JournalNovember 1, 2011

Have you ever made a decision that you later

regretted? Have you ever made a commitment to do something that you later

wished you had not made?

To read and analyze a short story about the consequences of a

man’s pact with the devilTo identify the elements of a tall

tale

OBJECTIVE

Remember the Revolutionary Era? It stated that from the time we are old

enough to do things for ourselves we crave independence.

We want to have the freedom to try new things and to do them our own way. The selections we read dealt with the

efforts of individuals and groups to break free.

WHERE WE WERE

Rationalism—belief that we can understand the world by using reason rather

than relying on authorities of the past (believe what your are told), faith (believe

because God says so), or experience (believe because it’s happened before)

Stood in stark contrast to Puritan; believed that human beings play the vital role in the

experiences of their lives—FREE WILL

REVOLUTIONARY/RATIONALISM

Revolutionary Writing—majority in the form of arguments, speeches, pamphlets, and other forms of propaganda (no true literature as we think of it)Poetry and “novels” were imitations of English styles with American themes superimposed onto

them (no real literature of our own)American ideals were prominent: self-made man

(Franklin) HUGE cultural growth occurred—huge cities like

Boston and Charleston began to develop into centers of culture (theaters, museums, etc).

WHAT WE READ

1800 - 1860

American Romanticism & Transcendentalism

Think of a time when you had a flash of understanding and saw the deeper, hidden meaning of something.

Maybe you suddenly saw the logic behind a geometry proof, or discovered the perfect new ingredient to add to a

recipe. In either case you would have gained an insight, an

understanding that goes deeper than the surface of things.You will now get to read selections that reflect the writer’s

insights- about themselves, about nature, and about humankind.

WHERE WE ARE GOING…

The theme of journey as a declaration of independence

INTRODUCTION

Longfellow is a Romantic poet Irving is the Father of American LiteraturePoe is the inventor of the American Short

Story Emerson is the Father of American

Transcendentalism Thoreau is a famous practical

transcendentalist Whitman is a bridge poet between

American Romanticism and the 20th century

WHO YOU’LL MEET

The rationalistic view of urban life was replaced by the Romantic view

Rationalists saw cities as a place to find success and self-realization

Romantics saw the city as a place of moral corruption, poverty, and death

BEFORE AND AFTER

The Romantic journey is to the countryside

The Romantics associated the country with independence, moral

clarity, and purityIrving saw the country as idyllic and

as an escape The Gothic Romantic, Poe, saw the

country as a place of phantasm

INTRODUCTION

Romanticism: valuing feeling and intuition over reason

Romanticism: viewing life as we would like it to be, rather than how it really is Romanticism began in Germany and

influenced literature, music, and art Romanticism is a reaction against

Rationalism

THE ROMANTIC SENSIBILITY

WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE

“Marriage license”

Tall and proud

Making photographs

NOW, IT LOOKS LIKE…

Capturing a mood, feeling, or a moment. Note that the painter is no longer trying to make a photograph, but rather suggest the image.

The development of slums and poverty due to the Industrial

Revolution turned people from Rationalism

Romantics believed that imagination, emotion, spontaneity,

feelings, and nature were more important than rational thought

THE ROMANTIC SENSIBILITY

values feelings over intuition values the power of the imagination seeks the beauty of unspoiled nature

values youthful innocence values individual freedom

values the lessons of the past finds beauty in exotic locales, the supernatural, and in the imagination

values poetry as the highest expression of the imagination

values myth, legend, and folk culture

CHARACTERISTICS OF ROMANTICISM

Romantic writing looked for comforting or exotic settings from the past

This was found in the supernatural, in nature, and/or in folk legends

Romantics believed in contemplating, or becoming one with the natural world

The Gothic novel emerged from Romanticism

ROMANTIC ESCAPISM

The Gothic novel had wild, haunted landscapes

It had supernatural events in the plot It was often mysterious

The Gothic concept had roots in France, Germany, and England

Edgar Allan Poe was Romanticism’s great American writer

ROMANTIC ESCAPISM

Romanticism also used lyrical poetry as a means to contemplate the beauty

of nature It focused on simple natural

beauties Its intent was to seek truth through

a calm contemplation of a simple natural beauty

ROMANTIC ESCAPISM

Most American Romantic writers imitated the European writing style

American Romantic novelists broke away from the European tradition and discovered uniquely American topics

and settings American novelists explored the

vast unknown lands – something the Europeans could not do

THE AMERICAN NOVEL

Most Romantic poets worked within conventional European literary

structures They proved that American poetry

could reflect American subject matter, yet still hold to conventional poetic style Most American Romantic poets wrote

about the past

AMERICAN ROMANTIC POETRY

The Fireside Poets, a Boston group of Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and Lowell,

were widely read and loved in America They were the TV of the American

Romantic period and families gathered around the fireside to be entertained by

their poetry Their subject matter was comfortable

and instructional

AMERICAN ROMANTIC POETRY

The Devil and Tom Walker

Author on pg 202Building background

WASHINGTON IRVING

Historical Note:in 1695 the king of England commissioned Captain

William Kidd to arrest all pirates in the eastern seas. When Kidd arrived at the Comoto Islands,

however, he joined the pirates instead of hunting them.

Faust Legend/TaleStory where character sells their soul to the devil. The end result may be damnation or redemption,

but both are Faust legends.

LITERARY INFLUENCES NOTES

Today you will finish The Devil and Tom Walker

independentlyComplete your questions; at

10:05 get with neighbor to discuss your responses

At 10:10 we will discuss!

NOVEMBER 2,2011

Please distribute the packets on the front of the desks. If you have a copy, give to someone who does not. What is out is all the copies I

have.

PACKETS11/8/11

Recall: Have you ever enjoyed a song, movie, or story that dealt with extremes of emotion? Perhaps it was a sad song about

lost love, a suspenseful film of high adventure, or an eerie, terrifying tale with

unexplained events. Write some down and then brainstorm for

a minute reasons that stories involving extremes of emotion are popular.

JOURNAL11-3-2011

Groups of 2; one of three First, with your partner, do the raven

picture and the first five stanzas on the first handout.

Then, do your assigned stanza and be prepared to present it by reading it aloud and

analyzing it for all to write. Do not worry about the drawing part. You have 36

minutes!! Meet back at 10:11.All groups do stanza 18 together after the

presentations View the Simpsons version

WHAT TO DO

~Get yourselves in groups of 4~

A group you know you will be successful in

Small Group Discussion11/11/11

Imagine you are having a hectic day. Suddenly you have the chance to sit by the sea, by a mountain, or in a forest for

an hour. How do you think that would make you feel? Why?

WHAT TO DO

Within your groups, you will be working with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poems The Tide

Rises, the Tide Falls and The Psalm of Life.First, work with The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls. Work together in your groups but each person

needs to fill in their own sheet. Next, work with The Psalm of Life. Again, work together in your groups but each person needs to

fill in their own sheet.The point in groups is to have discussion making sure everyone understands. This is not copy time.