This is a paper that is focusing on The early colonial period American Renaissance prompt essay on poetry. The paper also provides additional information to use in the writing of the assignment paper. Below is the assessment description to follow:
Before each essay, I may give you a set of specific prompt options for those of you struggling to come up with a topic, or those who would rather have more structure and direction. Lastly, while you are not required to cite secondary sources in your essays, doing so can bolster your essay’s argumentation. Also, is thus recommended. Course summary: This syllabus is a writing-intensive course in which we focus on key texts representing important literary movements/moments in American literature. Starting from the early colonial period, American Renaissance, American Romanticism, Modernism and ending in Postmodernism.
Through these diverse but more or less chronologically selected texts. We will explore the the question of ‘self-hood’ in America and how it evolves from colonialism to postmodernism. The period explored will be from eighteenth century to the late twentieth century. We ask ourselves: Is there a through line of American selfhood that connects these texts with each other? Is there, in fact, a quintessential American ‘self’ or are they various levels of mythmaking? And if so, how do these myths and ideas evolve over time and differ across genres?
To this end, we will study different genres – the epistle, the autobiography, poetry, short story, essay. Finally, we ask ourselves how notions of ‘selfhood’ sustain across the vast cultural diversity of America. A+,A, A-: a) Focus: Purpose is clear b) Main idea/thesis: Clearly presents a main idea/thesis and supports it throughout the paper
Essay Prompt:
What kind of poetic subject does Walt Whitman construct in a “Song of Myself”?