Day October 2011

ICTW #30 31 October 2011 Get out your homework, “Anabel Lee”, and skim over the text one more time. Describe how Poe sets the scene to make the poem feel intense/scary. What words or phrases play to readers’ imagination or emotions?

On Tap: ICTW #30 Romanticism Text: “The Raven” Edgar Allen Poe HOMEWORK DUE: Turn in “Annabel Lee”

“The Raven” Edgar Allen Poe Simpson’s Style Watch carefully, try to understand the basic plot of the poem. Be ready to answer the following questions: On your ICTW: Literal Comprehension – What is happening in the poem “The Raven”? Provide a brief summary of the sequence of events in the poem. Making Inferences – Why is this man scared? What is he thinking and feeling? How do you know this?

Understanding “The Raven” One way to grapple with difficult texts: Follow along as I go through these steps. STEP ONE: Read and ANNOTATE the text. STEP TWO: Re-read your assigned chunk, then put it into your own words. Write a brief summary that demonstrates a clear understanding of the text. STEP THREE: Share what you came up with.

Understanding “The Raven” STEP ONE: Read and ANNOTATE Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. 'Tis some visitor,’ I muttered, ‘tapping at my chamber door; Only this, and nothing more.’ Telling a story Dark, late, raining Thinking about He’s already compromised. Feeling tired, jaded Reading scary stories Falling asleep Oh, goodness! That would be startling! Someone knocking? Outside? Or on a bedroom door? Talking to himself? Someone is here???

Understanding “The Raven” STEP TWO: Re-read the chunk, summarize what happened. My Own Words: It is dark and rainy outside, and very late at night. The man in the story is falling asleep in a room while reading scary stories. All of the sudden he hears a knocking at the door. He wakes a little startled and thinks that someone is outside his door.

YOUR TURN…

STEP ONE: Read and annotate the text. Listen and follow along to Christopher Walken’s reading of “The Raven” As he reads, ask questions and ANNOTATE the text.

STEPS TWO & THREE in your groups: Do the work together, but everyone MUST have it written down. STEP TWO: Re-read your assigned chunk, then put it into your own words. Write a brief summary that demonstrates your understanding of the chunk you read. STEP THREE: Share your summary with the class

In your groups: Do the work together, but everyone MUST have it written down. STEP ONE: Read and ANNOTATE the ENTIRE text. STEP TWO: Re-read your assigned chunk, then put it into your own words. Write a brief summary that demonstrates your understanding of the chunk you read. STEP THREE: Share your summary with the class

Romanticism Notes (just in case)

Romanticism 1820s-1860s “Sweet Mountains--Ye tell Me no lie-- Never deny Me--Never fly-- Those same unvarying Eyes Turn on Me--when I fail--or feign, Or take the Royal names in vain-- Their far--slow--Violet Gaze--” Emily Dickinson “Sweet Mountains--Ye tell Me no lie-- Never deny Me--Never fly-- Those same unvarying Eyes Turn on Me--when I fail--or feign, Or take the Royal names in vain-- Their far--slow--Violet Gaze--” Emily Dickinson

How was it different? Romanticism was born from conflict with the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment attacked Puritans by saying that the Church blocked “human reason”. And then the Romantics attacked the writers/thinkers of the Enlightenment by saying that they blocked imagination! The Romantics rebelled and instead focused on fancy, imagination, emotion, nature, individuality, the gothic, and sexuality.

Some things to ponder: This truly was America’s FIRST creative period. Patriotism was alive, idealism about democracy flourished. People fought against the idea that America was just a collection of “immigrants” - Romantics wanted an ideal new society where each person would be valued. GOD was in nature, in the individual, in everything. There was a big focus on the Supernatural and gothic horror. (READING with the purpose of being titillated or scared? A new concept for these guys and gals.)

KNOWLEDGE Intuition over Intellect Focus on Genius - and geniuses were often outcast because they were not afraid to play by the rules - but that was mysterious and awesome. (Authors and poets of this time were often seen as eccentric, melancholy geniuses.) Through the sublime - people could experience experience a higher sense of being (the sublime) through art.

World View People could only understand themselves through their own minds. Rational thought can undermine individuality. Individuals are the key. The Spirit of God lives in the individual. (Compare to the Enlightenment: For the good of ___________? The Romantics would say: For the good of the ____________.)

Social View Sensibility is fashionable : Having a sensitive and intuitive way of understanding the people around you. Focus on human experience over human reason Social Idealism

Self-concept Focus on self-discovery It’s ALL about the self in Romanticism.

View of Nature Strong connection to nature. Focus on nature. We can discover ourselves in nature. Nature is always connected to our individual self- discoveries. For example, if a tree can survive a great storm, the person who perceives it can survive his or her own trials.

Representative Writers Nathaniel Hawthorne Emily Dickinson Walt Whitman Washington Irving Edgar Allen Poe