The Romantic Periods Trends English Literature Essay

The Romantic Periods Trends English Literature Essay The Romantic Period 1798-1830 refers to a number of different groups of artists, poets, writers and musicians as well as political, theoretical and societal theorists and trends of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Europe. Whilst the Enlightenment put emphasis on the pre-eminence of rationale, Romanticism accentuated imagination and sensation. Romanticism rarely has anything to do with things generally considered to be romantic, even though it is possible that love could sometimes be the topic of Romantic art. To a larger extent it is a Western creative and philosophical revolution that redefined the principal ways in which people examined themselves and the world in which they lived. It was during this time that imagination was believed to be the most significant element of the mind; that the imagination is the single most powerful instrument of mankind and that through its use there was no difficulty in life that could not be overcome. This was in direct contradiction with the per-eminence for reason and differentiates the Romantic Period from that which went before. It was a dramatic shift in human understanding one that would eventually lead to the Modernist and Post-Modernist periods and inspire the thinking of later writers such as Williams and Ginsberg. However this fundamental shift in personal values and beliefs may have in part been sculpted by the industrial revolution itself. It could be argued that people who had previously left the countryside to work in the cities had essentially created a living space in the countryside that enabled Romantic style poets and artists to re-evaluate the importance and beauty of the natural landscape that surrounded th em. Wordsworth in his preface to Lyrical Ballads attempts to explain to his readers the techniques he employs when writing his poetry. Wordsworths principal objective was to choose incidents and situations from common life to write about. He wanted to use language that was used ordinarily by men and; at the same time throw over them a certain colouring of imagination. (Wordsworth 1800 p. 2). He believed that by surrounding himself with the countryside he was better able to bring his poems to completion as they; find a better soil in which they can attain their maturity. (Wordsworth 1800 p. 2). He defined poetry as the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. However he developed an ethos for writing not normally not associated with the word spontaneous. Wordsworth believed that powerful emotions recalled after the event which inspired them are in fact a truer representation of the feelings that were experienced at the time. That is; a period of speculative thought and reflection is nec essary after the time in which the emotions were experienced, coupled with continuing influxes of feeling, modified by our thoughts within that speculative time frame, thus enables the poet to present a more accurate description of the experience as it actually occurred. Nature itself became an expression of art for the romantics, they believed in the divine beauty of the countryside and marked a step away form forms of industrialisation, including industrialised civilisation, mechanical language and a return to nature as a naturally combined spiritual and organic pursuit. Percy Bysshe Shelly described a poem as; the image of life expressed in its eternal truth. (Shelly English Essays 1909). When we examine this statement there would appear to be two factors that must be acknowledged, firstly the image of life that Shelly refers to is not the image of life appertained to by for instance neoclassical painters whose rigidity and unemotional form of art was not intended to include symbolism, inventiveness, self-expression or personal inspiration. Conversely Shellys aim was to portray an image of life that was based solely on the; Unchangeable forms of human nature as existing in the mind of the creator. Another factor of Shellys poetry was his idea that to truly express an image of life it must be done so in its eternal truth. He believed that to describe an image solely as it exists in the mind of the observer was to describe it in such a way that it was automatically recognisable in its truest form in the mind of the reader. Shelly inevitably suggests t hat there is a universal truth to poetry that recognises a familiarity between what is being described by the poet and the personal day to day experiences of the reader. This proverbial connection between reader and poet is achieved according to Shelly because poetry acts in a divine and unapprehended manner beyond and above consciousness. (Shelly English Essays 1909). When writing to his brothers George and Tom, the poet John Keats discussed his theory of Negative Capability. It is described in his letter; I mean Negative Capability that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries [and] doubts without any irritable reaching after fact reason. (Keats 1818). Although Keats does not in any great depth discuss instances in which negative capability exists other than referencing Shakespeare, we are able to establish from this statement an interpretation of what he was talking about. Firstly if we look at the idea; that a man is capable of being even in uncertainties, it is revealed to us that the state of being in which a man exists does not have to rely on fact or reason, rather that it exists within a reality that responds to events and forces that are unseen and indeterminable. With this in mind Keats believed that poetry and all art was devoid of rationality. He believed that poets and great artists were directly relaying the voice of God to the world and that this could be seen in their work. Therefore any attempt to interpret reason and significance from poetry and thus life, was impossible. This idea can be likened to A Priory thinking, whereby one does not need to experience something or look for scientific evidence to ascertain if something, whether in poetry of real life is true, but simply to accept that it is true and leave it at that. This technique was also employed by the poet William Carlos Williams a century later to great effect in the poem The Red Wheelbarrow. The idea of Negative Capability can also be likened to those of the philosopher Immanuel Kant who believed that the larger questions of exploratory metaphysics cannot be understood nor answered by the human mind, because the laws and scientific reasoning used to raise these questions rest within the metaphysical boundaries of human consciousness. Keats believed that the truths that were to be found within the human imagination had access to divine knowledge. Such knowledge, he believed could not be interpreted or understood by the human mind and thus he writes of the existence of uncertainties within poetry and thus reality. Therefore being in uncertainty is in fact being in a place that lies between the ordinary day to day reality of the world as we experience it and the multiple potential realities that exist outside our physical understanding of how things are; As to the poetical character itself(à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)it has no self, it is everything and nothing, it has no character, it enjoys light and shade, it lives in gusto be it foul or fair, high or low, rich or poor, mean or elevated, it has as much delight in perceiving an Iago as an Imogen. (Keats 1818 Letter to Richard Woodhouse). Keats J. 1818 Letter to Richard Woodhouse: EN125: Literary Periods Literary History, Dr. Riana ODwyer. Keats J. 1818 Letter to George and Tom Keats: EN125: Literary Periods Literary History, Dr. Riana ODwyer. Shelly P.B. 1909 English Essays: Sidney to Macaulay: The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier Son, 1909-14; Bartleby.com, 2001. Wordsworth W. 1800 Preface to Lyrical Ballads 2nd Edition: The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier Son, 1909-14; Bartleby.com, 2001.

Metallica Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"If you came here to see spandex and big hair, this ain’t your band†, Metallica’s â€Å"war cry† throughout the early eighties. While the rest of the hard rock bands wanted to get rich and a lot of women, Metallica, as in the words of former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, â€Å"Our hole existence pretty much was guitar, dominating the world and getting liquored up†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was a new wave a British Heavy Metal entering the cassette and 8-track decks of people everywhere. Over in Denmark, current Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, was a hug fan of this type of music. So obsessed with this music, Lars Ulrich wanted to start a heavy metal band... a band that he could play his favorite songs with.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the other side of the globe, James Hetfield, Metallica’s current rhythm guitarist and lead singer, was looking to start a band of his own. His current roommate had taught him how to play guitar and James was very motivated to get something started. In effect, James had put a listing in a worldwide music magazine, The Recycler under â€Å"H† for â€Å"Heavy Metal†. James and Lars, were the only ones listed, so it was obvious that the two should talk to each other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the fall of 1981, the band â€Å"Metallica† was formed. Playing drums was Lars Ulrich, on bass guitar was Ron McGoveny, playing lead guitar was Dave Mustaine, and rhythm guitar and lead vocalist was James Hetfield. During the song writing process over the next few months, the band became very addicted to Alcohol. When drunk, Dave Mustaine would get very violent, while the rest of the band would get happy. Happy and Violent people just don’t mix. Ron McGoveny could not handle the situation with Dave, and so he left the band.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lars, James, and Dave then went around to local clubs to check out bassists’ from other bands. At one club, they found Cliff Burton playing with a band called Trauma. Cliff Burton was a technical engineer and could do certain things on a bass that would make it sound like noises from a guitar. After the show that night, Lars, James, and Dave confronted Cliff asking him to join â€Å"Metallica†. Cliff said he would join, only if the band relocated from Los Angeles to San Francisco.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Los Angeles, Metallica recorded their first demo... ...the Page,† written by Bob Segar, was placed on this album. James Hetfield states, â€Å"When I first heard this song, the lyrics spoke to me and I realized that this song was written for me, written for Metallica.† The Video released for this song showed a story of a prostitute trying to support and provide a normal life for herself and her daughter, accompanied by the song in the back-ground.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the start of Metallica, the members have always been about the fans, and for the fans. The members of Metallica consider themselves to be four lucky fans who got together in a garage. Metallica’s music goes much more deeper in emotions than rap and other new forms of â€Å"popular† music. Since the day I started listening to Metallica, there hasn’t been a day that went by where I didn’t listen to them. Metallica has a song for every person and every emotion. By cutting there hair, by changing what ways they allow their music to be produced, they have grown up. Metallica was started by 17 year olds and while they are in their ripe, current age 37, they will continue making music that suits them, and only them. For that reason, they have my full and undivided respect.

Do you think IQ will determine your success in life Essay

Have a successful life is everyone’s goal. Most of people think people who have higher IQ would always have a successful life. They believe that people who had talent is always better than people who don’t. However I think IQ would not determine people’s success in life. I would say have a higher IQ just can help people easier to do things but this doesn’t mean that people can do everything without they try hard and work hard. There are so many people that have higher IQ but they don’t even work hard to try their best. They never try to improve themselves, they just keep waste their precious talent. On the other hand there are people who don’t have higher IQ but they always work hard and try to improve themselves. I think people who never work hard will never success even they have a smart brain. I believe that if I want to have a successful life the only one thing I should do is to try my best. No matter I am a smart person or not, if I want to success in my life I better work as much as I can. Because in this world there is no one can get everything without hard working. Life is just like a race, you have to keep running away from destiny and never let destiny catch you. If you win this race, destiny will not affect you anymore and you will be the boss of your life. Nothing can make you fear and nothing can defeat you. Therefore I think life is based on choice. Because when people really want to change something in their life they can always defeat their destiny. I believe that life is led by myself and I am the guy who will decide where to go in my future. Every decision I make would all depend on my willingness and nothing can affect me except myself.

The Vietnam War Was The War Essay - 1611 Words

During the1950s North Vietnam was controlled by the Viet Cong (a National Liberation Front.) The Viet Cong were bullying South Vietnam, trying to make them a communist. Most of society will not stand up for the weaker person in a bully situation. The United States is not most of society; they believe you mess with someone your own size. Many people have different views on the Vietnam War: was the war necessary, was the war worth all the sacrifices of American troops lives, what was the United States moral obligation to oppose communism, and what ethics did the Presidents of the United States abide by when fighting Vietcong. The Vietnam War was the longest war in United States History. The war officially started on November 1, 1955 and concluded on April 30, 1975. There were three total presidents who served during this war, John F. Kennedy who sent American soldiers overseas to Vietnam in 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson who ordered the first real combat by American troops on the Vietcong, and Richard Nixon who issued a ceasefire in 1973 ending the war. Throughout the Vietnam War America spent billions of greenbacks and lost nearly 60,000 American lives. Beginning in 1955, with the help of America massive amounts of U.S. military, political, and economic aid, the Government of the Republic of Vietnam (GVN or South Vietnam) was born. â€Å"The purpose of this offer is to assist the Government of Vietnam in developing and maintaining a strong, viable state, capable of resisting attemptedShow MoreRelatedThe Vietnam War Was A Conflict951 Words   |  4 Pages The Vietnam War was a conflict between the communist army of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against South Vietnam began in 1954. The United States began their involvement in the Vietnam War by supporting the democratic South Vietnam with weapons and soldiers. Many Americans were divided due to opposition of the US involvement with the war. 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