Early American Literature

Early American Literature is a half year, single period course.

Ms. Jennie Chan
Ms. Jennie Chan is a relatively lax English teacher, however having her as a teacher truly allows you to appreciate the works studied in Early American Literature. Throughout her course, only two works are studied: Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In the beginning, we read a selection of poetry and Hawthorne's short stories as an introduction to the course. Her insightful, highly analytical class discussions is what makes her class unique. Group work and independent writing are also notable features. Her thought provoking projects are another notable feature of her class. Instead of writing analytical essays, Ms. Chan assigns personal essays that allow you to develop your unique personal identity. For example, after the Scarlet Letter, we had to explore a symbol of our choosing and create a story of our own using Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter as model. Later on, she allows you to visit museums relating to American literature and identities and asks you reflect on your experiences. However in recent years, students have complained about her anal policies as well as her low grading system. Unless you kiss her rotten ass, you will not get higher than a 80.

Ms. Holly Weiss
Ms. Holly Weiss is a good teacher.

Mr. Eric Grossman
Mr. Grossman assigns a heavy amount of reading, covering American papers, novels and poetry from the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as well as mixing in a few more modern 20th-century works with connections to this era. Reading assignments may be up to 40-50 pages per night. Literature covered begins with shorter works such as the sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, by Jonathan Edwards, the Declaration of Independence, and excerpts from Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis, a historical account of important moments in the early history of the United States. The course continues into novels such as Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Thoreau's Walden and William Faulkner's Go Down Moses. The course concludes with the study of poetry by Walt Whitman and essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Typical assignments include thesis essays and a few creative pieces, such as a journal detailing an experience writing outside in the presence of nature (after reading Walden), and a dramatic dialogue between characters and authors covered in the course.