He 's a forerunner of Romanticism, and promoted the ideas of the return to nature, the Natural Law, the Noble Savage and the importance of natural education. His works influenced the leaders of the French revolution, since Rousseau rejected the restraints placed on man in his contemporary society. He encouraged man to embrace his emotions and to step away from the pretentiousness of society ("Jean-Jaqcues Rousseau"). Rousseau 's Romanticism was apparent in his visions of a regenerated human nature. He found man to be ultimately good in nature, and that society 's influence and pretentiousness are what spoiled man 's essential goodness.
The struggle for honest self expression became more urgent and explicit at this period. The most striking fact in literature of this era is the revolution of poetic taste and practice. The poet is no longer the sweet singer whose function was to render in verse and an imagery drawn with great selectivity from nature and self-indulged personal emotion. He is now the explorer of experience who uses language in order to build up rich patterns of meaning unfolded by using abrupt contrasts and eliminating overt statements. The imagery in W.B.
Aristotle, in his Poetics considers poetry a mimes form that has language, rhythm and lyrics. Moreover, in those days, any literary piece of work could be written in lyrics. The using of delicate forms of transmitting the message distinguishes poetry from other forms of literary texts. (Billy Mills,2008) Samuel Taylor Coledrige has a famous quote: "I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of prose and poetry; that is, prose - words in their best order; poetry - the best words in their best order." Well, I do not think there could be something more added, as long as we are all aware of the fact that poetry is a fine art that requires not only a developed vocabulary, but also a brilliant mind to put all those words in a specific order.
The values of Romanticism include the idea of individualism, human’s respect toward nature, and the emphasis on emotions. During the Romantic Era, many authors began to promote individuality and to oppose the society. In their art works, Romanticists often try to convince the public that all individuals should be unique, different from everyone else. Instead of following the social trends and copy others, individuals should trust their own decisions. The idea of individuality is clearly presented in Self Reliance, a prose written by Ralph Emerson.
In the preface to the lyrical ballads William Wordswoth sais: “In spite of difference of soil and climate, of language and manners, of laws and customs, in spite of things silently gone out of mind and things violently destroyed, the Poet binds together by passion and knowledge the vast empire of human society, as it is spread over the whole earth, and over all time. The objects of the Poet’s thoughts are everywhere; though the eyes and senses of man are, it is true, his favorite guides, yet he will follow wheresoever’s he can find an atmosphere of sensation in which to move his wings. Poetry is the first and last of all knowledge—it is as immortal as the heart of man.” Romantic poetry was written during a period of wars and of revolutions, a period of immense
In this essay, I will argue that Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 116,” is the best, truest, representation of mature, long-lasting, human love compared with Ben Jonson’s “Song to Celia,” and John Donne’s “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning.” All three poets have challenged or varied the use of the Courtly Love Tradition in their love poems. However, I will argue that through Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116, he modified the theme of the Courtly Love Tradition to make it more honest, true, and everlasting. The poem, “Song to Celia,” written by one the of metaphysical poets Ben Jonson, is a poem more about unrequited love rather than true love. The speaker in the poem uses different ploys in order to win over his beloved’s heart. Based on the first couple of lines in the poem, the speaker is deeply
These vistas opening upon frightful substances don't at all refute the excellence Frost additionally finds in nature; rather, it is they which give his warblers, wild blooms, streams, and trees their impactful interest. The appeal of a large number of the nature verses comes about because of the striking quality with which sweet, fragile things emerge against the grave foundation. You can't have the one without the other: love of characteristic excellence and ghastliness at the remoteness and indifference of the physical world are not contrary energies but rather unique parts of a similar view. The contrast between a "lovely" nature poem and a poem of sterner vision is only one of accentuation. For instance, the verse, " A Boundless Moment," gives us one of those crisp looks of excellence which have made Frost's nature poetry so prominent, yet it manages basically an indistinguishable perspective of reality from "Dispossessed" which is among the poet's saddest and most terrifying poems.
Through his poetry, he aims to “throw upon the beautiful and lasting forms of nature a colouring of the imagination.” He believes that a spiritual connection with nature develops our moral feelings for other people. He also wants to represent marginalized and politically dispossessed people and communities so as to call attention
And manages to depict its grandeur in a way no other poet can sufficiently encompass. It brilliantly analyzes an unexplored territory of something as simple as nature itself. Emotions recollected are the distinguishing factors that sets William Wordsworth apart from the rest of the poets of his era. The emotions linked with Wordsworth in this poem, I wandered as a lonely cloud is not at all ephemeral but leaves behind an absolute everlasting impression on the soul. This poem proves to be a brilliant depiction of Wordsworth’s philosophy of his poetry.
However, the reader can 't help but sense the fear and concern these romantic writers experienced during the Romanticism Era since it followed the Industrial Revolution and threatened a critical source of peace these individuals had which is nature. They thrived on literature, nature and imagination to glorify the present and paint it in the finest artistic way possible. We still enjoy these works of arts by simply holding a book and unleashing the power of imagination. Regarding to my personal reflection about the poem, it is a simple poem with lots of imagery. It is a very beautiful poem gives a close image of the purity and beauty of nature, and the deep human emotion inspired by the natural landscape.