RomanticismSLAM

Ann Sophia Stevens- wrote 25 books "For civilization is...

"The rejected wife", "For civilization is most lovely when it improves nature without enslaving it or plundering it" Which is one of the main concepts at the heart of romanticism. Topic: American Romantics

Focus: Ann Sophia Stevens

Reason for choice: she's a good example of romanticism

What's your point? (thesis): to see instead of look

What three reasons do you have that will back up your point?

1- SEE- How many of us look around and actually see the little unremarkable things for how extrordinary they really are?

2- FEEL- How many of us cherish each emotion and sensation?

3- COST- What does it cost to spread the realization of the once deemed irelivant things that hold such unseen beauty? a dime.

Life is not well lived if the small remarkabilities, and faults are ignored. -"There are wrongs for which only death can atone, and for these a man ought to die. such wrongs, sometimes spring only from the man one has loved"- when somebody is in love, or if they idolize someone, their faults are nonexistant. and if someone does wrong by you, at times all you see are faults. both extremes, you are not seeing clearly. -many of us do not see the beauty in things that are deemed insignificant, therefore we are blind to the totality of how beautiful life really is.

What? Silent, yet? Canst thow not feel my warm blood o'er thy heart's congeal? speak mother speak, lift up thy head! what! silent still? then art thow dead! great god I thank thee, mother i, rejoice with thee in thus to die one long deep breath and his pale head lay on his mother's bossom, dead.

Books were expensive back then and few could afford more then just the bible in their homes. By selling books for such a smalle price she spread the true aprechaition for literature to the general public.

Ideas on how you are going to present? Involve the class? Be exciting? Interesting? Wow? Huh? Ahhh?

I could, come up here, a head full of facts, a power point filled with pictures. And then I'd sit down, and the next day, you guys would have absolutely no clue what I talked about, save a vague topic. I could, but instead I decided not to, because the american romantics were about arts, all types of arts, and in my opinion, artists are to be remembered by their works, what they created, rather then, Anne sophia Stephens was born in 1813.... so let's start with two very big inportant words. Any guesses? *pick 1* drumroll please,

WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The problem with this generation, I think is we definately don't see as much as we look. Anybody have a clue what I'm talking about? *pick one* we look at a flower, and we think god, I hope my allergies don't act up, or I hope that bee stays right where it is. we truly are unaware of the beauty that surounds us. we think of the nature, now i may be wrong, as a obstacle, an anoyance that we must undertake to get from here to there. So please, for the rest of my presentation, let's have a different mindset. Let's think, oh, that piece of music made me think of.... instead of god that was so boring I wanted to rip my arm off and throw it at kayla to make it stop. Or sleep either one. Try to think outside of ourselves for a few minutes, giv eme this time to poke at your ADS, arts digestive system. Now that we are all awake, exept maybe so and so... let's proceed to two other words.
 * Pause, eyes closed.* boo!

AMERICAN ROMANTICS Since this topic centers on the arts, instead of rattling off a webster deffinition, such things are better defined using *pause, say quietly* art.

take a minute, and look at this piece by **albert bierstadt.**

Alright, time's up, what'd you get from this painting? *pick 2* I thought it was about how to some, the future is something to fear. look how the mountains are so blurry and far away looking, their cold blues contrasting dramatically to the warm meadow scene. This is a good representation of american romantics because of the nature it depicts. Alot of art at that time was very I heart landscapes. But, since to many that wasn't sufficent as a definiontion, let me explain. There was an arts movement in the 19th century which included authors, poets, and painters. They focused on the idea, according to the big old textbook, that life is better lived by the laws of emotion, rather then reason. Very broad, very complicated. Alright, moving right along, anybody heard of Robert Schumann? It's ok, I don't blame you I didn't really either untill I looked up a piece to show you guys. if we just click this link here, and we'll listen to some of it. Ok, anybody want to share what that bit made you think of? *pick 2* I thought of it, at least that part as a older person, say a grandmother, is watching her grandchildren run and explore outside. but something seems to be haunting her, for she knows that even though the world has it's spectacular beauties, it also has it's uncertainties. Now I'm going to read you a stanza of a poem called the polish boy by Ann Sophia Stephens. Between these to lines, I want you to draw a picture in your mind of what you think the poem is saying. YE HOLD ME NOT, NO, NO, NOR CAN' THIS HOUR HAS MADE THE BOY A MAN I KNEALT BEFORE MY SLAUGHTERED SIRE, NOR FELT NO THROB OF VENGEFUL IRE I WEPT UPON HIS MARBLE BROW YES WEPT! I WAS A CHILD, BUT NOW MY NOBLE MOTHER ON HER KNEE HAS DONE THE WORK FOR YEARS FOR ME
 * listen to 45 seconds of it*

Anyone want to share the picture they mentally drew with us? *pick 2* Since I read the whole poem, I know what it's really about. It's about a boy and his mother, who are hiding in this church from these russian dudes who are going all fe fi fo fum on the entire country. So a russian dude busts in and is like give me your child! ant the moms like uh, nice try big mean and hairy, but theres no way under the sun that your getting my baby. and the guys like you wanna bet? so he grabs the kid, and then the mom just loses it and goes all desparate soap opera actress on him and is like no no no please take this gold and sparkly crap! and hes like hee hee and goes and picks it up but still keeps the kid, so the mom falls to the ground and makes a sound of mortal agony which probably sounds like ahhhhhoooooonoooo, and then the boy wiggles his way out and goes listen mr. my momma never loved me so im gonna go take over poland, I'm a big kid now, and you cant push me around anymore! and he pulls out this knife and shanks himself and dies on his mother, who is already dead, who knows how that happened and its all very patriotic. What I get from it? you must suffer before you can really call yourself an adult.

SO thats it! I hope you all keep your eyes open, and stay awake!!!!!!!!!!!!!