Week 6: Reconstruction and Romanticism

Weeks of Oct. 20th - 29th

The efforts of Reconstruction were attempts to re-build the United States Union and find places for the black slaves along with the expansion of the nation. As a result there were many ideas set on the table and a ton of disagreements with the circumstances. With the Civil War over there are also many new feelings arising from the citizens and as a result the arts get change and new arts come to creation. During this period in American history the overall mood of the nation is negative as they have just finished the bloodiest war that split the nation apart. With all this negativity and uncertainty Romanticism came to be and was embraced by authors, poets, artists, and the critics of the United States. Romanticism focuses on the darker, mysterious side of things as it revolves around the supernatural, imagination, the Gothic, death, and respect for nature. I think that such a theme was taken in because of all the death that occurred during the Civil War along with the search for individuality. People become attracted to rebellion, revolution with the trends of melancholy and sadness. The expression of a person's feeling and their darker side was appealing to people as the Enlightenment Period concluded and opinions clashed. A famous example is the poet Edgar Allan Poe who had many tragedies in his life and those losses and feelings for revenge and the familiarity with death were transferred into his poems and short stories. Personally I really like the Romantic literary works as they bring about a sense of mystery and get the reader on the edge of their seat. Why is it that people like to feel scared and have the adrenalin of fear with anxiety?

Week 5: Unit 1 test reflection and Literature Romanticism

Date of week: Oct. 16th-19th
Wednesday, October 16th my class took the Unit 1 test for American Studies. I found that the test was mostly based on my ability to analyze sources being brief. I also was pleasantly surprised to find out that my notes were not needed as much as I anticipated. I feel like I did well with this assessment and ways of improvement being time management. By working toward this I can make my test taking skills sharper and not have stress out so much. For the next assessment I will do better than this time and keep improving as I move forward.

In American Literature we have moved into the Romantics Age and have read "Legend of Sleepy Hallow" by Washington Irving as well as "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allen Poe. The writing in this age has changed drastically from the Enlightenment Period into literature based on imagination. Which incorporates the supernatural, evil, mystical, rebellion, Gothic, and individualism. I have so far really enjoyed the readings that we have done in Romanticism because they get me very engrossed in the pieces of literature. Even though these stories scare me half to death I thrive off them as they give me anxiety, excitement, and fear. This gives me a huge question: Why do people enjoy something that they fear in life?

Week 4: Unit 1 test

Date of Week: September 29th - October 3rd

Unit 1 Test

The first test of the year is coming up and I am quite busy preparing for said test. To be honest I am a bit more worried for this test because it is an open notes test. I am concerned about finishing the test in time, which is only going to be one class period. The material that will be covered includes everything spanning from the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to right before the beginning of the Civil War. There will be 5 sources that the students will have to analyze, show comprehension on trends (liberties and freedoms), and do OPVL. I tend to overwrite on my short answers and essays so during the test I will have to really be conscious of keeping my thoughts compact and concise while at the same time covering all the useful points in order to analyze the evidence. Another factor that plays into my uncertainty is that this is going to be the first time I will be taking a test in Mr. Hoffman's class and I do not quite know what exactly to expect. However I have been in his class for about 2 months now and can get a pretty good idea about how the questions will look and be graded at the end. I will just have to depend on my focus in class and reliant on my study habits that I have acquired over the years to carry me through this test. I am planning on looking over all my notes that I have already previously organized for the majority of my studying as well as holding a study group with some of my friends. I understand that I will only get out of this test what I put in. The grade will reflect my understanding and knowledge.