BRADSTREET

Respond to the following question:
1. Based on information presented in lecture notes and other readings, discuss whether or not Anne Bradstreet is a true Puritan write – be sure to provide specific examples in support of your response.
Respond to any one of the following 4 questions:
2. In the assigned poems, ”The Flesh and the Spirit,” and “The Author to Her Book,” how does Bradstreet balance abstract, theological concerns with personal, material issues?
3. What does Bradstreet’s poetry tell us about motherhood and marriage in Puritan New England?
4. In the poem “Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House,” how does Bradstreet struggle with her Puritan commitment to the doctrine of “weaned affections” (the idea that individuals must wean themselves from earthly, material concerns and focus only on spiritual matters)? How does she turn the experience of losing her possessions to spiritual use? Does she seem entirely resigned to casting away her “pelf” and “store”? In what terms does she describe the “house on high” that God has prepared for her?
5. In what ways does Bradstreet’s poetry depart from authorized Puritan rhetoric? How do Bradstreet’s departures compare to those of found in Mary Rowlandson’s Narrative?

ROWLANDSON
Respond to the following question:
1. In what ways does Rowlandson’s Narrative depart from accepted Puritan rhetoric? Be sure to use specific examples to support your response
Respond to one of the following questions:
2. In what ways does Rowlandson use her experience to reaffirm her Puritan Beliefs? How does she view herself and her fellow Christians? What do her descriptions of the Indians accomplish?
3. Many scholars view the captivity narrative as the first American genre and trace its influence in the development of other forms of American autobiographical and fictional writings. Why do you think the captivity narrative became so popular and influential? What might make it seem particularly “American”?

KNIGHT:
How does the content of Knight’s journal, the things she chooses to write about, compare with the content and tone of ‘other’ Puritan writings/writers – i.e. Bradford, Winthrop, Bradstreet, Rowlandson. Be sure to use specific examples in support of your response.

Book Name: The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 8th Edition, Vols. A & B New York: W. W. Norton & Company. 2012. Print

Note – be sure to pay attention to the scoring rubric that is included with each of the journal assignments

Evaluation considerations – individual response
A ‘weak’ response (Think ‘D’) will address a majority of the questions in generally broad or sweeping terms. The responses will offer minimal textual support for the statements being made.
An ‘adequate’ response ( think ‘C’) will address a majority of the questions in general terms without making broad or sweeping generalizations. The response will offer some textual support for the statements being made.
An ‘effective/good’ response ( think ‘B’) will address a majority of the questions in some specific terms and offer ‘reasonable’ support and offer a targeted response with reference to 2 or more examples
An ‘excellent/outstanding’ response ( think ‘A’) will address a majority of the questions with specific textual references and offer at least 3 (examples) from the readings in support of the response.
Important Considerations –
• Respond to each question in full/complete sentences and paragraphs
• Respond to each question individually and completely (be sure to clearly address all parts of each question)
• Be sure to support your responses, where/when appropriate, with relevant examples from the text and/or posted notes