Discuss how the conflict of rational thought/“reason” versus the supernatural as expressed in Poe’s “Sonnet–To Science” is reflected in the Gothic world of “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Herman Melville once described Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing as conveying a “great power of blackness” that “derives its force from its appeal to that Calvinistic sense of Innate Depravity and Original Sin, from whose visitations, in some shape or other, no deeply thinking mind is always and wholly free.

Units 4 & 5

Each essay should consist of two to three paragraphs of three to four complete sentences each. Each essay should have a thesis statement that is supported with specific examples and details from the texts; avoid generalizations or unnecessary plot summaries.

Question Set One
1. Discuss how the conflict of rational thought/“reason” versus the supernatural as expressed in Poe’s “Sonnet–To Science” is reflected in the Gothic world of “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Herman Melville once described Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing as conveying a “great power of blackness” that “derives its force from its appeal to that Calvinistic sense of Innate Depravity and Original Sin, from whose visitations, in some shape or other, no deeply thinking mind is always and wholly free.” How do we see this darker side of humanity depicted in “The Birth-Mark”? What drives the character(s) to their dark thoughts and deeds?
3. In each of the accounts by Major Ridge, Lewis Cass, and Elias Boudinot, the issue of the Cherokees becoming “civilized” is front and center, as well as the issue of the natural rights of the Cherokees (protected by treaties and the US Constitution) and the rights, powers, and duties of the states and the federal government to insure order and enforce laws. in what ways does Cass’s views on Cherokee civilization differ from those of Ridge and Boudinot? In what ways does Cass’s views on governmental power and the Manifest Destiny of European culture upon North America conflict with the views of Ridge and Boudinot on human rights, solemn promises via treaties, and basic Christian values? From the selections we read from the Cherokees in this Unit, in what ways did the Cherokees make progress toward becoming a “civilized” tribe between 1800 and 1830, just prior to the Indian Removal Act? Why did this “progress” not lead to good relations with the state of Georgia and the federal government? Why did the Cherokees become a thorn in their flesh, resulting in their removal to Indian Territory?

Question Set Two

1. What connections and direct contrasts does the narrator draw to “The Paradise of Bachelors” while visiting “The Tartarus of Maids?” Discuss how Emerson would view the wasted human potential we see in either “The Paradise of Bachelors” OR “The Tartarus of Maids,” using the specific principles he explained in “Self-Reliance.”
3. How does the setting of Walden as described in “The Ponds” contrast directly with the setting of “The Tartarus of Maids”? How does this contrast reflect Thoreau’s reasons to go to Walden? How do the characters’ actions and ideas in “The Brothers” reflect–and not reflect–Thoreau’s principles of “Civil Disobedience”?

Question Set Three

1. How do Harriet Jacobs and Sojourner Truth describe the specific challenges inherent to Black womanhood in the mid-19th century? How does the autobiographical account of Douglass’ Narrative support his argument for support of the 15th Amendment in his debate with Susan B. Anthony?
3. What are some of the specific arguments that Douglass and Truth make in their advocacy for equal rights?

Question Set Four
1. Discuss some of the specific rights/privileges that men of the time period have that are different for women, as detailed by Fuller, Stanton, OR Murray (choose two of the listed authors). According to the authors, why are these differences important? In “Life in the Iron Mills,” Hugh Wolfe is an immigrant from Wales. How does his experience contradict Emma Lazarus’ vision for American immigrants as depicted in “The New Colossus”? Be specific.
3. In the excerpt from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in what ways do we see Mrs. Bird reflect the qualities valued by the “Cult of True Womanhood,” and in what ways do we see her exercising the rights that either Murray, Fuller OR Stanton value in their texts (choose one author)? Be specific. How does Emma Lazarus define what America’s role is on a global scale and what its priorities should be in her poems “How Long” and “The New Colossus”?

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