Romanticism is a movement in art, literature, music, and various other media that was characterized by its rejection of the ideals that defined traditional Classicism. It spanned a period of roughly 50 years and began in Western Europe, eventually spanning the western world. Many notable authors and composers were either contributors to this movement or were influenced by it, with prominent authors being Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein and whose works are the basis for many modern horror novels, Alexandre Dumas, and the noted poets William Blake and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The short story “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving is a religious example of literature from the Romantic Period. It offers various examples that
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The following examples, and their meanings, are taken from Irving’s story. Walker’s gleeful agreement of becoming an usurer, because he believes that usurers and the practice of money lending while charging interest are great concepts. This example gives life to how Tom views the world and the role of money in it, as well as Tom’s greed. Tom losing his patience at not receiving a payment. Since Tom becomes extremely upset for not receiving his payment from the land jobber, we can infer that he places more emphasis on getting what is owed to him than helping someone, and that Tom is concerned only with himself. Walker’s wife went to the black man to strike a bargain, but when she returned she was sullen and withdrawn, and no bargain was agreed upon. For that reason, Walker’s wife was so upset she didn’t want to speak with her husband. This is intended to clarify the Black Woodsman’s preferential treatment shown towards Tom, and his disdain for …show more content…
The first example is Tom is talking to the land jobber and saying charity begins at home. This is an example of Tom’s assertion that each person is responsible only to themselves, and that he is not responsible for the land jobber’s inability to pay. Tom refers to the black woodsman saying “you are the person commonly known as old scratch”. This is an example of how many monikers are used to name one person thereby giving them a sense of individuality. By ascribing nicknames to others, we give a familiarity based on a fond memory or personality trait. Tom always acted as a friend to those who need. This meant he was always willing to lend money to those who do not have it, rather than the more traditional meaning of being willing to lend a hand, giving a view of Tom’s greed and miserly
The following examples, and their meanings, are taken from Irving’s story. Walker’s gleeful agreement of becoming an usurer, because he believes that usurers and the practice of money lending while charging interest are great concepts. This example gives life to how Tom views the world and the role of money in it, as well as Tom’s greed. Tom losing his patience at not receiving a payment. Since Tom becomes extremely upset for not receiving his payment from the land jobber, we can infer that he places more emphasis on getting what is owed to him than helping someone, and that Tom is concerned only with himself. Walker’s wife went to the black man to strike a bargain, but when she returned she was sullen and withdrawn, and no bargain was agreed upon. For that reason, Walker’s wife was so upset she didn’t want to speak with her husband. This is intended to clarify the Black Woodsman’s preferential treatment shown towards Tom, and his disdain for …show more content…
The first example is Tom is talking to the land jobber and saying charity begins at home. This is an example of Tom’s assertion that each person is responsible only to themselves, and that he is not responsible for the land jobber’s inability to pay. Tom refers to the black woodsman saying “you are the person commonly known as old scratch”. This is an example of how many monikers are used to name one person thereby giving them a sense of individuality. By ascribing nicknames to others, we give a familiarity based on a fond memory or personality trait. Tom always acted as a friend to those who need. This meant he was always willing to lend money to those who do not have it, rather than the more traditional meaning of being willing to lend a hand, giving a view of Tom’s greed and miserly