Contemporary Example of Romanticism

Romanticism in Contemporary Society

Snow White

The book or film, Snow White is a great example of romanticism in contemporary society. Snow White can be seen as Romanticism because of the incorporation of nature, the supernatural occurrences, and the fact that the audience can relate to the hero. In the film Snow White has a special connection to the animals of the forest which shows the love and importance of nature. The Evil Queen uses supernatural powers to turn into an old woman and by poisoning the apple. The audience can relate to the conflicts and feelings Snow White is having, she comes across as an ordinary person, that ends up being a hero. We also see individualism in the seven dwarfs because they are all different and unique, and have special traits that differ from person to person. 

Another romanticism characteristic found in Snow White was the idea of the country side being the peaceful, and wonderful place compared to the city. The castle, or city, is dark, evil, and dangerous, but the country side, is where she meets the dwarfs and the animals and everything is must more serene. Snow White is a film most kids see, and you only really see the basic story line of it, but if you look deeper you can truly see the Romanticism aspect it carries throughout the story line.  Many characteristics of Snow white are seen in the various texts we read in class. For example, in the Devil and Tom Walker we see the devil as the supernatural aspect, he is evil and manipulative, similar to the Evil Queen. 

Psalm of Life

Psalm of Life

  The poem, Psalm of Life by Longfellow, is an example of a romanticism poem. A possible message of this poem is to keep going and to not give up hope or happiness, because life is short and your should make it everything you can before you time is up. This is still relevant and will always be relevant because people in any time period face struggle and need to be reminded that it gets better and that we must continue to push on every single day. A message like this will never not be relevant and it will always help someone and mean something to somebody.  This poem is criticized fro being too sappy and overly sentimental, I disagree however because just because a poem has a good message, and it about a more sensitive topic does not mean it is too sentimental. I can see how someone may see it as very sentimental, because of the language used, for example the stanza, "Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal;Dust thou art, to dust return-est, Was not spoken of the soul." All the language is very pretty and flowing, which gives off a sentimental feel and illusion. I enjoy this poem and its message and believe it should be a reminder to everyone that life does end and therefore we should not take anything for granted. 

Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Longfellow was and is still a very well known American poet. His poems are especially known for showing romanticism. He is known to have written poems about his two late wives and his feeling toward their deaths and his love for them. 

Individualism:“The heart, like the mind, has a memory.
And in it are kept the most precious keepsakes.” This Longfellow quote can be an example of individualism because he is saying that yes everyone has a heart and mind, and we are all the same in that, but if you look deeper into the meaning you could see that yes we may have similar minds and hearts but ht experiences and ideas and feeling are very different and no one is the same on the inside.

Optimism:“I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” Longfellow said this, and it is an example of optimism because it is showing th good and pure of this world. He is positive and cheerful for such a small thing like bells. Also he may be sad or unhappy but this sound and holiday remind him to be happy and cheerful, because there is good in this world and it is better to look at the good then the bad. He is also he not focusing on the poor things in life, only to good and peaceful things. He is optimistic in the ideal of man, and the idea that there is still peace in our world.
Nature: "For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.” This quote could fit into the ideal of nature because it is talking about rain, and relating the rain to your life, and a major part of romanticism is that nature has impact on your life and sometimes it means something other that the basic definition. For example the rain in the quote does not necessarily mean rain that falls from the sky, but more of the message it is going, the message of letting things happen that you cannot control, and wait for it to clear up before doing something drastic and unnecessary. 

Intuition:"If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." This quote can be an example of Intuition because many peoples intuition is to judge a person at first glance, but sometimes we need to look deeper into the person and we need to know more about their past to really know them and have a fair opinion on them. But it is also an instinct to not share personal information with strangers so we are unable to get to know our enemies because their intuition does not tell them to share their past struggles and difficulties. 

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. 

Romanticism Overview

What is Romanticism?

   Romanticism was a movement in the 18th century that focused on individualism, the act of being inspired, and the opposite of rationalism. It is seen in literature, music, and art
   Some of the major characteristics of Romanticism was the love of nature, the idea that the hero must connect to the audience, the country side was seen as independence where as the city was seen as corruption and death.
   Romanticism was seen all over America and Europe in a way for people to express themselves and show their individuality. 
   The line in the poem, The Cross of Snow by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The legend of a life more benedight". This line shows romanticism because it is very expressive and it is not facts or evidence, it is a feeling and it is pretty, which is common for romanticism. Romanticism commonly is written in a very specific way that makes the world seem perfect and very beautiful. 
   If you look at the poem, The Cross of Snow by Henry Longfellow, as a whole you can see that it incorporates nature into the whole story, and he uses the mountain and the seasons to express his feelings toward the death of his wife. 
   Another quote to show romanticism is, "The sun through dazzling snow-mist shone". From the poem A Winter Idyl by John Whittier, shows the significance of nature and the beauty it has. The importance of nature and its relevance to our lives is seen through out the entire poem, and in many other romantic poems. 

Works Cited

Works Cited

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, and H. J. Bruce. A Psalm of Life. Satara: Columbian, 1878. Print.

"A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow | Poetry Foundation." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

"Terms & Themes." Terms & Themes. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.
"Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Quotes (Author of The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere)." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Quotes (Author of The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere). N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.