Final Exam English 326: British Romantic Writers

Exam Date: Tuesday, May 4 Time: 10:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Location: B – our classroom Format: – Five brief passage Analysis paragraphs, each worth 10 points. Total = 50 points. – One essay (minimum 5 paragraphs) chosen from two options. 50 points. – Exam total = 100 points. – Please bring an exam booklet. These are available at the bookstore for a nominal cost.

Course Material for Final Exam The exam is based on a general, semester-long knowledge of the basic themes of British Romanticism, but will focus exclusively on these texts: – Percy Bysshe Shelley: “To Wordsworth;” “Ozymandias,” England in 1819,” “Song: To the Men of England” John Keats: “On a Grecian Urn,” “To Autumn”

Passage Analysis Paragraphs Passages will be selected from the six poems by Shelley and Keats. Each will be a significant statement, something that should be instantly recognizable for a prepared student. A good answer should be brief – a paragraph in length – and focused.

Passage Analysis Examples “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair.” Answer: This quote is from Shelley’s sonnet “Ozymandias.” These words are engraved on the ruined sculpture of an Egyptian pharaoh, and the passage of time has made them ironic because nothing is left of Ozymandias’ great empire and his boast has become a warning to tyrants that their power won’t last.

Another Example “Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness, Thou foster-child of silence and slow time, Sylvan historian, who canst thus express A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme…” Answer: These are the opening lines of Keats’ “On a Grecian Urn.” He says that while the urn is both silent and ancient, it can tell a story through the images on its surface better than a poet can using language. Keats tests that idea as the poem progresses.

One More… “Wherefore, Bees of England, forge Many a weapon, chain and scourge, That these stingless drones may spoil The forced produce of your toil?” Answer: These lines from Shelley’s “Song: To the Men of England”, compare the working men to industrious bees and the rich to lazy drones. He wonders why the working men make weapons for the rich and let them take what the workers produce. This radical poem is a call to action for the working men of England.

Essay There will be two questions. First, read both carefully and decide which you would prefer to answer. Make an outline. You need not turn this in, but outlining helps clarify your thoughts. The outline should include – Your thesis – the idea you want to demonstrate. – A series of ideas, clearly expressed in complete sentences, and backed up by evidence from the texts you choose to write about. You should have at least three separate paragraphs – probably more – in this central section of your essay. Each should be specific and developed with evidence. – A conclusion indicating what you have demonstrated through a developed and specific discussion of the evidence.

Outline Example Question: Show how both Shelley and Keats fit into the Romantic Tradition. Your essay should work with at least one poem by each and should be at least five paragraphs in length. It should include a thesis paragraph, at least three paragraphs which develop the evidence for that thesis and a conclusion.

Outline I. Paragraph 1 -- Thesis: Shelley’s poem “To Wordsworth” and Keats’ “On a Grecian Urn” both reveal strong connections to the romantic tradition. Analysis of these works will show how both poets fit into the tradition. II. “To Wordsworth” – A. Paragraph 2 -- Poem shows awareness and admiration of Wordsworth’s work, a connection to romantic tradition. Shelley connects to romantic ideas about the individual’s stand and liberty (evidence from poem). – B. Paragraph 3 -- Shelley’s disillusionment shows his continued commitment to those ideas (evidence from poem). Shelley’s critique of Wordsworth connects him to the tradition of the romantic rebel.

Outline Continued III. “On a Grecian Urn” – A. Paragraph 4 -- While Keats does not deal with romantic rebellion or ideas about liberty, his poem connects to the descriptive/meditative tradition. Focus on individual response to urn – its effect on him (examples – questions about figures on urn; pleasure in unheard music, eternal youth and passion of figures). – B. Paragraph 5 – Imagination central to poem (examples – brings singer, lovers, piper to life through his imaginative response to those images).Keats’ method of describing the urn and allowing his imagination to act upon the object connects him to the romantic tradition through his individual, emotional response to something carefully observe.

Conclusion Paragraph 6 – Conclusion – Shelly and Keats both fit into the romantic tradition, but in different ways. Shelley’s: direct connection to earlier romantic poet; commitment to liberty; critique of Wordsworth for abandoning his values. Keats: descriptive/meditative tradition; personal, emotional response; imagination.