In this essay we return to a topic that has arisen with some frequency in our study of Colonial and Nineteenth Century American Literature: Dualism.
Read the definition of “moral dualism” found here, paying particular attention to the philosophical and theological meanings of the term:
Native American Mythology Puritanism
Transcendentalism Rationalism/Empiricism
Poe’s Concept of the Bi-Part Soul Hawthorne’s Anti-transcendentalism
Melville’s Anti-transcendentalism Walt Whitman’s poetry
Then, as a prewriting exercise, ponder how themes of moral/spiritual dualism are addressed in all of the readings in ENGL 2131. You will likely find examples in almost everything we have read, but here are some reminders on where to look:
Native American Mythology Puritanism
Transcendentalism Rationalism/Empiricism
Poe’s Concept of the Bi-Part Soul Hawthorne’s Anti-transcendentalism
Melville’s Anti-transcendentalism Walt Whitman’s poetry
Now choose one work where it seems to you that the theme is addressed most clearly and coherently. What similarities do you see in the author’s/poet’s views? How do they differ from each other?
(Unit One: Native Americans, Puritans, Colonials, Edgar Allan Poe; Unit Two: Emerson, Thoreau, Melville; Unit Three: Hawthorne, Douglass, Whitman, Dickinson)
Formulate a thesis about the most significant similarity or difference. Probably the best way to approach this is to ask yourself WHY the difference or similarity exists. What is its source?
Write an essay of 750-1000 words in support of this thesis, using specific examples (QUOTES) from the three works you identified.
Document this essay in MLA FORMAT. If you have questions about this, you can e-mail me, make an online appointment with the Writer’s Studio, and/or review the guidelines found here:
