Writing Assignment #2
The American Renaissance
Due Date: Note: Some parts of Poe’s background may be beneficial to your paper.
2 full pages/3rd page will be the Work Cited Page
Directions: Choose one of the following topics for your second writing assignment.
1. It might seem strange to classify “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat,” two of Poe’s infamous “tales of terror,” as romantic stories….but in a sense they are. Please write an essay examining the concept of romanticism (see handout for the basic tenets of romanticism) in each of these short stories. –Note: Some parts of Poe’s background may be beneficial to your paper.
2. Figurative language is language that conveys ideas beyond what the words literally mean. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birth Mark” and “Young Goodman Brown” figurative language plays a significant role. Using only one of the stories, discuss the specific examples of this kind of language and the significance of this language to the story. (Make sure to consult the list of literary devices to help you figure out which literary devices are being used.) Note: Some parts of Hawthorne’s background may be beneficial to your paper. (See Literary Device Handout)
3. Using two of Dickinson’s poems (You choose the two), explain her connection to transcendentalism. You must connect basic tenets/ideologies of the Transcendentalist period in your paper.
