This story captures the imagination of readers today by including amazing elements. An example is "Ichabod was a kind and thankful creature, whose spirits rose with eating as some men's do with drink."
This is an amazing way to let the readers think about what else could be possible, if this is. An imagination is one of the best things one could ever have.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Essential Questions for This Unit
Gina Poe
S. Hasty
Honors Sophomore English/ Block 4
4 December 2014
S. Hasty
Honors Sophomore English/ Block 4
4 December 2014
How are the Romantic's beliefs of optimism and individualism reflected in their writing?
In the Romantic's works, they like to express a lot of optimism and individualism into what they say. Because the whole nature of Romanticism is pleasant, well-rounded thoughts, optimism and individualism elements are very key within the works of Romanticism. A very good example of optimism and individualism is this verse from Swing Low Sweet Chariot,
“The brightest day that I can say,
Coming for to carry me home,
When Jesus washed my sins away,
Coming for to carry me home.”
In this verse above, bright days are being described- setting up the scene for complete optimism. Also, bringing in religion creates a sense of individualism, because religion allows for identification of one's morals- providing basic grounds for discovering one's self- laying down quite the individuality.
What is Romanticism, Gothic Romanticism, and Southern Gothic Romanticism? How are they similar and how are they different?
In all three genres; Romanticism, Gothic Romanticism, and Southern Gothic Romanticism, authors portray very distinct features and elements that adequately represent their genre passionately. The passion in which they carry through their genre is what they all share- everything within the work strongly defines the genre, instead of having a variety of genre's traits.
However, on the contrary, the thing which the genres do not have in common is the specific details of their genre. Romanticism is a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual.
Topics range from past criticism, the cult of sensibility, women and children, to authors Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s seemingly favorite, supernatural and human psychology.
Gothic Romanticism is a twist on Romanticism that includes creepy, depressing, and even disturbing features. Many works portraying Gothic Romanticism include; The Castle of Ontranto by Horace Walpole, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and many of the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Southern Gothic Romanticism includes the twists of Gothic Romanticism, while including common traits of Southern culture. Some of these traits include, but are not limited to; the turning of classic Gothic figures into figures of southern culture, a bizarre happening in the town, house or farm, a grotesque (a character inducing both empathy and disgust)
While they may share passion, the genres Romanticism, Gothic Romanticism, and Southern Gothic Romanticism have many differences.
How is the Southern Gothic movement a response to literary movements that have preceded it as well as a manipulation of romantic literary conventions?
To understand Southern Gothic Romanticism, one must first be able to understand the Gothic fiction genre which it was divided from. Gothic Fiction is a somewhat rebellion to Romanticism- taking shared styles such as optimism and individualism, and turning them into the complete opposite- pessimism and confinement of ones self. Southern Gothic Romanticism is simply a spin off of this nature of writing, only pertaining to things asscociated with the South such as; towns, farms, houses, and southern lingo.
How did American culture prompt the dark sides of Romanticism?
Throughout the research of the Gothic authors, it is clear there is a common motif of early suffering- whether it be the loss of their parents, or the adaptation of addictions, the authors of Gothic Romanticism have often suffered some kind of trauma. Given this, there have been many things in American society that would also trauma-date people to turn to dark versions of regularly a happy optimistic genre. Some of these mind-set altering events include; Salem Witch Trials, Civil War, Poverty, and much more.
How do the writings of this time period influence the writings of today?
After having a difference in literature through the Gothic genres, it has set off many other forms of individuality. Having been derived from something that was popular, Gothic Romanticism offered an opportunity for authors to shine in their own light, rather than fit into the genre everyone is writing in. Now we have hundreds of genres- enough for absolutely everyone's taste.
Gothic Romanticism: Hawthorne, Poe, and Baudelaire
Gina Poe
S. Hasty
Honors Sophomore English/ Block 4
4th December 2014
The Fall of the House of Usher, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, is narrated by a man who visits the estate of his childhood fried, Roderick Usher. Throughout his experience at the mansion, the narrator portrays a great deal of pessimism. This is expressed from the very beginning through the evaluation of the exterior appearance of the estate, “I had so worked upon my imagination as really to believe that about there hung an atmosphere peculiar to themselves and their immediate vicinity- an atmosphere which had no affinity with the air of heaven, but which had reeked up from the decayed trees, and the grey wall, and the silent tarn--a pestilent and mystic vapor, dull, sluggish, faintly discernible, and leaden-hued.” (Poe 4) During his stay in the home, the narrator learns the sister of Roderick, Madeline, is very ill. The narrator is intrigued by the mysterious woman, but his curiosity doesn't ever become satisfied. The illness of Roderick's sister, who is later to be discovered as his twin, causes him to be very depressed and not as energetic as his old self. Through all his efforts to cheer his friend up, the narrator manages to get a song out of Roderick. The song first expresses happiness in a place, then the place is taken over by demonic figures- causing the place to no longer be happy and causes depression among the inhabitants of the place. After the death of his sister, Roderick becomes consumed with hysteria. One night the narrator can not sleep, along with Roderick. After many crazy things happen, voices are heard and Roderick's sister blew open the doors of where they were freaking out, in a white, blood covered gown. Roderick was attacked by his sister and he died of fear. The narrator flees the house and as he's running away, the house crumbles down into nothing more than rubble.
Throughout the story, there were many indications that the characters were crammed in the confined space of the mansion. Because of the confinement, it is quite evident the twins were never able to develop as individual people. Instead, they were simply a reflection of one another- never showing their own selves, but the most dominant emotion between the two. Because of Roderick's extreme nervousness and hysteria, this caused his dead twin sister to be a vampire- for she was only reflecting what her brother's primary emotion was.
A common style throughout Gothic fiction works is pessimism. The writers of the works we read displayed this pessimism to a tee. Instead of taking something as a good thing, they express it as a horrible thing. Their conceptions on life in a negative portrayal is what sets Gothic fiction aside from the normal.
S. Hasty
Honors Sophomore English/ Block 4
4th December 2014
The Fall of the House of Usher, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, is narrated by a man who visits the estate of his childhood fried, Roderick Usher. Throughout his experience at the mansion, the narrator portrays a great deal of pessimism. This is expressed from the very beginning through the evaluation of the exterior appearance of the estate, “I had so worked upon my imagination as really to believe that about there hung an atmosphere peculiar to themselves and their immediate vicinity- an atmosphere which had no affinity with the air of heaven, but which had reeked up from the decayed trees, and the grey wall, and the silent tarn--a pestilent and mystic vapor, dull, sluggish, faintly discernible, and leaden-hued.” (Poe 4) During his stay in the home, the narrator learns the sister of Roderick, Madeline, is very ill. The narrator is intrigued by the mysterious woman, but his curiosity doesn't ever become satisfied. The illness of Roderick's sister, who is later to be discovered as his twin, causes him to be very depressed and not as energetic as his old self. Through all his efforts to cheer his friend up, the narrator manages to get a song out of Roderick. The song first expresses happiness in a place, then the place is taken over by demonic figures- causing the place to no longer be happy and causes depression among the inhabitants of the place. After the death of his sister, Roderick becomes consumed with hysteria. One night the narrator can not sleep, along with Roderick. After many crazy things happen, voices are heard and Roderick's sister blew open the doors of where they were freaking out, in a white, blood covered gown. Roderick was attacked by his sister and he died of fear. The narrator flees the house and as he's running away, the house crumbles down into nothing more than rubble.
Throughout the story, there were many indications that the characters were crammed in the confined space of the mansion. Because of the confinement, it is quite evident the twins were never able to develop as individual people. Instead, they were simply a reflection of one another- never showing their own selves, but the most dominant emotion between the two. Because of Roderick's extreme nervousness and hysteria, this caused his dead twin sister to be a vampire- for she was only reflecting what her brother's primary emotion was.
A common style throughout Gothic fiction works is pessimism. The writers of the works we read displayed this pessimism to a tee. Instead of taking something as a good thing, they express it as a horrible thing. Their conceptions on life in a negative portrayal is what sets Gothic fiction aside from the normal.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Southern Gothic Romanticism: "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" and "A Rose for Emily"
Gina Poe
S. Hasty
Honors Sophomore English/ Block 4
14th November, 2014
Southern Gothic Romanticism is a sub-genre to Gothic Romanticism, which is yet another sub-genre of the even more vague genre Gothic Horror. In the contrary to Gothic horror, Gothic Romanticism combines fiction, horror, and Romanticism. Southern Gothic Romanticism is simply a form of Gothic romanticism that takes place in the American south- displaying distinct southern features. The southern features in which help to classify a piece as Southern Gothic Romanticism are having something bizarre or often falling apart in the town, house or farm, having a grotesque character, (A grotesque is a character that portrays both empathy and disgust.) and includes freakishness, imprisonment, violence, and/or a sense of place. Through Southern Gothic Romanticism, we can better understand southern culture and the writing styles inspired by it.
"A Rose For Emily", a tale of a very mysterious old lady by William Faulker, is a perfect display of Southern Gothic Romanticism. Miss Emily Grierson was a woman whom, after many heart-breaking happenings- such as the loss of her father and the inferred loss of her summer lover Homer Baron- isolated herself in her home and refused to pay taxes. The tax collectors struggled with her for many years until one day she died. After her death, her home was searched, and the searchers found a very disturbing scene in her spare bedroom. Emily's old town people were shocked by the extremity of what lied in the bed and all around the room. The room, decorated with monogrammed plates, veils, and black ties, held the corpse of her missing lover, Homer Baron. One can tell that she poisoned the man with the harsh poison Emily bought at the store. Perhaps the man would not marry Emily and that upset her, so she dealt with it how she felt was appropriate. However, after this bizarre revelation, one couldn't blame the man.
This story represents Southern Gothic Romanticism so well for many reasons. One of the most important things a story of this genre must contain is a bizarre happening in the house, farm, or town. The creepy scene in Emily's bedroom is most certainly a bizarre happening in the house. Also, the character Emily is a good example of a grotesque. A grotesque is a character whom is supposed to induce the contradicting feelings of both empathy and disgust. While the actions of Miss Emily Rose are quite appalling, the reader still manages to have a respected amount of empathy for her. Emily endured pain her whole life- losing her father, and being lonely for a large majority of her life. The reasons for feeling empathy for the character help to make Emily more human- more relatable to the normal person. While murder (and not even to mention keeping the corpse in your house while it decays) is quite frankly an offense only even thought of by the mentally disturbed, the empathetic feeling to the reader allows for rationalization of her disturbance. There is not a genre that fits this piece better than Southern Gothic Romanticism.
Another good display of Southern Gothic Romanticism is "A Life You Save May Be Your Own" by Flannery O'Connor. This story is about a man, Mr. Shiflet, who helps an old woman fix up her house in return for the right to stay at her home. He fixes her roof, her shed, and an old car that was the woman's late husband's car. Mr. Shiflet ends up teaching the woman's deaf daughter to say the word "bird". When the woman sees him teaching her daughter the word, she convinces him to marry her. The man finds it only respectable to wait until he has money to pay to take the girl out after their marriage, so he is hesitant to get married to her. The woman is so desperate to marry her daughter out to he she thinks is a wonderful man, she offers to pay for her daughter and Mr. Shiflet to spend a weekend together. The man agrees to these terms, and marries her daughter. Despite the old woman's tears and the man's dissatisfaction of the marriage, Mr. Shiflet leaves with his newly married wife. During their long drive, Mr. Shiflet decides to stop at a diner and order the girl some food. The girl is very tired and instead of leaving the diner with her, he leaves her sleeping at the counter- and doesn't come back for her. It is to be implied that Mr. Shiflet just used the woman and her daughter for the money he got.
While reading this story, there are many aspects of Southern Gothic Romanticism which one can see. In the woman's house and property there were many structural things often falling apart- one of the huge signs of Southern Gothic Romanticism. Also, the reader is led to think Mr. Shiflet is a good man through his hard work and orally expressed morals. However, after leaving the girl at the diner, we see a whole other side of him that fills our minds with disgust. This element of the man allows for us to define Mr. Shiftlet as a grotesque - the most distinct Southern Gothic Romantic feature. Most obviously taking place in the south, this story fits Southern Gothic Romanticism well.
S. Hasty
Honors Sophomore English/ Block 4
14th November, 2014
Southern Gothic Romanticism is a sub-genre to Gothic Romanticism, which is yet another sub-genre of the even more vague genre Gothic Horror. In the contrary to Gothic horror, Gothic Romanticism combines fiction, horror, and Romanticism. Southern Gothic Romanticism is simply a form of Gothic romanticism that takes place in the American south- displaying distinct southern features. The southern features in which help to classify a piece as Southern Gothic Romanticism are having something bizarre or often falling apart in the town, house or farm, having a grotesque character, (A grotesque is a character that portrays both empathy and disgust.) and includes freakishness, imprisonment, violence, and/or a sense of place. Through Southern Gothic Romanticism, we can better understand southern culture and the writing styles inspired by it.
"A Rose For Emily", a tale of a very mysterious old lady by William Faulker, is a perfect display of Southern Gothic Romanticism. Miss Emily Grierson was a woman whom, after many heart-breaking happenings- such as the loss of her father and the inferred loss of her summer lover Homer Baron- isolated herself in her home and refused to pay taxes. The tax collectors struggled with her for many years until one day she died. After her death, her home was searched, and the searchers found a very disturbing scene in her spare bedroom. Emily's old town people were shocked by the extremity of what lied in the bed and all around the room. The room, decorated with monogrammed plates, veils, and black ties, held the corpse of her missing lover, Homer Baron. One can tell that she poisoned the man with the harsh poison Emily bought at the store. Perhaps the man would not marry Emily and that upset her, so she dealt with it how she felt was appropriate. However, after this bizarre revelation, one couldn't blame the man.
This story represents Southern Gothic Romanticism so well for many reasons. One of the most important things a story of this genre must contain is a bizarre happening in the house, farm, or town. The creepy scene in Emily's bedroom is most certainly a bizarre happening in the house. Also, the character Emily is a good example of a grotesque. A grotesque is a character whom is supposed to induce the contradicting feelings of both empathy and disgust. While the actions of Miss Emily Rose are quite appalling, the reader still manages to have a respected amount of empathy for her. Emily endured pain her whole life- losing her father, and being lonely for a large majority of her life. The reasons for feeling empathy for the character help to make Emily more human- more relatable to the normal person. While murder (and not even to mention keeping the corpse in your house while it decays) is quite frankly an offense only even thought of by the mentally disturbed, the empathetic feeling to the reader allows for rationalization of her disturbance. There is not a genre that fits this piece better than Southern Gothic Romanticism.
Another good display of Southern Gothic Romanticism is "A Life You Save May Be Your Own" by Flannery O'Connor. This story is about a man, Mr. Shiflet, who helps an old woman fix up her house in return for the right to stay at her home. He fixes her roof, her shed, and an old car that was the woman's late husband's car. Mr. Shiflet ends up teaching the woman's deaf daughter to say the word "bird". When the woman sees him teaching her daughter the word, she convinces him to marry her. The man finds it only respectable to wait until he has money to pay to take the girl out after their marriage, so he is hesitant to get married to her. The woman is so desperate to marry her daughter out to he she thinks is a wonderful man, she offers to pay for her daughter and Mr. Shiflet to spend a weekend together. The man agrees to these terms, and marries her daughter. Despite the old woman's tears and the man's dissatisfaction of the marriage, Mr. Shiflet leaves with his newly married wife. During their long drive, Mr. Shiflet decides to stop at a diner and order the girl some food. The girl is very tired and instead of leaving the diner with her, he leaves her sleeping at the counter- and doesn't come back for her. It is to be implied that Mr. Shiflet just used the woman and her daughter for the money he got.
While reading this story, there are many aspects of Southern Gothic Romanticism which one can see. In the woman's house and property there were many structural things often falling apart- one of the huge signs of Southern Gothic Romanticism. Also, the reader is led to think Mr. Shiflet is a good man through his hard work and orally expressed morals. However, after leaving the girl at the diner, we see a whole other side of him that fills our minds with disgust. This element of the man allows for us to define Mr. Shiftlet as a grotesque - the most distinct Southern Gothic Romantic feature. Most obviously taking place in the south, this story fits Southern Gothic Romanticism well.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Choose Your Own Short Story: Socratic Questioning
Gina Poe
S. Hasty
Honors Sophomore English/ Block 4
3 November 2014
"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe
"Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. 02 Nov. 2014. Web.
S. Hasty
Honors Sophomore English/ Block 4
3 November 2014
"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe
Close-Ended Question:
What was the black cat's name?
The black cat's name was Pluto.Open-Ended Question:
What clues does the narrator give wile telling the story to imply the second black cat could be a supernatural version of the late black cat Pluto?
The narrator has many hints implying the second black cat could be a supernatural version of his old cat Pluto. It is stressed in the story that the cat was just like Pluto, missing eye and all, except for the patch of white fur planted on his chest, "... and closely resembling him (Pluto) in every aspect but one. Pluto had not a white hair upon any portion of his body; but this cat had a large, although indefinite splotch of white, covering nearly the whole region of the breast." (Poe, 8) The cat also mystically went missing after the narrator murdered his wife, despite the narrator's efforts to look for him. A normal cat wouldn't have known the importance of getting away from the dangerous man. The cat was the forerunner of the narrator's eternal doom, seeking revenge for the cat's old bodily form being murdered. The cat grew an attachment to the narrator's wife, and annoyed the narrator how he knew would work- causing him to lash out, separating himself from the one person who loved him.World Connection Question:
Is it common for people to lash their anger out on their pets?
It is very common for people to lash out on their pets. Sitting in the high school cafeteria, it is not abnormal to hear disturbed children bragging about how their cat made them mad, so they felt it was only appropriate to set them on fire, while they laughed as the poor cat burned to helpless dust. Outside of the wonderful high school of Lebanon, Missouri, animal abuse is still a problem. The Humane Society of the United States reports rescuing thousands of animals from miserable situations."Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. 02 Nov. 2014. Web.
Universal Theme/ Core Question:
How does alcohol or drug abuse effect the lives of people and those around them?
Alcohol and drug abuse can be very damaging to someone and their relationships. When intoxicated, a person can do things they would never do while sober. Many of the things alcohol or drugs bring into their minds are physically, mentally, and emotionally damaging things to others- causing pain within themselves. Substance abusers can often lash out at people around them while under intoxication. This causes separation from those who love the substance abusers. This was highlighted in the story "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe. Pluto, the childhood pet whom he loved most, often hid from the narrator from fear of being hurt by his frequent drunkenness. Within their mind alone, they can feel insane guilt for things they do while intoxicated. Guilt can sometimes drive a person insane.Literary Analysis Question:
By telling the story in first person, how does it make the reader feel about the narrator?
In the beginning of the story, the narrator explains the story as being unbelievable and "mere household events". This causes the reader to not expect anything to be a big deal, making the murdering of cats much more bizarre. Throughout the story, there are many emotional appeals one can have by connecting the cats within the story to cats of their own. By telling the story in first person, the author has created a strong sense of hatred to himself or the narrator. While reading the horrific events, one can't help but wonder about the sanity of the narrator, and self-proclaimed cat murderer. Causing readers to question your mentality, is a strong literary element.
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