Common Themes: Early American Lit

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Kalee Ouderkirk Professor Mary Olea American Literature before the Civil War May 5, 2013 Early American Literature: Common Themes American Literature teaches present day Americans a lot about the daily struggles they encountered living in the New World. Colonists wrote many pieces about the way they lived their lives and the new things they learned while adjusting to the new land. While reviewing their writing, a few general themes were noticed. Exploration, religion, independence, and ethnocentrism are a few common themes that can be found within early American Literature. Most settlers came here to explore a new land and build colonies upon the unclaimed territories. They also gained independence through their struggles and believed in ethnocentric ways. Several authors spoke about it in their literature. Many colonists kept faith in God to help them adapt to their new living conditions; they expressed that through their writings. These themes started the foundation of writing literature for the new American way. Exploration was a common theme expressed by nearly all early American authors. That is why they originally came to the country; to explore the new territory, to see what the new land had to offer. Many of the new colonists wrote of their explorations. They wrote about what they saw in the new lands giving great descriptions of the terrains and the climates. The colonists spoke of the native people, they called Indians as well. “They wrote of trading with the Indians and of treaties, wars, and captivities; they created instruments of government and law; they kept personal journals; they recorded the history of their colonies…” (4). One of the first well known explorers was Christopher Columbus. He arrived in 1492. (5). He wrote many detailed reports of his expedition. “His report of his voyage opened the gates to a flood of exploration, conquest,

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