Early American Test Review
Part One – Take home essay
Answer the following question. Your answer should be supported by no less than three direct quotes from the texts studied in class. Strong answers will be multi-paragraph responses with a clear thesis statement and beginning, middle and end. Answers may be typed (double space, one inch margins) or handwritten (skip lines). You must work on this alone! No group responses.
Question:
The United States has been influenced by a variety of different cultures and people. Review the Dominant American Values Notes. Which values can be traced back to the early Americans (John Smith, Olaudah Equiano, Native Americans, Puritans)? Choose three dominant American values (that we discussed in class) and trace them back to the early Americans using support from the text to support your answer. (DO NOT SUPPORT WITH THE SCARLET LETTER)
Part two – Quote identification and analysis
a. You will need to identify and analyze quotes from The Scarlet Letter. For each quote, you will be asked the speaker, to whom and when the quote was spoken, and the significance of the quote. The significance of the quote is how it relates to a theme, its symbolic meaning, or what it reveals about the character.
Example:
“Come away, or yonder old Black Man will catch you! He hath got hold of the minister already. Come away Mother, or he will catch you! But he cannot catch [me]!”
Speaker:Situation:To whom?
When?
Significance:
b. You will also have to identify quotes from the other early American literature (Native Americans, John Smith, Olaudah Equiano, and the Puritans: Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards.) For these, you need to identify the author of the quote and the significance (what it reveals about the author or the author’s culture).
Part three – In-class essay
You will have to answer at least one essay over The Scarlet Letter and/or The Crucible.
To study for the test, review the following:
•all class notes•comparison and contrast essay structure
•the early American literature•notes from the Great Book Series film
• your post it notes•group-discussion presentation notes