Primera Prueba de Evaluación Continua (PEC-1)

Literatura Norteamericana I: Siglos XVII-XIX

Curso 2015-16

Instrucciones:

Las PECs se deben enviar a través del curso virtual utilizando un documento en Word que contenga, además del título de la asignatura y el número de la prueba, los siguientes datos del remitente: 1) apellidos, 2) nombre, 3) Centro Asociado.

Se recomienda guardar el archivo siguiendo como modelo para el título:Apellido1_Apellido2_Nombre_PEC1_Centro AsociadoPor ejemplo: Rovira_Cano_Laura_PEC1_Albacete

Las PECs se responderán en inglés, de modo discursivo (no esquemático). Cada una de las dos respuestas se desarrollará en 300-400 palabras aproximadamente, sin exceder 500 palabras para cada respuesta, es decir, empleando un máximo de 1.000 palabras para cada una de las PECs. Las instrucciones específicas para responder adecuadamente a las preguntas se encuentran en las páginas de A Study Guide for American Literature to 1900 que se indican al final de cada enunciado. Véanse también los documentos titulados “Basic Guidelines for Academic Writing” y “Advice on Writing PECs”, a los que se accede desde el curso virtual pulsando sobre el icono de navegación de “Exámenes anteriores”.

Aunque en el material didáctico básico de esta asignatura se ofrece información suficiente para elaborar las pruebas de evaluación continua, los estudiantes podrán emplear bibliografía complementaria. Si se cita o parafrasea información, deberán hacerse constar las fuentes bibliográficas utilizadas mediante referencias entre paréntesis, o en notas finales, o en notas a pie de página, teniendo en cuenta que no podrán superar tales pruebas quienes recurran a los diversos tipos de plagio (por ejemplo, copiando de la bibliografía básica o de la complementaria, de páginas web, o de los trabajos de otros estudiantes). El profesorado-tutor de la asignatura dispone de herramientas antiplagio y ha recibido instrucciones precisas para actuar en caso de que detecte un plagio total o parcial de las respuestas a las PECs. Las dudas concretas sobre las PECs no se consultarán al equipo docente de la asignatura, sino a los profesores-tutores encargados de corregirlas.

Primera Prueba de Evaluación Continua Plazo de envío: 10/12/2015

1) Compare and contrast how John Smith, Mary Rowlandson and Jonathan Edwards use quotations, focusing on the texts selected in units 1, 4, and 5. See A Study Guide for American Literature to 1900, pages 17-18 (exploratory question 9), and pages 40-41 (exploratory question 11).

Firstly, they are three very different types of writer. Whereas that John Smith is an adventurer, Mary Rowlandson and Jonathan Edwards are religious people which determines the quotations. John Smith shows an absence of religious thought. He depicts his history as an adventure in which he represents the role of a hero, conquering distant and exotic lands in the name of destiny and with clear political intentions. He uses a self-confident tone and garnishes his narrative with classical quotations. Smith reflects, quoting Seneca’s Atheomastix in relation to his Indian captors, he didn't understand their behavior: “As if neare led to hell / Amongst the Devils to dwell”.

Unlike Mary Rowlandson, John Smith captivity was narrated in just a short account of his long book. Rowlandson captivity, on the other hand, is narrated in the full lenght book.

She was, surely, a great knower of Bible but, probably, she re-read it during her captivity and, I firmed believe, she found a new meaning among her pages. When she quotes Psalm (27:13) “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” she expresses her confidence in God, and exhorted others to trust in the Lord’s deliverance, as David did.When she quotes Psalm (81: 13-14) “Oh that my people had hearkened to me, and Israel had walked in my ways, I should son have subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries” she tried to explain why God withdrew his grace and the English army did not succeed in crossing the river, I think.And when she quotes Exodus (14:13) “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.” Words uttered by Moses when he encouraged the Israelites to be calm and trust God, she tries to encourage the other prisoners and not to fall into despair

Finally, Jonathan Edwards develops a main idea using a “in crescendo” tone from the Psalm to the lecture. It is important to understand that are writes sermons (no intention to publication) so he uses biblical allusions with horrible image of hell and its tortures, to awaken dormant audience. When he uses Psalm (73:18) “Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.” tries to explain that everything was based on God’s providence from a negative point of view, in order to be didactic and terrifying. Terrify rather than confort to explain you are constantly suspended by the spider web over the abyss which means hell.

2) Compare and contrast how Olaudah Equiano and Phillis Wheatley portray themselves in their writings, illustrating your points with short quotations drawn from the texts you have read. See the Activity “Comparing an author’s iconographical and verbal self-representations” in A Study Guide for American Literature to 1900, pages 57-60.

In the title of his autobiography “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself” the author emphasized that he had written it himself, and this was a way of asserting his authorship and an expression of his desire to refute claims that blacks had no ability to write. The fact that he used his two names, both the African ad the one imposed upon him in the Western World, supports the thesis that his double identity was an extremely serious concern for the autor. Still commenting on the title, it should be noted that, when referred to himself using the epithet “the African”, Equiano used the definite article (the) instead of the indefinite which other writers of African descent were currently using. Apart from the title, the portrait used as the frontispiece of Equiano’s autobiography also merits attention. It displays an African elegantly dressed as an English gentleman and holding and open Bible.

As far as I know, Equiano narrative has a three-part structure and it has three differents Equianos: The first part of the narrative, which it is the part that concerns us, includes terrible scenes, but it also filled with comic anecdotes of the picaresque behaviour that the young slave was forced to practise for survival purposes. For instance, in line 11, Equiano describes how childhood of his village watched every day to detect potential intruders: “…and commonly some of us used to get up a tree to look out for any assailant, or kidnapper, that might come upon us”. I firmed believe Equiano also presented himself as a child, with the innocence of a illiterate that never went abroad, when he wrote in line 95 "I asked them if these people had no country, but lived in this hollow place (the ship)"In contrast, in the second part of the narrative, from the moment the author gains freedom the character changes and, since he is no longer slave, he takes full responsibility for his life as a mature religious man, not a picaresque hero any more.

“Now the Ethiopian was willing to be saved by Jesus Christ, the sinner's only surety, and also to rely on none other person or thing for salvation.”

Here, Equiano reveals the nature of his faith; it is one of humility and acceptance of his sinfulness. He had finally converted to "true" Christianity (in his case, Methodism)

Finally, in the third part of the narrative, the tone of work becomes even more pious, and the style is characteristic of the spiritual biographies.

Otherwise, referring to Phillis Wheatley, she doesn't portray herself as a character in her poems but she talks about her cause (slavery) through three different ways to portray negroes. In the “Preface” the collection she was presented as the work of a “native of Africa” whose genius had unanimously impressed the many members of the English nobility and gentry she had met in London. I firmly believe that because of this promotion she was cast aside as an oddity as literary history and her poetry was relegated to a marginal status.

In “On Being Brought from Africa to America” the poet expresses her gratitude for being introduced to Christianity. Although the attitude, expressed in the first quatrain, may sound subservient, she basically deplores the paganism of her homeland.

'TWAS mercy brought me from my Pagan land, Taught my benighted soul to understand That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too: Once I redemption neither sought nor knew

In the second quatrain the author suddenly adopts and accusatory tone that abruptly reverses the movement of the poem. She makes a direct challenge to racial prejudice through and allusion to injustice in line 5 “some view our sable race with scornful eye” which is morally censorious of those who show contempt for blacks because of the colour of their skins.

In “To the University of Cambridge, New England” although a superficial reading of this poem would suggest that she was ashamed of her blackness, a more thoughtful analysis of its third stanza might reveal how subtly she expressed that she took pride of it. The use of the term “Ethiop” in a very effective disclosure near the end of the poem is a positive allusion to her racial identification because within a biblical context, it brings to mind Moses’ Ethiopian wife Zipporah, the Queen of Sheba.

In “To His Excellency General Washington”, I consider she tries to create a parallel between the pursuit of freedom of the American people from England and the pursuit of freedom of black people from slavery. She only talk in first person in paragraph "Shall I to Washington their praise recite?" but she portray several abstract concepts as animated ítems using literary similes; Celestial choir as Heaven, Columbia as America, etc.1 Celestial choir! enthron'd in realms of light, 2 Columbia's scenes of glorious toils I write.

Unlike Olaudah, who had to do everything by himself, Wheatley was very well educated within a white family and almost considered a member of it. His master supported her with her book and she was helped, in general. They both consider sin a much worse bondage than enslavement and criticise Christians prejudice against blacks. They both refer themselves as Ethiopians, sign of a pride of an ancient kingdom.