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  • Essay / Tracing the Evolution of Early American Literature: A Historical Study

    Living in a society propelled by growth certainly has its advantages. Today we are lucky to have the Internet. Times when you have to go to the library to check out books and chat with an employee at a desk to get their help in researching topics rarely happen. Yet the Internet does not discuss everything about our history. It ignores the fact that writing is a theoretical language in itself. Literature and writing have been communicated for quite a long time and across various nations and societies. That being said, we can certainly see the vast amount of history behind each piece of early "American" literature, and the growth of our society as we know it through the perspectives of others. This course highlighted many themes that exhibit characteristics of American literature from everything we read. These characteristics include: aspects of religion, alienation and isolation, relationships with nature and society, societal constructs and ideas, and the general emphasis on freedom (whether themes of slavery, sexism or free thought). These different traits all fit into a major theme of an American's journey. Each author is on a journey not only to discover themselves, but also to discover the key elements of their society and the problems and growth therein in order to realize the ideals for which America strives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay Throughout history, we have seen constant efforts for improvement (if we look at all the topics previously discussed and let's summarize them), both for the public and for the government. This steady improvement began from the beginning of our great United States. The American "journey" began when the Pilgrims left England in 1620. They left their homeland in search of greater religious freedom, settled in New England, and undertook "the first foundation of their government there,” as William relates. Bradford in his writing entitled Of Plymouth Plantation. The life the Pilgrims sought to build was determined, daring, and an attempt to improve upon their previous lives in England; these ideas are found throughout the history of Bradford during the early years of the colony. To continue on the theme of improvement, a 17th century author particularly stands out. Anne Bradstreet bucked the norms of her time by exposing whatever she desired, including individual considerations, thoughts, feelings, and opportunities. Bradstreet pioneered issues close to home, constituting her most important scholarly engagement in early American writing. This could be considered an incredible improvement in writing and helped impact the movement and journey undertaken to achieve current American works. By looking through Bradstreet's work, one can get a reasonable idea of ​​what Mrs. Bradstreet was like. She unequivocally expressed her conclusion towards individuals who questioned her composition: "I am odious to every carp tongue, / Who said that my hand a needle fits best". Bradstreet would not give up his energy to compose, even if it meant conflicting with the conclusions of anyone in his province, including religious pioneers. Despite the fact that Bradstreetdescribed as offensive, his composed works depict a very unique Bradstreet. She seeks neither reward nor popularity for her writings: “Give a wreath of thyme or parsley, I do not ask for laurels”. Even after her work is published, she remains humble and does not seek much, if any, compensation. She simply gives her writings to the public. Bradstreet was different from the average writer. She went against the common ideals of the time and most likely created a new era for women, giving birth to the idea of ​​the women's rights movement. Yet another source that serves as an example of America's growth as a people are Benjamin Franklin's remarks regarding the savages of North America. In this essay, Franklin addresses several topics and introduces growth to the new American audience by attempting to show that Native Americans were also civilized. Benjamin Franklin apparently tried to open people's eyes and show them that native people were not savages. He says: “Perhaps, if we examine the morals of different nations impartially, we would find no people so rude as not to have some remnants of rudeness.” Native Americans were originally described as "savage" or "barbaric" because of their rules and the differences between "new" American generations. Native Americans had differences in religion, laws, and exceptional amounts of cultural normalities within their own society of common civility that differed from that of normal American culture. The Indians were also mostly very civilized people. Some natives were even sent to college because Benjamin Franklin helped remove the blind eyes of “new societies.” For example, he said, "if the gentlemen of Virginia send us a dozen of their sons (i.e. the natives), we will take great care of their education, instruct them in everything we know and will do of them MEN.” Franklin goes on to say, “The politeness of these savages in conversation is indeed carried to excess, since it does not permit them to contradict or deny the truth of what is asserted in their presence.” We can actually see that Benjamin Franklin contributed to the initial growth of society by attempting to show people different cultures and improve our cultural boundaries, making us more diverse as a people. His writings may well have sparked new advances in American civilization as we know it. The final document that seems to particularly highlight the progress America has made over time is Emerson's essay Nature. This essay places particular emphasis on the ideals of uniqueness found in everyone. Emerson attempted to help people transcend their early beliefs in science, social practices, and rational thought. The way he attempted to improve society was based on his philosophies based on individual experiences and intuition, which one can find when immersed in nature. Emerson asserts that to find individual truth and freedom, one must consider one's own thoughts and how they interact with society and nature as a whole. In Nature, Emerson wrote: “It is not necessary, when the mind is prepared for study, to search for objects. The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common…We create fables to hide the bat of facts and conform this, as we say, to the higher law of the mind.” Emerson attempted to show individuals how to confide,.