American Literature: Early Voices

Grade 9 · English · Study Guide

Explore the origins of American literature — from Native American oral traditions to Puritan writing and the first distinctly American literary voices.

American literature does not begin with the Pilgrims. Long before European colonists arrived, Indigenous peoples across North America maintained rich oral literary traditions — creation stories, legends, songs, and histories passed carefully from generation to generation. These traditions used vivid imagery, repetition, and symbolic language as tools for preserving cultural knowledge and spiritual meaning. Recognizing these traditions as literature requires expanding our definition of what counts as a 'text.'

When European colonists arrived, they brought their own literary forms. Puritan writers like Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor wrote poetry infused with religious devotion, often using extended metaphors drawn from daily life to explore their relationship with God. Their writing was deeply personal but always theological — life, death, and every household object became an opportunity to reflect on faith and divine will. Bradstreet's poem 'Upon the Burning of Our House' is a masterclass in Puritan literary style: grief met with theological acceptance.

By the 18th century, distinctly American voices began to emerge. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography represents a new kind of hero: not the noble aristocrat of European tradition, but the self-made man who rises through hard work, frugality, and wit. This 'American Dream' archetype would become one of the most enduring themes in all of American literature — and one of the most debated.

Key terms

Oral Tradition

Stories, histories, and cultural knowledge passed down through speaking and listening rather than writing

Puritan Literature

Colonial-era writing focused on religious devotion, plain style, and seeing God's hand in everyday events

Extended Metaphor

A comparison developed at length throughout a poem or passage rather than mentioned once

Self-Made Man

The American archetype of a person who achieves success through individual effort, not inherited status

Plain Style

The Puritan preference for clear, direct, unadorned writing — ornate language was seen as prideful

American Dream

The belief that in America, anyone can achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination

Flashcards

Oral Tradition

Cultural stories and knowledge preserved through speaking and memorization rather than writing

Puritan Literature

Colonial writing focused on faith, divine will in daily events, and the plain writing style

Plain Style

Puritan preference for clear, unadorned prose — elaborate language was considered prideful vanity

Anne Bradstreet

First published poet in colonial America — wrote personal religious poetry exploring faith and loss

Benjamin Franklin

Enlightenment writer whose Autobiography established the 'self-made man' archetype in American culture

American Dream

The belief, central to American culture, that anyone can achieve success through hard work regardless of origin

Practice questions

1. What is the term for stories and cultural knowledge passed down through speaking rather than writing?

   1. Puritan Literature
   2. Oral Tradition
   3. Plain Style
   4. Extended Metaphor
   Show answer

   Answer: Oral Tradition

   Oral tradition encompasses stories, histories, songs, and cultural knowledge transmitted through speech — Indigenous oral literatures predate and outlast European written traditions.

2. Puritan writers preferred which writing style?

   1. Ornate and elaborate language
   2. Classical Greek forms
   3. Plain style — clear, direct, unadorned
   4. Stream of consciousness
   Show answer

   Answer: Plain style — clear, direct, unadorned

   Puritans believed elaborate, ornate language was a form of pride. Their plain style valued clarity and directness as reflections of spiritual honesty.

3. American literature begins with the arrival of European colonists.

   Show answer

   Answer: False

   Indigenous peoples had vibrant literary traditions — oral stories, poetry, and ceremonial language — for thousands of years before European colonization.

4. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography popularized the idea of the ___ man — someone who achieves success through individual effort.

   Show answer

   Answer: self-made

   Franklin's Autobiography is the foundational text of the self-made man myth — the idea that in America, virtue, hard work, and intelligence matter more than birth or class.

5. Anne Bradstreet was the first published poet in colonial America.

   Show answer

   Answer: True

   Bradstreet's collection The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America (1650) was the first book of poetry published by an American colonist — though she didn't authorize the publication.

Fun facts

• Anne Bradstreet was the first published poet in the American colonies — her brother-in-law published her book in England in 1650 without telling her.
• Benjamin Franklin only had two years of formal schooling. He taught himself five languages and became one of the most celebrated minds of the 18th century.

Get a personalized course on American Literature: Early Voices built around your child.