American Ethnic Literature
JamieLyn Thompson
ENG 301 Marc Bonanni
December 7th, 2015

American Ethnic Literature
Introduction
American literature is most commonly based on experiences within the American culture. Being an American comes with unique qualities, from the vast landscapes to the rich history. According to Britannica.com American literature is "the body of written works produced in the English language in the United States".(Britannic.com) However, there are many different types of American literature from classic American literature to modern American literature being writing all around the world based on the American experiences of the author.
American Ethnic Literature
The American ethnic literature is based on life and freedom with the United States. These pieces of literature reflect the different aspects and inspire many other countries. It has been seen that Americans can go through numerous setbacks and always spring back from the hardships. There are historical events that are written to express the events and how the country fought to have a life that was worth living. There is a great deal of pride that come with being an American and it is something a reader can get a small glimpse of when reading American literature. America is deep with cultural diversity that allows the country to cater to a different race, religion and ethnic background as a whole, this expressed within the American Literature.
Literary Canon
The literary canon is an automatic list of suggestions that belong to a certain period or country. The authors of these pieces are thought to be of high authority in their field of writing. Many major academic institutions widely accept the literary canon and highly regarded in the literary world. Literary canon works are popular because many colleges are using this for their classes. Literary can relate to what is going on in today's society because the pieces of literature are constantly being added to the list of literary works. Literary Canon in the United States is always related to the prevailing social phenomenon of different times in the United States. It also allows helps society to access the works easier and keeps the works in an organized sequence.
The literary canon is current with the prevailing social experiences within the United States. These titles are canonized works that help to access the pieces of literature easily at the same time. The literary canon is beneficial for schools or colleges that are using the literary canon for studying classic literature. The literature of the classic time or historical time are vital to helping categorize the society's literary works of specific times. The Canon traditional is a bit different, as it is about the historical events that took place in the United States.
Special Challenges
There are numerous special challenges that ethnic writers have within the American literary experience. The American ethnic writers can have a difficulty relating to cultures or ideas of Americans because they may have different cultures in their country. An ethnic writer will need to do some research or explore more about the culture or traditions to understand better the American people. Along with the challenges of writing these pieces the writer can also suffer great criticism from the readers who do not like their thoughts or ideas expressed within the literature. Criticism is common because many beliefs that American literature is hard to understand in its diverse sense.
Ethnic Writers American ethnic literature writers have the opportunity to tackle many different issues such as liberty, equality, history, modernism and the opportunities that are available to the Americans. These writers can cover more modern issues such as gender equality, gender sensitivity and other current aspects of today's society. One thing that is important is when addressing these issues it is from a local setting, this will make it relevant to a specific group of individuals. Many ethnic writers use their writing as a way to express the feelings of the people in specific subjects. Ethnic literature can be made into poems, tales, short stories and also songs. With the many forms of American ethnic literature and the vast subjects to write about there will be continued amount of literature to come.
Cultural Topics
There are many different topics that may be covered by ethnic writes from racism, equality, slavery and the wars our country endured. There is a large spectrum to cover when writing American literature. Ethnic literature differs from the canon of American literature in the fact that most writers would be Caucasian Americans doing the writing. When it comes to historical events that have happened in America that hold importance, there is plenty to write about from the assassination of the President of the United States to the events of 911. Racism and sexual acceptance have come a long way from the Martin Luther King speeches to transgender woman being accepted in Miss America. Our county continues to evolve and grow, and it gives authors more purpose of writing.
Literary Themes The American literary themes of liberty, opportunity and equality are addressed in the ethnic literature. The American culture has many core values and ideas that not all Americans share, and this includes liberty that can define the freedom of the American people. Many people believe that liberty is the key to happiness and has the power to create a stable society of diverse people. When it comes to opportunities many can this as a double end sword in America. The men and woman in America have equal opportunities in professions though some argue that race can play a major role in that opportunities. The American political leaders try to convey that both offer equal opportunities yet take a different approach. It is clear that no two people are alike but are often considered equal under the US laws. Many have different cultures, social status, and race. However, all Americans have the exact rights as each other which define equality within America. As Americans, we have the right to be seen and treated as an equal. (Last Name, Year)
Conclusion
In conclusion, the American literature is vast, and it is different from traditional American Ethic literature. There is a social role of the American ethnic literature and literary canon that shapes the literature within the United States. The American literature writers will constantly be faced with difficulties and challenges. However, they continue to produce literary pieces. These pieces are written with experiences within the United States that consist of modern and classic American literature.
References
Britannica
American literature by James R. Giles June 2015 http://www.britannica.com/art/American-literature Huffing Post
Ethnic Literature by Krys Lee April 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/krys-lee/should-we-still-be-using-_b_1291861.html