This Visible Thinking activity is done with a twist. Instead of merely sharing something simple that they see, think, or wonder, students must stretch to use adjective/noun combinations for what they see, similes for what they think, and metaphors for what they wonder… all relating to the sublime.
I let the classes select one of the following paintings:
The Arcadian or Pastoral State by Thomas Cole
The Savage State by Thomas Cole
Il Penseroso by Thomas Cole (inspired by “L’Allegro,” a poem by John Milton)
Peace at Sunset by Thomas Cole
Kindred Spirits by Asher Brown Durand (depicting painter Thomas Cole and poet William Cullen Bryant)
Students list ten very specific details they see in the painting, and then share their list with a partner. Any details that they have in common are marked with a checkmark (so that less obvious details stand out to them for later).
Students put three things they think about the painting represents the sublime.
Students put three things they wonder about the painting represents the sublime.
Students each get one Post-It Note. One color for each: See, Think, or Wonder.
For those with the color for SEE, they have to use an adjective/adjective/noun combination to describe something they see that represents the sublime.
For those with the color for THINK, they have to create a simile about how they think something in the painting represents the sublime.
For those with the color for WONDER, they have to create a metaphor for what they wonder about how the artist created the sublime on canvas.
Students then share Post-It Notes on the front board.
Students will write a three chunk paragraph about how the painting is a representation of the sublime, much like Victor’s escape to nature after the deaths of William and Justine. Be sure to define and explain “sublime” as it relates to both the painting and the novel.