Poe, Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman Test

bierce works

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"

walt whitman biography

(1819-1892) revolutionized American poetry with his departure from traditional verse in "Leaves of Grass." Influenced by Emerson, Whitman declared himself the National Poet of the United States and volunteered as a nurse during the Civil War. His collection "Drum-Taps" focused on war and Lincoln's assassination. After a government job, a stroke forced his retirement. Whitman's last years brought international recognition, and he prepared the "death-bed edition" of "Leaves of Grass" before his death in 1892. His poetry, written in free verse, embodies an optimistic view of man's perfectibility and unity with nature, reflecting the effects of transcendentalism. Whitman's use of anaphora, catalogs, and colloquialism, especially in "Song of Myself," emphasizes equality symbolized by grass. "Leaves of Grass" embraces a new religion of self-worship, conceiving the self as both divine spirit and physical body.

ambrose bierce biography

(1842-1914) was an American author, renowned for his Southern-based stories inspired by his Civil War experiences. Raised in a poor family in Ohio, he enlisted in the Ninth Indiana Volunteers during the Civil War, where he suffered severe head wounds. Post-war, he became a journalist in San Francisco, exposing corruption. The last two decades of his life marked his most prolific literary period, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Bierce, nicknamed "Bitter Bierce," divorced his wife, mourned the deaths of two sons, and authored "The Devil's Dictionary," showcasing his cynicism. He mysteriously disappeared in Mexico in 1914 while reporting on Pancho Villa's revolution.

how are the guiding principles of emerson's work shown in the poems "nature" and "self reliance"

**nature:** humans & nature are connected w/ nature serving as source of sipritual inspiration; experiencing nature allows people to access universal truths; people should not conform to societal expectations **self-reliance**: urges people to trust their intuition which he believes is a direct connection to universal truths & that it will align with larger forces of universe; people should express ideas boldly

What are the five traits of Transcendentalism?

-Everything comes from and is connected to the over-soul or "universal being" -Man and Nature contain a spark of the divine -Man receives knowledge through nature -Man is guided to truth by his intuition -Man is inherently good and is moving towards perfection throughout the course of his life

edgar allan poe biography

-Lived 1809-1849 -He married his 13-year-old cousin. -His adoptive father disowned him when he was kicked out of west point and as a result was left out of his adoptive father's will. -Serious literary critic + author -Credited with writing the first detective story -Credited with coining the term "short story" -When traveling back to Philadelphia, he stopped in Baltimore and was found in a comatose before dying days later

give an example from modern society that correlates to transcendentalism today.

-firework song shows uniqueness, indivuality, not conforming to societal expectations; inner strengh & resilience; optimistic view on life & inner goodness of people

What is the time span for the period known as American Romanticism?

1830-1870

henry david thoreau biography

American transcendentalist known for his book "Walden," which reflects his experiment in simple living at Walden Pond. He also wrote the essay "Civil Disobedience," advocating for nonviolent resistance to unjust laws. Thoreau's emphasis on individualism, nature, and social justice continues to influence environmental and philosophical thought. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 44.

thoreau works

Walden, Civil Disobedience

edgar allan poe works

annabel lee, the raven, cask of amontillado

What national tragedy is addressed in Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!"?

assassination of president lincoln

what are Transcendental view on moral relativism, nature, and truth

believed in inherenet moral sense within individuals, saw nature as source of sipritual insight, truth as transcendent and universal principle

civil disobedience definition & relation to transcnedentalism

deliberate refusal to comply with certain laws or commands, typically as a peaceful protest against perceived injustices; associated with thoreau who coined the term in his essay of the same name which emphasized a person's moral duty to resist unjust laws & government actions by showing self-reliance, individual conscience, and pursuit of higher moral truths

ralph waldo emerson biography

descended from a line of New England Puritan ministers, briefly attended Harvard Divinity School but left to enter the Unitarian ministry. Unitarianism, which denies the Trinity and divinity of Jesus Christ, influenced his beliefs. After marriage and ordination, he served as an assistant minister at Boston's Second Church but grew doubtful of Unitarian creeds. Influenced by his aunt's unique religious perspective emphasizing reverence, nature, and literature, Emerson resigned from the church in 1832 after his wife's death. He traveled to Europe, where a visit to a French botanical garden sparked an epiphany about his connection to nature. During his European travels, he met British writers Coleridge and Wordsworth, finding them dull and ordinary.

What was the Walden Experiment? Know the who, where, why and what

henry david thoreau's plan to live a simple and deliberate life at Walden Pond near Concorn MA; this was done to explore transcendentalist ideals, self-reliance, simplicity, connection to nature

why the Civil War signaled the death of Transcendentalism?

it shattered ideals of divinity of man and nature as truth; progress in industry took away appeal of nature, move away from idealism, more skeptical and reailstic outlook

What was Whitman's first and most important work? How did this work evolve throughout his lifetime?

leaves of grass initially published in 1855; he expanded and revised it through multiple editions by adding new poems and editing existing ones

lyceum definition & relation to transcendentalism

lecture circuit where transcendentliast beliefs spread throughout; chief literay spokesperson was emerson

2 guiding principles in emerson's work

man and nature are one & every individual is uniquely significant

whitman works

o me o life, o captain my captain, song of myself, i hear america singing

Explain Poe's ideas about the "perverse." Where do we see this evidenced in Poe's writings?

perverse is primal instinct, radical impulse, seed of destruction & lurks inside of everyone

elements of Poe's philosophy of composition

primary concern - unity of effect (believed every element of a story should help create a single emotional impact); artistic quality, brevity (reader should be able to read in one sitting), beauty

Why was Thoreau placed in jail? What work was inspired by this experience?

protested against the U.S. government's support of slavery and the Mexican-American War; refused to pay his poll tax; inspired his famous essay "Civil Disobedience"

Summarize the differences between the Puritan, Romantic and Transcendental views of nature

puritan: nature is reflection of God's divine order romatnic: nature source of inspiration, awe, invidiual emotions & intuition transcental: nature source of spiritual insight and relfection of divine

self reliance definition & connection to transcendentalism

putting trust in yourself and relying on your own judgment and choices and not be influenced by society

how does "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" differs from the Romantic literature of the remainder of this unit.

realistic portrayal of war, unconventional narrative structure, exploration of death and reality, more realistic, more somber and dark

oversoul definition & connection to transcendentalism

universal spirit or divine presence that connects and unites all living things; transcendentalists believe everyone has this and they can attain a higher level of consciousness through connecting with it

What are the four cornerstones of American Romanticism?

Individualism, Imagination, Nature, The Distant

emerson works

Nature, Self-Reliance