Monday, December 19, 2016

William Cullen Bryant

William Cullen Bryant


William Cullen Bryant was an American Poet who wrote many poems with the characteristics of romanticism. One well know poem was "To a Waterfowl".

Individualism:"A sculptor wields The chisel, and the stricken marble grows To beauty." This Bryant quote shows individualism because it is about a sculpture and how they create beauty from a block of marble, which could be interpreted that everyone has their own talents and everyone creates beauty in their own way, and in that way we are all unique and different. The creation of different things, the endlessly different ideas that everyone has creates a very individual place and world.  

Optimism:"The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within." This William Bryant quote shows optimism because he is saying that the sunshine an the budding flowers are the good and the positive things in the world, and he is looking past the cold winter and forward to the brightness of spring that is about to begin, and how even though we have to go through the rough winters, their is always something beautiful that comes out of the new grass, once the snow leaves and the snow melts. 

Self-Reliance:"Winning isn't everything, but it beats anything in second place."  When I read this quote by Bryant I thought of Self- Reliance because it made me think that you must be independent and able to do things for your self if you want to succeed,and if you are not self reliant than you will only ever come in second. I also interpreted the quote in a way that meant that even if you do not win, but you were self reliant then you are still beating those who are dependent on everyone else. 

Intuition:"Weep not that the world changes - did it keep a stable, changeless state, it were cause indeed to weep." This quote is an example of intuition because William Bryant is saying that when there are major changes we tend to panic, but in reality it is good and it means we are advancing and moving forward. But out intuitions to be scared of it and to fear the future. Bryant is trying to tell us that it is good to follow intuition, except for the our intuition is holding us back, and many times in the case of change we are holding our minds and heart back as to not get hurt. 

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