Professor Desiderio

AML 4213: Colonial and Early American Literature

Reading Response 3: Civic Virtue vs. Individualism 

Reading Response:  Please respond to one of the questions below.  Each response should be a full 2 pages typed or word processed and double spaced, using a reasonable font, a font size between 10 and 12, and 1-inch margins.  Essays should be thoughtful, organized, and well-written and should have a thesis statement. You should locate passages in the text to support your thesis. The proof of your argument will be quotes from the text, not your personal opinion.  I do not accept assignments via email, so make sure to hand a paper copy into me in class.  Consult the syllabus for late and plagiarism policies. 

Due Date: Monday, November 22

1.  In a letter to her husband John Adams, regarding the Constitution, Abigail Adams wrote:

"...by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary to make, I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If perticular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies, we are determined to foment a Rebelion and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.
       "That your Sex are Naturally Tyrannical is a Truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute, but such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of Friend. Why then not put it out of the power of the vicious and the Lawless to use us with cruelty and indignity with impunity. Men of Sense in all Ages abhor those customs which treat us only as the vassals of your Sex. Regard us then as Beings placed by providence under your protection and in imitation of the Supreme Being make use of that power only for our happiness." 

The rhetoric of the Revolution certainly fueled many women’s pens, including Abigail Adams’ and Hannah Webster Foster’s.  How can we read Eliza Wharton as a “revolutionary” character?  How are her sentiments (especially in regards to her own individuality or marriage) revolutionary? Or, how does she rebel against tyranny—the oppressive tyranny of patriarchal authority and/or the tyranny of the “feminine chorus” (Lucy and Julia)?    

2.  Compare and contrast Mrs. Wharton and Mrs. Richman and the idea of republican motherhood.  Who is a “true” republican mother?   What type of mother is Mrs. Wharton?  Does Mrs. Wharton fail her daughter?  If so, then is Foster arguing for a strong maternal presence in the house? 

3.  In The Autobiography, Franklin tells us that appearances are just as important as reality.  In The Coquette, Eliza’s appearance comes under close scrutiny, whether she is in the garden with Sanford, or in her mother’s house with Julia.  On the same note, Sanford’s love for Eliza could also be all “appearance” (On page 21, he calls himself “a mere Proteus”).  What is the relationship between appearance and reality in the novel? For example, does Boyer misread the appearance of Sanford and Eliza in the garden?  Explore the tenuous relationship between appearance and reality with only one scene from the novel.

Professor Desiderio

AML 4213: Colonial and Early American Literature

Due Date: Monday, December 13, in my mailbox or in my office (DM 462-C) by 5:00 P.M. I will be there most of the day.  I will NOT accept late papers or papers via the Internet. 

Long Paper:

You will have to write one 6-8 page paper, typed or word processed and double spaced, using a reasonable font and a font size between 10 and 12, due at the end of the semester. This paper will be a literary analysis on a particular theme, author(s) or text(s) that we have discussed since the Midterm.  I would suggest not writing on more than two authors.  If you would like, you could write your Reading Response and your Long Paper on one of The Coquette questions (If you chose #3 from R.R., you would use more than one scene).  Some general and broad topics that you may want to think about in regards to the Long Paper are: 

§         Separate Spheres: the depiction of gender

§         Republican Motherhood (characters or narrators as the republican mother)

§         Authorship as a pedagogical tool

§         Family as an allegory of the state (the American government and/or the British government)

§         Self Interest and the Community

§         Appearances and Reality

§         Representation of slavery and race

§         The idea of representation, particularly in Wieland

§         Representations of writing 

These are large themes that you must narrow and specify in regards to your text.  You may use outside sources, but it is certainly not a requirement.  If you do use sources, make sure to include a Works Cited page.*   I encourage you to come see me to talk over your topics.  I would be happy to review topics and to talk out ideas with you.   

Criteria for a successful paper:  

§         Develop a specific and manageable thesis

§         Introduce and define the topic

§         Support claims through quotes from the text and careful analysis of quotes

§         Demonstrate clarity of structure and coherence of thought

§         Proper conclusion

§         Clear prose: correct grammar, word choice, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation

§         Follow relevant length and format guidelines 

* Don’t plagiarize! Plagiarism is the representation of another’s work or ideas as one’s own; it includes unacknowledged word for word use and/or paraphrasing of another person’s work, and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person’s ideas. I will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty or plagiarism. Cases of plagiarism will result in an automatic grade of F for the course, and the case will be reported to our Office of Academic Affairs.