Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Romantic Lit
Romantic notions in Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper"
Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that occurred during the second half of the 18th century. During this time, a shift from previously established Enlightenment ideals to more natural, emotional, and personal themes was seen. Opposing forces within Romantic literature were Nature and the Self; Nature was seen as the source of goodness and it was through society and civilization that innocence of what was natural, and the natural order of things, was lost. One of the Romantic poets that best exemplified this concept was William Blake.
William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience can be used to demonstrate how society and civilization have corrupted the inherent innocence of children. In Reading Between the Lines: A Christian Guide to Literature, Veith (1990) writes that "civilization was seen as corrupting the natural innocence of human beings; more primitive societies are closer to nature...
182).
In Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, Blake is able to explore this concept through the two poems titled "The Chimney Sweeper;" "The Chimney Sweeper" in Songs of Innocence and "The Chimney Sweeper" in Songs of Experience are reflective of each other and depict how an innocent child may view the world and how a child that has become "experienced" may view the world.
"The Chimney Sweeper" in Songs of Innocence provides a hopeful outlook to the present situation that the young chimney sweep is experiencing. In the poem, the narrator feels as though the work they do serves a higher purpose and does not focus his attention on the negative aspects of the job. In the poem, the narrator's use of "weep, weep, weep" serves to help to demonstrate that the child is young enough to not be able to formulate his words correctly; alternately, the narrator uses the word "weep" to help draw attention to the deplorable environment and situation that the innocent child has found himself in. Moreover, Blake uses religious connotations and concepts to emphasize the innocence of the young chimneysweeper. For example, Tom Dacre is described as "white hair…that curl'd like a lamb's back" (Blake, 26). The…
Works Cited
Blake, W. (1979) "The Chimney Sweeper" from Songs of Experience. Blake's Poetry and Designs.
Ed. Mary Lynn Johnson and John E. Grant. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Blake, W. (1979) "The Chimney Sweeper" from Songs of Innocence. Blake's Poetry and Designs.
Ed. Mary Lynn Johnson and John E. Grant. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
WILLIAM BLAKE'S MILTON-TRANSFORMATION The great Romantic poet, William Blake, is known for his revolutionary ideas and his fiery attacks on everything he opposed. His work is usually not very complex in nature but since it is connected with the infinite and discusses some imaginary elements, one needs to read his poems more than once to make sense of them. This is exactly what is required when reading Blake's Milton, a poem
Her list includes the following: culture / Nature reason / Nature male/female mind/body ( Nature) master/slave reason/matter (physicality) rationality/animality ( Nature) human / Nature (non-human) civilised/primitive ( Nature) production/reproduction ( Nature) self/other At first glance, this list seems to capture the basic groupings and gender associations that are at work in Mary Shelley's novel. The Creature exemplifies animality, primitiveness, and physicality, whereas Victor represents the forces of civilization, rational production, and culture. Victor is part of a happy family
All of the styles inspired by the Romantic current can be clearly traced from the Formalist point-of-view, as they had in common the use of image itself, leaving meaning and content to a secondary design. In the poetry and literature world, the Romantic period was a chance to explore the inner feelings of the artist, the development of his own soul and thoughts, where the author is the hero of the
Your answer should be at least five sentences long. The Legend of Arthur Lesson 1 Journal Entry # 9 of 16 Journal Exercise 1.7A: Honor and Loyalty 1. Consider how Arthur's actions and personality agree with or challenge your definition of honor. Write a few sentences comparing your definition (from Journal 1.6A) with Arthur's actions and personality. 2. Write a brief paragraph explaining the importance or unimportance of loyalty in being honorable. Lesson 1 Journal
Leadership Skills Impact International Education CHALLENGES OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION Practical Circumstances of International schools THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION What is Effective Leadership for Today's Schools? Challenges of Intercultural Communication Challenges of Differing Cultural Values Importance of the Team Leadership Style LEADERSHIP THEORIES Current Leadership Research Transformational Leadership Skills-Authority Contingency Theories APPLYING LEADERSHIP IN AN INTERNATIONAL SETTING Wagner's "Buy-in" vs. Ownership Understanding the Urgent Need for Change Research confirms what teachers, students, parents and superintendents have long known: the individual school is the key unit
Labor in Europe in the 19th Century: Exploitation and the Rise of Labor Unions As Carolyn Tuttle of Lake Forest College points out, the first textile mills in England were bad enough to elicit the opprobrious condemnation of none other than Charles Dickens in the 19th century, who scorned them as "dark satanic mills" (Tuttle). By the beginning of the 19th century, the First Factory Act of 1802 was passed --