Alexander Pham
Mr. Hallstrom
English 3H
13 November 2014
The Truth of Romanticism Many people around the world take their lives for granted until they succumb to maladies that slowly deteriorate them. They don’t realize that life can end in a sudden flash, and that their time on Earth would then have been wasted. The writings of the Romantics suggest that every moment of life is valuable, and that it is necessary for an individual to find beauty in his or her own perception of existence. This philosophy is ultimately valuable for people who seek comfort in the world –which means everyone.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, America was in a state of political chaos. As a reaction to this chaos, Americans adopted the principles established by the …show more content…
He is best known for his poem, “Self-Reliance.” It is through this poem that Emerson tells individuals to embrace themselves by implementing the ideas of Romanticism through using a universally accessible and infinitely adaptable “soul that can render an honest and a perfect man.” Every individual possesses a unique genius inside himself or herself, which can only be revealed when the individual has the courage to look within and trust his/her own thoughts and instincts. Emerson also suggests that by doing this, people will find the greatness in their own souls, which will eventually guide them through life’s harsh and difficult conflicts. He states that humans’ little “foolish consistency” is “the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.” Here, Emerson promotes the idea that great minds don’t let fear get in their way. Likewise, he tells readers that people change over time, and individuals fear saying things that contradict themselves. That being the case, Emerson’s words only offer peace to some selected few. His words principally influence those who are able to forge their own paths, not those who constantly rely on the assistance of others to make their way through life. Emerson personifies American Romanticism to the next level; he is able to help the people who make up the vast majority of the world realize their …show more content…
This Transcendentalist wrote many poems all having to do with the ideals of American Romanticism. Her poem “I taste a liquor never brewed” describes the sensations of a person who has just experienced the taste of a liquor never previously brewed. According to her, “Not all the vats upon the Rhine Yield such an alcohol!” By claiming that this alcohol is divine, she extends her metaphor of the beauty and freshness of the sensation experiencing this alcohol for the first time and communicates the beauty of a first experience of nature, itself. She tells society that nature provides comfort for those who seek it; it is so powerful that it intoxicates the individual who decides to go towards it. She later states that the “saints to windows run, To see the little tippler Leaning against the sun!” Nature is a key component of Romanticism in that both it and the words about it can have great influences on the lives of individuals. Not only that, nature offers peace to the troubled mind; as quietness and solitude offer great opportunities for many to think, it allows them to reflect inwardly on themselves. Emily Dickinson claims that looking at nature will allow a person to solve any dilemma, yet this is not always true. There are some cases where one must not stay in seclusion, as Emily Dickinson always did. However, even if in the long run nature will not solve all of one’s troubles, in
Mr. Hallstrom
English 3H
13 November 2014
The Truth of Romanticism Many people around the world take their lives for granted until they succumb to maladies that slowly deteriorate them. They don’t realize that life can end in a sudden flash, and that their time on Earth would then have been wasted. The writings of the Romantics suggest that every moment of life is valuable, and that it is necessary for an individual to find beauty in his or her own perception of existence. This philosophy is ultimately valuable for people who seek comfort in the world –which means everyone.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, America was in a state of political chaos. As a reaction to this chaos, Americans adopted the principles established by the …show more content…
He is best known for his poem, “Self-Reliance.” It is through this poem that Emerson tells individuals to embrace themselves by implementing the ideas of Romanticism through using a universally accessible and infinitely adaptable “soul that can render an honest and a perfect man.” Every individual possesses a unique genius inside himself or herself, which can only be revealed when the individual has the courage to look within and trust his/her own thoughts and instincts. Emerson also suggests that by doing this, people will find the greatness in their own souls, which will eventually guide them through life’s harsh and difficult conflicts. He states that humans’ little “foolish consistency” is “the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.” Here, Emerson promotes the idea that great minds don’t let fear get in their way. Likewise, he tells readers that people change over time, and individuals fear saying things that contradict themselves. That being the case, Emerson’s words only offer peace to some selected few. His words principally influence those who are able to forge their own paths, not those who constantly rely on the assistance of others to make their way through life. Emerson personifies American Romanticism to the next level; he is able to help the people who make up the vast majority of the world realize their …show more content…
This Transcendentalist wrote many poems all having to do with the ideals of American Romanticism. Her poem “I taste a liquor never brewed” describes the sensations of a person who has just experienced the taste of a liquor never previously brewed. According to her, “Not all the vats upon the Rhine Yield such an alcohol!” By claiming that this alcohol is divine, she extends her metaphor of the beauty and freshness of the sensation experiencing this alcohol for the first time and communicates the beauty of a first experience of nature, itself. She tells society that nature provides comfort for those who seek it; it is so powerful that it intoxicates the individual who decides to go towards it. She later states that the “saints to windows run, To see the little tippler Leaning against the sun!” Nature is a key component of Romanticism in that both it and the words about it can have great influences on the lives of individuals. Not only that, nature offers peace to the troubled mind; as quietness and solitude offer great opportunities for many to think, it allows them to reflect inwardly on themselves. Emily Dickinson claims that looking at nature will allow a person to solve any dilemma, yet this is not always true. There are some cases where one must not stay in seclusion, as Emily Dickinson always did. However, even if in the long run nature will not solve all of one’s troubles, in