Discuss one or two of Anne Bradstreet’s poems in detail. (You may discuss poems from our list, but also feel free to discuss any of Bradstreet’s poems that are not on our list). Discuss some biographical information about Bradstreet in relation to the poems, including some historical context in the early American colonial times during which Bradstreet lived and worked.
Topic #2: Compare and contrast the narrators/narrative points of view in two out of the following three stories by Edgar Allan Poe: “The Black Cat,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.” What is the effect of having the main characters tell their stories from first-person point of view? All of these narrators/characters commit violent crimes, but their reasons for doing so are quite different. Discuss the mental capacity and accountability/responsibility of the two narrators that you choose. Why are these stories still interesting to modern readers today?
Topic #3: Discuss the co-existence of belief in Christianity and belief in “witches” and other superstitions in 17th Century Puritan society as shown in “Young Goodman Brown.” What do you think are some of the most important themes or messages in this allegory by Nathaniel Hawthorne? What is one of the main “flaws” in Goodman Brown that causes him a long, prosperous lifetime of misery and unhappiness? What do you think makes this story interesting to modern readers today?
Topic #4: Choose one or two of Phillis Wheatley’s poems and discuss it in detail. (You may discuss poems from our list, but also feel free to discuss one or two of her poems that are not on our list). Discuss biographical information about Wheatley in relation to her poems, including some historical context of 18th Century America during the time that Wheatley lived and worked.