Presentism

An attitude toward the past that is dominated by present-day attitudes and experiences (Merriam-Webster)

An uncritical adherence to present-day attitudes, especially the tendency to interpret past events in terms of modern values and concepts (google definitions)

Song Lyrics

I stay up too lateGot nothing in my brainThat's what people sayThat's what people sayI go on too many datesBut I can't make them stay

Song Lyrics, cont.

And everyone in line in the bathroom,Trying to get a line in the bathroomWe are so turned up yeah,Getting turned up yeah.

Song Lyrics, cont.

This is insane: the way the name growin'Money keep flowin'Hustlers move asideSo, I'm tiptoein', to keep flowin'I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan

Song Lyrics, cont.

But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroomBlood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,….But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece.Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.

Context

Anything beyond the specific words of a literary work that may be relevant to understanding the meaning. Contexts may be economic, social, cultural, historical, literary, biographical, etc. (Hunter College, 1999)

Anne Bradstreet, 1612-1672

• Born in England and came to Salem port in 1630

• Puritan

• First published woman in America

In Groups of 3-4

In your own words, re-write your assigned stanza

You do not need to rhyme or go line-for-line, just give the meaning in your own words

Tone vs. Mood Tone the author’s attitude toward the

writing, the audience, the characters and the subject. Tone is created by the setting, choice of vocabulary, and other details. A work of writing can have more than one tone.

Mood is the general atmosphere created by the author’s words. It is the feeling the reader gets from reading those words. It may be the same, or it may change from situation to situation.

Question

Using the definition of tone and a specific example from Bradstreet’s poem, how would you describe Anne Bradstreet’s tone in “Prologue”?

You are on the Arbella

imagery

Vivid descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste)

The function of imagery in literature is to generate a vibrant and graphic presentation of a scene that appeals to as many of the reader’s senses as possible.

Journal Entry (please date!) to Anne Bradstreet’s “Prologue”

1) Briefly give your impression of the poem and anything that helped you enjoy it or anything that made you dislike it.

2) Briefly discuss Bradstreet’s perspective as she writes the poem.

3) What Point of View do you think Bradstreet was writing from? Is it possible she uses more than one point of view?