Romanticism Values Synthesis Blog-Due March 25th

In order to hone your skills of identifying themes and creating a central argument via writing, do the following prompt:

1. Choose one of the values of romanticism we discussed: emotion over reason, nature over human-made, impermanence of humanity, the individual over the collective, valuing rural life. writing sparked by individual emotion instead of borrowing from other genres or overthinking writing.

2. Choose three literary works from the Romantic Unit. How does the Romantic value you chose come out in these three literary works.

3. Incorporate at least two direct quotations from these works to support your assertion. Use "/" to indicate breaks in lines

4. Remember to explain the why's and how's surrounding your assertions/claims i.e. how does this or that literary work represent the value you choose or why do you think the Romantics focused on these values in their writing over others? Why were the Romantics drawn to such themes?

5. As always, solid topic sentences and varied sentence structure are always helpful.

Blake/Wordsworth/Coleridge/Romanticism Blog-Due March 19

1. Do you agree with the view of Romanticsm that you should go with your emotions instead reason ultimately when making decisions?

2. What do you think William Blake's "The Tyger" and "The Lamb" represent about human condition/psche?

3. Do you agree with Wordsworth that we're too focused on "getting and spending" in society?

4. Describe one of your most vivid dreams recently similar to Coleridge's poem, "Kubla Khan"?

Blake and Burns ?'s- Due March 17th

British Literature
Robert Burns and William Blake ?•s

1. Robert Burns is known as the national poet of Scotland; how does Burns incorporate/
honor is Scottish heritage in the poems “Auld Lang Syne•” and “John Anderson My
Jo”?
2. What idea concept is being praised/honored in “Auld Lang Syne”?
How is this same
theme extended in “John Anderson, My Jo”? How do these values reflect the values
of Romanticism? How do they contrast with the values of the Age of Reason?
3. What does the metaphor of the hill in the second stanza of John Anderson, My Jo
represent?
4. Explain how William Blake•s upbringing/worldview influenced the type of poetry hewrote.
5. How are “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” similar to each other? (Read “About the
Selection” on p 679) What two sides of the human soul do the animals represent?
Why did Blake it equally important to understand both sides? In a religiousframework, what do the two animals represent?
6. How do William Blake•s three poems celebrate the untameness of nature and rejectthe urbanity/structured society? How does this reflect Romanticism?

Romanticism Questions- Due March 11th

1. When did the Romantic Era begin and end? Overall, how does the book describe the movement? How does it contrast to the Enlightenment/Age of Reason?

2. What were the major political developments/changes that occured during the Romantic Era?

3. The introduction describe three pre-Romantic poets; how did these poets bridge the gap between Neoclassicism and Romanticism? What were the name of the three pre-Romantics discussed in the book?

4. What publication really began the Romantic Era? Why was the publication pivotal in the Romantic movement? What statements were the two authors trying to make with it? Who were considered the second generation of Romantics? What did they celebrate through their literature?

5. What is a Gothic novel? What are some examples of it?

6. What type of novel did Jane Austen right?

Pride and Prejudice Blog- Due March 10th

1. What character has the pride and which character has the predjudice? Explain.

2. What are examples of gender inequity in the movie? How does this gender inequity impact the decisions of some characters?

3. What are examples of social class playing a role in how characters interact?

4. Based of the movie, what were some of the expected norms/behavior women were expect for conform to? How does Elizabeth Bennett break out against these roles?

5. What do you think Jane Austen was trying to comment on about love/courtship for time period/world? Is it satirical in nature at all?

Candide Blog- Due March 4th

Answer the following that reading Candide,

1. Write a summary paragraph of the selection.

2. What philosophical idea is Voltaire satirizing through the work?

3. What are examples of Voltaire satirizing war and government in Candide? What are example of Voltaire satirizing religion in Candide?

4. What is the irony in Pangloss's appearance at the end of the selection?

5. Do you agree with Voltaire's critique of philosophical optimism, or do you think he's too skeptical and bitter toward the idea that everything that happens is for the best? Why or why not?

Gulliver's Travels- Movie Post- Due February 25th

Choose one the world's that Gulliver visits; What social issue(s)/human fault is Swift commenting on through Gulliver's visit to this world? What details from this world bring it out? Is the movie subtle or blatant in how they reveal this? How does the medium of film help to bring out the satire more than just the book could by itself? Did the movie make you think or did you think it was a poor adaptation? Why?