American Romanticism Unit II Ralph Waldo Emerson a graduate of Harvard and minister for a few years before founding Transcendentalism. Nature the first Transcendental publication in America In this passage Emerson describes a purging, an innocent and pure vision of nature, as that of a child. He feels contact with the Over-Soul through Natures beauty. Emphasizing sight images, Emerson argues that in solitude one may commune with nature and achieve peace. Self-Reliance encourages individualism and independence, not selfishness. It is Emersons famous statement of nonconformity. Individuals should live by their own convictions and use their own talents rather than trying to imitate others. Aphorisms: -[Envy] is ignorance; imitation is suicide. -Society everywhere is in a conspiracy.... -Trust thyself; every heart vibrates to that iron string. Bryant and the Fireside Poets William Cullen Bryant To the Fringed Gentian The speaker, in an apostrophe, addresses the late-blooming gentian. The flower blooms when it is almost wintertime, so the speaker associates the flower with hope in the face of death. He would like to look to heaven with the same hopefulness as his own death nears. The flower is personified through several images. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Old Ironsides nickname of the ship the U. S. S. Constitution so nicknamed because in battles with pirates and later with the British in the War of 1812, this wooden ship gained the reputation of being indestructible. By 1830, the ship was in disrepair and scheduled to be torn apart. Holmes wrote this poem, published in the Boston newspaper and then around the country, to protest those plans. He proposes that this national symbol, this ship of the air have the more dignified end of being sunk at sea. However, as a result of public outcry, the ship was restored, is the oldest warship still in commission, and can be visited in Boston. Terms: imagery, persuasion, tone, meter, and metaphor poet, lawyer, and physician Henry David Thoreau Emersons friend and main follower in Transcendentalism Walden Where I Lived Thoreau began this experiment in independent living on July 4, The key word in this chapter is simplicity. He wanted to take away everything but the bare essentials and see what life had to teach him. Famous quotes: -Keep your accounts on your thumbnail. -Our life is frittered away by detail. Conclusion Thoreau left the woods after two years for two reasons: 1) There were other experiences he wanted to pursue after learning all he could here. 2) He had fallen into a rut/routine. In his optimism, he states that every individual will meet with various measures of success as they strive for goals, even in the face of discouragement from those nearby. *Most famous quote in the book, a statement in favor of nonconformity: If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Resistance to Civil Government or Civil Disobedience Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay a tax. He refused because he believed he owed nothing to a government that allowed slavery in its borders or that provoked the war with Mexico. Main ideas Government should serve people, the real agents of progress. The less govt, the better. Citizens should speak up and tell what type of govt they wish to have and should participatetheir duty. Thoreau objects to governments being used by a few individuals who do not consider the will of the majority. He feels freer than those outside the walls of the jail because he follows his own conscience rather than unjust laws. Review American Short Stories, pp Washington Irving often transformed German folk tales into short stories. The Devil and Tom Walker Literary devices: setting, characterization, & satire Common elements of American folk tales: Oral tradition Stereotype, or stock, characters Humor Supernatural events Dialect Moral lesson Consider how Irving incorporates these elements into this selection. Edgar Allan Poe Theory of the Short Story: the best stories are written with a predetermined effect to have on the reader. Poetry is best suited to the topic of the death of a beautiful woman. Sound Devices: Alliteration repetition of initial consonant sounds in words close together (leaping lizards!) Assonance repetition of vowel sounds in words close together (low groan) Onomatopoeia use of words that imitate sounds (bam, zing, snap, hiss) End Rhyme Rhyming words appear at the ends of the lines/verses. Internal Rhyme At least one rhyming word appears within the verse. Meter pattern of rhythm, pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables Refrain word or phrase repeated regularly, usually at the end of stanzas (Nevermore) The Raven Narrative (Be aware of the events of the poem.) Speaker grief over lost love (Lenore) mental breakdown Recognize the use of sound devices. Review atmosphere and symbolism. The Pit and the Pendulum Literary elements to consider: setting (details readers know from the beginning and those gradually revealed) suspense (various methods of physical and psychological torture) narrator (limitations of any first-person point of view, unreliability of this particular narrator) Review/summarize the events of the plot. Nathaniel Hawthorne (an Anti-Transcendentalist) He had Puritan ancestors, one of whom had been a judge at the Salem witch trials, where many were falsely accused and punished. He attended Bowdoin College with Franklin Pierce and Henry Longfellow. After twelve dark years of polishing his style, he began publishing short stories and novels. His masterpiece is considered The Scarlet Letter. He seemed obsessed with the ideas of sin and isolation. The Ministers Black Veil Literary terms: Parable, Symbol, Archetype, & Allegory Topic of sermon: secret sin Symbolism of the veil: secret sin that isolates, that keeps all individuals in the dark Congregations reactions: They feel Hooper is crazy, begin to fear him, cut off their friendships, but continue to respect him (especially when they or a loved one is on his deathbed). Elizabeths reactions: She is unafraid and tries to understand, but then she has the same reaction of dread or fear that everyone else did when she realizes the meaning of the veil. Rev. Hooper wears the veil for the rest of his life and into the grave. Herman Melville (an Anti-Transcendentalist) Moby-Dick (dedicated to Hawthorne) is considered his masterpiece. Prophecy/foreshadowing/death Characterization Symbolism Pequod ship of humanity Captain Ahab evil man, obsessed by the desire for revenge Ishmael survivor and narrator Moby-Dick ( the whale) ambiguous meanings of whiteness danger, the unexplainable in nature and in life, the mystery of mans existence