第3章文学与美国革命：1764-1815
Questions for Discussion and Writing Assignments( )
1. What are the forms of writing most characteristic of this period? What kind of foresights guided the writers of essays and speeches in this period?
Key: In this period, forms of writing were various, including poetry, drama and novel, etc.
Many writers foresaw that America would be independent in a near future, and they devoted their writings to the independence cause of their nation.
2. Give an overview of poetry, drama and the novel written in this period.
Key: Poetry, drama and novel all developed quickly in this period, and each genre had its outstanding representatives. As to poetry, Philip Freneau was an important poet of this time and he has been called the “Father of American Poetry”. He did not establish trends, but he represented qualities that were to be
characteristic of the next half century. As to drama, Tyler is a dramatist best known for The Contrast, which was the first performed American comedy and therefore a milestone in American theatrical history. As to novel, some argue that William Hill Brown’s novel The Power of Sympathy (1789) should be recognized as the first American novel, because the secondary plot of the story was based on an actual story in Boston.
3. What are some of the problems in the Enlightenment as viewed from the point of view of postmodernism?
Key: According to postmodernism, the Enlightenment has gone to extreme, because that the “Enlightened” people have done terrible things to natu re, animals, even humankind themselves in a very long time.
4. Why was European Enlightenment a positive force in 18th century America? In what specific ways did the Enlightenment intellectually shape the transition of American nationhood to the status of independence and federation?
Key: Because that it was these ideas from the Enlightenment that produced new types of men which included scientists, political philosophers, and religious rationalists. In America, Enlightenment ideas nurtured a greater participatory and interest in worldly affairs: Americans gained greater confidence that a more reasonable political and social order could be established. Under the influence of the Enlightenment, Americans also learned to take actions to resist oppressive power and to criticize and reform government.
5. Why was Deism a result of the Enlightenment? What are the tenets of Deism as summarized by Thomas Jefferson?
Key: The emergence of Deism in the 18th century America came directly from the Enlightenment. Thomas Jefferson summarized deism as follows:
The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man.
1) That there is only one God, and he is all-perfect.
2) That there is a future state of rewards and punishments.
3) That to love God with all thy heart and thy neighbor as thyself is the sum of religion. These are the great points on which Christ endeavored to reform the religion of the Jews.
6. How did Unitarianism simplify Christianity? How was Unitarianism connected with Deism?
Key: Unit arianism simplifies Christianity by “liberalizing” it. Unitarians believed that Jesus was a man and that Christianity is not a series of creeds but a way of life. Unitarians preferred the phrase “statements of faith” instead of “doctrines”.
Deism became institutionalized after the American Revolution. Institutionalized Deism is also Unitarianism that quickly gained followers in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.
7. In your own words, provide a general map of American culture before the 1760s. Key: Before the 1760s, in addition to the Native American tribal cultures, American culture was a composite of European cultures brought to the New World by European traders and colonists; it was also a rich record of the agonies, glories, hopes, meager triumphs and disasters in their struggles. English influence
was not the only cultural influence. It also included the cultural influence of the French, Dutch, German and African settlers.
8. What were some of the political discontents against the British before the American Revolution?
Key: By 1763 the British colonies had attained a certain degree of maturity in political expression. A discontentment against the colonial policy of the British government grew. On the other hand, the successful conquest of French Canada by the combined forces of Britain and its colonies encouraged the ambition for expansionism in the colonies, which augmented the exploitation and oppression of the colonies by British government. After 1763, the imposition of direct taxation by the British government clashed with the newfound feeling of unity and liberties in the colonies.
9. Why is it said that Benjamin Franklin exemplifies the Age of Experiment or the Age of Enlightenment?
Key: With his restless energy, his optimism and his innovative spirit, Franklin exemplifies the Age of En
lightenment or what Franklin himself called the Age of Experiment. In his lifetime, he was an inventor, scientist. As it is known to school children, it was Franklin who proved the identity of lightning and electricity by his famous kite experiment, and it was he who invented the lightning rod in 1752.
10. Describe Franklin’s transcendental Deism.
Key: Franklin’s religion might be described as transcendental Deism that emphasizes a benevolent God who is manifest in nature and who can be best served by people doing good to fellow men. At the age of 19, under the influence of arguments in favor of natural religion, Franklin tried to prove that whatever exists is right. But later he burned most of the copies, claiming that he disliked the uncertainty of metaphysical reasoning. Since Franklin was interested in being practical, there was also a practical side to his religious belief.
11. What kind of a book is Poor Richard’s Almanacs? What qualities in this book are literary?
How did Franklin transform some of the well-known proverbs?
Key: Poor Richard’s Almanacs is a book of calendar and full of wise proverbs.
Like any other almanacs, Poor Richard made forecasts of sunrises and sunsets, high and low tides, changes in lunar cycles in the same mathematical and natural methods. But what gave Franklin’s almanacs special literary and cultural value was the portrayal of the humorous Poor Richard as a character and the axioms of laconic wisdom printed on the margins of the pages.
Franklin was good at transforming some well-known proverbs. For example, he transformed “Three my keep counsel, if two be away” into “Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead” and “A gloved cat can catch no mice” into “The cat in gloves catches no mice”.
12. Consider Franklin’s Autobiography as his self-portrait. In what sense is he
writing for his contemporaries and in what sense for posterity? How does he present his life as an archetypal American success story, particularly as a self-made man? How does he disclose his beliefs and his life?
Key: Franklin himself was a very successful man and it was a normal thing for him to disclose his secret of being successful to the public in order to influence and encourage others to be successful. It might be a good thing for the public in Franklin’s eye. On the other hand, Franklin thought that it was his duty to let his posterity know about their ances tor’s stories and achievements.
He told his own story in an authentic way, which was indeed a story of American success. The first part portrays Franklin as a young man in Boston and Philadelphia. The narrative point of view is that of a more understanding older Franklin. Through his eyes, we see the young Franklin, with his many faults, succeeds because of his industry and the willingness to learn from his errors. In the second part, Franklin recounts his youthful attempt to achieve “moral perfection.” The third part reveals how the adult Franklin uses his principles of conduct in order to perform his roles as a scientist, philanthropist and a politician.
13. Write an essay comparing Franklin to John Smith and discuss how their
narratives are meant to project a certain image of themselves. Also, compare