Journals Case

Andrew Hunt

Journals

Journal 1: Introduction to Romanticism

Honestly, I found it difficult to read the introduction to the Romantic Period. The wording of it was made it difficult for me to stay concentrated. I did, however, find it quite interesting that the course of history can affect the style of literature. I find it hard to believe that something in America, such as the American Revolution, can cause a chain reaction that would change the course of literature in another country, in this case England. It's funny that the American Revolution gave inspiration to the French Revolution which basically kicked off the Romantic period in England, then the Romantic writing in England in turn gave inspiration to the Americans' revolution and startup of their own government. It also gave inspiration to the French rebels. The last place it affects is England itself, so it pretty much just makes a big circle. Regardless of the fact that I did not enjoy reading the introduction I am actually looking forward to some of the readings moving forward. I believe that some of the works may be difficult to read like the introduction was, but because the content will be much different, it will be much easier to stick with.

Journal 2: introduction to Romanticism continued

The content of the Romantic period shows a very proactive way of thinking, in my opinion. Rejecting the authority of hierarchies and institutions promotes the idea of individualism for the first time in that era. I still find it incredibly hard to imagine a world where there is no individualist thinking whatsoever. I do not see how someone can base every single one of their decisions on what society thinks is the right thing. Another idea that the Romantic way of thinking began to change was the fact that the station one was born into was the station that one must remain in for their entire life. That idea makes no sense to me at all. Not just the idea itself but the fact that everyone went along with that idea. It just floors me that people did not even believe that they would be able to better their own situation. If the government wanted these Romantic ideas to go away, they should have handled it very different. The English government acted rash by cracking down on civil rights. That is being reactive instead proactive, but I honestly think that no matter what they did this movement was going to happen.

Journal 3: Introduction to William Wordsworth

It takes a lot of guts to do something that Wordsworth did. Not only did he publish a book with a new style of writing, but he even described what it was that he was doing. That, I think, is the reason the beginning of the transformation of writing periods went over so well. I will admit I am quite jealous that Wordsworth was able to spend a year in France. That would be a great experience to just go off on your own in a strange land with nothing to hold you back. He was also lucky that he was able to get by on his poetry alone.

Although I am envious of some aspects of his life, I also feel bad for him for the things that caused his close call with a mental breakdown. I know all those hardships inspired him to write his best poetry, but it should not have to come at that cost. I cannot even begin to imagine what it was like for him having to leave his wife and child and not knowing how long this separation would last. Then, when the war broke out in France he had to live each day wondering if his wife and daughter were safe. If I were in his shoes I do not think it would have been close to a mental breakdown; I am pretty sure I would have had one.

Journal 4: Wordsworth's poetry

Poetry has never really been a strong suit of mine, but I actually enjoyed reading some of William Wordsworth's poems. I think the reason for that is because his poems are so descriptive, that I can almost picture the scenes being described in my head. It is clear he likes to tell of people. His poem, "Goody Blake and Harry Gill" really captures the idealism of the new romantic way of thinking. It shows that what the king believes is not always what God believes which was the old way of thinking. I liked the fact that Wordsworth chose to portray this by having God punish Harry Gill by making him eternally feel the way that Goody Blake felt on winter nights that she was unable to make a fire. I also like the way he portrays people in his poems, especially the less fortunate ones. He looks at them in the best possible light in attempt to show the world that those born in a lower station are not just filth.

The poems I am not as fond of are the ones urging the reader to go out and take in nature. This is most likely because I do not like being told what to do. I would have much preferred him to have taken the same approach as he did the poems describing people. Rather than urging the reader to put down his or her book and let nature teach them a lesson, he could have described a person that maybe was not a great guy, but when he went outside to enjoy nature, something inside of him changed and he became better for it.

Journal 5: "The Thorn" and "Tinturn Abbey"

"The Thorn" was a very enjoyable read. As Wordsworth described the area of the thorn bush and beautiful moss beyond it, I could picture it in my head. I understand why Wordsworth could not fathom how a woman could sit so close to all that beauty and still be saying, "Oh misery!" I interpreted the area as life. Wordsworth was able to see the beauty in life because he stood back and looked at it as a whole. I liked that he placed the beautiful mossy area just beyond the painful thorn bush. It is the same way in life; some of life's best moments are after you go through a difficult time, or a rough patch. If you step back and remove yourself this is easy to see, but if you sit every day right next to the thorn, you cannot see beyond that difficult area. This would explain why Martha Ray would constantly cry out, "Oh misery!" All she was able to think about was the fact that the love of her life was married to another woman. We have all been in that situation where you cannot see any good in life because you are still going through that difficult time so all you can see are the thorns.

Journal 6: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

I find Samuel Taylor Coleridge's life to be quite boring compared to some