19th Century

"When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer," which is included in the "By the Roadside" section of the standard 1892 edition of Leaves of Grass, published in New York and now widely available from imprints such as W. W. Norton (1973), is a prime example of a Drum-Taps poem whose subject is not confined to the Civil War. Although one of its important themes deals with the idea of unity and individualism that resonates with the struggle for the Union of States, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" is chiefly a poem about romanticism, nature, and astronomy.

This lesson serves as the background and introduction for Octavia Butler's novel, Kindred. I will describe Butler's contexts for writing the novel as well as some of its key motifs and literary elements. Below is the outline of the slides used in the lesson: The Two Worlds of Octavia Butler’s Kindred Butler’s Context Golden Age of SciFi Second Wave SciFi Civil Rights Movement Black Power Movements Of what value is our history? The Legacy of Rape What does it mean to hate one’s ancestor? Who is black and who is white? What is the one-drop rule? Time Travel SciFi without the Gadgets Alternate Reality or Universe? Time-Tripping like Billy Pilgrim from Slaughterhouse Five? Allegory of Reading History Itself? Pure Science Fiction A thought laboratory Take one variable, change it, test… Motifs and Literary Concepts Role of Family Empathy Within and among the characters Your empathy and Dana’s empathy Difficult Decisions Two worlds Black and White 1800s and 1976 Time and Change Static and Dynamic Characters Static: doesn’t move Dynamic: moves and changes Juxtaposition—put two unlike things side-by-side to compare and contrast Genre—is this a SciFi novel? “So many relatives that I had never known, would never know.” Lesson Completed

Este vídeo se ha preparado para estudiantes de 4º de E.S.O.