myPerspectives American Literature Study Guide
Unit 1: Writing Freedom – Words That Shaped a Nation
● Know what rhetorical appeals are:
○ Ethos = credibility
○ Pathos = emotion
○ Logos = logic
● Be able to analyze speeches (like the Declaration of Independence or Patrick Henry’s
speech) and explain how they persuade.
● Understand how writing helped shape American identity and values such as freedom,
equality, and justice.
● Key skill: Analyze how writers use repetition, tone, and word choice to influence people.
Unit 2: The Individual and Society – Fitting In or Standing Out?
● Understand how characters struggle between being themselves and pleasing society.
● Look for themes like peer pressure, judgment, or rebellion.
● Understand how authors use internal conflict (feelings) and external conflict (people or
society).
● Key skill: Explain how setting and society affect a character’s choices.
Unit 3: Power, Protest, and Change – A Spirit of Reform
● Study how literature has been used to challenge injustices (e.g., racism, sexism,
injustice).
Unit 1: Writing Freedom – Words That Shaped a Nation
● Know what rhetorical appeals are:
○ Ethos = credibility
○ Pathos = emotion
○ Logos = logic
● Be able to analyze speeches (like the Declaration of Independence or Patrick Henry’s
speech) and explain how they persuade.
● Understand how writing helped shape American identity and values such as freedom,
equality, and justice.
● Key skill: Analyze how writers use repetition, tone, and word choice to influence people.
Unit 2: The Individual and Society – Fitting In or Standing Out?
● Understand how characters struggle between being themselves and pleasing society.
● Look for themes like peer pressure, judgment, or rebellion.
● Understand how authors use internal conflict (feelings) and external conflict (people or
society).
● Key skill: Explain how setting and society affect a character’s choices.
Unit 3: Power, Protest, and Change – A Spirit of Reform
● Study how literature has been used to challenge injustices (e.g., racism, sexism,
injustice).
