Description
Introduction to the Romantic Period (1785-1830)
- Revolution and Reaction / "The Spirit of the Age" / Poetic Theory and Poetic Practice / Writing in the Marketplace and the Courts / Prose, Drama, and the Novel
- Information will be found in…………..
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol.2 -
Introduction to the Romantic Period (pages 1-25)
William Blake:
From Songs of Innocence
Songs of Innocence (pages 81-87)
Song of experience - (pages 87-97) Roberts Burns: "Green grow the rashes" (pages 131-132)
"To a Mouse" (pages 135-136)"Afton Water" (pages 138-139)"A Red, Red Rose" (pages 145-146)
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- In the "Introduction" to Songs of Innocence (pages 81-82), consider the line "I stain'd the water clear" (line 18). What do you think it means? Might this be read in two different ways?
- In the poem "The Echoing Green" (pages 82-83), how does the child-speaker view the end of play time and the coming on of night? Does the child welcome nightfall? If so, why?
- Compare and contrast the two "Chimney Sweeper" poems (pages 85 and 90). Both poems discuss a typical childhood occupation for orphans. What differences are there in the perspective of the speakers?
- What is the difference between the "piper" of the "Introduction" to Songs of Innocence and the "bard" in the "Introduction" to Songs of Experience?
- What does the worm (or caterpillar) symbolize in the poem "The Sick Rose" (page 91)?
- "The Tyger" (pages 92-93) is one of Blake's most famous poems. What is the answer to the question in line 20, "Did he who made the Lamb make thee?" Who or what might the "tyger" and the "lamb" symbolize?
- Find two Biblical allusions in Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience and explain their uses.
- What kind of relationship is there between the speaker and the mouse in Burns' poem "To a Mouse"? That is, under what circumstances do they encounter each other?
- In "To a Mouse," why does the speaker state that the mouse is "blest, compar'd wi' me" (line 43)?
- "A Red, Red Rose" is one of Burn's more famous poems. To what things does the speaker compare his love?
- The Romantics were the first to really explore the idea and importance of childhood. They saw childhood as a special and blessed state. How is this evident in the poems of Blake? Be sure to make specific references to the poems.
- Compare "Afton Water" to "Green grow the rashes" and "To a Mouse" by Burns. What differences are there in language among the poems? To what might these differences be attributed?
- Read Anna Letitia Barbauld's poem "The Mouse's Petition" (pages 27-28). Considering this poem and Burns' poem "To a Mouse," in your opinion, why might these writers want to write about such a creature? How would these ideas connect to the general concepts of Romanticism? (5 points) (DETAILS)
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Attached.
Running Head: ROMANTICISM QUESTIONS
Romanticism Questions
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ROMANTICISM QUESTIONS
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1. The line addresses the issue of fixity and fluidity. This can be read in two varied ways; first is
the idea of whether the staining of the water by the poet makes the water clear. The second
interpretation is whether the water is already clear but gets stained by the poet. These are the two
ways in which the line could be read or interpreted.
2. By the third stanza, the child is weary and cannot merry anymore due to the exhaustion. The
child is glad that the sun is down and welcomes the nightfall gladly. The long’s day play got him
exhausted from the many games they played and wants to rest by returning to their mother.
3. In both “The Chimney Sweeper” poems, they reveal the poem working as a chimney sweeper
but the two haven varied illustrations. The speaker in “The Chimney Sweeper” in the Songs of
Innocence is living under terrible conditions that threaten his life. All his misfortunes started
after the death of his mother was sold off as a chimney sweeper by his father. The boy in this
case is portrayed as a slave based on the life he was living. Regardless of his terrible lifestyle, the
child has some optimism and can manage to comfort Tom Dacre, his close friend after his head
is shaven. The poem is portrayed with a ...
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