Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter" provides the text for an activity that asks readers to select specific passages from the story, identify the aspect of American Romanticism the passage exemplifies, and then provide an analysis of the passage.

Concepts

nathaniel hawthorne, romanticism

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Have groups research the literary allusions in the story (i.e. the structure of the garden with the special plant at its center, Beatrice as a guide, Beatrice as the new Adam in the garden of science, Giovanni's name, his role as the new Eve, etc.)
• Use "Rappaccini's Daughter" to model the process and then use Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" or "Ethan Brand," or Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" to check for understanding or as an assessment

Classroom Considerations

• Based on previous knowledge of the American Romantic Movement as a reaction against eighteenth-century rationalism

Pros

• The lesson is based on "Rappaccini's Daughter" but a list of other stories that may be easily substituted is included
• A list of the most common characteristics of the movement is included
  

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.1 RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.4 RL.11-12.1 RL.11-12.2 RL.11-12.4 W.9-10.9.a W.11-12.9.a