Assignment 1

Heath Anthology Early Nineteenth Century 1800-1865

Read pp. 605-635 and answer the following

1. What changes were taking place in the 1830s regarding education in the US? (pp. 605-606; 609-610

2. In addition to entertaining people, what did successful 19th Century authors seek to do as well? (p. 611)

3. In what way was religion creating a "common culture" but also being misused in the early 19th century? (pp. 612-616)

4. What did most people think of writers such as Thoreau, Emerson and Alcott? (pp. 614-615)

5. What political and moral issue caused the deepest divisions among Americans in the first half of the 19th Century? (pp. 616-618)

What important law was passed in 1850, and what did it require?

6. What was happening to the roles of women in American society at this time? (pp, 621-624 & 628)

What did many believe "excessive thinking" would do to women?

7. How had the economic base of the US begun to shift by the mid-19th Century? (p. 628)

8. What changes were taking place in the socio-economic structure of the US? (629)

9. What was the biggest innovation in transportation? (p. 630)

10. What was emphasized in the literary movement known as "Romanticism"? (p. 632)

11. What tension defined the US during the first half of the 19th Century? (p. 633)

Assignment 2

"The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving

Read the Heath Anthology pp. 937-941 ("Development of the Narrative" and Bio. of Irving).

Read the informational handout on The Romantic Era and the reprint handout containing the story "The Devil and Tom Walker."

1. The story takes place a few miles from __________________, and begins in the year __________ .

2. What is the primary setting in the first part of the story (beginning in the 4th paragraph, but before Tom sets up shop as a money-lender)?

3. Referring to the Walker residence, the narrator remarks that "The house and its inmates had altogether a bad name." Why was this the case? (Refer to the descriptions of Tom, his wife, their property, etc.)

4. The Devil remarks, '"Deacon Peabody be d--d [damned], as I flatter myself he will be, if he does not look more to his own sins and less to those of his neighbors."'

What is a Deacon?

What is the Devil saying in this quotation about Deacon Peabody?

5. The Devil remarks, '"This woodland belonged to me long before one of your white-faced race put foot upon the soil.. . . . . .Since the red men have been exterminated by you white savages, I amuse myself by presiding at the persecutions of Quakers and Anabaptists; I am the great patron and prompter of slave-dealers, and the grand- master of the Salem witches."'

What criticism of the Puritan / European settlers is the author making by having these words come from the Devil?

6. Put into your own words the point Irving is making by having his narrator say the following:

[The Devil] proposed, therefore, that Tom should employ it in the black traffic; that is to say, that he should fit out a slave-ship. This, however, Tom resolutely refused: he was bad enough in all conscience; but the devil himself could not tempt him to turn slave-trader.

7. Irving mentions religion, God, the Bible, and the Devil throughout the story, which takes place in the Puritan Era. How do Irving's views on these subjects differ from those of Puritan authors themselves? Think of the points was he often trying to make about the Puritans through Tom, Deacon Peabody, etc. Remember what Tom starts doing as he grows old!

Judging by the above, did Irving seem to take a positive or a negative view of the Puritans?

8. Which of the following characteristics of Romanticism can be see in "The Devil and Tom Walker"? Put a check beside all that apply.

___ It contains vivid descriptions of nature, which often have a function in the plot or theme

___ It takes place in the long ago

___ It takes place in a far away land

___ It concerns social issues, such as slavery, persecution, and greed

___ It shows a love of the eerie, mysterious, and/or supernatural

___ It contains a theme of individualism

___ It contains strange and exciting adventure.

___ It is optimistic and portrays life in an idealized way

9. Point out (by page # and partial quote) at least three places in the story in which the narrator tries to make the events seem as if they really took place. (Look for such things as historical data, supposed recollections by other people, etc.)

10. State the moral or lesson taught in this story in a sentence.

Assignment 3

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving (pamphlet)

1. In what part of what state does the story take place?

2. What is the name of the spot where people supposedly hear music and voices in the air and are subject to trances and visions, etc. ?

3. What is the "dominant spirit" of the above-named area (what name is this spirit popularly given)?

4. How does this "spirit" affect Ichabod's life?

5. Who is really responsible for what happens to Ichabod--himself, Brom Bones, the spirit? Explain

6. What is Irving's attitude towards Ichabod, the protagonist? (Quote at least three sentences to support your answer and give their page numbers.)

How do you feel about him? Do you think he's a sympathetic character or just a pathetic one? Explain why you feel as you do.

7. What values does the Dutch farmer Van Tassel hold?

8. Would Jonathan Edwards have approved of these values? Why or why not?

9. Would Benjamin Franklin have approved of these values? Why or why not?

10. What passages in the story best illustrate Irving's ability to write vivid description?

11. Compare and contrast this story with "The Devil and Tom Walker" in these respects:

descriptive passages

satirization of American values and concern with American moral/social issues

Romantic characteristics: Which ones are present in "Sleepy Hollow" and which in "Tom Walker"?

Which Romantic characteristics are found in both Irving stories?

12. The author (through the persona of Diedrich Knickerbocker) states the theme of the story: "There is no situation in life but has its advantages and pleasures--provided we will but take a joke as we find it." How is this demonstrated in the plot of the story?

Assignment 4

Poems of William Cullen Bryant

"Thanatopsis" and "The Past"

Read pp. 1200-1203 in the Heath Anthology and the handout containing "The Past"

1. Bryant wrote "Thanatopsis" when he was about ____ years old.

2. What is the situation of the person being addressed by the speaker? (see lines 8-13 and 18-22).

3. According to lines 25-30, what does the speaker say happens to a person when he dies?

4. To a Romantic, is this a good thing to have happen? Explain. Think of how nature is portrayed in the first 17 lines.

5. Why does the speaker hate the Past?

6. How will Death conquer or overcome the Past?

7. What attitude do both both "Thanatopsis" and "The Past" take towards Death?

8. Explain how "Thanatopsis" exemplifies Romantic literature-- how and where we can see Romantic ideals and characteristics in the poem.

9. In line 79, the speaker refers to an "unfaltering trust." What do you suppose the person being addressed should have trust in?

10. Put in your own words the advice given by the speaker of "Thanatopsis" in the line beginning

"So live. . ." (the last strophe of the poem). Note: This advice is most likely for us all, not just the dying person.