Natalie Tsinnijinnie
ENH 241
Unknow Period Reflection
June 30, 2007
Reflecting on the Romantic Period
As I reflect on the Romantic period, this historical time period was a time when America continued to fight for their individual freedom of rights. During this period, people began to make better sense of the outlook on life. The key to the improvement of life was idealism and individualism. It was ideal for Americans to believe that to improve their lives, change would be necessary. Plus, the hope of gaining independence for individuals who unwilling suffered was significant. As in the story of Gerty in “The Lamplighter”, the story depicts a little girl wishing for love, hope, and happiness.
As for all the other periods, each period has its own unique form of concept on the realization of history. In addition, each period overlap each others by sharing some common characteristic. When reading about the Romantic period, like all other periods, the aspects of the economic, social, political, and environmental changes helped formed this era. Some periods are linked to religion. For example, the belief in god and the separation of religions helped transform Puritanism to the new era of Transcendentalism.
In understanding the literary themes, the romantic period is the time of Diversity where people stood for freedom of spirit and independence. The writers and poets of the Romantic time were influential in helping shape the society as well. These romantic writers specifically paid attention to the neoclassic focus on reason and intellect, which is characterized by imagination, emotions, idealism, and individualism. Plus, the American Dream of romanticizing about liberty, sovereignty with self-determination.
The most interesting author of this period that influenced me was Maria Susanna Cummins. As a woman, she was the icon for representing what her belief were through her writing of “The Lamplighter”, which is the text I would have selected as well. Like many writers in the days of the revolution, she seems to identify herself in her book. The novel she wrote is intriguing, and I wouldn’t like to read it myself.
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