Earth’s Answer by William Blake
EARTH’S ANSWER from Songs of Experience by William Blake Earth raised up her head From the darkness dread and drear, Her light fled, Stony, dread, And her locks covered...
Category: Excellence in Literature: The Curriculum
Songs of Experience Introduction by William Blake
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE by William Blake INTRODUCTION Hear the voice of the Bard, Who present, past, and future, sees; Whose ears have heard The Holy Word That walked among the ancient tree; Calling the...
Songs of Innocence Introduction by William Blake
Songs of Innocence by William Blake INTRODUCTION Piping down the valleys wild, Piping songs of pleasant glee, On a cloud I saw a child, And he laughing said to me: “Pipe a song about...
Charles Lamb Index
Charles Lamb and his sister Mary Lamb wrote shorter versions of many classic tales, some of which are assigned in EIL as introductions to the full-length original classics.
Chaucer Study Questions by Dr. Wheeler
Here is an index to the Chaucer study questions by Dr. L. Kip Wheeler which are referenced in British Literature (EIL4). Dr. Wheeler is an English professor at Carson-Newman College in Tennessee. Study Questions...
Part 2 Wheeler Chaucer Study Questions
201 Study Questions for Chaucer’s General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales (second half) by Dr. L Kip Wheeler Vocabulary: the bodily humors, church summoner, pardoner, pardon (or indulgence), pilgrimage, reeve, relic Introduction: Lecture or...
Wheeler’s Chaucer Study Questions, Part 1
Study Questions for Chaucer’s General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales (first half) by Dr. L Kip Wheeler Vocabulary: frame narrative, ambiguity, bourgeoisie, satire, stereotype, relic, unreliable narrator, guild, Great Vowel Shift, Middle English, Epicureanism....
In a Station of the Metro by Ezra Pound
In a Station of the Metro by Ezra Pound (1885 – 1972) The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough. That’s it. “In a Station of the Metro”...
Chicago by Carl Sandburg
CHICAGO by Carl Sandburg First published in Poetry magazine, 1914. CHICAGO HOG Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and...
Sugar by Gertrude Stein
SUGAR A poem by Gertrude Stein SUGAR. A violent luck and a whole sample and even then quiet. Water is squeezing, water is almost squeezing on lard. Water, water is a mountain and it...
Spoon River Anthology Excerpts
Meet the villagers of Spoon River in The Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, a collection of intertwined autobiographical epitaphs in poetry.
Seth Compton by Edgar Lee Masters
Seth Compton by Edgar Lee Masters from Spoon River Anthology (New York: Macmillan Co, 1916) WHEN I died, the circulating library Which I built up for Spoon River, And managed for the good of...
Mrs Kessler by Edgar Lee Masters from Spoon River Anthology
Mrs. Kessler by Edgar Lee Masters from Spoon River Anthology (New York: Macmillan Co, 1916) MR. KESSLER, you know, was in the army, And he drew six dollars a month as a pension, And...
The Circuit Judge by Edgar Lee Masters from Spoon River Anthology
The Circuit Judge by Edgar Lee Masters from Spoon River Anthology (New York: Macmillan Co, 1916) TAKE note, passers-by, of the sharp erosions Eaten in my head-stone by the wind and rain— Almost as...
Lucinda Matlock by Edgar Lee Masters from Spoon River Anthology
Lucinda Matlock by Edgar Lee Masters “Lucinda Matlock” from Spoon River Anthology, a 1916 collection of short free verse poems that narrates the epitaphs of the residents of the fictional small town, Spoon River, which...
The Road Not Taken and Other Poems by Robert Frost
Like much of Robert Frost’s poetry, “The Road Not Taken” appears simple, but offers food for thought. Although it’s sometimes taken as a poem that celebrates choosing an unusual path in life, it is...
Poetry by Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt
Poet Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt (1836–1919) is not as well known as Emily Dickinson, but her verses show some of the same power and originality. Here is an index to the Sarah Morgan Bryan...
The House Below the Hill by Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt
The House Below the Hill by Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt 1 You ask me of the farthest star, 2 Whither your thought can climb at will, 3 Forever-questioning child of mine. 4 I fear...
The Palace Burner by Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt
The Palace-Burner (A Picture in a Newspaper.) by Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt To understand this poem better, you may find it helpful to read the notes from Representative Poetry Online. 1 She has been...
Overview – Outline of American Literature Index
As a context resource for the American Literature study guide (English 3 from the Excellence in Literature curriculum) we offer these chapters from the Outline of American Literature, a public-domain American Literature textbook published by...
Prose by Mark Twain
Here is an index to the pages for the Mark Twain prose writings referenced in Excellence in Literature’s American Literature (EIL3). [Mark Twain poetry is here.] Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses Mark Twain’s Autobiography A...
A Noiseless Patient Spider by Walt Whitman
A Noiseless Patient Spider by Walt Whitman A noiseless patient spider, I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated, Mark’d how to explore the vacant, vast surrounding, It launched forth filament, filament,...
I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman
I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong, The carpenter singing his...
Hushed be the Camps Today by Walt Whitman
Hush’d Be the Camps To-Day by Walt Whitman (May 4, 1865) Hush’d be the camps to-day, And soldiers let us drape our war-worn weapons, And each with musing soul retire to celebrate, Our dear...
O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman
O Captain! my Captain! (For the death of Lincoln.) by Walt Whitman O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done! The ship has weathered every wrack, the prize we sought is won. The...
When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed by Walt Whitman
When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d by Walt Whitman PRESIDENT LINCOLN’S FUNERAL HYMN. 1. When lilacs last in the door-yard bloomed, And the...
Huckleberry Finn Movie Trailers
Here are a few movie trailers to help you decide which version of Huckleberry Finn to see. I have not viewed all of these in their entirety, so I recommend reading reviews to help...
The Adventures of Mark Twain
You may watch the trailer below for the 1944 film, The Adventures of Mark Twain, which you may want to watch in its entirety. I have not yet watched the entire animated film, The...
Poetry by Mark Twain
Mark Twain Poetry Although Mark Twain was best known for being a satirist and a humorously creative author, he also wrote a few poems. We have referenced these six in our curriculum, including in...
Poetry by Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman Poetry Walt Whitman (1819 – 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works....
