American Romanticism

Task 1-
My feelings towards the story Rip Van Winkle, where like WOW! I was really surprise when I read this story, not only surprised but shocked as well. Ok we all know this is a story that is not true, right? Well even though it is not true it is something you can imagine and put your mind into that place. The fact that he drinks liquor and falls asleep and awakens in 20 years is sort of weird right. Then again that is the way the story is put, to entertain, to make you think ahead and in what is going to happen next.
If I were to fall asleep for that long I don’t know what I would do as I woke up. First I for sure know that I wouldn’t realize that I had been asleep for that long. I would go and look for my family, friends, and belongings. Rip was also looking forward into reuniting with his family well actually wife, and old friends. But what he came cross was the death of his wife and his old peers gone or lost as well. I felt like this story shows how no matter how long you are gone things could happen in many different ways, and not only that but people sometimes don’t notice you are gone at all.
Evidence- Poor Rip was at last reduced almost to despair; and his only alternative, to escape from the labor of the farm and clamor of his wife, was to take gun in hand and stroll away into the woods. Here he would sometimes seat himself at the foot of a tree, and share the contents of his wallet with Wolf, with whom he sympathized as a fellow-sufferer in persecution.

Task 2-
What I feel was romanticism about this story was that he was gone for twenty years, without him knowing himself. It was that particular part of the story because he was imagining that once he left all his worries would fade away, as well as all his problems. When he thought of getting away from his wife since she didn’t love him, to go out to the pretty mountains, he was imagining how it was going to be so much better. Just himself and happy, that is not how things turned out to be, he ended up meeting two unknown people and drinking their liquor. What happened, he fell asleep never to wake up again until 20 years. Another prove of romanticism is how when he woke up, he felt like ok now I’m going back to my village and meet once again with my people, once again he is imagining how it would be like since he was all alone up in the mountains. When he gets there once again he faces reality and howl life does have things that hurt more than a simple fight or a simple boring life.

Task 3- Thanatopsis Poem
As I read this poem I automatically realized everything romantic about it. This poem is about how the one American imagined everything pretty and calm. This guy talks about talking to Mother Nature, and how Mother Nature’s talks back to him. It also talks about how at one point all will die, and that once you die you will all be equal no matter what you are. Once you die, you will turn into earth and wait for the rest to join you. Two examples of romanticism are-
1. Mother Nature- this is a good example because Mother Nature does not exist and in the poem the author makes her seem so real, and also he talks about how everything around her is so nice and clean unlike where he lives.
2. Everyone being equal at death- another good example because this is saying all human will be equal at one point. Even though some of us would like it to be that way, it won’t be like that. I say this because if you are a king or queen you will never be like the poor or the normal. If you are a normal ordinary person you will never be like to prince and princess. So why did they assume they would be equal at death, because Mother Nature assured them. This is romanticism because like I said nobody is always equal.
Textual evidence- Yet a few days, and thee The all-beholding sun shall see no more In all his course; nor yet in the cold ground, Where thy pale form was laid, with many tears, Nor in the embrace of ocean shall exist Thy image.

Task 4- The Ropewalk
This poem is a good example of romanticism because this author is imagining everything he can do with what he does at his job, which is making rope. The point of this story is to explain and show that when you are bored and have no where else to go or nothing else to do, you can always imagine yourself somewhere else at that time. Images that stood out to me where mountains, swings, oceans, and sunny pretty days. They stood out to me because this is what he was thinking about. He was thinking about what the ropes he was making will someday be useful for. Then again he was always thinking of what those same ropes can be used for, but used for bad stuff. He was being creative by thinking and this is what romanticism was all about, IMAGINATION!
Textual Evidence- Two fair maidens in a swing,Like white doves upon the wing. Then an old man in a tower,Ringing loud the noontide hour, While the rope coils round and roundLike a serpent at his feet,And again, in swift retreat, Nearly lifts him from the ground.

Task 5-
The painting to me seems like a good example of romanticism because of the way it looks. This painting contains mountains, sunlight, trees, and a pretty lake. Now we all know that back in those times 1820, people lives in trashy places dirty and with no sanitation what so ever. So to them imagining this place of a good lagoon with trees surrounding and sunlight flashing through their was a ideal place for them. Also with what I see, I spotted some sort of animal by the lake, and this could somewhat be used for food. Sounds great right, but this as not the place they were in physically. This was the place they were in mentally.

This is a good example of romanticism because this is such a pretty paradise and everyone including me would like to be in this place taking a nice vacation and having a calm day and life. This is a perfect picture because it has a beautiful shining sun, a moon, some mountains, and a nice ocean.