Stoic philosophy has roots in Athens in the third century AD. According to The Heritage America (2005), the philosophy holds that one should restrain his or her emotions so as to obtain wisdom and happiness. In this case, they don’t show either sorrow or joy. In American literature, it is believed that holders of stoicism do not experience the negative emotions of sorrow, fear and envy. Calvinism in relation to American literature refers to the philosophy that was campaigned for mainly by the protestant churches in America between the years of 1776 to 1970. Basing on limited government and civil liberty, Presbyterians held that Calvinism was the only way to test the stability of America as a republic.

Empiricism refers to the holding of, and belief in the spirit of imperialism. In relation to American literature, it refers to the groups of Americans that concurred with the imperialists that imperialism was the only way out to bring economic balance to the world. Romanticism is a theme in the American literature that expresses the scenes of love. It has roots from Rome. Agrarianism is a theme revolving in the American literature that purports that independence farming of practice of agriculture is better and of more economic value than being employed.

American realism was a philosophy that evolved in the 1830s to reject the philosophy held of romanticism. This reali0sm emphasized imagination and emotion on an individual. Pessimism is the holding of a belief that things will go wrong all the time. In American literature, this theme was used to express the hopeless characters that showed no hope. Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that took rots in America and it emphasizes giving attention to all the arts including painting and music. Modernism is a theme in American literature that emphasizes focusing on the newly discovered ways of doing things rather than the traditional monotonous methods.

Naturalism looks at things the way nature put them to be. This in relation to American literature focused on the conservatives who resisted changing the natural societal order. Politicism in relation to American literature refers to the belief held by proponents of a political systems’ existence in the society. They propose that politics is the backbone of the society. Utilitarianism describes the belief that all motives that drive a person are geared to making them happy and enjoy life. It used to represent protagonists in American literature.

Slavery is a wide theme in American literature. It dates back to the days of slave trade. African Americans come in here as the victims of slavery, which is the act of being forced to work in the poorest of conditions without pay or with poor pay. The slave masters are the ones that implemented the draconian slave policies. Immigration is the act of movement of people in a country, people who are not citizens of that country.In relation to American literature, for example, African Americans are as a result of Africans migrating into the US. Economics refers to the aspect of the society that provides the means of living to the society. Slavery in America, for example, had been for many years the economic means of getting cheap laborers into the plantations.

States’ right in the Americas refers to the powers that a state in the federal government can exercise. Native Americans refer to the original inhabitants of the United States. Most of the native population composes of the whites.

Reference

The American Heritage. (2005). New dictionary of cultural literacy (3^rd ed). New York. Haughton Mifflin Company.

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