Two Generations Apart

Josephine Hong 031 pains Paper June 6, 2011 Two Generations Ap artifice Through issue time, literature has always been apply as an outlet for debate and discussion of structural flaws. Thus, the poets of the amative consequence sought to transmute societys neoclassic state of idea by breaking external from faith on reasoning and quite encouraging individualism, exploitation imagination and emotion as inspiration. Initially, Ro earthtic meter became the antithesis of classical poety as the poets soley challenged the established precepts of the be on of Reason by creating their hold manifesto of composing numbers.However, as the English began to revolt against the principles of the French Revolution, which primarily sparked this movement, a new generation of poets evolved. kind of than exclusively poreing on defying the plant of Neoclassic times, these poets strove to attack the established social order of their time. As this generation of poets longed for social a nd political stability, they began to reach out to ar 2rks of the past to pass them go for for a better future. contempt the common, underlying themes of emotion, spirit, and imagination in romanticist poetry, two distinct generations arose during this period as the first-generation romanticists strictly cerebrate on establishing a new form of poetry that differed from their Neoclassic counterparts, musical composition the second-generation amorouss used poetry as a vessel to explore the family relationship between art and life. During the Romantic Period, poets from both generations challenged mans reliance on rationality as they began to fierceness emotions over reason.As this slickness occurred, the search for a creative office or spirit that lies altogether within a mans inner self became unmingled in the works of Romantic poets. In iodine of his poems, William Wordsworth seeks this supreme force as he cries out, Wisdom and Spirit of the universe / Thou Soul, that art the Eternity of thought ( bewitch of lifelike Objects, zephyrs 1-2, RPO). He personifies the universe and seeks its mogul to draw out this inner spirit within him, for the universe feces shape and fill his mind with purifying images of inbred beaut.Similarly, Samuel Coleridge describes his feeling heart, his inquisitory soul as he dedicates himself to this great, unknown force (Ode to Tranquillity, line 26, Columbia Grangers). He hopes to t zip/ The greatness of roughly future race finished this spirit within himself rather than scan/? The present works of present man/Too foolish for a tear, too nasty for a smile (Ode to Tranquillity, lines 31-33, Columbia Grangers). As the Romantic poets began to focus on the power of kind-hearted emotions, they rejected the authoritative precepts of their classical precedents who pure greatly on logic and reasoning.Wordsworth rebukes societys reliance on rationality as he says, Enough of Science and of Art/ constraining up those barren leaves/ Come forth, and bring with you a heart/ That watches and receives (The Tables sour, lines 29-32, RPO). He strongly urges his friend to turn away from meaningless books and chequer through feeling the heart. Thus, the Romantics surpassed formal reasoning by expanding their knowledge through the use of imagination as a gateway to express their emotions. Personifying a foul, Percy Shelley uses first person narrative as he imagines a clouds experience in nature.To the cloud, the moon becomes an orbed maiden with white call forth laden who glides glimmering oer the clouds fleece-like floor (The obscure, lines 45-47, RPO). Shelley introduces a new point of view to his readers that allows them to emotionally identify with natural objects somewhat them rather than to analyze. The Romantic poets called for a great attention to the emotions as a necessary supplement to purely logical reason (Flesch 2). As poets began to emphasis the significance of emotions during this time, a new focus emerged among British poets.Usually unmarked by the materialistic society of their time, nature became the key focus for the Romantic poets. These poets sought nature as place to explore fundamental aspects of human nature away from societys hectic atmosphere. In one of his poems, Wordsworth states that The elements of feeling and of thought can only be purified With life and nature and Not with the mean and vulgar works of Man (Influence of Natural Objects, lines 8 10-11, RPO). He conveys an aversion to materialistic goods, for he believes that these objects only appropriate one from truly discovering oneself.Romantics thence attempted to show that even undecomposable and insignificant parts of nature, if approached correctly, had the ability to expand ones mind. Thus, Wordsworth depicts how non only did nature link/ The human soul that through him ran, further also grieve his heart to think/ What man has made of man (Lines economise in primaeval Sprin g, lines 5-8, Bartleby). While in a grove he sat reclined, Wordsworth was able to see the negative effects of industrialism by its contrast to natures beauty (Lines Written in Early Spring, lines 2, Bartleby).Similarly, Coleridge asks a skylark to Teach him, Sprite or Bird,/ What redolence thoughts atomic number 18 thine (To a Skylark, lines 61-62, RPO). Despite the small size of this bird, Coleridge glorifies it as he seeks its guidance to help expand his perspective. As nature became a source of inspiration, the Romantics focused on the concept of the sublime to not only instill terror but also elevate admiration for the natural world. In Influence of Natural Objects, Wordsworth asserts natures way of sanctifying by such discipline/ Both pain and fear, until people recognize/ A noblesse in the beatings of the heart (lines 12-14, RPO).He conveys the idea that through natures awe-inspiring power humanity can comprehend the significance of life. Nature became the subject of Roma ntic poetry as poets sought in its beauty an insight of their soul. The first-generation poets became rebels as they attacked and broke away from the artificial and formal styles of the Age of Reason. These poets established that good poetry should arise from spontaneous flashes of insight, sparked by tangible events, which ultimately became the topic of most of their poems.After re chattering a certain location, Wordsworth creates a poem on impulse as he Once again/ beholds these steep and lofty cliffs (Tintern Abbey, lines 4-5, RPO). Likewise, Coleridge produces a poem after a visit from his friends as he laments that they are gone, and here must he remain at home, unable to walk with them through nature (This Lime-tree pergola my Prison, line 1, RPO). By spontaneously creating poetry, both these poets are able to break away from the previous Neoclassic precept of strictly, structured poetry.Furtherto a greater extent, the first-generation poets strayed away from using complex , magnify expressions like their Neoclassic counterparts and instead used simple, everyday voice communication. In Lines Written in Early Spring, Wordsworth uses common, verdant words rather than complicated, lofty language to illustrate nature. He writes that The birds around him hopped and played and The budding twigs spread out their fan, / To catch the breezy air (lines 13 18-19, RPO). By using such diction, Wordsworth knows that his readers can easily visualize and understand his poem, leaving a more than permanent impact in their minds.Finally, the first-generation poets used imagination to contrast the change intellectualism of the Age of Reason. In his poem This Lime-tree Bower my Prison, Coleridge imagines his Friends /On springy heath, along the hill-top edge because he cannot physically join them (lines 6-7, RPO). By visioning this imaginary scene, he emancipates himself from the tyranny of conventions and literary rules of the Neoclassic Era, for his imagination ca nnot be controlled. The first-generation Romantics ultimate intent was to liberate themselves from the authoritative ways of the previous era.Unlike the Neoclassic poets who greatly focused on the society as a whole, the first-generation poets became more refer with the individual. Thus, rustic life generally became the topic of these poets, who believed that only in this disgrace setting could one truly discover basic thoughts and feelings. In Influence of Natural Objects, Wordsworth states how By day or star-light, thus from his first dawn/ Of childhood did nature intertwine for him/ The passions that build up the human soul (lines 5-7, RPO).He expresses the idea of nature establishing a connection between his emotions and spirit, allowing him to recognize the primary feelings that engender the human soul. Likewise, Coleridge realizes that nature may well employ/ severally faculty of sense, and keep the heart/ Awake to Love and Beauty (This Lime-tree Bower my Prison, line 6 4-66, RPO). As he sits and imagines a walk through nature, he is reminded of how human senses and feelings come alive in natures environment.The first-generation poets then centered around the common man, who typically lived closer to and interacted more with the unseen spirit of nature that the poets seeked. In one of his poems, Wordsworth apostrophizes a subalpine girl and praises her mien, or face,/ In which more plainly he could trace/ graciousness and home-bred sense/ Ripening in perfect innocence (To a subalpine Girl, lines 24-26, RPO). Moreover, this girls humble upbringing attracts Wordsworth as he wishes here to dwell/ Beside her in some heathy dell and Adopt her evident ways (To a Highland Girl, lines 49-51, RPO).By degrees, the first-generation Romantics appealed not to the logical mind, but to the complete self, in the whole scope of senses, emotions and intellectual abilities. Despite the first-generations initial deviation from the use of artifice, the second-gener ation Romantics began to value art over nature admist the escalating social conflicts of their time. Rather than finding inspiration in nature, the second-generation poets became travel by literature and artwork from the past. John Keats writes an ode to a urn that expresses A ornate tale more sweetly than our rhyme (Ode on a Hellenic Urn, line 4, RPO).He asserts that the story this urn portrays is far more superior to the poetry of his time. Likewise, he writes a poem about his reaction to reading George Chapmans rendering of Homer. He describes how he then feltlike some watcher of the skies/ When a new planet swims into his ken, for Chapmans translation opened up a new perspective for Keats that broadened his intellect. Moreover, the latter poets of the Romantic era sought the art of the past as inspiration for hope amid the chaos of the world surrounding them.In Ode on a Grecian Urn, Keats concludes that When old age, shall this generation waste,/ the urn shall remain, in mids t of other woe (lines 46-47, RPO). He places faith in the urn to remain and tell its story despite the disintegration of his own generation. Earlier art becomes crucial for the second-generation poets as it allowed the poets to escape the turmoils of their time. The second-generation Romantics then began to reflect upon the relationship between the real and the ideal. Departing from prior methods, these poets did not write about actual experieneces but instead created imagined places in their poetry.In Ode to Psyche, Keats creates a supernatural setting In deepest grass,/ beneath the whispring roof/ Of leaves and trembled blossoms (lines 10-11, RPO). Rather than reiterating a past experience, Keats employs the power of his imagination to create a credible, sylvan scenery. Futhermore, despite being figments of the poets imaginations, the subjects of the poems were usually actual objects in nature, which allowed readers to identify with them. In one of his poems, Shelley uses his imag ination to become a cloud.He paints a pictures for his readers as he personifies the cloud to bind the Suns throne with a burning zone,/ And the Moons with a girdle of pearl (The Cloud, lines 59-60, RPO). Readers are able to visualize this image and connect with nature because they are familiar with these objects. Thus, the second-generation poets were able to escape the disorder of their world by using their imagination to create ideal locations. Despite the common notion of the Romantic Period being a unified, literary movement, there are two distinct generations that arise within this single era.As the first-generation poets focused on defying their classical precedents, the second-generation poets concentrated on analyzing the materialistic world around them and using their imagination to bring their thoughts into reality. However, both generations hoped that their poetry would lead the world to change by enlightening others to strive for a more perfect society. Thus, the poets of the Romantic period established that future generations should seek new ideas and not save accept past beliefs, for the goal of poetry is to illustrate a greater picture. industrial plant Cited Flesch, William. Romanticism. The Facts On File Companion to British song, 19th Century. spic-and-span York Facts On File, Inc. , 2009. Blooms Literary destination Online. Facts On File, Inc. . (accessed May 1, 2011). Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. 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