The Evolution of American Identity Through Literature The diversity within the American experience, and as well within the canon of American literature, precludes the possibility of singling out two or even ten of the novels, poems, or short stories that best encapsulate what it means to be American. From the colonial and early national era and the fledgling formation of national identity through the struggles of emancipation from slavery and transcendentalism, onwards to the industrial and capitalist eras, American literature has provided an accurate reflection of the lives of individuals and communities that comprise life in different regions of the country. Geographic and cultural differentiations also help to expand what it means to be American, taking into account race, class, gender, and generation. Threads that tie together Americans throughout time and in spite of radical differences in worldview include staunch independence and self-reliance, coupled with a profound optimism. Trust in the democratic process is also a critical component of American identity, played out profoundly in the literature of the nation. Yet the setbacks and disillusionment of the twentieth century also reveals the dark underbelly of the American experience through novels that defined their generation. Taking into account the most defining features of American identity, two works from two different periods and from two vastly different authors that best encapsulate what it means to be American include Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird...
As such, the latter contains much more symbolism and metaphor than the former, which offers a more straightforward insight into what it means to be American. Like other seminal works of African-American literature from slave narratives onwards, Angelou’s text focuses on the theme of liberation: of knowing that freedom is possible and being willing to persist throughout oppression, trauma, ridicule, and all manner of demeaning circumstances in order to pave the way for a better America for future generations. Like Frederick Douglass, for instance, Angelou knew that the Constitution prohibited the maltreatment of women and women of color; the title of Angelou’s autobiography speaks volumes about her take of what it means to be an American. An American is someone who sings loud and proud in spite of being oppressed, knowing full well that the ideals of the society will prevail in the end. Compared with Angelou’s autobiographical novel, Emerson’s essay on self-reliance presents a starkly different picture of what it means to be American. Emerson writes from the perspective of someone who has never experienced discrimination like Angelou but like Angelou advocates the cultivation of inner strength, or believing in oneself and one’s convictions and never giving in. As different as these two…
American Literature discussion topics: 1. Discuss Sarah Orne Jewett Charles Chesnutt contributed local color fiction nineteenth century stories respective regions (Jewett writing New England Chesnutt South). Sarah Orne Jewett and Charles Chesnutt played essential roles in promoting concepts and thinking in general in the regions of New England, and, respectively, the American South. The fact that these people's writings provide suggestive sketches of village life in the U.S. makes it possible
Ginsberg in fact spent some time in a psychiatric ward and his poem Howel makes the implication that his and his contemporaries madness is caused by the madness of society which, due to its infatuation with technology, has become a demon far worse than any found in humanity's collective mythology. Jung argues that in modern society, mythology has not actually disappeared, it has just taken a less noticeable form in
The stories are moving for the dominant cultural reader as well as for future generations of subjugated immigrant groups. This is not to say that all subjugated groups are immigrants, as the experience of the indigenous Native American population must also be seen as expressive of the American literary experience. The transition from an oral tradition to a written tradition has proved a struggle which was shadowed in extreme only
American and European Literature Suggesting that there is a fundamental difference between American and European literature means much more than acknowledging that the culture produced by geographically distinct regions is similarly distinct, because it suggests that there are much deeper underlying symbols and tropes which mark these cultural productions as distinctly American or European regardless of the wide variety of genres and themes present in the literature of either region. While
The Black Arts Era is characterized by powerful voices such as that of Ishmael Reed or Amiri Baraka. In his poem Black Art, Amiri Baraka potently draws attention to the need for a self-conscious black poetry which would accentuate intentionally all the features specific to the African-American culture. The harsh tone of the poem at the beginning and the almost raging, ferocious rhythm indicate the desire to awaken the spirit
African-American Literature The Implications of African-American Literature Social Economic Environmental Cultural How African-American Literature Has Changed -- Across the Genres Slave Narratives and Biographies Novels African-American Literature and Its Impact on Society Literature is very important. Many people love to read, and still others love to write. Together, they make a winning combination. Literature is often studied, but one aspect of it has been getting very little attention. African-American literature has often times been ignored, or been only selectively
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