Instructions for Group 1’s First Blog Response

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For this blog response, you have a few different writing options. Choose only ONE of these topics to write your response. Be sure to make it clear which question you chose in the subject line of your post. Remember, this blog response is for Group 1 only!

1. In his letter “What is an American,” How does J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur use nature (as imagery, simile, metaphor, etc) to help define his ideal of American identity? In your response, be sure to identify Crèvecoeur definition of an ideal American and how his depiction of nature reflects this vision.
2. What role does class/economics play in the text(s) we’ve read for this week, and how is nature valued within that context? In responding to this question, you can focus on Crèvecoeur’s “What is an American,” the various writings of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, or both.
3. Crèvecoeur expresses a complex ambivalence about life in the “great woods” which covered the United States only a few miles west of the eighteenth-century eastern settlements. What does he see as the beneficial effects of this scattering of farmers and settlers on the frontier? What are the “most hideous” results of this scattering?
4. After reading the journals and various letters on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, what insight do these documents give into the way nature was conceived and valued at the turn of the nineteenth century?

Remember, your posts should follow these requirements and guidelines:

• Posts must be at least 300 words.
• Posts must include at least one quote from the text.
• Stay focused on answering the prompt question above. Avoid repeating the question and be as specific as possible in your answer.
• Your response should make an argument, not summarize the text
• Use specific moments from the text(s) to support and illustrate your argument.
• Be sure to introduce, quote, cite, and comment on all quotes.
• Don’t forget to tag your posts!

Group 1, your blog response is due by class time on Tuesday, September 6.

Group 2, blog comments are due by class time on Thursday, September 8.