Syllabus: ENG 299 /African American Literature
Spring 2003
Instructor: Mr. Michael Patrick McClung, B.A., M.A.
Department of English
Phil Campbell Campus
Phil
E-mail: mcclung@nwscc.edu
Phone: 256.331.6313
Textbook: The
Norton Anthology of African American Literature,
Gates & McKay (1997)
Nature of the Course: ENG 299/African American Literature is, this semester, a distance education web course. In many ways, this course is similar in nature to an independent study course. Students will read assignments week by week and periodically submit critical analysis essays to the instructor via e-mail. The instructor will also answer questions and correspond with students via e-mail and telephone.
Make-up Work: Students will be given one week to send late assignments to the instructor. No work will be accepted beyond this extra time allowance. If you wish to send a printed copy of your essays to the instructor in addition to sending the work through e-mail, simply use the U.S. mail address above.
Grades: Your final course grade will come from performance on four (4) literary analysis essays—which will stress critical thinking and the student’s overall understanding of the works—and one (1) full-length research paper. The research paper will count for 30% of the final course grade, and the essays will each count 17.5% of the final course grade.
About Your Instructor: Mr. McClung received his B.A. degree in English from the University of North Alabama (1993) and his M.A. degree in English from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (1995). He has taught in the English Departments of UAB, UNA, and NW-SCC.
Spirituals, 5-16
Blues, 22-23, 25-27, 31-32
Rap, 60-69
Sermons, 69-70, 80-89
Study Guidelines for Writing About Literature and sample literary analysis
essays printed below this syllabus.
Week 2:
Write Essay #1 from one of the topics listed below. Send the essay to
Mr. McClung using the e-mail address above. The paper is due by 1/24/03.
1. Discuss at least three prominent themes presented in the Spirituals that you read and studied in the textbook last week.
2. Discuss at least three prominent themes presented in the Blues selections that you read and studied in the textbook last week.
3. Discuss at least three prominent themes presented in the Rap selections that you read and studied in the textbook last week. Helpful to your discussion would be some mention and analysis of more recent Rap songs and artists as well.
4. Discuss at least three prominent themes presented in any of the Sermons printed in your textbook.
Week 3:
Folktales, 102-25
P. Wheatley, 164-73
S. Truth, 196-201
Week 4:
F. Douglass, 299-368
B. Washington, 488-90; “A Slave Among Slaves,” 490-98 and “The Struggle
for Education,” 505-13
Week 5:
Write Essay #2 from one of the topics listed below. Send the essay to
Mr. McClung using the e-mail address above. The paper is due by 2/14/03.
1. Discuss at least three prominent themes presented in the Folktales selections that you read and studied in the textbook last week.
2. Write a critical analysis of one of P. Wheatley’s poems. In an analysis you may focus on themes, style, language, images, etc.
3. Write a critical analysis of “Ar’n’t I a Woman?” by S. Truth. In an analysis you may focus on themes, style, language, images, etc.
4. Discuss the theme of literacy as earthly salvation in F. Douglass’ Narrative of the Life.
5. Discuss three prominent themes that B. Washington presents in “A Slave Among Slaves” or “The Struggle for Education.”
Week 6:
W.E.B. DuBois, “A Litany of Atlanta,” 606-12
P. L. Dunbar, 884-86; “Ode to Ethiopia,” 886-87; “Worn Out,” 887-88;
“The Colored Soldiers,” 889-91; “We Wear the Mask,” 896
Week 7:
C. McKay, 981-83; “Harlem Shadows,” 984; “Africa,” 985; “America,”
985-86; “Enslaved,” 986
Z. N. Hurston, 996-999; from Their Eyes Were Watching God, 1041-50
Week 8:
L. Hughes, 1251-54; “Salvation,” printed below syllabus; All poetry on pages
1254-67; “Feet Live Their Own Life,” 1297-99
C. Cullen, 1303-05; “Yet Do I Marvel,” 1305; “Incident,” 1306
Week 9:
Write Essay #3 from one of the topics listed below. Send the essay to
Mr. McClung using the e-mail address above. The paper is due by 3/14/03.
1. Write an analysis focusing on at least three prominent themes presented in “A Litany of Atlanta” by W. E. B. DuBois. In an analysis you may focus on themes, style, language, images, etc.
2. Write an analysis focusing on at least three prominent themes presented in the poems of P. L. Dunbar. In an analysis you may focus on themes, style, language, images, etc.
3. Write an analysis focusing on at least three prominent themes presented in the poems of C. McKay. In an analysis you may focus on themes, style, language, images, etc.
4. Write an analysis focusing on at least three prominent themes presented in the work of Z. N. Hurston. In an analysis you may focus on themes, style, language, images, etc.
5. Write an analysis focusing on at least three prominent themes presented in either the poems or short stories of L. Hughes. In an analysis you may focus on themes, style, language, images, etc.
6. Write an analysis focusing on at least three prominent themes presented in the poems of C. Cullen. In an analysis you may focus on themes, style, language, images, etc.
Week 10:
R. Ellison, “Battle Royal,” 1525-35
G. Brooks, “a song in the front yard,” 1580, “Sadie and Maud,” 1580-81, “the
preacher ruminates . . . ,” 1581-82
Week 11:
M. L. King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” 1854
M. Angelou, “Still I Rise,” 2039, “My
Arkansas,” 2040, from I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings, 2040-50
Week 12:
Write Essay #4 from one of the topics listed below. Send the essay to
Mr. McClung using the e-mail address above. The paper is due by 4/11/03.
1. Write an analysis of R. Ellison’s “Battle Royal.” In an analysis you may focus on themes, style, language, images, etc.
2. Discuss at least three prominent themes as presented in the poetry of G. Brooks.
3. Write an analysis of M. L. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In an analysis you may focus on themes, style, language, images, etc.
4. Write an analysis of one of the works of M. Angelou that were printed in your book.
Weeks 13-15:
Write a research paper focusing on one of the authors you have studied this semester in ENG 299. The paper should be 6-8 pages, plus a Works Cited page. You are to use MLA documentation format for citing your sources both within the text of the paper and on the Works Cited page, just as you learned to do in ENG 102 for the research paper. Focus on some theme or element or aspect of your author’s literary work instead of simply writing a biographical account. The paper is due 5/7/03, and you may send it to me at the mailing address above or send it to me in a Microsoft Word attachment file via e-mail.
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Other resources:
Poetry Essay
ENG 102
In Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess,” the Duke is negotiating for a woman’s hand in marriage. He tells the Ambassador that he really loves this woman, and he does not care about dowry from her father. Actually, the Duke is only marrying this woman to gain financially, but he does not share this with the Ambassador, because he is trying to impress him. The Duke is a very proud man. He likes to show off his expensive belongings and boast about himself to others. The Duke is an arrogant, possessive, and ruthless character.
The Duke begins telling the Ambassador about his last Duchess. He pulls back a curtain, and asks him to sit and look at her portrait on the wall. He brags to the Ambassador by telling how he hired a famous painter to paint her portrait. When people look at the picture of the Duchess, they say she looks happy, and that her cheeks are glowing. The arrogant Duke says that she looks like that because he was there when her picture was being painted. He is so arrogant that he always makes the conversation about himself. He brags to the Ambassador about his other paintings and belongings by saying, “Notice Neptune, though, / Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, / which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!” (54-56). The Duke takes very much pride in what he owns, and especially in his name. He calls his name a gift, and he wanted his last Duchess to think of it as a gift, too. He says that she ranked his gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody’s gift, and this highly upset him. The Duke’s actions reflect his arrogance.
The Duke is also very possessive. He was extremely jealous of his last Duchess, because he says, “she liked whate’er / She looked on, and her looks went everywhere” (23-24). He wanted to be the only one she smiled at, and the only one she flirted with, but that was not her nature. He did not approve of her friendliness to other men, mainly because he was not the center of her attention. He wanted her to make a big fuss over him all the time, and he did not understand why she did not do that. He was very possessive over his last Duchess.
The Duke says, “She had / A heart-how shall I say? – too soon made glad, / Too easily impressed” (21-23); he is complaining about his last Duchess being so kind-hearted. He wants her to be ruthless like he is. Finally, he could not bear her kind, happy ways any longer, and he says, “I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together” (45-46). The Duke had his Duchess killed. His arrogance and domineering ways drove him to become absolutely ruthless.
The Duke’s character is not the least bit enchanting. His arrogance comes from his high-ranking social and political status. It leads him to think that he should be the main focus of his Duchess, but when he is not, he becomes insanely jealous. This possessive behavior makes him a ruthless human being. He has his last Duchess killed, and now he wants a new wife. He wants a duchess that will not disobey him, but will give him her full attention. The Duke is only interested in himself.
Example of a Literary Analysis Essay on a Short Story:
English 102
Character Analysis of Eudora Welty’s Phoenix Jackson
First published in the 1940’s, “A Worn Path” tells the story of Phoenix Jackson’s journey that she makes to town. It is not just a typical journey; it serves an important purpose. She is a Negro woman who lives back in the woods of the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. Phoenix travels a long, tiring path through the woods into town just to acquire one thing. Why would she make the long journey to pick up just one thing? Her reason is justifiable and she proves to be an admirable human being for that. In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” Phoenix Jackson exhibits the characteristics of being determined, aged, and loving.
Phoenix Jackson portrays the characteristic of being very determined.
First, she reveals this by being confident.
When
Phoenix also illustrates the
characteristics of being very old and slightly crazy.
First, she shows to be very aged. For
example, when asked how old she is, Phoenix slyly replies that ‘“there is no
telling”’ (227) how old she is. Phoenix has outlived everybody she has grown
up with, therefore making her the oldest person that she knows.
She also states that her ‘“senses [are] gone”’(225) because she
is merely too old. Second, Phoenix
portrays to be mentally confused at times. Her eyes seem to play tricks on her
on several occasions. For instance,
while in the woods, Phoenix hallucinates and thinks she sees a little boy
bringing her “a plate with a slice of marble cake on it” (224).
She reaches to accept the plate of cake only to find that nothing is
there. Later on, Phoenix arrives at
a field of tall dead cornstalks. She
sees a skinny, black moving figure amongst the field and her failing senses
portrays it as being a ghost. Phoenix
reaches out to touch the swaying figure and to her surprise it is merely a
scarecrow. She laughs and says that
she ‘“ought to be shut up for good”’ (225) for thinking that it was a
ghost. Third, Phoenix’s actions
exhibit that she may be demented. For
example, Phoenix seems to go into a trance after arriving at the medical
building in town. The nurse asks her
questions but Phoenix stares “straight ahead, her face very solemn and
withdrawn into rigidity” (229). She
sits there “silent, erect and motionless” (229) for several moments until
she comes back into reality.
Phoenix most importantly
exemplifies a great deal of love for her grandson.
She first demonstrates this love by being unselfish.
Phoenix does not make the long trips to town for herself; she makes the
trips for her grandson. Despite her
old age and failing health,
Despite her old age and the obstacles encountered in her pathway, Phoenix is determined to make it to town in order to get some soothing medicine for her grandson. She does not let anything get in the way for the love she has for him. Although she is aged, Phoenix allows her determination and love to keep her continuously going down that old, worn path. She may be old and a little bit crazy; however, Phoenix’s love and determination undoubtedly portray her to be both respectable and admirable in the end.
"Salvation"
by Langston Hughes (1940)
I was saved from sin
when I was going on thirteen. But not really saved. It happened like this. There
was a big revival at my Auntie Reed's church. Every night for weeks there had
been much preaching, singing, praying, and shouting, and some very hardened
sinners had been brought to Christ, and the membership of the church had grown
by leaps and bounds. Then just before the revival ended, they held a special
meeting for children, "to bring the young lambs to the fold." My aunt
spoke of it for days ahead. That night I was escorted to the front row and
placed on the mourners' bench with all the other young sinners, who had not yet
been brought to Jesus.
My aunt told me that
when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside! And
Jesus came into your life! And God was with you from then on! She said you could
see and hear and feel Jesus in your soul. I believed her. I had heard a great
many old people say the same thing and it seemed to me they ought to know. So I
sat there calmly in the hot, crowded church, waiting for Jesus to come to me.
The preacher
preached a wonderful rhythmical sermon, all moans and shouts and lonely cries
and dire pictures of hell, and then he sang a song about the ninety and nine
safe in the fold, but one little lamb was left out in the cold. Then he said:
"Won't you come? Won't you come to Jesus? Young lambs, won't you
come?" And he held out his arms to all us young sinners there on the
mourners' bench. And the little girls cried. And some of them jumped up and went
to Jesus right away. But most of us just sat there.
A great many old
people came and knelt around us and prayed, old women with jet-black faces and
braided hair, old men with work-gnarled hands. And the church sang a song about
the lower lights are burning, some poor sinners to be saved. And the whole
building rocked with prayer and song.
Still I kept waiting
to see Jesus.
Finally all the
young people had gone to the altar and were saved, but one boy and me. He was a
rounder's son named Westley. Westley and I were surrounded by sisters and
deacons praying. It was very hot in the church, and getting late now. Finally
Westley said to me in a whisper: "God damn! I'm tired o' sitting here.
Let's get up and be saved." So he got up and was saved.
Then I was left all
alone on the mourners' bench. My aunt came and knelt at my knees and cried,
while prayers and song swirled all around me in the little church. The whole
congregation prayed for me alone, in a mighty wail of moans and voices. And I
kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting -- but he didn't come. I
wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing! I wanted something to
happen to me, but nothing happened.
I heard the songs
and the minister saying: "Why don't you come? My dear child, why don't you
come to Jesus? Jesus is waiting for you. He wants you. Why don't you come?
Sister Reed, what is this child's name?"
"Langston,"
my aunt sobbed.
"Langston, why
don't you come? Why don't you come and be saved? Oh, Lamb of God! Why don't you
come?"
Now it was really
getting late. I began to be ashamed of myself, holding everything up so long. I
began to wonder what God thought about Westley, who certainly hadn't seen Jesus
either, but who was now sitting proudly on the platform, swinging his
knickerbockered legs and grinning down at me, surrounded by deacons and old
women on their knees praying. God had not struck Westley dead for taking his
name in vain or for lying in the temple. So I decided that maybe to save further
trouble, I'd better lie, too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be
saved.
So I got up.
Suddenly the whole
room broke into a sea of shouting, as they saw me rise. Waves of rejoicing swept
the place. Women leaped in the air. My aunt threw her arms around me. The
minister took me by the hand and led me to the platform.
When things quieted
down, in a hushed silence, punctuated by a few ecstatic "Amens," all
the new young lambs were blessed in the name of God. Then joyous singing filled
the room.
That night, for the first time in my life but
one for I was a big boy twelve years old -- I cried. I cried, in bed alone, and
couldn't stop. I buried my head under the quilts, but my aunt heard me. She woke
up and told my uncle I was crying because the Holy Ghost had come into my life,
and because I had seen Jesus. But I was really crying because I couldn't bear to
tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church, that I
hadn't seen Jesus, and that now I didn't believe there was a Jesus anymore,
since he didn't come to help me.