CALANG, Nard Lester L.

BSED English 3A
EM 22- Survey of English and American Literature

American Literature

PRE-TEST
Who is your favorite American writer? Why is he or she your favorite? Use a ¼ yellow sheet in
answering.
- My all-time favorite American writer since high school is Edgar Allan Poe. I was first hooked into
literature through poems during high school with the hopeless romantic themes such as Edgar
Allan Poe’s Anabelle Lee. I loved the word play done by the author towards the notion of love
that is beyond its death. Edgar Allan Poe’s various works amazes me such as the Cask of
Amontillado where the gothic theme of the literary material gives it a black and white thriller
vibe to the reader. The literary material puts the reader in a front view at the edge of their seats
to the exquisite scenes which invokes a feeling of terror while exploring death, despair,
suspense, and the nuances of romance. His poems are written with eccentric visualizations that
puzzles and mesmerizes readers to dig deeper towards the essence of the message through the
author’s lenses. His tragic life story of losing his wife is one of factor for the depth and
inspiration of his works. Even though he married his wife Virgnia Clemm at the age of 13 which
is considered to be corrupting minors, Virginia died at the age of 24 due to tuberculosis.

TASKS
A. Informative Video. Among the selections under American Literature, which one is your
favorite? Through a 5-minute informative video, highlight the work through this sequence:
background of the author, details of the story like characters, plot, themes, and symbols.
Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VIExgG2rGPLduF70Jrbro_GYWbKCnZ6X/view?usp=sharing

B. Top 3. Select your top three favorites and three least favorites from the selections and your
reasons for liking/not liking the materials. Use long bond papers. Take note of the rubric.

Favorites:
1. Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
The narrative of the story Cark of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe plays on the
people’s fear of death and curiosity of live burial. It also plays on the idea of many individuals
rushing into activities without considering the implications or the consequences. This story
allows you to enter the mind of a murderer which is also reflective to the views of society in this
time period. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe is about the importance and the
dangers of a man who is a level headed person who is calm and collected. The story depicts
about the act driven by emotions of wrath and revenge which led to the murder. This story
reminds us with the dangers of fooling around and making fun of other people.
2. "The Story of An Hour"
The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin is about the marriage Louise and her
husband’s that was full of love and happiness which made her sister baffled to why Louise was
happy for her husband’s death. She had expected in her life that she would depart in this life
much earlier that her husband that having the notion of being together in the afterlife would
relive her. The happiness of the knowledge that her husband will be hers and hers alone which
eventually led her to die out of the shock and doctors said that it was the joy that killed her. The
Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin is the notion of love beyond their lifetime. It is wonderful
thought that a happy marriage would go on until the afterlife. In this life or towards the next,
they would choose to find and love each other here in this life or in the afterlife.
3. A Respectable Woman
The story A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin is about a respectable woman
who her first line of defense in to ensue she doesn’t become tempted by other men decided she
dislikes them. It was explicitly stated that she was attracted to her husband college friend but
she stopped herself. She was also being tempted by him but learned she can resist temptation
to subdue her natural desire due to societal expectation that made her a respectable woman.
 The story A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin is an important awareness to the society. Being
unyielding to the natural desire and maintaining her dignity as a respectable woman is a must. It
only shows that she had a great respect to her husband as well as herself towards their societal
image. She stood her ground despite being “marupok” fragile and vulnerable towards the man
she was attracted to.

Least Favorites:
1. William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury
The story of The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner is a literary material with
a fragmented plot which is confusing and the characters are dull and flawed with sporadic
intentions. Money is a dull motivator for the length of the story which depicts juvenile regrets
and redemption that is too late for the character. The story arc of redemption is short lived and
the ending is a cliffhanger that does not make an impact.
2. John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath
The story of the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is about Joad and his family
who experienced a rollercoaster of hope and faith and felt anxious for their fate in the face of
desperate odds without any sudden change of fortune to demise. The situation in the story felt
like a quicksand where the plot of the story conveys more and more struggle. The story is like a
product of a mind of an author who is spiteful, sadistic, and straightway wicked. I can only feel
sympathy towards the poor family from the villainous landowners and the banks who started
the suffering of the family.
3. Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises
The story of the Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is about the phenomenon
where a specific generation after the first World War I who are mentally, emotionally, and
morally lost. It is a state where when the war ended for a long time, a whole generation doesn’t
know anything in life aside from fighting and surviving the war. It conveys a perspective that
these people are the broken product of the war albeit physically and emotionally. The
characters are not a stellar example for the reader which depicts depression, drunkards, and
stupid decisions.

C. Reflection. Provide a three-paragraph composition that details your realizations and

reflections. Kindly include a discussion on the theme’s relevance to the present times for each
story. Write your answers on long bond papers after every topic/lecture. Take note of the
rubric on page 215.

A. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

The story of the Common Sense by Thomas Paine is a pamphlet of rave about the big
decision America has to face under the British colonization. The decision either to remain under
British rule or to fight a war for independence. The entire world should want America to be free
which will set an example for freedom and liberty that other countries could follow.
The major problems with America under the British political system are the monarch
and aristocrats who doesn’t deserve to lead. Democracy is the only way to achieve freedom
which is the main reason why America needs to separate from the British. Being passive towards
this issue are considered cowards who don't want to put their lives on the line for freedom.
The relevance of the theme in the story Common Sense by Thomas Paine in the
present time is that it allows us to reflect on the authors and literary materials that led the
American revolution against the British colonization. Just like the El Filibusterismo and Noli me
Tangere of Dr. Jose Rizal this literary material instigated the awakening of patriotism in each
individual. This material raised awareness and allowed us to raise against the oppression of the
colonizers.

B. Washington Irving’s Short Fiction

1. Rip Van Winkle
The story of Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving is about a good-natured man
named Rip Van Winkle. The people in the village where he lives loves him as he is always willing
to lend a helping hand and performs tasks that their husbands were not willing to perform for
their wives. The problem is that he takes care of everybody's business but his own where his
business and his farm is in ruins that made his wife Dame Van Winkle in constant nagging.
 Rip Van Winkle heads for the woods to get some peace and quiet from his wife’s
verbal assault. he climbed the Catskill Mountains unconsciously travelled to the other side of the
mountain when he notices a strange man struggling to carry a keg. He went along with them
where they drank the liquor and Rip decides to have a taste until he finally falls into a deep
slumber till, he woke up 20 year later.
The relevance of the theme in the story Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving in the
present time since the story provides a perspective towards running from one’s responsibilities.
Although, given that the literary material is a work of fiction the messages that is ingrained in
the story is bound in realism. Rip should have set his priorities straight since a happy wife is a
happy wife.

2. Legend of the Sleepy Hollow

The story of the Legend of the Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving is about as
school teacher named Ichabod Crane who is riding home alone with his horse when he
encounters a huge headless rider mounted upon a black horse. Hastily, Ichabod urged his own
horse to run towards the old church bridge and saw his own head hurled by the headless rider.
The townsfolk investigate Ichabod’s sudden disappearance but they did not find a body at the
old church bridge, instead they found the hat next to the shattered remains of a pumpkin.
The story drew context to the superstitious residents of the town who believed
that Ichabod Crane became a victim of the galloping Hessian. The incident was the talk of the
town and the speculation grew at the scene of Ichabod Crane’s hat next to the shattered
pumpkin. Apparently, Ichabod Crane lived and went away to New York but was later discovered
that the incident was an elaborate prank by Brom Bones his rival to the lady Katrina.
The relevance of the theme in the story of the Legend of the Sleepy Hollow by
Washington Irving in the present time since the story introduces the social norms such as
superstitions and beliefs. These superstitions are rooted to incidents that seemed to be bizarre
and unexplainable. This only cemented the fact that human is susceptible to believe in
superstitions and are fearful of the unknown.

C. Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

The story of the Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe is about a man who
wants to get revenge on someone else for the insults he got. The whole narrative revolves
around Fortunato's inebriation and, eventually, his live burial. The notion of vengeance is central
narrative the story.
The story plays on the people’s fear of death and curiosity of live burial. It also
plays on the idea of many individuals rushing into activities without considering the implications
or the consequences. This story allows you to enter the mind of a murderer which is also
reflective to the views of society in this time period.
The relevance of the theme in the Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe in the
present time is about the importance and the dangers of a man who is a level headed person
who is calm and collected. The story depicts about the act driven by emotions of wrath and
revenge which led to the murder. This story reminds us with the dangers of fooling around and
making fun of other people.

D. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter

The story of the scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is about a woman named
Hester being released from prison with her newborn baby in her arms on the way to the town
scaffold to be put on display. She wears an elaborately embroidered red “A” on the front of her
dress which stands for adulterer. She looks out across the crowd and notices her husband who
was believed to be dead.
Hester was pressured by her judges who were the leaders of the town and the
church where she refuses to bring her lover and baby’s father down with her. The punishment
of the scarlet letter is a historical fact which would have been unheard of at the time of Puritan
colonies. A baby born out of wedlock during that time was like a death sentence for the mother
and in some cases it actually was.
The relevance of the theme in the scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the
present time since it depicts of the accountability and ownership of the actions with the love
and sacrifices for both the child and the lover. A decision to protect her lover and take on all of
 the backlashes of an extramarital affair and live isolation for her lover to be able to continue
with his normal life. It also depicts the injustice against women and gender inequality.

E. Henry James’ Portrait of a Lady

The story of a Portrait of a Lady by Henry James is about a woman named Isabel
Archer who is beautiful and spirited New Yorker who was brought to Europe by her wealthy
aunt. Isabel Archer is expected that she will soon marry but has decided to enjoy her freedom
and did not hesitate to turn down two eligible suitors. Until she finds herself irresistibly drawn
to the charming and cultivated Gilbert Osmond who has dark secret.
The story depicts that money doesn’t bring happiness and neither can marriage.
Isabel Archer inherits a small fortune that creates problems for her that she never expected until
she finally accepts marriage proposal things turn really bad. She is married for love, not for
wealth but still end up miserable. It is an adverse stereotypical idea of marrying for love that
would end up and poor happy.
The relevance of the theme in the Portrait of a Lady by Henry James in the
present time is that it conveys a perspective that not all events that fall together like the fairy
tales. The success of marriage does not conclude if it wants done through love or convenience,
but by both party working together to make the marriage work. The story breaks the
stereotypical notion of happily ever after in marriage through love.

F. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The story of The Adventure of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is about a boy named
Tom Sawyer who is not like most of the boys in the Mississippi River town who behaves and
does what the adults told. Tom Sawyer is a clever boy who always looks for a way to escape his
tasks and convince the other boys of just about everything. He always finds trouble that would
eventually turn into a really dangerous situation which makes up his adventures.
The story poses an audience appropriation issue from its target audience of
children. The story depicts a perspective towards social norms of the time like slavery and the
belief of superstitions that may be difficult to digest for children. The story would be best suited
for teenagers and adult who likes to recall and have a familiar sense of their childhood.
The relevance of the theme in The Adventure of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain in the
present time is that it allows us to enjoy a literary material that depicts our juvenile years. In the
sense of familiarity and adventures that we can enjoy which also depicts a reflective image of
our childhood and society of the yesteryears. Unlike nowadays where children are more
engaged in gadgets and social media comparatively has its advantages and disadvantages.

G. Kate Chopin’s Short Stories

1. "The Story of An Hour"
The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin is about a patient of heart disease Mrs.
Louise Mallard who is to be told that her husband Brentley Mallard has died in a railroad
accident. Louise’s sister Josephine breaks the news to her that her husband’s name is at the top
of the list of the deceased at the news office. Louise sobs for a while but was trying hard to
suppress this inappropriate feeling being relieved from her husband’s death than grieved.
Louise and her husband’s marriage was full of love and happiness which made her
sister baffled to why Louise was happy for her husband’s death. She had expected in her life that
she would depart in this life much earlier that her husband that having the notion of being
together in the afterlife would relive her. The happiness of the knowledge that her husband will
be hers and hers alone which eventually led her to die out of the shock and doctors said that it
was the joy that killed her.
The relevance of the theme in The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin in the present
time is the notion of love beyond their lifetime. It is wonderful thought that a happy marriage
would go on until the afterlife. In this life or towards the next, they would choose to find and
love each other here in this life or in the afterlife.

2. A Respectable Woman
The story of A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin is about a woman named Mrs.
Baroda whose husband Gaston invites his old college friend to stay with them on their
plantation. She is being certain she dislikes the man that she confronts her husband about their
 guest which she taunted on going to leave them alone to go and stay with her aunt. She later on
discovers that she is strangely attracted to him and grows confused about her feelings.
Mrs. Baroda is a respectable woman because her first line of defense in to ensue
she doesn’t become tempted by other men decided she dislikes them. It was explicitly stated
that she was attracted to her husband college friend but she stopped herself. She was also being
tempted by him but learned she can resist temptation to subdue her natural desire due to
societal expectation that made her a respectable woman.
The relevance of the theme in A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin in the
present time is an important awareness to the society. Being unyielding to the natural desire
and maintaining her dignity as a respectable woman is a must. It only shows that she had a great
respect to her husband as well as herself towards their societal image. She stood her ground
despite being “marupok” fragile and vulnerable towards the man she was attracted to.

H. Edith Warton’s The Age of Innocence

The story of the Age of Innocence by Edith Warton is about a lawyer named
Newland Archer who is a bachelor in New York City with his fiancée May Welland. Newland
married May who came from one of the richest and most respected family in New York.
Unfortunately, Newland fell for another woman named Ellen who is practically the exact
opposite of May. He knows that he is married and must stay faithful to his wife and had to give
up the thing he most wanted.
The Age of Innocence is about a love triangle within married people with
complicated social standing. The story is reminiscent of the song “Somewhere Down the Road
by Barry Manilow” which depicts finding the right live for Newland in the form of Ellen. The
complicated notion of being tied to marriage and falling in love to someone else is a disaster in
the making.
The relevance of the theme in the Age of Innocence by Edith Warton in the
present time is the notion of a dangerous extramarital affair. It is not the matter of finding love
in the wrong time but to hold firm and stand for the vows that was made in the sight of God and
law. To be faithful despite the situation, the emotion, and the reason for the greater good of the
spouse, family, children, and dignity.

I. Willa Cather’s My Antonia

The story of My Antonia by Willa Cather is about a woman named Antonia
Shimerda who is a European immigrant in the prairies of Nebraska. Her childhood friend Jim
Burden who stayed with his grandparents after the death of his parents help each other as
newcomers in a new land. Antonia was living a difficult life with her unhappy father and
ungrateful mother to her being a farm helper and to being a hired worker in a nearby town. Jim
Burden’s adolescent life with Antonia in the town where his grandparents decided to retire until
his college life in Nebraska and then to Harvard.
The both of them reunited as adults where Jim Burden tracks down Antonia and
finds her married to a local farmer with a burgeoning family of her own. They found themselves
reminiscing their childhood together in appreciation of their friendship. He found himself in
regret for leaving his childhood friend and asking what if they got together despite the difficult
situation.
The relevance of the theme in My Antonia by Willa Cather in the present time is
the notion of the someone who got away. The regret and emptiness that Jim felt despite his
success in life due to an unsettled past. It is about the choices that we make that makes up out
life of whether we regret it or not.

J. John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath

The story of the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is about a man named Tom
Joad who was serving a seven-year sentence for homicide and was released for good behavior.
Tom Joad and he’s heading for his father’s 40-acre farm. Tom’s father was Jim Casy who is a
preacher having a crisis and was evicted by the landowners and the banks from their own farm.
These are just the start of the hardships and storms that the Joads would experience.
Tom Joad and his family experienced a rollercoaster of hope and faith and felt
anxious for their fate in the face of desperate odds without any sudden change of fortune to
demise. The situation in the story felt like a quicksand where the plot of the story conveys more
 and more struggle. The story is like a product of a mind of an author who is spiteful, sadistic, and
straightway wicked.
The relevance of the theme in the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck in the
present time is about the reality of devil behind capitalism. I can only feel sympathy towards the
poor family from the villainous landowners and the banks who started the suffering of this
family. Capitalism only favored the wealthy but makes life much more difficult for the poor and
the ordinary wage earners who were simply trying to get by.

K. Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises

The story of the Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is about Lady Brett Ashley
and Jake Barnes who are considered to be the Lost Generation age during World War I (1914–
18). Jake is a journalist and World War I veteran who suffered an injury that rendered him
impotent. Jake and Brett met and fell in love during the war when Brett as volunteer nurse,
helped treat Jake’s injuries. The story takes a rollercoaster ride of people in different place
which ended up with Jake and Brett talking in a taxi in Madrid.
The main emphasis of the story is the phenomenon where a specific generation
after the first World War is mentally, emotionally, and morally lost. It is a state where when the
war ended for a long time, a whole generation doesn’t know anything in life aside from fighting
and surviving the war. It conveys a perspective that these people are the broken product of the
war albeit physically and emotionally.
The relevance of the theme in the Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway in the
present time is that is shows us the effects of being injured emotionally where unlike the
physical injuries that would eventually heal, psychological injuries leave scars for of a lifetime.
The silver lining of the story the sun also rises is when both of them found hope with each other
to face the future together.

L. William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury

The story of The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner is about a man named
Benjy with a mental disability. The first section opens on April 7, 1928 with Benjy and his
caretaker Luster who was searching for a lost quarter near a fenced golf course when he started
to have a fragmented memory of caddy. The second section on June 2, 1910 when Benjy met
Quentin who wants commit suicide that triggered a few more memories.
The third section on April 6, 1928 of Miss Quentin who recall memories with her
mother caddy and the money she sent. The fourth on April 8, 1928 when Miss Quentin went to
Jason’s house found her mother’s money stole it back and fled the house.
The relevance of the theme in The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner in the
present time is the appreciation of the moments and the people in our lives before they become
a memory. The story is about the demise of the mother and daughter in the hands of abusive
people. Miss Quentin made amends of the memory of her mother through taking back what was
taken from her.

M. Eugene O’niell’s Mourning Becomes Electra

The story of the Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O’niell is about a girl named
Lavinia who is the Electra of the title awaits the return of her father Ezra. She discovered that
her mother Christine had an affair with one of Lavinia's suitors Adam Brant where they decided
to kill Ezra. Family secrets are revealed when Lavinia's brother, Orin come home and the two
conspire to exact revenge for their father's death by killing Adam.
The story conveys Lies, treachery, and murder which torments the guilt of the
family member who were unable to bear the thought of living in a house filled with ghosts of
the Mannon dead. Lavinia who was filled with mourning left the fate to her brother to embrace
the fate of being a soul damned to live out her days in the Mannon house alone.
The relevance of the theme in the Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O’niell in
the present time is the consequences of the lies, treachery, and murder done by the parents
that torments the children. It depicts selfishness and the narcissistic pursuit of material things
that destroys the family and leaves an emotional and phycological damage to the children.

N. Arthur Miller’s Works

1. Death of a Salesman
 The story of the Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is about young man named Biff
who is the bereaved son of Willy the dead salesman. Willy the salesman who committed suicide
from his depression mental breakdown. Linda the salesman’s wife informed his son about how
Willy is trying to kill himself where Biff needs to support the family but have a stable job or be
blamed for his father’s actions.
The story depicts lies to truth, failure to success, betrayal to respect, confinement to
freedom, pride to humility and expectations to reality. A person’s inability to accept his fate and
to continue to deny himself of the truth is the main cause of his demise. The salesman’s life has
been a life full of unrealized dreams and memories of the past that made him be removed from
reality chasing the American Dream but death got him first.
The relevance of the theme in the Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller in the
present time is the notion of physical death and the death of a dream. The salesman’s dream of
becoming financially stable stayed as a dream. Death was the cost of putting a lot of pressure to
himself and being too consumed with materialistic things with capitalism and commercialism.

2. The Crucible
The story of The Crucible by Arthur Miller is about a teen girl named Abigail
Williams who has an illicit affair with a married man John Proctor and engages in other
forbidden activities. Abigail deflects responsibility for her behavior by accusing others of
performing witchcraft and her friends join in using the ensuing mass hysteria to punish anyone
who may have slighted them. Soon the entire community is ruled by fear as the accusations fly
and innocent citizens are imprisoned and executed.
The story took place in Salem, Massachusetts in the 17th century. This place was a
community of rigid Puritanical Christianity of religious and moral views. The extremism of the
community pave way to the mass hysteria instigated by a young girl and her friends who
accused innocent people of performing witchcraft.
The relevance of the theme in The Crucible by Arthur Miller in the present time is
the notion selfish cruelty baring false witnesses against people. This action led to their untimely
demise from the willingness of the community's religious leaders to rule with fear and violence
which deaths befall into the hands of the vile tongue.

O. Toni Morrison’s Beloved

The story of The Beloved by Toni Morrison is about a woman named Sethe who was
born a slave and escaped to Ohio. She has experienced too many hideous, painful, and abusive
memories of Sweet Home. Eighteen years later as a free woman, her new home is still haunted
by the ghost of her baby who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with “Beloved”.
The story depicts about the question of real freedom from the bondage of living in
the past. Sethe may be socially free but the guilt of her deceased two-year-old daughter whose
death was dreadful. She may though of an underserved freedom that she had from the grim of
the past that can get away from.
The relevance of the theme in Beloved by Toni Morrison in the present time is the
notion of the maternal love that protects children from this cruel world. It is a story depicts the
horror of slavery, death and murder. The story also deals with guilt and forgiveness with oneself
to let healing takes its place for the pain, loss, and confusion.

P. Tennessee Williams’ Plays

1. The Glass Menagerie
The story of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is about the Wingfield
family lives in an apartment in St. Louis, Missouri. Amanda Wingfield's crippled daughter, Laura,
has never had a gentleman caller. Amanda's son, Tom, is invited home for dinner by a young
man named Jim O'Connor. A few days later Amanda finds out that Laura had dropped out of
school. The play ends with Tom some years in the future thinking back on his sister Laura whom
he can never forget.
The structure of the story involves the presentation of the scenes through the
memory of one of the characters. Tom Wingfield is both the narrator and a character in the play.
The separate scenes are selected to give the audience a slice of life that the author once lived. In
many places, William suggests the use of titles and images to be projected on a scene. These
 images are virtually never used when the play is produced, but are included so as to help with
the structure of the play.
The relevance of the theme in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams in the
present time is the notion of the reflections of the past seem to haunts a person. The memories
come to life like seeing things that doesn’t exactly what happened recalled by personal
experiences. Moving on would be difficult to do when the memories in the past are on loop
from the guilt of not facing it.

2. Streetcar Named Desire

The story of the Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams is about a
schoolteacher named Blanche DuBois from Laurel, Mississippi who arrived in New Orleans to
her sister Stella Kowalski. She is disdainful of the cramped quarters of the Kowalski’s' two-room
apartment. Blanche's heavy drinking is another sign that all is not well with Blanche. Blanche's
husband committed suicide after she discovered and chastised him for his homosexuality. Mitch
describes his own loss of a former love, and he tells Blanche that they need each other.
Stanley's cruelty so disturbs Stella that it appears the Kowalski household is about to
break up. Mitch tries to have sex with Blanche, but she forces him to leave by yelling "Fire!" to
attract passersby. Blanche reveals the need for human affection she felt after her husband's
death. Stanley grabs Blanche's arm rapes her. Stella sobs with her child in her arms, and Stanley
comforts her.
The relevance of the theme in the Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
in the present time is the notion of dealing with difficult world that people forcefully and
intentionally take what they want. Since the relationship was build in force, fear and
intimidation, hatred escalates that would destroy them emotionally and psychologically drive
them insane.

Q. Maya Angelou’s, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The story of I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is about a girl named
Maya Angelou who describes her coming of age as a precocious but insecure black girl. Maya's
parents divorced when she is only three years old. She Grew up in Stamps, Arkansas where
Maya faced a deep-seated southern racism.
Maya's mother moved her and her friend Bailey out of Stamps to live with Momma
where Maya became aware of both the fragility and the strength of her community. At age 10,
Maya takes a job for a white woman who calls her "Mary". Maya became the first black
streetcar conductor at age 15 who hides her pregnancy from her mother and stepfather for
eight months. The story ends where Maya begun to feel confident as a mother.
The relevance of the theme in Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou in the
present time is the notion of standing for oneself against the oppressions of racism and
prejudice. She worked hard at the early age to prove her worth and make her way up as the first
black streetcar conductor at age 15. To be true to yourself and your personal outlook in life that
would allow you to shine.

R. Timeline. Create a timeline of the publication of the materials used under American
Literature. In the timeline, include the literary period the writers were born to and the literary
influences found in the materials. Use long bond papers. Do this task by pair.

Periods of American Literature

1500s - 1620 Native American & Age of Exploration
1620 - 1720 The Puritan Age
1720 - 1820 The Age of Enlightenment
• 1702 - Fame is a fickle food (1702) by Emily Dickinson
• 1772 - On Virtue by Phillis Wheatley
• 1773 - On being brought from Africa to America by Phillis Wheatley
• 1773 - To S. M. a young African Painter, on seeing his Works by Phillis Wheatley
• 1773 - On the Death of a young Lady of Five Years of Age by Phillis Wheatley
• 1776 - To His Excellency, General Washington by Phillis Wheatley
• 1776 - Common Sense by Thomas Paine
• 1819 - Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
 1820 - 1865 The Romantic Age
• 1820 - Legend of the Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
• 1839 - “A Psalm of Life” (1839) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• 1842 - “The Rainy Day” (1842) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• 1845 - The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
• 1846 - Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
• 1850 - Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• 1855 - I Sing the Body Electric by Walt Whitman
• 1858 - “The Ladder of St. Augustine” (1858) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• 1860 - I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman
• 1861 - “Hope” is the thing with feathers - (314) by Emily Dickinson
• 1861 - Wild nights - Wild nights! (269) by Emily Dickinson
• 1862 - It was not Death, for I stood up, (355) by Emily Dickinson
• 1863 - “The Children’s Hour” (1863) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• 1863 - Because I could not stop for Death – (479) by Emily Dickinson
1865 - 1895 The Age of Realism
• 1867 - "Are you the new person drawn toward me?" by Walt Whitman
• 1876 - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• 1878 - “Nature” (1878) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• 1881 - Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
• 1894 - "The Story of An Hour" by Kate Chopin
• 1894 - A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin
1895 - 1920 The Age of Naturalism
• 1896 - I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, (340) by Emily Dickinson
• 1914 - Mending Wall by Robert Frost
• 1916 - The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
• 1918 - My Antonia by Willa Cather
1920 - 1945 The Age of Disillusionment
• 1920 - The Age of Innocence by Edith Warton
• 1920 - Fire and Ice by Robert Frost
• 1923 - Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
• 1923 - Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost
• 1923 - The Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls by EE Cummings
• 1926 - The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
• 1929 - The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner
• 1931 - somewhere i have never travelled by EE Cummings
• 1931 - Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O’Neill
• 1939 - Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• 1940 - Anyone lived in a pretty how town by EE Cummings
• 1940 - Next to of course God America i… (III) by EE Cummings
• 1944 - The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
1945 - Present the Age of Anxiety
• 1947 - Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
• 1949 - Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
• 1952 - I carry your heart with me (i carry it in) by EE Cummings
• 1953 - The Crucible by Arthur Miller
• 1958 - (a... (a leaf falls on loneliness) by EE Cummings
• 1969 - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• 1987 - Beloved by Toni Morrison

Self-Evaluation
Express the importance of studying American literature through a 2-minute video.
Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19aT3ZR6FFCe6ihUbFYP1bbVbMTk1JkFo/view?usp=sharing