Now that we've finished up our discussion of Whitman and Davis, let's pause for a bit and reflect on where we stand. Your goal in this essay is to sum up the state of certain basic American values as we plunge into the vortex of American post-Civil War literature and culture. To do this assignment you will need to:
1) choose from one of our four themes (the self, democracy, nature, poet/poem (or author/reader);
2) explain how each of our writers (Whitman and Davis) describes this theme - - what are their favorite images for the theme? what central qualities or meanings to they attach to this theme? what central problems or conflicts do they find within this theme? compare and contrast these versions of American selfhood, nature, democracy, or author/reader relations.
Use quotation to support and illustrate your discussion. Do cite the page or line number for your quotations; don't worry about a works cited or bibliographic page.
Your essay should be no more than two, double-spaced, typed pages. Be sure to check for typographical, punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors.
Your first essay is due at the beginning of class on Wed., February 10.
Don't forget: we won't meet in class this Friday. Instead, I'll be in my office (HUM 553) and available to talk about your essay, ideas, etc. Good luck!
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