Choose ONE of the below essay topics. Formulate a clear, strong thesis in response to the given prompt. Then, write a researched literary analysis essay to prove your thesis. Use summary, analysis, and interpretation of the texts to prove your point. Be specific to the assigned readings in the textbook, and provide examples from those readings (primary sources). Enhance and support your findings with research (secondary sources).
The purpose of this assignment is to show that you have a deep understanding of the chosen authors and their texts as well as the historical and cultural time period in which they lived. Your essay should show that you have a deep understanding of the texts and are able to provide a new and interesting analysis or interpretation of the texts.
Topic Choices:
Topic Choice 1
Analyze and research the works of TWO of the authors we have covered thus far:
William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, Mary Rowlandson, Benjamin Franklin, Phillis Wheatley
Write an essay in which you discuss what the chosen authors communicate about the hardships of the new land and the new culture.
Topic Choice 2
Compare and/or contrast any two writers working in similar themes or forms – e.g. Benjamin Franklin and Mary Rowlandson, Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley
Focus your comparative analysis on one or two particular points of comparison, such as themes, style, values, beliefs, writing form (such as poetry, essay, narrative), or critical reception.
