Romanticism in England Assignment

Coleridge, Wordsworth, Keats and Shelley were part of the Romantic Movement. If you paid attention in your
English 3 classes, their works will ring a bell, but where these authors wrote poetry that sought to transcend mere
thinking, their American counterparts (Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott, et. Al.), who also wrote occasional poetry, were
better known for their essays, speeches and treatises. The American Transcendental Movement has some of its roots
in these authors’ works.

This is a creative project in which you’ll be able to make some choices to create a piece of work that echoes
Romantic themes. You may write your own poem(s), compile a selection of music and write about its inherent
relation to Romanticism or write a paper (a memoir) that describes an idealized version of Romantic poetry for you.
Your task is to use the guidelines about Romanticism to be creative and give examples of idealism, optimism and
emotional well-being for the 21st Century.

Using these authors as a guide (any number of them in any way you’d like), quote their works within your project
to prove your point. Again, your creativity is what counts here—in writing poetry, you’ll need to model it on the
patterns of the authors we read—and in your poem’s title page, make it clear which poet you’re reflecting. The
purpose of the project is to show a Romantic worldview for the 21st Century

 If you choose to write poetry, you must write at least one poem of no less than 20 lines—and that
conforms to the subjects we discussed whose purpose is the same as the poets we’ve read.
Obviously, I don’t expect you to write great feats of art here. Instead, your poem should be paired
with a metacognitive piece that explains what you wrote about and why (one page, double-spaced,
word processed or more). You may, if you choose, write more than one poem. In this case, each
poem must be 10 lines or more—and every poem after that must also be 10 lines or more.

 You may choose to write a first person memoir in which you discuss at length a period or event in
your life where you engaged and adapted to a Romantic realization. Specifically, write about how
life events taught you to become more engaged in the Romantic Characteristics (see RC and TP-
CASTT worksheet). In your writing, include a copy of—and discuss a poem that we’ve either
read-or used-during the Romantic Poets unit-that parallels or gives some insight into your theme.

The memoir should be written in proper paragraph format (see below) and should be no less than
two pages, double-spaced, etc. The paper should have a specific thesis that details the event, time
or person about which you’re writing, and how they had a specific effect on you that resulted in a
broader understanding of your world within the Romantic Characteristic contexts.

 Or, Create a compilation of a minimum of three songs that you choose whose lyrics have
Romantic themes such as we’ve discussed-include the lyrics printed out on individual pages and
be certain to mention the band and the name of the song. In a separate piece of writing, create a
metacognitive response to the songs and explain your reasons for choosing them. Include a copy
of-and mention in your writing-at least one of the poem’s we read or studied that contains
similar themes to the songs you chose and compare and contrast the ideas between the songs
and the poem. Your metacognitive response should be no less than two pages (word processed,
double spaced, etc.) and include proper citations if you use any.

Punctuation and Organization should not detract from the meaning. All writing in MLA format. If you cite sources, include
Works Cited sheet (in-text citations not necessary if you identify within the text itself: (i.e. “In an article in Time Magazine,
Jonathan Alter wrote…”).

Projects must be submitted by April 5.