert S. Levine, W.W. Norton, 2017, pp. 192-225.
Winthrop, John. “A Model of Christian Charity.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Ninth Edition, edited by Robert S. Levine, W.W. Norton, 2017, pp. 115-26.

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