Early American Literature Unit 1 Quiz

Unit 1: Early American Literature

• Distinct American literature emerged after dependence on English literature.
• Key figures of the Great Awakening were George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards.
• Early American literature's primary purpose was instruction.
• The initial migrations to New England were primarily driven by religious motivations.
• Early colonial authors primarily wrote about their hardships.
• After initial establishment, religion became a dominant subject in literature.
• Captain Smith's capture unexpectedly led to Native American provision and friendship with the colonists.
• Smith's "A Description of New England" encouraged English converts to convert Native Americans.
• John Winthrop's journal focused on God's guidance of the colonists.
• Mary Rowlandson's captivity narrative represented the period by illustrating colonial attitudes towards Native Americans, reliance on the Bible during hardship, and the dangers of colonial life.

Unit 2: Colonial American Literature

• Roger Williams's belief in the separation of church and state remains influential.
• Anne Bradstreet used poetry to express her understanding of God's work in her life.
• In "The Author to Her Book," Bradstreet compared her poetry to a child, and expressed some embarrassment about her work.
• In "Upon the Burning of Our House," Bradstreet justified God's actions by accepting all her possessions belong to Him.
• Edward Taylor exemplified how appearance can create great poetry.
• Edward Taylor's "God's Determination" emphasizes God's plan for redemption and spiritual growth.
• In "Upon a Spider Catching a Fly," Taylor used a spider to represent Satan's power.
• Jonathan Edwards addressed the distinction between genuine and false religious experiences during revivals.

Unit 3: The Revolutionary Period

• Benjamin Franklin was known as the "father of the American Dream."
• Franklin's religious principles included: the soul's immortality, divine justice, and God's existence.
• Franklin added humility to his list of virtues after a Quaker friend pointed it out.
• Patrick Henry famously said "Give me Liberty or give me Death."
• Thomas Paine was a prominent political pamphleteer who united the colonists for independence.
• Paine's writing was prompted by colonial defeats in early battles.
• Paine held highly negative views of the King, calling him a common murderer, highwayman, and housebreaker.
• Thomas Jefferson believed the individual was more important than the community and forward-thinking was more valuable than tradition. Authority comes from the people to elected officials.

Unit 4: American Romanticism

• Romantic writers aimed for universal themes and forms in their literature.
• Romantics believed improving man involved removing negative influences from society.
• Romantics viewed God's understanding through nature.
• The publication of Darwin's "Origin of Species" increased attacks against the Bible.
• Secularism entered the national consciousness by 1776.
• The New England School of poets focused on poems and long narratives.
• Rip Van Winkle's key flaw was his dislike of work.
• Rip Van Winkle was a sympathetic, round character.
• Dame Van Winkle was an unsympathetic, flat character.
• William Bryant's poetry combined classic form with romantic content.
• Harriet Wadsworth Longfellow was a prominent professor-poet, writing epics about America's past, and achieving national popularity.
• John Greenleaf Whittier was a major voice in the fight against slavery.

Unit 5: Transcendentalism and Beyond

• Transcendentalism emphasized a belief in a universal being, communication with nature as communication with the Divine.
• Henry Thoreau's central idea in "Walden" was to simplify life.
• Walt Whitman's style was influential, extended Emerson's ideas, and championed freedom in content and style, strongly impacting American poetry.
• Whitman proclaimed himself the National Poet of the United States.
• In "The Birthmark," the birthmark symbolizes sin.
• Herman Melville's writing was realistic, with a focus on ambiguity and symbols, strongly influenced by his seafaring experiences.
• Ahab was Melville's most well-known character.
• In "O Captain! My Captain!," the ship represents the nation and the Captain is Abraham Lincoln.
• Edgar Allan Poe was known as the master of the macabre.

Unit 6: The Post-Civil War Era

• The Civil War discouraged Romanticism.
• Post-Civil War literature focused on issues of progress and industry.
• With religion's declining authority, Darwinism rose.
• Lincoln's effectiveness in speaking and writing came from his simple, clear, and accurate style.
• Lincoln was a Republican.
• Lincoln's humility in his famous speech contrasts with the speech's lasting fame.
• Ambrose Bierce's fiction reflected the mental and physical horrors of the world.
• Bierce was a key figure in the development of black humor.

Test your knowledge on Early American Literature, focusing on distinct American themes that emerged post-independence from English literature. Explore key figures like Jonathan Edwards and the themes of religion, hardship, and Native American interactions presented in foundational texts of the colonial period.