1. Warming up with three good things
2. Exploring American Romantic art
3. Connecting to Longfellow's poetry with a partner
- For each painting, try to find one line from one of Longfellow's poems that connects.
- In the margins, explain the connection.
4. Closely reading the Romantic metaphor in "The Cross of Snow" in small groups
In the Romantic metaphor, an object (often relates to nature or childhood) is used to express the complexity of a human emotion.
Round 1: Explore the denotations (dictionary definitions) and connotations (personal/cultural associations) with the word "cross."
Round 2: Color code all the words/phrases/images that relate to one of your definitions of "cross"; then color code all the words/phrases/images that relate to a different definition of "cross." In the margins, explain what you see as the role of the word "cross" in this poem.
Round 3: What emotion do you think Longfellow is trying to convey through the cross of snow? What details in the poem evoke the complexity of this emotion? For example, why does the cross have to exist in the "sun-defying," "deep ravines" of nature?
Round 4: Trying this out with one more poem (group's choice): What's the central object in the poem, what human emotion does it convey, and how?
5. Considering the role of Romanticism in American culture today
Typical, non-Romantic Clorox commercial
Clorox: Mermaid
Clorox: Pirates
6. Getting outside and creating your own short video: What is American Romanticism?
- Using your phone, create a 20-30 second video in which you explain or exemplify what we need to know about American Romanticism (based on what we uncovered today in class).
- Choose a setting that suits the topic!
- E-mail it to me when you're done.
HW:
1. Book club approval form due tomorrow.
2. Bring a copy of your actual book to class tomorrow.
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