Romanticism: What is it? "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Swing Low Sweet Chariot"

WATCH: Below you will find three videos that briefly describe the Romantics, you may watch one, two or all of the videos or you may go back to your notes from previous units, but be prepared to recap and discuss Romanticism, especially in relation to The Scarlet Letter and "The Devil and Tom Walker".

READ: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

And, of course, Disney has an excellent (if not wholly accurate) version (Part I,  Part II, Part III and IV)!

Washington Irving's tale of the Headless Horseman is a classic Halloween tale. Strangely, at the time Halloween was not the celebrated holiday that we see today. When you read this story think about what actually happens to Ichabod Crane.

ANSWER ON YOUR BLOG: How does this story capture the imagination of readers today?

LISTEN: "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" Wallis Willis

ANSWER ON YOUR BLOG: How is this song about escaping the physical conditions of slavery? How is this song about religious hope and faith? How is this song reflective of its time period? How does it relate to today?

WORDS TO KNOW
Spiritual: Songs that developed among the slave population on the plantations – generally religious in nature, but often with double meaning relating to the desire for freedom from slavery.
Call and Response: The musical practice of a leader calling out a line of music (sung or played on an instrument) and others responding.

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