ASSIGNMENT

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a descendant of the Puritans, and in many of his works, we see Hawthorne discuss and debate the world of the Puritans in ways that seem to challenge the strict tenets of the faith. One often-cited example is his 1832 story “Young Goodman Brown.” Read this story and decide:

is Hawthorne creating an accurate picture of the fear that the wilderness inspired in America’s early settlers..particularly in Goodman and Faith? If so, how? If not, why not? As always, use quotes to support your ideas. (worth a possible 20 points).

Final Discussion Question #2

Rebecca Harding Davis is an early voice of Realism, the movement that is often used to chronicle social issues of her day, particularly in her writing “Life in the Iron-Mills,” a great example of how writers could generate social discussion through print journalism in 1861.

What are the key elements of her case being made in this writing, and how does she craft her voice to meet the expectations of her middle-class audience, an audience that was growing in size during the 1860s?

As always, be specific, and use quotes to support your main ideas.