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. Study Questions Over the Readings . Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1) Characterize the overall tone of “The Song of Hiawatha.” What contributes to the tone? To what extent are those factors that influence the tone based upon realistic/romantic portrayals of his characters? 2) What “message(s)” does Longfellow articulate in “Psalm of Life”? In your opinion, should poetry instruct readers? Why? Why not? What are other possible functions of poetry? 3) To what extent is “The Arsenal at Springfield” instructive? How would you classify Longfellow’s social or political “agenda”? . Oliver Wendell Holmes’ Poetry 1) Draft a scansion of “Old Ironsides” and “The Chambered Nautilus.” 2) What is the function of the regular stanzas and their rhythm and rhyme schemes? . John Greenleaf Whittier’s Poetry 1) What do the readings suggest about Whittier’s social conscience? Where do his sympathies lie on the issues addressed? 2) Identify historical elements in the readings that fired the Northern cause during the Civil War. . James Russell Lowell’s Poetry 1) What political/social issues does Lowell address in the “First Series of the Biglow Papers”? In the “Second Series of the Biglow Papers”? 2) What folk elements does Lowell introduce in his poetry? Basic Concepts Related to the Readings . The Flowering of Romanticism: Sentimentality and the "Ubi Sunt" Theme Primitivism and The Noble Savage Romantic Individualism Two Processes of Abstraction: Burlesque and Idealization . 
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