english test 

Time filled with :

  • Unrest
  • Struggles for independence/freedom
  • Efforts to demonstrate racial superiority

American Literature :

  • Transcendentalism continued to influence writing
  • Emphasis on “supernatural”
  • Emphasis on nature
  • Much writing focused on social change—Frederick Douglas and Harriet Beecher Stowe

Impact of Civil War :

  • Can’t underestimate the impact before and after the war
  • Slavery caused great divisions – even in families
  • Question or idea of secession was divisive
  • The Civil War was not “won” per se
  • Racial tensions have continued to present day (often expressed in literature)

A Nation Divided :

  • North - Highly industrial, Not opposed to expansion, Strong, central government, Strong, standing army, Opposed to slavery and its expansion (for various reasons)
  • South - Highly rural/agricultural economy, States should have power, Proponents of slavery (economy), not many owners, State-based militias, Fed government should not tell states what to do

cognitive dissonance

  • “Holding contradictory ideas and thoughts and actions in yourself; often causes frustration, anger, even aggression”
  • Certain level of hypocrisy on both sides

North—all should be free, except Southern states don’t have
freedom to choose

North—slavery is bad, many said this because they didn’t need it

South—we want freedom, everyone should be free to choose;
except slaves, because we need them

American Poetry Before

The Fireside Poets

Had been more “sentimental”

Feelings of tenderness, sadness, nostalgia in exaggerated and
self-indulgent way

American Poetry Before

Nostalgia—sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past,
typically for a period of place with happy personal associations

Self-indulgent—characterized by doing or tending to do exactly what
one wants, especially when this involves pleasure or idleness

The Lyric Poets

The “new generation” of poets

Addressed life’s realities

Observed and wrote about everyday life

In a “real way” not sentimental

Why?

Lyric Poetry

Expresses emotions of speaker, typically through a “character” author
creates

Comes from word “lyre”

Typically a short, non-narrative poem

Expressed emotions can be wide ranging

Examples

“She Walks in Beauty”

Lord Byron

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o’er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!

“Autumn”

T.E. Hulme

A touch of cold in the Autumn night –

I walked abroad,

And saw the ruddy moon lean over a hedge

Like a red-faced farmer.

I did not stop to speak, but nodded,

And round about were the wistful stars

With white faces like town children.

“Complete in Thee”

Complete in Thee! no work of mine

May take, dear Lord, the place of Thine;

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,

And I am now complete in Thee.

Refrain:

Yea, justified! O blessed thought!

And sanctified! Salvation wrought!

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,

And glorified, I too, shall be!

Complete in Thee! no more shall sin,

Thy grace hath conquered, reign within;

Thy voice shall bid the tempter flee,

And I shall stand complete in Thee. (Refrain)

Complete in Thee--each want supplied,

And no good thing to me denied;

Since Thou my portion, Lord, wilt be,

I ask no more, complete in Thee. (Refrain)

Dear Saviour! when before Thy bar

All tribes and tongues assembled are,

Among Thy chosen will I be,

At Thy right hand, complete in Thee. (Refrain)

Thinking Critically

What is it?

the ability to think in an organized and rational manner in order to
understand connections between ideas and/or facts.

thinking about thinking”—identifying, analyzing, and then fixing
flaws in the way we think.

5 Steps of Critical Thinking

Identify
the
problem
or
question

Gather data,
opinions, &
arguments

Analyze and
evaluate the data

Identify
Assumptions

Establish Significance

What is the key idea or point in this information?

What does this tell us about the author or what they’re thinking?

Walt Whitman

Biography

Raised primarily in Northeast

Unhappy and restless childhood (moved a lot)

Formal education ended at age 11

Much of his work life was in journalism

His Poetry