...American Romanticism * Early Romanticism * Washington Irving * James Cooper * Transcendentalism * Ralph Emerson * Henry Thoreau * Others: eg. Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne… * Romanticism---a retrospect * Background of Romanticism in Europe? * The Industrial Revolution * The French Revolution * Ideological change * Definition & Features of Romanticism? * Romanticism(The Romantic Movement) * 5 key features * Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century, recognized for expressions of exoticism, individualism, emotionalism, and the beauty of nature, rejecting the ordered rationality of the Enlightenment as mechanical, impersonal, and artificial. * Imagination; * Nature; * Individualism; * Glorification of the Commonplace; * The Lure of the Exotic * American Romanticism * Time: Romantic period---early 19th century to the outbreak of the Civil War * Forms: novels, short stories, and poems replaced sermons and manifestos as America’s principal literary forms * Background: * exterior: Romantic movement in Europe (inheritance) * interior: Westward movement and economic boom; * Literary themes: * Highly imaginative and subjective * Emotional intensity * Escapism * Common man as hero ...
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...In Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" he has two main characters, Ichabod Crane and Bram Bones. These two heroic characters both desire the same woman, Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter of a substantial Dutch farmer. Apart from the fact that they both yearn for the same woman these two men are completely different creatures. In "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", Washington Irving does not hide the fact that he clearly favors Ichabod Crane over Brom Bones. Ichabod Crane is a somewhat geeky tall lanky man. He is a highly educated schoolmaster who travels from home to home teaching young children. "Ichabod Crane had a soft and foolish heart towards the sex". He clearly doubts himself with the ladies and appears to be a rather insecure character throughout the narrative. On the other hand, Ichabod Crane's adversary Bram Bones is quite the opposite. Bram Bones is a rather large robust burly and somewhat arrogant man. He is well known for his "feats of strength and hardihood. He is a confident man who expects his advances on a lady to be reciprocated. Bram Bones traveled with his gang of friends whereas Ichabod Crane seemed to be a loner who traveled by himself. Interestingly, both men were well known for their knowledge and skill in their own trades. Nevertheless, even their choice of vocation couldn't be more contrary. Bram Bones was known for his great knowledge and skill in horsemanship. His profession was a hands on job requiring great physical...
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...Rip Van Winkle summary: Rip Van Winkle is a story about Rip falling asleep for 20 years in the Catskill Mountains and wakes up to discover the world around him has changed. He finds that the American Revolutionary war has taken place and instead of being a subject of His Majesty George the Third, he is now a free citizen of the United States. Characters Rip Van Winkle Rip Van Winkle is a “simple good-natured fellow” living in a small village in upper New York during the time that New York is a colony of Great Britain. To the neighbors he is known as a kind and helpful man, always eager to play with children or help with a chore. To his wife, however, he is known as a lazy and useless man, who neglects his own children and leaves his own fields untended and his fences broken. Dame Van Winkle Dame Van Winkle is Rip’s wife. “Dame” is not her first name, but her title, the word used by the Dutch inhabitants in place of “Mrs.” In the eyes of Rip and his sympathetic neighbors; Dame Van Winkle is stern and unreasonable. The narrator calls Rip “an obedient hen-pecked husband,” and places his wife in the category of “shrews,” (a woman of violent temper and speech) calling her a “termagant,” or overbearing, wife. Apparently, she finds fault with Rip because he does no profitable work, does not help around the house, and shows no interest in the well being of his children or his wife. How readers are to see Dame Van Winkle’s character is a central question in the story: Is she a...
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...Washington Irving was born on April 3rd 1783 in New York City by parents William Irving SR and Sarah Irving he was the youngest of 11 children. William Irving was well known as the man you created short stories also for the many books he has written such as “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, “The sketch book of Geoffrey Crayon”, “Gent Tales of the Alhambra”, “Tales of a Traveler”, “Brace Bridge Hall”, “A tour on the Prairies”, “The life and voyages of Christopher Columbus”, “The history of New York”, “Letters of Jonathon old style”, “Salmagundi”, “George Washington”, “Voyages and Discoveries of the Companions of Columbus”, “The Complete tales of Washington Irving”, “Rip Van Winkle”, and “Three Western Narratives history, tales, and sketches”. Washington Irving was named after George Washington and he attended the first presidential inauguration of his namesake in 1789. He went to a private school and studied law and began to write essays for periodicals. He worked in it in various offices until 1804. He also wrote articles for The Morning Chronicle and The Corrector, both newspapers edited by his brother Peter. He wasn’t a very good student and almost didn’t pass the bar. Washington, his brother William Irving and James Kirke wrote a collection of funny essays but he became more known for “A History of New York”, written under the name of "Diedrich Knickerbocker.". He went to England to work for his brothers business in 1815. He wrote a collection of stories called...
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...Washington Irving “Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them.” Washington Irving, a well-known short story author in the nineteenth century, spoke these words of wisdom. Washington Irving became famous in America for his fine works from The Specter Bridegroom to Rip Van Winkle to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. These satirical sketches are all based on the local areas in New York where Irving resided. His adventures through life spread the word of his writings and he became one of the first renowned short story writers in Europe. Washington Irving was born in New York, New York on April 3, 1783. His mother, Sarah, and father, William Irving, Sr., had eleven children including Washington. He was named after the United States first president, George Washington who was sought to be the greatest hero of all time to his parents. “… He attended the first presidential inauguration of his namesake in 1789” (Biography Channel). Irving was privately schooled and later went to study law in New York after his return from travelling Europe. In 1804 he travelled to France and Italy, while writing journals and letters. When he returned in 1805, Irving continued law school but did poorly for he barely passed the bar exam. (Biography Channel). After Irving finished his studies, he went on to write humorous essay with his older brother William Irving, Jr., and James Kirke Paulding. The Salamagundi papers published the essays in 1807 to 1808....
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...The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Nate Holbus Ichabod, the tall, slick, innocent man, anxiously rode his horse through the gloomy forest. Hard splashes of wet dirt throughout the forest produced a nerve racking echoing sound behind them. Ichabod’s muscles tensed up. Up the hill he traveled. The instructor started to become afraid, because he felt that someone, or something, was following him. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him, and they were becoming louder, and louder, and louder. Ichabod’s horse started running. Sweat ran down the bodies of Ichabod and the frightened horse. The terrified teacher struggled to position himself correctly as he became unbalanced on the horse. Ichabod then felt a hot, horrifying breath on the bone of his neck....
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...Washington Irving is often named "the Father of American Literature." He is best known for his work of “Rip Van Winkle”, a historical fiction story, written around the time of the American Revolution. The character of Rip Van Winkle that Irving creates certainly has a unique personality and character that stands out from everyone in the story. In the story of Rip Van Winkle, Rip could be described as a thoughtful, easy-going person but also irresponsible. Irving creates the character of Rip Van Winkle as a thoughtful man. He was adored by just about everyone who knew his name. Rip “would never refuse to assist a neighbor even in the roughest toil” (151). He never made an excuse to not help someone else, even if it meant to put off his own work. This characteristic creates positive effect of his personality and heart to others around him and the reader. The author continues to mention his thoughtfulness saying that even “the women of the...
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...Throughout the short story “Rip Van Winkle” Washington Irving explains the story of a man who is so bossed, bothered and controlled by his wife that when he falls asleep and awakens 20 years later, he is thrilled when he realizes he no longer has to deal with her. Rip Van Winkle wakes up and the people who were the colonists of Great Britain were now citizens of the United States of America. Irving’s compulsive use of historical references makes the reader question if he is symbolizing something else through this relationship of husband and wife. We can gather this easily but what we cannot understand is why Rip is so surprised that Independence from Great Britain is declared. Irving just might be suggesting that much of society did not feel...
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...Washington Irving uses imagery to convey his messages and themes. It gives a vivid experience, shows specific emotions, and suggests ideas. Through Irving’s use of imagery the nature of Tom Walker is revealed as greedy and dishonest. Tom has no morals, he intends to get what he wants from the devil after selling his soul without a care in the world. Irving also uses imagery to describe the lesson that is being taught in this story. “They lived in a forlorn-looking house that stood alone and had an air of starvation./ no smoke ever curled from its chimney; no traveler stopped at its door.” (Irving, 314) The author describes the un kept house of the Walkers as a miserable setting. This helps readers also characterize the property owners as unpleasant...
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...Cultural Diversity In the spirit of the holiday season, the following paragraphs will attempt to construct a “Christmas tree.” However, it will not be a “Christmas tree” in the traditional sense. For this tree, the stand, or base, will be the environment in which we grew up. Its branches will be our life experiences. We will adorn this tree with the lessons we have learned. The lights, which flicker on and off, will represent those individuals who come in and out of our lives attempting to spread negativity. Hopefully, we can enlighten them. If not, at least they do not snuff out the grandeur of our tree for very long. And, finally, the star on top will equal the conclusions we draw based on all of the above. We will call this tree “cultural diversity.” The challenge is to prove why every home should have one of their very own. Let us take a walk through the “Tree Farm” of life to explore this issue further so we can discover what is “cultural diversity” and determine why it is worth the effort of picking out one of these “trees,” bringing it home, and setting it up. We will start with the base of the tree—the environment in which we grow up. According to Marya Axner, author of the book The Community Leadership Project Curriculum, “‘Culture’ refers to a group or community which shares common experiences that shape the way its members understand the world. It includes groups that we are born into, such as race, national origin, gender, class, or religion. It can also include...
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...split into subgroups for reporting back and discussion. Individuals should be privately polled for personal opinions. “Antecedent factors such group cohesiveness, structural faults, and situational context play into the likelihood of whether or not groupthink will impact the decision-making process.”(Wikipedia) [1] According to Irving Janis, a research psychologist from Yale University performed the majority of the initial research on groupthink. His original definition of the term was, “A mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action” (Janis, 1972). [2] Some say Groupthink will not always work out for the best results because this eliminates personal creativity and ones own thinking. On the other hand some may say this is better because it can speed up the process of decision making which may take longer than working individually. Work Cited 1"Groupthink." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 20 Aug. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink>. 2 Janis, Irving (1972). Victims of Groupthink. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. pg....
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...American critique can be found in Washington Irving’s, “Rip Van Winkle.” Therefore, the purpose of this brief work is to discuss the theme of Irving’s timeless masterpiece and offer critical insight as to its deeper meanings. The tale of Rip Van Winkle is set in the whimsical wilderness of the Catskill Mountains in pre-revolutionary America. As the story portrays, Rip is a simple man caught between his own ferocious hedonistic motivations, and the insurmountable demands of his condescending and oppressive wife (Perkins). Stating, “His wife kept continually dinning in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and the ruin he was bringing on his family. Morning, noon, and night, her tongue was incessantly going...” (Perkins, 199), Irving provides the reader with an archetype antagonist in Rip’s wife Dame. Indeed, it is here that Rip’s primary motivation is developed. As the story goes on, “Times grew worse...
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...The term "groupthink" was a theory developed by psychologist Irving Janis. The theory was intended to explain bad decisions and outcomes made by governments and businesses, which Janis sometimes called "fiascoes." (Vore, 2013) He was really interested in situations where pressure with the group seemed to result in a failure to think clearly. Janis defined groupthink as "a quick and easy way to refer to a mode of thinking people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action. Groupthink refers to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment that results from in-group pressures." (Groupthink, 2013) Groupthink can occur when a group of people disagrees with their boss and want to create conflict in the face of the powerful boss. The idea of groupthink offers an explanation of reasons that groups sometimes make poor decisions. Groups are thought to be better at making complex decisions than individuals because they contain a variety of different views. (Vore, 2013) Groups not only bring new ideas into the discussion but also can act as device to correct errors. Groups can also provide social support which is very important when creating new ideas. This issue with groupthink comes when new viewpoints are not accepted. Even though groups can work to support effective conclusions, the same processes that boost the group's...
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...The Groupthink Theory “Researchers have studied the influence of group pressure on individual members” (Byars and Rue, 2007, 238). As defined by Byars and Rue “when group members lose their ability to think as individuals and conform at the expense of their good judgment, groupthink occurs. Members become unwilling to say anything against the group or any member, even if an action is wrong” (Byars and Rue, 2007, 238). “Keeping a group together under any circumstance is a goal in itself. Groups with this goal believe that the group is indestructible and always right. Group members justify any action, stereotype outsiders as enemies of the group, and pressure unwilling members to conform (Byars and Rue, 2007, 238). In 1972, Irving L. Janis presented a set of hypothesis that he extracted from observing small groups performing problem-solving tasks; he collectively referred to these hypotheses as groupthink (Janis, 1972). He defined groupthink as “a quick and easy way to refer to a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members’ strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action” (Janis, 1982, 9). Groups are usually successful because group members bring varied ideas, collective knowledge, and they tend to be focused while working together. Groups can be advantageous to both individuals and businesses. They are valuable to individuals because they are able...
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...Zale Corporation — 2008 Case Analysis # 4 Submitted by: Pauline Mae L. Naranjo Submitted to: Prof. Rose Lacerona 8/19/2013 About Zale Corporation Zale is multifaceted. One of North America's largest specialty jewelry retailers, Zale sells diamond, colored stone, and gold jewelry (diamond fashion rings, semi-precious stones, earrings, gold chains); watches; and gift items at some 1,125 stores and 655 kiosks, mostly in malls, throughout the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The firm, which targets the value-oriented customer, has a trio of large chains aimed at different jewelry markets: Gordon's Jewelers, flagship chain Zales Jewelers, and Piercing Pagoda. Zale also operates about 130 jewelry outlet stores, run more than 200 stores in Canada under the Peoples Jewellers and Mappins Jewellers names, sells online, and offers jewelry insurance. For nearly 90 years, Zale Corporation has provided extraordinary ways to say "I love you." As a leading specialty retailer in North America, the Zale family of brands provides our customers with fine jewelry, watches and gift items that offer great value at more than 1,930 locations throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, and online at www.zales.com and www.gordonsjewelers.com. With an exceptional assortment of jewelry and gifts, including diamonds and an exclusive wedding collection, our brands are famous for helping turn important milestones and celebrations into priceless, life-long memories. (http://www...
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