1. Read it at least twice. Read it aloud. Develop a literal understanding of the poem as a whole: who, what, when, where Pay attention to: The title Line length/variation in line length/enjambment (count syllables) Stanza structure, variation in stanza structure Rhythm and meter Rhyme and the sounds of words– alliteration, onomatopoeia, assonance, consonance Diction and tone/voice/speaker– hyperbole, understatement, irony Figurative Language– simile, metaphor, symbolism, personification, apostrophe, metonymy Imagery, sensory details Repetition Changes, shifts, transitions Take note of the relationship between form, style, structure and meaning. Develop an interpretive understanding of the poem as a whole. Consider the relationship between the poem and its historical and literary context. Support all of your observations and assertions with specific examples.

2. P URITAN ERA Came to this continent from England in the 1600s in search of religious freedome Believed in original sin: all men and women are born evil and need salvation, which comes only through God’s will and atonement Predestination: predetermined who will go to heaven, so everyone tries to act like they are ‘chosen’ Most poetry from this period refers to God: the service of God, the fear of God, the celebration of God, etc. Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

3. F IRESIDE POETS Mid 1800s

4. F IRESIDE POETS First group of American poets to rival British poets in popularity Subject matter: typically describes American legends, scenes from home life and politics Very sentimental in tone: (overly?) patriotic Famous names: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Greenleaf Whittier, Oliver Wendell Holmes, William Cullen Bryant

5. “P AUL R EVERE ’ S R IDE ” BY L ONGFELLOW Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five: Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, "If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch Of the North-Church-tower, as a signal-light,-- One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country-folk to be up and to arm."