The Romantic Period (1789-1850)Industrial and political revolution changed traditional life for Europe. New ideas inspired Romanticism, Romanticism was inspired by the beauty and power in nature and challenged reason and order. it evaluated feelings and the imagination. Romanticism dominated European culture and was based upon truth and Beauty. Romanticists valued imagination and feeling over intellect and science. Their dreams of individual freedom moved the first generation of Romantics. Napoleon seized control of the French Government which plunged Europe in to warfare, shattering some romantic ideas. Britain became a place of cities and industrial, Romantics were unhappy as they were intrigued by the supernatural and nature. Industrial revolution=cities and towns and factories. Commercial civilization began to take place. Exotic beauty that was found back in the Dark Ages were also sought out. The famous book by Mary Shelly, "Frankenstein" was influenced by the Romantic Period, and displayed the destruction caused by technology and the unnatural. Romanticism changed the way ideas were brought and allows people in present time to embrace nature and emotion.
Video Source: Literature Launchers. "The Triumph of Romanticism." DVD. Glencoe 2012. |
The Victorian Period (1850-1900)Queen Victoria reigned the Victorian Period for 64 years, she was known as the "Mother of Great Britain" and was loved by many. During this period social thought and new technological advances were brought into light as she promoted the well being of family life. This started a spur in the industrial revolution in England which then led to the first world fair. The fair became a token of Britain's wealth and optimism and created a new need for technological advances, with that began the creation of steam technology. Steam technology changed the world by introducing railroads. Also occurring during the Victorian Period was the emergence of realism. Realist writers used fiction to demonstrate the poverty and prostitution that were social problems during that period. With Realism came Naturalism which spurred the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin. Charles Darwin's theory was created through a series of random events. Naturalists were not fond of this idea. Though there were some conflicts during the Victorian Period it proved to shape the way we live in modern times.
Video Source: Literature Launchers. "The Victorian Age." DVD. Glencoe 2012. |
I. ANALYZING A Poem
Through Annotation
Can You Spot the Counterfeit Lines???The poem above had some rhetorical devices that I was unable to find. Therefore, I added my own stanza that includes Allusion, Onomatopoeia, and Metaphor.
Without looking at the original poem above, can you guess which stanza is mine? Good luck! |
I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud
1) I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hill: When all at once I saw a crowd A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. 2) Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance 3) The waves beside them dance; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such jocund company: I gazed - and gazed - but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: 4) I then descended and placed A crown of daffodils upon my head, Oh! How happily we embraced. An ominous noise drew up ahead, And came crashing, that dark cloud of anvil, For I have found a place tranquil. 5) For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils |
II. Analyzing a Poem
Through Essay Imitation
An Analysis of William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud"
Poems in English literature, particularly those from the Romantic Age, contain a variety of heavily-used rhetorical devices in order to convey the meaning intended by the author. In Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud,” for instance, the reader finds a number of devices that aid in conveying the tone and, ultimately, the theme of this poem. Concepts such as company, joy, hope, and loneliness pervade the poem in the poet’s attempt to convey the theme that there is companionship and happiness in the mind when one is alone.
To begin to understand a poem, one must deal with the basics. These involve knowing general information about the speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, and subject. The speaker of “I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud” reveals himself (or herself) to be a man/woman “wander[ing] lonely as a cloud” in search of company. The occasion is the mindset during spring, and the time is early nightfall. The speaker’s audience does not seem to be anyone in particular and his/her purpose involves depicting the happiness in the mind. The golden daffodils, beautiful flowers that “[dance] in the breeze” acts as the subject of the poem. To paraphrase the events of the poem, one might say that an lonesome person is being very thoughtful and imagines golden daffodils that bring tranquility and company to the thinker despite him/her being alone. In terms of tone, the poem begins with an isolated or sad mood or atmosphere but ends up positive and jubilant. Some diction that suggests this involves the speaker first using the words “,” “wandered,” “lonely,” but then later in the poem by employing words like “glee,” “gay,” “company,” “jocund,” and pleasure, the speaker reveals a more positive tone by the end. This suggests that the golden daffodil has changed the entire atmosphere of the speaker’s mind and has given the speaker company while the speaker is alone. The speaker’s attitude also becomes apparent in the poem. The speaker’s tone first reveals a lonesome attitude with the use of the word “lonely,” but his/her attitude becomes positive with the use of diction like “pleasure” and “bliss.” The three most significant rhetorical devices that the poet uses to convey the theme in the poem involve the use of imagery, personification, and simile. The poet uses imagery to help the reader get a sense of the happiness, and joy found in the mind with words and phrases like “golden daffodils” and “twinkle on the milky way.” He also uses personification as a way of giving human qualities to nature, specifically with phrases like “dancing in the breeze,” “tossing their heads in sprightly dance”, both referring to the golden daffodils and his “heart with pleasure fills and dances,”.Finally, the poet uses simile to give deeper meaning to the poem by adding comparisons and painting a picture into the readers’ minds. Thus, the devices used by the author give the reader the idea that man can find company in his mine in the midst of loneliness. Essentially, this poem is about finding company where it does not seem to exist. To create this meaning, the author uses numerous devices of rhetoric and the effects of tone to create an atmosphere that changes from loneliness to joy and company. As a result, we can see how the use of rhetorical devices and tone give meaning to poetry and other forms of literature. |
III Final Project
The Original Poem
Broken Pieces
By: Vanessa M. Hernandez I stumble upon the shattered pieces you left behind As they cascade through a memory, a dream or regret And cut so sharp like a dashing kiss from a bayonet. Oh. How I wish the eyes of my mind were dark and blind. I behold the fragments of purple, poisonous hues And place them in my crying, blue heart. That throbs and ceases, then restarts. Though one day this wound will subdue, For now I will endure all that ensues For though I may seem to be broken and bent These are the shattered pieces I hold so dear Since you are a million miles away, nowhere near. You will never know how much to me you meant I can only keep the pieces of you in my heart and lament. You are the one my poor heart will long for forever, Though you are now with the one who sheds us light And sends away the ominous bird of night. I will never stop finding the pieces you left behind, never. Hoping one day these shards in my heart will come together |
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My Poem Presented:
Broken Pieces
Source: WeVideo
Link to WeVideo if it can not play: https://www.wevideo.com/view/179041118
Link to WeVideo if it can not play: https://www.wevideo.com/view/179041118