Classical vs. Romantic Poetry

There are 15 topics listed. Chose [5] five to write about [20 points each]. Each should be seen as a short essay—3-4 paragraphs. Each answer should be fully developed with citations if necessary from outside sources though in some cases everything you need is in the module. Locate online source material only if it helps–anything that references the work and gives you a better insight into it. The more work you put into it the better the grade. You have until Friday night midnight to complete. And please number the response so that I know which one youre answering.

[1] Analyze Shakespeares “Sonnet 73.” It begins with the line “That time of year thou mayst in me behold.” How many lines? How many stanzas? What is the rhyme scheme? How does the meter work [what is it composed of] and how does Shakespeare employ metaphor stanza-by-stanza. Explain these five features of the sonnet carefully in this .

[2] Compare the “romantic” and the “classical” features of western poetry [I added a page to the top of the “poetry” module called “Classical vs. Romantic Poetry”]. Identify the main features of each [from the criticism] and then answer the question: does Frosts The Road Not Taken represent more the romantic or classical mode? How?

[3] Explain the differences between symbol metaphor and image. Be specific. There are subtle but definite differences. Go to outside sources and to the “Glossary of poetic terms” in the poetry module. Show examples from three poems.

[4] Is Camus an “existentialist”? Read Sartres lecture on existentialism [in the “Kafka” module] and apply some of its features to Camus The Guest. Ive highlighted a lot of Sartres lecture so it should be a bit easier to read.

[5] Compare William Blake’s The Tyger and The Lamb according to theme [concept] voice [tone or attitude] and use of symbols. Write the short paper in that : how do they compare in theme voice symbol.

[6] Break down the four “feet” in poetry [iambs trochees anapests and dactyls]. Explain how each functions and show examples. See in poetry module the “Rhythm and Versification” handout. This one would be for anyone in the class interested in music poetry the use of metrics math. As you go through each give an example [at least one]. It doesnt have to be from a poem. You can make one up.

[7] Analyze Bierces use of subjective versus objective time in Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Bierce uses specific symbols to represent time itself [in an objective way]. What are these symbols specifically? As we begin to see the world through the eyes of Peyton Farquhar we experience “subjective” time. How is that then represented?

[8] I included in the “fiction” module Alan Lightmans essay A Place Where Time Stands Still [it is located in the short fiction module]. Compare Lightmans essay with Bierces story. How does each author get at the issue of time as one experiences time?

[9] I included in the Streetcar Named Desire module the Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem entitled How Do I love Thee? This is the poem that Mitch has inscribed on his cigarette case. Read the poem [part by part] and explain part by part how that poem reflects Blanches “predicament.”

[10] Is Kafkas Metamorphosis “existentialist”? Read Sartres lecture on existentialism [in the “Kafka” module] and apply some of its features to the story. Ive highlighted a lot of Sartres lecture so it should be a bit easier to read.

[11] Thomas DeQuincy wrote an essay on Shakespeares Macbeth called “On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth.” What essentially is DeQuincy illustrating philosophically and why is it important? Go through DeQuincys essay and quote a few parts to illustrate.

[12] There is a criticism/essay in the poetry module called “Eliots Journey to Faith.” It discusses T.S. Eliots life as a young poet and tries to understand the reasons why he gravitated toward Catholicism as his faith. He seemed attracted to the structures of the church to the theater of the church and to the traditions of the church. In Preludes Eliot describes a modern city and the people in it. Does the essay suggest to you and in what ways that Eliot was longing for certitude of some kind? For faith in something? Watch the Zoom recording for more on this.

[13] Compare the “grandiose” and “public” voice of Walt Whitman [as evidenced in his Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking] his seeming desire to be seen as the national poet the public voice with Emily Dickinsons more intimate voice [as evidenced in any of the examples given in Martha Hale Shackfords “Atlantic” essay on Dickinson]. How are these poets different in this way?

[14] In the short fiction module there is a criticism called “The Minotaur in Jorge Luis Borges The House of Asterion.” Midway through the criticism theres a switch to the subject of the “Monster” in fiction. It is titled “From earlier in the essay on monsters” and it is in blue so its easy to find. Read this part of the criticism [its quite interesting] on the subject of monsters in literature identify a few key features and discuss how the minotaur of Borges myth is or is not a monster archetype. Is it transgressive is it a scapegoat does it exist to be destroyed? These are all categories of what makes something/someone monstrous. It fits these features [it meets these requirements] but is it spiritually a monster? Thats where you want to bring the discussion…

[15] There are three voices in Whitman’s “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking” one critic referred to as “afflatus” [an inspired experience whose Latin translation is to blow on or breathe life into]. What are these three voices? Where are they located? [give examples of each] and what is Whitman saying here by the presentation of these three voices [the “afflatus”]? Remember that one of the voices can be further broken down into three separate voices in time.

Requirements: Each topic answered should be three paragraphs at least a page and half