Unit 3 - The Begginnings of Romanticism
Identify two central themes in "Dr Heidegger's Experiment" and explain how Hawthorne develops these themes. Cite textual evidence from the story to support your answer.
Hawthorne explores the theme of aging in his short story "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment." His story explores questions such as what it means to be old and what it means to be young. The characters in the story reflect these ideas, including the difference between aging physically and aging mentally or emotionally. From the characters (except for Dr. Heidegger himself), it is obvious that age does not necessarily equal wisdom. The theme of aging is depicted in the contrasting characters of the wise doctor and his four subjects. The doctor, who learns from the perplexing and conceited actions the other characters exhibit after drinking the powerful elixir, does not drink the water from the Fountain of Youth: "For my own part, having had much trouble in growing old, I am in no hurry to grow young again." His four subjects, on the other hand, rush to drink it and become young again. "Give us more of this wondrous water!" cried they, eagerly. "We are younger—but we are still too old! Quick—give us more!" As this quote shows, the elixir brings out the worst in the characters—their thirst for youth can never be satisfied. These details also highlight the fickleness of human desire and happiness that some people expose, an important flaw that Hawthorne exposes with his characters. Whether old or young, the elixir shows that the four characters most certainly can never be happy nor truly know what they need or want. Another theme of the story is foolishness and arrogance. Even though the four subjects are given another chance at being young again in the same lifetime, they pay no heed when asked if they'll tread cautiously and avoid the mistakes they made in their youth. The doctor's four venerable friends made him no answer, except by a feeble and tremulous laugh; so very ridiculous was the idea, that, knowing how closely repentance treads behind the steps of error, they should ever go astray again. The four guests are blinded by the wondrous gift that the powerful water has given them, and instead, the gift turns into a cruel curse, as the last line shows. But the doctor's four friends had taught no such lesson to themselves. They resolved forthwith to make a pilgrimage to Florida, and quaff at morning, noon, and night, from the Fountain of Youth. In this way, Hawthorne intertwines these two prominent themes.
In Roman mythology, he was the king of gods andis used as an allusion to a pagan god. The narrator is,in essence, calling the salesman a pagan.
Jupiter Tonans
Which sentence from the excerpt uses foreshadowing?
The sentence "Suddenly he heard a groan-his teeth chattered and his knees smote against the saddle. . ." is an instance of foreshadowing in the excerpt.
Type your response in the box. Irony plays an important role in developing the narration and tone of a story. Read this sentence from "Bartleby, the Scrivener." What is the verbal irony in this excerpt? What does the use of irony tell the reader? In that direction, my windows commanded an unobstructed view of a lofty brick wall, black by age and everlasting shade; which wall required no spy-glass to bring out its lurking beauties, but, for the benefit of all near-sighted spectators, was pushed up to within ten feet of my window panes.
The sentence is filled with verbal irony. If taken literally, the reader would think that the narrator enjoys the beauty of old, blackened brick walls, and is pleased that his window is so close to one as to afford him a good view. Identifying the use of verbal irony in this sentence allows the reader to understand that the narrator is actually disgruntled with the scene his window presents.
How is the setting used in this excerpt characteristic of the gothic style?
The setting describes a mysterious tree and strange noises. These descriptions reveal an atmosphere of anxiety and fear, which are characteristics of gothic literature.
How does this excerpt continue, from the previous excerpt, to build tension and fear across the story?
The setting of this excerpt is a dense, secluded forest through which no travelers seem to want to venture. The strange, large figure in the road makes the protagonist paranoid and afraid, which further builds the tension and fear in the story from the previous excerpt.
Write a two stanza, eight-line poem in blank verse form that includes at least one use of enjambment. The verse does not necessarily need to be in iambic pentameter. It must, however, keep a consistent meter across all eight lines. After you have written the poem, read it and look for ways to improve it in structure, imagery, and details. Remember to also check it for errors in spelling and grammar.
Your poem should have these characteristics: uses blank verse does not rhyme has a consistent meter in all eight lines includes one use of enjambment includes punctuation for natural pauses is free of spelling and grammatical errors
Select the correct answer. What trait typical of the romantic era is featured in Washington Irving's short story "Rip Van Winkle"?
the emphasis on the beauty of nature.
What effect does the omniscient narration have on the meaning and structure of the story "Rip Van Winkle"?
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In Greek mythology, this place is where the gods dwell.This term is used to liken the lightning-rod man to apagan god.
Olympus
Select ALL the correct sentences in the passage. Which two sentences contain a restrictive clause?
1. We fed the kittens that we found in the shed. 3.This is the house that I grew up in.
This tall rock, known as one of the Pillars of Heracles,refers to something of great strength and endurance.
Gibraltar
Select the correct answer. What important fact about Rip Van Winkle comes to light in this excerpt from Irving's story? "The great error in Rip's composition was an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor. It could not be for want of assiduity or perseverance; for he would sit on a wet rock, with a rod as long and heavy as a Tartar's lance, and fish all day without a murmur, even though he should not be encouraged by a single nibble. He would carry a fowling-piece on his shoulder, for hours together, trudging through woods and swamps, and up hill and down dale, to shoot a few squirrels or wild pigeons. He would never refuse to assist a neighbor even in the roughest toil, and was a foremost man in all country frolics for husking corn, or building stone fences; the women of the village, too, used to employ him to run their errands, and to do such little odd jobs as their less obliging husbands would not do for them. In a word, Rip was ready to attend to anybody's business but his own; but as to doing family duty, and keeping his farm in order, he found it impossible."
Rip Van Winkle neglected his own work and responsibilities by doing any other task.
In Greek mythology, this name refers to Zeus,the king of gods and the god of the weather.This allusion reinforces the storm motif.
Thunderer
What does Montresor likely mean when he says his heart "grew sick" upon hearing the jingling bells after he has trapped Fortunato in the crypt?
What does Montresor likely mean when he says his heart "grew sick" upon hearing the jingling bells after he has trapped Fortunato in the crypt?
The police believe that the suspect plans to recoil gesticulate abscond intermingle before the trial, so they will keep a watch on her.
abscond
Too much sun can afflict intermingle recoil abscond the skin with harmful rays that can lead to skin cancer.
afflict
What poetic technique does Henry Wadsworth Longfellow use in this excerpt from the poem "The Day Is Done"? The day is done, and the darkness Falls from the wings of Night, As a feather is wafted downward From an eagle in his flight.
enjambment
Because mimes do not speak, they rely on niche gesticulation abscond rebounds to convey their thoughts.
gesticulation
2. Knowing he'd never get caught, the thief stole from the house with distress impunity niche departure .
impunity
Inventive chefs niche gesticulate afflict intermingle a seemingly odd assortment of ingredients to create bold new flavors.
intermingle
He finally found his recoil gesture niche affliction as a writer.
niche
Surgeons never niche gesticulate afflict recoil from the idea of opening human bodies to operate.
recoil
How might the final line in the story, "In pace requiescat," meaning "Rest in peace," apply to Montresor as well as Fortunato?
"Rest in peace" is a common expression used to wish a deceased soul eternal rest. This expression would apply to Fortunato, who has been entombed alive. "Rest in peace" also applies to Montresor, as he had been angry about Fortunato's perceived insults. After getting revenge against Fortunato, Montresor's troubled mind and hurt feelings will be able to rest peacefully.
Which words in this excerpt from Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" indicate that it is a work of gothic literature?
"superstition", "strange sights", "fearful tree" and "dry branches"
Select ALL the correct texts in the passage. Which three lines in this excerpt from William Cullen Bryant's "Thanatopsis" best indicate the theme of the poem?
-Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon, -sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, -lies down to pleasant dreams.
Select ALL the correct text in the passage. Which three parts of this excerpt from Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The House of Seven Gables provide direct characterization? Had he been told of a bad air, it might have moved him somewhat; but he was ready to encounter an evil spirit on his own ground. Endowed with commonsense, as massive and hard as blocks of granite, fastened together by stern rigidity of purpose, as with iron clamps, he followed out his original design, probably without so much as imagining an objection to it. On the score of delicacy, or any scrupulousness which a finer sensibility might have taught him, the Colonel, like most of his breed and generation, was impenetrable. He therefore dug his cellar, and laid the deep foundations of his mansion, on the square of earth whence Matthew Maule, forty years before, had first swept away the fallen leaves. It was a curious, and, as some people thought, an ominous fact, that, very soon after the workmen began their operations, the spring of water, above mentioned, entirely lost the deliciousness of its pristine quality.
1. Endowed with commonsense, as massive and hard as blocks of granite 2.fastened together by stern rigidity of purpose 3.On the score of delicacy, or any scrupulousness which a finer sensibility might have taught him, the Colonel, like most of his breed and generation, was impenetrable.
How does Bryant use imagery to develop the idea of death? Cite evidence from the text to support your response.
Bryant uses images of coffins, tombs, and graves to develop the idea of death. The poet paints a scary picture of death using words such as agony, shroud, and shudder: Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall. And breathless darkness, and the narrow house, Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart— He describes the "stern agony" of dying and uses words such as shroud and pall to suggest the cloth wrapped around dead bodies and caskets. Bryant also draws comparisons between the freedom and space of nature and the narrow confinement of coffins. He further explains how nature acts as a "great tomb of man" as everyone gets mixed up in the earth after dying.
Which detail exemplifies the psychological distress that Ichabod experiences?
Ichabod experiences fear and apprehension in the grove. This line exemplifies the psychological distress that Ichabod experiences in the presence of the grove: "Once more he cudgeled the sides of the inflexible Gunpowder, and, shutting his eyes, broke forth with involuntary fervor into a psalm tune." Also, the narration describes how Ichabod speaks with "stammering accents," which shows his terror.
How does Washington Irving's use of the third-person omniscient narrator in "Rip Van Winkle" affect the meaning and development of the story? Incorporate information from the video you watched as well as textual evidence from the story. Your response should be two to three paragraphs in length.
In "Rip Van Winkle," Washington Irving describes Rip as "one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy, eat white bread or brown, whichever can be got with least thought or trouble..." Irving uses a third-person omniscient point of view to tell the story. This point of view allows the author to give readers the private and intimate details about Rip's life and character that would not have been discernible from any other point of view. For example, he describes Rip's wife as constantly nagging him: "... his wife kept continually dinning in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and the ruin he was bringing on his family." At the same time, Irving is able to distance himself from the story while dryly commenting on everything that happens. For example, he describes the villager's reactions when Rip returns after many years: "The by-standers began now to look at each other, nod, wink significantly, and tap their fingers against their foreheads. There was a whisper, also, about keeping the old fellow from doing mischief..." If the story was told in the first person point of view (by the protagonist Rip), the readers would get intimate but inaccurate details about the story because it would be twisted by Rip's biases. Through the third-person omniscient point of view, the author is able to make important commentary on American society. Self-Evaluation
How does Irving's short story "Rip Van Winkle" reflect popular themes of the romantic era? Cite evidence from the story to support your response.
In "Rip Van Winkle," Washington Irving gives an extensive description of the mountains. As consistent with themes of nature in romantic literature, the mountains are described with a tone of admiration: "From an opening...he could overlook all the lower country for many a mile of rich woodland. He saw at a distance the lordly Hudson, far, far below him, moving on its silent but majestic course, with the reflection of a purple cloud, or the sail of a lagging bark here and there sleeping on its glassy bosom, and at last losing itself in the blue highlands." Another theme consistent with the romantic era is the emphasis on imagination and the supernatural. Rip realizes that he has been asleep for 20 years: "With some difficulty he got down into the glen: he found the gully up which he and his companion had ascended the preceding evening; but to his astonishment a mountain stream was now foaming down it, leaping from rock to rock, and filling the glen with babbling murmurs." "As he approached the village, he met a number of people, but none whom he new, which somewhat surprised him, for he had thought himself acquainted with every one in the country round. Their dress, too, was of a different fashion from that to which he was accustomed." The romantics were fascinated by the supernatural and by nature. He draws connections between the mountains and the Rip's story of falling asleep for 20 years.
In the story "Rip Van Winkle," how does Washington Irving use ironic elements to describe Rip's relationship with Dame Van Winkle? Support your answer with examples from the text.
In "Rip Van Winkle," Washington Irving uses language that differs between its literal meaning and the actual message being communicated. For example, Irving describes a "curtain lecture" as "worth all the sermons in the world for teaching the virtues of patience and long-suffering." While this description literally means that when Dame Van Winkle is lecturing her husband, it teaches him patience, Irving's real message is that this type of nagging is not valuable at all. The story implies that Rip's wife often lectures and nags him: "... his wife kept continually dinning in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and the ruin he was bringing on his family. Morning, noon, and night, her tongue was incessantly going, and everything he said or did was sure to produce a torrent of household eloquence." The word "eloquence" usually describes speeches, poetry, and other well-crafted writing. Irving uses it ironically in the story to describe Rip's wife's lectures, as they are not beautiful or well-written prose. In this way, Washington Irving uses humor and irony to show the relationship between Rip and his wife.
What effect does Bryant's use of personification of nature have on the theme of the poem "Thanatopsis"? Cite evidence from the text to support your response.
In his poem, Bryant describes nature as a woman with a kind and affectionate personality. Personifying nature as a woman helps to make it more identifiable and comforting. Bryant contemplates nature's empathy: A various language; for his gayer hours She has a voice of gladness, and a smile And eloquence of beauty, and she glides Into his darker musings, with a mild And healing sympathy, that steals away Their sharpness, ere he is aware. When thoughts Nature has a conversation with "her lover" depending on his mood. She talks to him happily when he is happy and cheers him up when he is sad. She also comforts him when thoughts of death upset him. In personifying nature, Bryant makes readers ponder how it acts as a constant companion in every step of human life, and even after death.
Type your response in the box. One interpretation of the story "The Lightning-Rod Man" is that Melville is criticizing certain Christian missionaries of the time. Do you agree with this interpretation? If so, describe how you see this theme reflected in the story. If not, discuss a more prominent theme you see presented in the story. Cite evidence from the text to support your response.
Melville's story is an allegory that conveys his criticism of Christian missionaries. Melville uses several biblical, scientific, mythological, and historical allusions to build his allegory. The lightning-rod man represents Christian missionaries, while the narrator represents Melville's beliefs. According to him, missionaries are displacing and destroying the cultures they are attempting to convert rather than bringing them true spirituality. Although the narrator isn't influenced by the lightning-rod man, he is saddened and worried to see his neighbors fall prey to the missionaries' trap. The narrator tries to dissuade his neighbors from believing in the lightning-rod man, who continues to thrive as he "trades with the fears of men." Unlike many others of the time period, Melville believes in being God-loving, not God-fearing.
In what way is Montresor an unreliable narrator? How does the use of an unreliable narrator influence readers' views of Montresor's actions? Cite evidence from the text to support your response.
Montresor is considered an unreliable narrator because his opinion of Fortunato is biased. Montresor feels greatly wronged by Fortunato, but the exact wrongdoing that Fortunato has committed is never clearly mentioned in the story. As a result, readers cannot comprehend or agree with Montresor's extreme form of revenge, which actually makes readers sympathize with Fortunato. In addition, readers do not have any background on Montresor, so Montresor's sanity is questionable, considering he formulates and carries out an elaborate plan to entomb and murder someone who insulted him.
In what way is Montresor an unreliable narrator? How does the use of an unreliable narrator influence readers' views of Montresor's actions? Cite evidence from the text to support your response.
Montresor narrates the story about 50 years after the events took place. The audience to whom Montresor is narrating the story is not defined. The fact that this story is told from the first person allows the reader to believe and even trust the descriptions and actions of Montresor. If the story had been told from Fortunato's point of view, the reader would likely view Montresor as a monster.
Analyze the characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" and list their traits. Cite evidence from the story to support your analysis.
Mr. Medbourne's character is greedy. This is evident from the way in which he lived his life. He "had been a prosperous merchant, but had lost his all by a frantic speculation." Colonel Killigrew is gluttonous or lustful. He indulged in sinful pleasures, and his gluttony becomes more apparent after he consumes the elixir and begins to leer at the young widow. Mr. Gascoigne is pompous and loves to listen to himself speak. "Now he rattled forth full-throated sentences about patriotism, national glory, and the people's right; now he muttered some perilous stuff or other, in a sly and doubtful whisper." Widow Wycherly, who is transfixed by her own beauty when she becomes young again, is vain and can't stop admiring herself in the mirror: "She thrust her face close to the glass, to see whether some long-remembered wrinkle or crow's foot had indeed vanished." Dr. Heidegger is shown as a wise old doctor who has lived a good life and is comfortable in his old age. He does not harbor any desire to repeat his youth.
You've learned that an allegory is a fictional narrative in which the literal story has another parallel, deeper meaning. Read the following excerpt from Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown." Analyze and explain the allegory used in the story. And there they stood, the only pair, as it seemed, who were yet hesitating on the verge of wickedness in this dark world. A basin was hollowed, naturally, in the rock. Did it contain water, reddened by the lurid light? or was it blood? or, perchance, a liquid flame? Herein did the shape of evil dip his hand and prepare to lay the mark of baptism upon their foreheads, that they might be partakers of the mystery of sin, more conscious of the secret guilt of others, both in deed and thought, than they could now be of their own. The husband cast one look at his pale wife, and Faith at him. What polluted wretches would the next glance show them to each other, shuddering alike at what they disclosed and what they saw! "Faith! Faith!" cried the husband, "look up to heaven, and resist the wicked one." Whether Faith obeyed he knew not. Hardly had he spoken when he found himself amid calm night and solitude, listening to a roar of the wind which died heavily away through the forest. He staggered against the rock, and felt it chill and damp; while a hanging twig, that had been all on fire, besprinkled his cheek with the coldest dew.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" is an allegory that symbolizes the duality in human nature: the good and the evil. The wife's name, Faith, is used as a symbol of humanity's inherent belief in goodness. She stands for Christian faith and goodness, while the husband stands for man's weakness in the face of temptation. The story exposes the hollow religious beliefs of the Puritans in New England. Their emphasis on public morality served to weaken private religious faith. Through the husband's character, Hawthorne portrays that people didn't have inner faith in their religious beliefs, which was governed by the society more than by personal conviction.
Drag each label to the correct location on the image. Think about the poem "Old Ironsides." Drag the subject of the poem to the subject box and the theme to the theme box. Then decide whether each excerpt from the poem supports the subject or the theme.
Subject: the decommissioning of an old warship Theme: paying homage to the glorious past Excerpts: O, better that her shattered hulk Should sink beneath the wave, Set every thread-bare sail, And give her to the god of storms, Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!, Her thunders shook the mighty deep, Long has it waved on high, And many an eye has danced to see That banner in the sky, and Her deck, once red with heroes' blood Where knelt the vanquished foe,
Select the correct answer from each drop-down menu.
The \patriarch/ of the family was the youngsters' role model and mentor. Sam had been standing outside with no shoes on for so long that the cold had rendered his feet nearly \nsensible\l . The professor's distinguished career at the university had earned him a reputation as a \venerable\ educator. The path that the wildfire burned through the forest was a \blight\ on the landscape.
What does the foreshadowing in this excerpt most likely indicate?
The foreshadowing in this excerpt most likely indicates that someone or something will attack the protagonist, Ichabod.
What does the horseman's presence most likely foreshadow?
The horseman's presence likely foreshadows the impending evil the horseman may commit against Ichabod and other people in the story. Based on the description and arrival of the horseman, the reader can assume that this figure will haunt the surrounding area.
Type your response in the box. In "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment," what does the rose symbolize? Cite evidence from the text to support your response
The rose first appears at the beginning of the story. It is a dried and withered rose, and readers learn that Dr. Heidegger's fiancée gave it to him before she died. While it may be considered a symbol of regret or sadness, it is used to prove that the water from the "fountain of youth" does work, which can be construed as a symbol of hope. However, the withering of the rose at the end of the story foreshadows the fate of Dr. Heidegger's four friends and the transient nature of youth: "I love it as well thus, as in its dewy freshness," observed he, pressing the withered rose to his withered lips. While he spoke, the butterfly fluttered down from the doctor's snowy head, and fell upon the floor. Thus, the rose seems to be a symbol of the moral of this story: people must not fear old age, but accept it and see it as another important stage of life. This acceptance is visible in how Dr. Heidegger values the experience and wisdom that have come with age and would not wish to be young again. Just as he has learned to cherish his old age, he cherishes the withered rose just as much as when it was fresh and dewy.
What effect is achieved by the use of blank verse and enjambment in the poem? Cite evidence from the text to support your response.
The use of blank verse and enjambment intesifies the contemplative and meditative mood of the poem. Blank verse allows for freedom of form, enhancing the tone of the poem, which shifts from being hopeful to being hopeless. The use of enjambment helps hold the reader's interest across lines: To him who in the love of Nature holds Communion with her visible forms, she speaks A various language; for his gayer hours
In "The Cask of Amontillado," Poe uses numerous examples of figurative language and symbolism. Identify and analyze the meaning of elements of symbolism from the story. How do these examples carry influence or reinforce the overall meaning of the story?
To convey the intended meaning, Poe uses symbolism throughout "The Cask of Amontillado." Here are some examples of symbolism in the story: Poe uses the word cask to mean "casket" in the story. Fortunato single-mindedly looks for the cask, in terms of a barrel of wine, but all the while Montresor single-mindedly envisions Fortunato in a casket. Thus, in search of a cask, Fortunato ends up in his casket. Fortunato's jesterlike clothing, complete with the bell on his hat, conveys that he is a buffoon or that he is simple-minded. It is this naivety that Montresor exploits to trick Fortunato into entering the catacomb. The long, dark journey Montresor and Fortunato take in the catacomb is symbolic of Montresor delving deeper into his madness and fury and Fortunato delving deeper into his pride and naivety. The Montresor family motto is the Latin phrase Nemo me impune lacessit, which means, "No one attacks me with impunity." This motto serves as foreshadowing of Montresor's actions against Fortunato. Montresor often refers to the nitre in the story, calling it "the white webwork which gleams from these cavern walls." The nitre symbolizes a web that surrounds Fortunato, allowing him no escape from the tomb.
Based on what you have learned about gothic literature, write a 3- to 5-page short story that incorporates some of the gothic elements discussed in this lesson, such as figurative language and sensory details. To improve your story, helpful writing practices include brainstorming, outlining, writing a first draft, and then reviewing and revising your story.
Your story should include figurative language and sensory details, as well as some of the following points:Setting—Where does your story take place? The setting should add to the mystique of the story. Gothic elements might include a medieval castle with trapdoors, a cavernous dungeon, and dimly lit towers.Eerie surroundings—What is the environment like around the setting? Stormy weather and dark forests are examples of eerie surrouondings.Supernatural elements—Does your story include supernatural creatures or the unexplained? Ghosts, for example, are a common supernatural feature in gothic literature.Drama—How do characters experience drama? Common dramatic events in gothic literature include murder, tragic illnesses, and sudden disappearances.
Drag each tile to the correct box. Match the bolded words to their contextual meanings based on how they are used the excerpts from "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant.
sepulchre - burial place or burial chamber In the sentence it says that "Thou shalt lie down with patriarchs of the infant world-with kings, the powerful of the earth". It is describing laying down in death buried with kings who have long since passed. musings - reflection or thought It says that she hears his "musings, with a mild and healing sympathy". Reflection or thought is the best choice because he is telling her his darker thoughts. mirth - amusement or merriment This is the best choice since the person is described as leaving these thing s behind to go to their bed, or resting place. Communion - close relationship with someone or something It talks about how he has a love of nature and communes with nature meaning that he has a close relationship with it. People also take communion at church as a way to be closer to God.
