Brief Writing Assignment 1
Lit331
On the Interaction Between and Among European and Native Cultures
The questions and examples below are meant to guide and inform your writing and are by no means exhaustive. You are, of course, welcome to choose different examples, provided that they address the question.
The overarching question
Your task
1. Discuss the image of the Native American in Columbus.
Say what Columbus's vision of the Natives is. (Note the language he uses to describe the Natives. How does he refer to them? Does he approach them? is there any contact between them?)
2. Discuss the image of the Native American in Bradford.
Bradford's vision of, and interaction with, the Natives differs greatly from Columbus. Say how. Is there, for instance, actual contact between Bradford and the Natives? What is the nature of that contact?
3. Show how the portrayal of Native Americans in those texts differs from the image represented by Native writers in the “Native Americans: Contact and Conflict” section.
In "Contact and Conflict", Native Americans are shown to have more resolve and 'power', so to speak, than is commonly believed. What are some examples? ( Think of how they were a valuable source of help for the early settlers and how, at times, they fought back).
Some advice
Limit the comparison between the authors to the most significant and specific events. Refrain from providing a long list of similarities and differences, analyze the significance of well-selected ones instead (clearly show how the conflict and tension between the cultures was one-sided).
Address the question directly. Assume that your reader knows the history of the settlers. Historical details are important, but one or two sentences suffice. Instead of simply telling the history of the times, give your reader your perspective (your observations and insight, not your personal reactions or experiences) on the issues above based on your reading of the texts.
Support your discussion with well-selected evidence. You need not copy out long quotations, but you should refer to specific incidents, descriptions, images, details, etc. to back up your reading of the works.
All papers in this course are to follow APA style
Refer to the document below as a resource for writing assignments in this course. (Also located in Seminars)
Good luck!
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Email: laura.gilbert@baker.edu
Phone: (805) 570-9717