As part of your background for this next section I want each of you to pick a romantic poet and research them. Report to me the research you did on them (this should be from more than one source). Tell me what makes them a romantic poet, then pick a poem they were known for and reflect on the poem and how it is a romantic poem.
I want to thank you for you blog responses last week. Everyone turned in very good work. I realized I need to respond more to your responses. My last question on that blog was a little ambiguous. I wanted each of you to think about the purpose of staying connected to what is happening in the world around you. Unfortunately, many people don't realize this till much later in their life. Some blame it on adolescence, but I feel that each of you is capable of going beyond yourselves and caring for those around you.
Remember to follow the rubric.
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Nature is a key characteristic of romantic literature. "Nature poets" focused on the beauty and mysteriousness of the environment. They sought out the connection of nature and the human mind. A romantic poet who did this well is William Wordsworth.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Wordsworth used the element of nature in a great deal of his poetry, which he contributed to the romantic age. A website, http://users.dickinson.edu/~nicholsa/Romnat/wordsworth.htm, says, "On the one hand, Wordsworth was the quintessential poet as naturalist, always paying close attention to details of the physical environment around him (plants, animals, geography, weather). At the same time, Wordsworth was a self-consciously literary artist who described "the mind of man" as the "main haunt and region of [his] song." This describes the way in which Wordsworth focused on the human mind by enhancing certain environmental attributes. Another website, http://faculty.pittstate.edu/~knichols/narciss.html, says, "He was also renowned for his ability to incorporate the use of nature and its interrelation with the human world to illustrate his beliefs about the importance of memories." Wordsworth understood very well the concept of the connection between the human mind and nature and used that truth in his literary work.
One of Wordsworth's poems that emphasizes nature very clearly is "Calm is all Nature as a Resting Wheel." In the beginning of the poem, Wordsworth describes the setting, a country evening. The first three lines of "Calm is all Nature as a Resting Wheel" say, "Calm is all nature as a resting wheel. / The kine are couched upon the dewy grass; / The horse alone, seen dimly as I pass." Wordworth goes on to depict a person in sorrow who has a memory that causes them grief. Because of the peacefulness of nature, this person is able to block out the sorrow that they feel. In the end of the poem, Wordsworth writes, "Oh! leave me to myself, nor let me feel / The officious touch that makes me droop again." The person in the poem does not want to be disturbed and does not want to lose the peaceful state he or she is in. Wordsworth connects nature and human feeling very well in this poem.
Victoria Tindol
“Lucy” by William Wordsworth
ReplyDeleteWilliam Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770. He was the second child out of five. He lost both of his parents at a very young age. “The orphan boys were sent off by guardian uncles to a grammar school at Hawkshead, a village in the heart of Lake District.” (http://www.acu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=32426982&site=src-live&scope=site) He loved to live and play in the outdoors. Later in Wordsworth life, he became friends with a fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. “They formed a partnership that would change both poets’ lived and alter the course of English poetry.”
(http://www.acu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=32426982&site=src-live&scope=site)
He published his first poem at the age of 23. “His brilliant imagination could make everyday ordinary countryside scenes alive and seemingly full of meaning.” (http://great-writers.suite101.com/article.cfm/william_ wordsworth_biography) He got married when he was 32 to Mary Hutchinson. Wordsworth shared a home with his sister Dorothy. Wordsworth died at the age of 50. “Wordsworth is regarded at the first and greatest English Romantic poet and became England’s Poet Laureate in 1843.” (http://great-writers.suite101.com/article.cfm/william_ wordsworth_biography)
Wordsworth sees Lucy everywhere he goes, in the sky, in the green fields, and even on his horse. “He felt her presence everywhere around him and even his love for his country (a sign of Romanticism, a period in literary history Wordsworth is said to belong to) could be traced to this love for Lucy.” (http://www.shvoong.com/internet-and-technologies/3221-william-wordsworth-lucy-poems/) He had great love and sorrow for Lucy no matter where he was and he was always reminded of her. He loved to go back to the place where she played as a young girl, and the very last place Lucy’s eyes wandered.
“Thy mornings show'd, thy nights conceal'd,
The bowers where Lucy play'd;
And thine too is the last green field
That Lucy's eyes survey'd.”
http://www.poetry-archive.com/w/lucy.html
Tabitha Howell
The Romantic period is very different than the Age of Reason, which we just studied. In the Romantic period, poets were focused on nature, imagination, intuition, and independent thinking. They believed that the city diluted their individualism and ideals. Therefore, the country life was considered a nice way to live. They did not use rational thinking and reasoning like in the past.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Wordsworth was a major Romantic poet of this time period. He used the element of nature as a way to enhance his writings. http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/31127.html says that Wordsworth did a lot of writing about his own life experiences and beliefs. "In many of his poems, he writes about childhood events (Wordsworth,William 3)." During this time period writers were encouraged to show their personal ideas and beliefs rather than conforming to what others say.
According to http://users.dickinson.edu/~nicholsa/Romnat/wordsworth.htm, Wordsworth used detail about the physical environment and the elements that he was surrounded with. He wrote about his own thoughts and his mind. He presented many questions about life to his reader and left many things unanswered or open-ended.
Samuel Taylor Coleridege was born in 1772 to Reverend John Coleridge and Ann Bowdon. He attended Christ's Hospital School in London and Jesus College. He published many works including Poems on Various Subjects, Pems, The Watchman, and Lyrical Ballads in conjunction with William Wordsworth.(http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/coleridg.htm)
ReplyDeleteWilliam Wordsworth influenced the writing style of Samuel Coleridge. Coleridge "...began writing in a more natural style...Coleridge used his intimate friends and their experiences as subjects."(http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/292) His writing style greatly reflected the Romantic age in that he used personal examples, and he used natural or common form. One source says, "He was always a dreamer: a bookworm as a child, an idealistic utopian in college..." (http://poetry.about.com/b/2007/08/27/samuel-taylor-coleridge-gothicromantic-poet.htm)
In Coleridge's poem “The Nightingale”, he shows how he loves to write in natural speech. He writes in blank verse: "No cloud, no relique of the sunken day/ Distinguishes the West, no long thin slip/ Of sullen light, no obscure trembling hues./ Come, we will rest on this old mossy bridge!" Coleridge discusses how people call the nightingale a melancholy bird, but he does not believe nature can be melancholy only people can. He beleieves people would be better of listening to nature instead of writing about it. He also associates nighttime with joy and hopes others will too. "...that with the night
He may associate joy."
Leah Robbins
Imaginaion and heart were the main forces that directed Romantic poets. One important poet during this time, William Blake, enjoyed using supernatuarl in his poetry. He was also a painter and printmaaker. "His paintings and poetry has been characterized as a part of the Romantic Movement and 'Pre-Romantic' for its large appearance in the 18th century." He embraced the imaginaton of God and the himan existence(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blake). At the age of four, Blake spoke about having visions of God at the room and other unexamplable visions throuhgout his childhood. His parents began to oberseve him and realized he was much different from his siblinga and other children around him. As Blake became older, he found a way freedom and used classical models in his. One main reason he is known as a Romantic poet because he did not conform to what was popular but always followed his heart and allowd his imagiantion to guide him (books.google.com).
ReplyDeleteOne popular poem by William Blake is "I Heard an Angel." This poem is full of nature, a key characterist during the Romantic Age. He describes the reaction of a angle looking at the world and is being delight by its beauty, "Thus the angel sung all day/ Over the new mown day" In the stanza before this quote, he tells that it is a spring day and the angle see what the world is releaseing,
"Mercy, Pity and Peace." In the Romantic Age, nature was very important and Blake is showing the different emotions the world has by observivg her. He also how shows imagination by showing how the world reacts when the Devil, "At his curse the sun went down/ And the heaven frowned." He also used personifcation by showing heaven facial expression to the Devil.
William Blake will always be remembered for his numerous poetry and beautiful paintings. During the Romantic Age, Blake was not afaird being different and express what he felt.
Lenora Taylor
Percy Bysshe Shelley was born on August 4, 1792 in England. He was the eldest of the seven children. Shelley was an atheist. He also tried to have an "open marriage" with his wife which led to the dissolution of the marriage.
ReplyDeletePercy Shelley is "critically regarded among the finest lyric poets in the English language." "Shelley's unconventional life and uncompromising idealism, combined with his strong disapproving voice, made him an authoritative and much-denigrated figure during his life and afterward." Idealism is defined as "the philosophical theory which maintains that the ultimate nature of reality is based on the mind or ideas." For this reason, Shelley is definitely a Romantic poet.
Shelley's "A Bridal Song" is well known and displays several characteristics of Romantic poetry. One selection:
"Where Strength and Beauty, met together,/
Kindle their image like a star/
In a sea of glassy weather!"
shows great emotion from the poet as well as references to nature. Here Shelley describes how powerful strength and beauty become when they are combined.
(http://www.online-literature.com/shelley_percy/)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Bysshe_Shelley)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Bysshe_Shelley#Idealism)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idealism)
(http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-bridal-song/)
CHEEK
One of my favorite Romantic poets is John Keats. He is the author of O Solitude, Lamia, Isabella, and many others. Keats was one of the second generations of Romantic poets. “Along with Byron and Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the movement,” (Wikipedia). Keats was born October 31, 1795 and inherited much of his wealth from his maternal grandparents’ family business. He was faced with the tragic death of his father in April of 1804. “It was believed his horse slipped on the cobblestones and threw him to the ground. Suffering a skull fracture, he lived for a few hours after being found by a night watchman,” (English history).
ReplyDeleteThe Romantic period was quite different from the Age of Reason. Instead of using logic and science poets used imagination and nature to find the answers they sought in life. Keats is a perfect example of these Romantic characteristics. “The poetry of Keats was characterised by sensual imagery, most notably in the series of odes which remain among the most popular poems in English literature,” (Wikipedia).
John Keat’s Ode to a Nightingale is one of the most well know odes written by Keats. The Ode opens with Keats expressing his own sorrow and sadness saying he feels numb. In the second stanza he declares his want for alcohol saying, “O, for a draught of vintage!. . . That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,/ And with thee fade away into the forest dim,” (English history). Keats goes on to write a conversation of sorts with a nightingale and uses very Romantic language to express his thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
I am excited about reading something different from the Age of Reason. From what I have read, the Romantic poets seem to be more in tuned with nature. These authors seem more down to earth and aware of the true feelings and emotions of the common person. I think this new way of thinking will be more interesting to read that the others that we have read.
http://englishhistory.net/keats/poetry/odetoanightingale.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keats
http://englishhistory.net/keats/life.html
Halli Spraggins
Samuel Taylor Coleridege was one of the best known romantic poet. He and his friend William Wordsworth helped found the romantic movement in England. Some of his major poems that he wrote include:The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Kubla Khan, and other prose works.
ReplyDeleteIn his life, Coleridge suffered a wide variety of ailments. Coleridge suffered from anxiety and depression, later to be found as a probable affect of being bipolar. To treat his depression and anxiety he took opium, which he soon became addicted to.
One of Coleridge's poems is "The Presence of Love." This poem shows how Coleridge draws nature into his poetry by describing the girl as " You lie in all my many Thoughts, like Light,/Like the fair light of Dawn, or summer Eve/On rippling Stream, or cloud-reflecting Lake./And looking to the Heaven, that bends above you,/How oft ! I bless the Lot, that made me love you." (http://etext.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Presence_Love.html)
Stefan Bushey