Tag: ENG 211

Grace Kitchens

An Introduction to Anne Bradstreet

This presentation introduces the first American published female poet, Anne Bradstreet. It gives a brief biography of her life by looking at her education, family life, and lived experiences. It also helps give context to her work by discussing the culture that it was written in. After discussing the main themes of her poetry, it dives deeper into her wrestle with Puritanism and her faith. Bradstreet struggles with her ties to the world, namely her husband and children, that according to Puritan thinking, pull her away from the heavenly (and Godly) mindedness. After inviting the audience to wrestle with these questions as well, it is concluded that poetry can aid in this wrestling by helping you slow down, process, and formulate words for your experience and beliefs.

ENG 211, Survey of American Literature

Connie Diffenderfer

Pomajevich 103

11 – 11:30 AM

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Gabrielle Morales

Bloom: A Short Story of Poverty and Identity

My name is Gabrielle, and I am a product of the so-called “American Dream.” I was born of an uneducated family, and I am first of that line to break the chain of teen pregnancy. More importantly, I am the first to attend college. My paternal grandfather passed away when my father was just seven. Being the oldest, my father was forced to drop out of the third grade and support his mother and siblings. And then, when he was fourteen, he left his ranch-house in Tamazula de Gordiano, Jalisco, Mexico, to “make something of himself” by migrating to America.

But it was not until recently that I began to wonder what my life would look like had my grandfather lived. These thoughts are futile, but I can’t help but wonder: would my own father still be illiterate? And if not, would he still have entered America under the same conditions, and would I have found reason to write this? Would my parents have met? It is through this story, my father’s story— a deeply rooted bloom of self discovery— that I hope to put these thoughts to rest.

ENG 211 Survey of American Literature

James Watson

PFB 114

1:00 – 2:00 PM

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