In class today we read William Cullen Bryant's Thanatopsis, reviewing unfamiliar vocabulary and poetic language devices.
THE accompanying ESSAY IS DUE MONDAY 29 NOVEMBER.Please see below for a copy of the class handouts, of which there were three: the poem Thanatopsis, a work sheet to help you build your essay and detailed instructions for your
essays that are due MONDAY 29 NOVEMBER MEET WITH ME SOON, IF YOU ARE HAVING DIFFICULTIES
THANATOPSIS by: William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878)
O him who in the love of Nature holds
Communion with her visible forms, she speaks
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
Of the last bitter hour come like a blight
Over thy spirit, and sad images
Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall,
And breathless darkness, and the narrow house,
Make thee to shudder and grow sick at heart;--
Go forth, under the open sky, and list
To Nature's teachings, while from all around--
Earth and her waters, and the depths of air--
Comes a still voice--Yet a few days, and thee
The all-beholding sun shall see no more
In all his course; nor yet in the cold ground,
Where thy pale form was laid with many tears,
Nor in the embrace of ocean, shall exist
Thy image. Earth, that nourish'd thee, shall claim
Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again,
And, lost each human trace, surrendering up
Thine individual being, shalt thou go
To mix for ever with the elements,
To be a brother to the insensible rock,
And to the sluggish clod, which the rude swain
Turns with his share, and treads upon. The oak
Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mould.
So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan which moves
To that mysterious realm where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Scourged by his dungeon; but, sustain'd and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave,
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.
Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant NOTES
Unfamiliar words and their meanings
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Figurative Language Devices: imagery, personification, simile, metaphor, oxymoron, allusion.
Write out the line or phrase and then identify and explain.
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Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant ANALYTICAL ESSAY
DUE MONDAY 29 NOVEMBER
Essentials: minimum 500 words; double spaced; typed (of course); MLA heading with correct pagination and surname on each page.
Grading: paper on time- quiz grade guaranteed 100
Writing conference: quiz grade guaranteed 100
Final paper rewrite: writing grade (30%) …potential A+
Specifics: Please analyze the poem Thanatopsis as to how it embodies the qualities that constitute the ideas that embody Romanticism. How will you do this?
1. Know the poem well. Break it down, so that you understand all the vocabulary and every line literally.
2. Next reread the poem with an eye for metaphors, which are symbolic meanings.
3. Make a list. On one side write down the qualities of Romanticism and on the other list the textual evidence that supports this. Save yourself time, by noting the line number. Note that not every Romantic quality is included. B
4. Now assemble your essay. Your introduction should have your thesis. Look back to the specific assignment, if you are unsure. To make your essay more professional sounding, don’t forget your hook or lead in information.
5. The body of the essay consists of a paragraph for each of the aspects of Romanticism you are focusing on. Remember every statement you make must be followed by textual proof and an analysis statement. Ask yourself what is the larger significance in terms of the poem or the ideas of Romanticism.
6. And there is the conclusion, which is NOT a restatement of your introduction, but an insightful, universal observation drawn by you as to the larger meaning of the poem. Ask yourself if the ideas are relevant today, and if so- or not- why and in what capacity?
7. LASTLY: All essays are due Monday November 29. I will collect them then and we will meet individually to go over these in the writing conference for which you have signed up.
