Selections from Emily Dickinson, John Ruskin, Walt Whitman, and Alexander Petrunkevitch Elements in Literature pp

Vocabulary (See Voc Table for additional forms and definitions) 1. *resolute 15-1 (adj) resolutely (adv) resoluteness (n) Add: resolution (n) Marked by firmness or determination; unwavering Syn: resolved / Used in situations where one is faced with a serious challenge 2. caprice 15-2 (n) capricious (adj) capriciously (adv) capriciousness (n) Syn: impulsivity / impulsiveness An impulsive change of mind; whim; thoughtlessness 3. gossamer 17 (adj) something delicate, light, or flimsy [positive connotation] Examples of nouns that are described as gossamer: butterfly wings, sheer curtains, breath, fleeting thought, dream

Vocabulary (See Voc Table for forms and definitions) 4. *formidable 19-2 (adj) formidability (n) formidably (adv) arousing fear or dread; inspiring awe (negatively); difficult to overcome, defeat or undertake 5. *appease 20-1 (v) appeasement (n) appeasable (adj) appeasing (adj) appeasingly (adv) appeaser (n) to calm or pacify by giving what is demanded; placate; grant concessions 6. tactile 21-1 (adj) tactilely (adv) perceptible to the touch; *tangible;

Vocabulary (See Voc Table for forms and definitions) 7. *pungent 21-1 (adj) pungently (adv) pungency (n) Describes things we smell or taste (but not other senses); can be used in a figurative sense—a pungent thought 8. vigorous (adj) 22-1 *vigor (n) vigorously (adv) hardy; *robust; lively; energetic physical or mental energy 9. ghast 22-1 (adj) ghastly (adv) aghast (adj) shockingly repellent; gruesomely suggestive of death; grim; grisly [ghast and ghost are related] stricken with horror; appalled 10. olfactory 22-2 (adj) of or relating to the sense of smell

Emily Dickinson  reclusive  single, though she had a romance in her younger years—perhaps unrequited love  admired the poetry of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and John Keats  upbringing was Puritan/Calvinist, orthodox, conservative  She responded by developing her own theology—the body simply dies.  wandered out at early morning, dusk or night and in her later years took to wearing white  contemporary of Walt Whitman (though he was considered inappropriate)  upon her death, her family discovered nearly 1,800 poems written in 40 hand-bound volumes  employed unconventional punctuation and capitalization

What’s so great about a poem? Distilled language / word play Makes an incident an event Helps us understand humans (the inner processes and emotions) Usually follows the same structure as prose – Beginning or introduction – Development or middle – Ending or denouement (resolution)

A Bird Came Down the Walk by Emily Dickinson A Bird came down the Walk— He did not know I saw— He bit an angle-worm in halves And ate the fellow, raw, And then he drank a Dew From a convenient Grass, And then hopped sidewise to the Wall To let a Beetle pass—

A Bird Came Down the Walk (continued) by Emily Dickinson He glanced with rapid eyes That hurried all around— They looked like frightened Beads, I thought— He stirred his velvet head Like one in danger, Cautious, I offered him a Crumb, And he unrolled his feathers And rowed him softer home— Than Oars divide the Ocean, Too silver for a seam— Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon, Leap, plashless as they swim.

A Prompt, Executive Bird by Emily Dickinson A prompt, executive bird is the Jay, Bold as a Bailiff's Hymn, Brittle and Brief in quality – Warrant in every line; -- Sitting a bough like a Brigadier, Confident and straight, Much is the mien of him in March As a Magistrate --

It Sifts from Leaden Sieves by Emily Dickinson It sifts from leaden sieves, It powders all the wood. It fills with alabaster wool The wrinkles of the road. It makes an even face Of mountain and of plain— Unbroken forehead from the east Unto the east again.

It Sifts from Leaden Sieves (continued) by Emily Dickinson It reaches to the fence, It wraps it, rail by rail, Till it is lost in fleeces; It flings a crystal veil To stump and stack and stem— The summer’s empty room-- Acres of joints where harvests were, Recordless, but for them. It ruffles wrists of posts, As ankles of a queen— Then stills its artisans like ghosts, Denying they have been.

Walt Whitman  American poet, essayist, journalist  one of the most influential poets in the American canon  often called the father of free verse  Wrote Leaves of Grass  Part of transcendental movement  volunteer nurse during the Civil War  wrote “O Captain, My Captain” upon the death of Abraham Lincoln

A Noiseless Patient Spider by Walt Whitman A noiseless, patient spider, I mark’d, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated; Mark’d how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding, It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself; Ever unreeling them—ever tirelessly speeding them. And you, O my Soul, where you stand, Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space, Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,—seeking the spheres, to connect them; Till the bridge you will need, be form’d—till the ductile anchor hold; Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.

John Ruskin  leading art critic of Victorian Era  watercolorist  wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, botany to political economy  in all writing emphasized the connection between nature, art, and society

Alexander Ivanovitch Petrunkevitch  eminent Russian arachnologist  described over 130 spider species  from an aristocratic family  his father founded the Constitutional Democratic Party  came to the U.S. in 1910  remained politically active, trying to increase awareness of problems in Russia  skilled machinist  wrote two volumes of poetry

Assignment: Write an essay using Ruskin’s “The Fly” as a model. Notice how Ruskin describes a fly and shows it as an example of a quality or characteristic. Write a paragraph essay describing an object or animal as an example of a quality or characteristic. ________ is an example of __________ bee  industry bird  trust flower  confidence tree  flexibility Because Ruskin used the first person, and this is your model, you may be somewhat informal by using the first person pronoun; however, do not use contractions, slang or second person pronouns. You may also use limited rhetorical questions. Do not overdo it. 125 word minimum heading—of course typed title 1” margins may be presented creatively, but not required.