American Lit Unit 1 Test:

TED Talk: Early American vs. Modern Voices

Your Task:
Compare and contrast
an early American
writer and a modern
day musical artist:
• Purpose
• Theme
• Style

*Technology *Entertainment *Design

For this assessment, you will

 Choose ONE early American author’s piece of writing from the selections in
your Unit 1 lessons OR these additional choices:
 Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech (1851) -- you can also watch
Kerry Washington’s great performance of the speech HERE.
 Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?” speech (1852) --
watch James Earl Jones read the speech HERE
 Native American writer Sarah Winnemucca’s “First Meeting of Piutes and
Whites”, an excerpt from her autobiographical Life Among the Piutes.
For this assessment, you will

 Choose ONE current musician’s song.

 Compare and contrast the purposes, themes, and styles of the two pieces by
 creating a Google Slide or PowerPoint presentation by completing the
following slides.
 Feel free to get creative and change the design and add more images… just
make sure to include all the required information. :)
 Make a recording of you presenting your slides (Screencast-O-Matic is a great
tool)
TED Talk

Early American Writer: Phillis Wheatley Current Musician: Rivers Cuomo from Weezer
Name of Literary Work: Poems on Various
Subjects, Religious and Moral Name of Song: A Little Bit of Love
Early American Writer: Phillis Wheatley

 Background: Portrait of Phillis Wheatley

 Childhood experiences: At the age of eight, she was kidnapped and brought to
Boston on an enslaved person ship.
 Family: Susanna and John Wheatley.
 Education: within sixteen months of her arrival in America she could read the
Bible, Greek and Latin classics, and British literature. She also studied
astronomy and geography.
 Religious or political views: She was by all appearances genuinely devout in
the Calvinist, evangelical Christianity
Current Musician: Rivers Cuomo from
Weezer
 Background:
 Childhood experiences:
 Family:
 Education:
 Religious or political views
Early American Writer: Literary
Piece:

 What is the writer’s purpose? (What does he or she hope to accomplish?)

 How do you know? Provide textual evidence to support the writer’s purpose
and then explain how it helps accomplish the writer’s purpose:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
Current Musician: Selected Song:

 What is the song-writer’s purpose? (What does he or she hope to accomplish?)

 How do you know? Provide textual evidence to support the song-writer’s
purpose and then explain how it helps to accomplish the song-writer’s
purpose:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
Early American Writer: Literary Piece:

 Identify at least one THEME (the message or big idea the song-writer wants us
to know, provide a quote for support, and then explain how the quote
develops the theme. (TWO will earn extra credit.)

 THEME:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
 (OPTIONAL) THEME:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
Current Musician: Selected Song:

 Identify at least one THEME (the message or big idea the song-writer wants us
to know, provide a quote for support, and then explain how the quote
develops the theme. (TWO will earn extra credit.)
 THEME:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
 (OPTIONAL) THEME:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
Early American Writer: Literary Piece:

 Identify at least two style elements the writer uses and support with
examples from the text. Review some common style elements HERE.
 Style element:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
 Style element:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
Current Musician: Selected Song:

 Identify at least two style elements the writer uses and support with
examples from the text. Review some common style elements HERE.
 Style element:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
 Style element:
 Quote:
 Explanation:
Imagine your selected early American writer and current
musician songwriter could meet today…

 Would they be friends or distant admirers? Explain...

 Would they collaborate? Explain...
 Is their work so similar they might have copyright infringements? Explain...
TED Talk Call to Action!

 Inspire the audience to see how the early American writer and the
musician are similar.
 What themes are common between the two artists?
 Explain how and why these themes are common. Do they represent universal
truths?
 Explain why these artists’ works are important to you.
Presentation

 Submit the link or file of your recorded video here

Works Cited

 List sources used for this presentation using MLA format.

 List links and resources for more information about the poet and artist.