Module 4: Overview: Revolutionary Literature

Summary

Module 4 surveys important works related to the American Revolution and the creation of the American nation.

Objectives

• Demonstrate critical reading, thinking, and writing skills by analyzing important works related to the American Revolution and the creation of the American nation;
• Recognize the value inherent in literary art forms and the powerful impact they may have on audiences.
• Identify and analyze the connections between the literature and American history and philosophical movements;
• Recognize the contribution of the literature to the development of contemporary culture;
• Define and provide examples of the literary characteristics of works by American authors from the Revolutionary period;
• Discuss some recurring themes of American literature.

Readings

Complete the following:

• “The Declaration of Independence,” Thomas Jefferson, pp 703-10; “Slavery,” pp 712-6
• “Common Sense,” Thomas Paine, pp 681-9
• Poems, Phillip Frenau, pp 780-1:
  • “To Sir Toby,” p 784+;
  • “On Mr. Paine’s Rights of Man”, p 786;
  • “On the Religion of Nature,” p 787
• Poems, Phyllis Wheatley, pp 788-9:
  • “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” p 789;
  • “Thoughts on the Works of Providence,” p 793+;
  • “To His Excellency General Washington,” p 797
• ***”The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Oloudah Equiano,” Oloudah Equiano, pp 732-69

NOTE: Readings that begin with *** are longer works, and will take more time to complete. Students should plan their reading schedules accordingly!

Assignments

Note: You will see the directions to these assignments in the following pages of Module 4.

Please complete all of these assignments before the conclusion of Module 4

• Complete all readings
• Discussion #4: The Revolution
• Challenge Task #4
• Writing Assignment #4
• Paper #1 Research Questionnaire (Due in Module 4
• Section 1

   

• Module 4: Discussion #4: The RevolutionNo unread replies.No replies.DirectionsBefore beginning your second discussion thread, Review the Discussion Board Expectations in the Syllabus under Course Grading.(1) In this discussion, there are a number of Discussion Prompts listed below. You must respond to TWO of them.
  • Make your initial post before the Module is halfway over. (As always, please consult the course Calendar where the instructor will list specific due dates.)
  • Return before the Module closes and respond to at least two classmates’ posts, preferably on the same topics you chose. Continue the conversation with your fellow students.
  • Students are expected to read what other students have posted.
  • Students may reply to, or expand upon, points made by other students in the thread.
  • (2) To earn points:
  • All posts should average about two paragraphs minimum.  
  • All posts MUST be significant and substantial contributions that demonstrate your mastery of the readings. If you are not earning full points for discussions, then be sure to review the Instructor comments and the grading rubric.
  • Remember: a Literature class IS Reading and Discussion…there are no “right” answers to these questions!
  • GENERAL NOTE: remember…
  • Discussions are informal, personal responses based on your own reading of a text
  • Do not “research”websites or repeat the editor’s comments or copy/paste from any outside source: use your own brain
  • A Literature class IS Reading and Discussion…there are no “right” answers to these questions! 
  • Discussion #4 Prompts
    Discussion Question #1
    The Declaration of IndependenceThe American Declaration of Independence may be the most influential political text ever written. It lays out the ONE NEW TRUTH upon which American society is to be constructed. Importantly, it establishes for the first time in human society the principle of human rights that derive, not from a king or political system, but from “the Supreme Being” or the “Creator.” This belief is the fundamental aspect of American Democracy, and it is the guarantor of American freedom. Because these rights come from “God,” they cannot be changed by any single man or group. Thus, according to the logic of the Declaration, they are “unalienable.”In addition, students should note that the Declaration is a Neoclassical text: it is a written argument composed in the Deductive mode, which is taken directly from the Classical Age. It is deliberately constructed TO make an argument, and it follows Classical rules of argumentation. This is important because such arguments are used not just to change opinions and justify actions, but to establish “new truths” in human thinking. Like the scientific article, the purpose is not merely to declare, meaning “to say”; the purpose is also to declare, to SHOW some “new” thing IS TRUE, that is “to prove” a new claim. Finally, the Declaration says out loud, for the first time in Human History, this new Truth so that forever afterward, it must continue to be part of human civilization. It declares for all time that all human beings are equal.In the modern day, some people view the Declaration as a hypocritical statement, given the past inequalities of American society. However, a “declaration” is by definition a “saying,” not a “doing.” The Declaration states the new Truth; however, it is still up to individual humans being to live up to it. Here are some questions to explore and reply to …
  • Explain the argument of the Declaration of Independence: outline its parts, and explain how the parts work together to both “declare” and “persuade.”  
  • In what ways does the Declaration “construct” a new truth? What “new” truth does it establish?
  • In what ways does the Declaration “synthesize” American ideas of Nature, Christianity, and Reason?
  • Who is the audience for the Declaration? How many different audiences does it address?
  • Why do the writers of the Declaration feel impelled to justify their rebellion against Britain “to the world”?
  • Why is it your “duty,” according to the Declaration, “to throw off such Government” that “seeks to reduce [you] under absolute Despotism”?
  • What are your reactions to the Declaration? Have you read it before? If so, what about the Declaration is different in this reading?
  • Discussion Question #2
    Common Sense?Thomas Paine was one of the greatest (if not the greatest) orators of his day, and by all accounts his written essays are nowhere near as powerful as his speeches. Still, his essay “Common Sense,” remains today one of the greatest orations in American history.  Paine is also, like Franklin and many other Revolutionaries, a “Deist.” A Deist believe in a universal “deity,” a God of “all human beings” that is based in Nature. This “essay” began as a speech, an “oration,” and because of that it employs a number of oral argumentative strategies, and is itself an example of classical oratory known as hortatory. (Review “hortatory” in the glossary)Interested students will want to read his great philosophical work, “The Age of Reason”Here are some questions to explore and reply to…
  • What is the purpose of this “essay”? Who is the audience for it? Compare this audience to de Crevecouer’s audience. What do you see?
  • What is the significance of the title of the essay in relation to our study of the evolution of American thought and attitudes? How does the title prepare the reader for the argument of the essay?
  • The essay is an example of written hortatory. What does this term mean? Where have we seen this style of argument before? What other writers have employed this mode?
  • Paine lays out a very careful argument, listing his reasons in support of a separation from Britain. What are these reasons? How does he “prove” his arguments?
  • Compare this argument to one by a Puritan writer: what differences can we see in the way the writer tries to influence the American audience and the kinds of “proofs” and evidence they use?
  • What did you think of this writing? How do you respond to it personally?
  • Discussion Question #3
    Equiano and the Interesting NarrativeEquiano’s story is an important one for a number of reasons. First of all, it reveals  an inherent contradiction at the heart of the American argument for Independence and Freedom, the legacy of which America still experiences today. How can Americans claim that “all Men are equal” and still condone and accept and profit from Slavery and the suppression of Native culture? So, this text helps to inform some of our understanding of the nature of Slavery in Colonial society, and perhaps dispels some stereotypes we have of slavery in history. Many readers find the text surprising and just about everybody thinks it really interesting and not a little inspiring.This text was very controversial in its day, and antislavery forces used this text in their arguments for the abolition of the institution. Pro-slavery forces responded by attacking the authorship of the text, arguing that it was too well written to have been authored by an ex-slave who had no formal education. Thus, they argued, it was all a lie. Most scholars, today, do not accept this argument; however, there is evidence on both sides of the question.This text is the second most influential “slave narrative” in American literary history, the first being Frederick Douglass’ “Narrative of a Life.” Though not listed on our syllabus, serious students of American Literature and History would find it very important and interesting. Here are some questions to explore and reply to …
  • How did Equiano come to be a slave? Summarize his “story” of coming to America. What does he describe to us about his initial experience and the infamous “middle passage”? How does this inform your own understanding of slavery historically?
  • In Equiano’s argument, we can see another example of the “Appeal to the Model of Christ” when he writes the section beginning “O ye nominal Christians.” Find this language in his text, and make a connection to another text we’ve read that uses the same appeal.
  • For many students this is the first “Slave Narrative” they’ve ever read: what was the most interesting episode you recall from the reading? Summarize the episode and explain why you though it so.
  • What did you react to the most in this reading? What was the most profound connection, or most interesting insight, you discovered as a reader? Explain
  • How does Equiano’s experience influence your thinking about the nature of American Independence and ideas of Equality?
  • Compare Equiano’s Narrative to Rowlandson’s Narrative. What connections do you see when you compare these two narratives? make a connection and explain it.
  • Does de Crevecouer’s definition of an “American” apply to Equiano?  How or how not? and what about today? Does OUR definition of an American today fit him?
• Section 2 
• Module 4: Challenge Task #4
  • Points 10
  • Submitting a file upload
  • Directions
    From the readings assigned, show a concrete example of a writer using Common Sense or Reason to influence his or her audience. Do not show a general attitude.Here is an example that shows a specific example of a writer using Reason:In his “Autobiography,” Franklin “balanc’d sometime between Principle and Inclination” until he reasoned that “if [the fish] eat each other, I don’t see why I mayn’t eat [them]” (491). First select language from the readings that illustrates a process of reasoning, and then quote it beginning with a signal phrase, and including an in-text citation. Then explain the context of the quote, what argument it is part of, and how it influences the audience.Your response should be about 3-5 sentences.
    You must complete Challenge Task #4 by the end of Module 4.

Directions
Three important philosophic elements come together at the time of the American Revolution: 1) the influence of Nature; 2) the evolution of Christian Faith, and 3) the reliance on Human Reason. In this writing assignment, explain each of these elements, and then argue for or against the claim that these elements are synthesized in the Declaration of Independence.Your writing should have four parts.

• one part should explain the influence Nature has on the formation of American thinking and literature
• one part should objectively summarize the influence Christian Faith has on the formation of American thinking and literature
• one part should explain the practical reliance on Human Reason to solve problems illustrated in American thinking and literature
• the last part should argue for or against the claim that these elements are IN the Declaration, that they are “part of the argument” … cite specific evidence.