Romantic Ideal in the Poetry of William

¶ … Romantic ideal in the poetry of William Blake, William Wordsworth and Walt Whitman shares the attitude that the most worthy part of human existence lies in simplicity and deep emotion rather than rational thought. Romanticism is based upon a movement away from the rationality of Enlightenment and the wealth-driven society inspired by Industrialism. This ideal is reflected in the work of the poets mentioned above. To demonstrate this, "The Chimney Sweeper," "Ode: Imitations of Immortality" and "I Sing the Body Electric" from each respective poet are considered.

William Blake

Blake's poetry emphasizes the evils of existing power systems within society, and how these are used to oppress the poor and powerless. This is shown in his poem "The Chimney Sweeper." The little chimney sweeper is representative of the poor and oppressed suffering under the current systems of power. The parents and the church are images reflecting the oppressive forces. The child emphasizes that neither of these entities are aware of the suffering of the chimney sweeper and others like him.

Another interesting element in the poem is the happiness and songs belonging to the chimney sweeper. His unhappiness and misery are products of forces outside of the chimney sweeper, whereas his joy comes from within himself. The misery forced upon him by the clergy, social forces and even God is contrasted by the joy that he finds within himself. This however does not change either the injustice or the misery and physical circumstances imposed by society. It is this dichotomy between rich, supposedly pious people and the poor that is criticized by Blake. He also criticizes the reasoning of those who intellectualize their effort to help the poor, whereas the true fate of the poor is overshadowed. This focus on the evils of social structures and rationalization is the element of Romanticism that Blake includes in his poetry.

William Wordsworth

Like Blake, Wordsworth is also disenchanted with the evils imposed by society. He however focuses more strongly on the self created by the society in which he lives. In "Ode: Imitations of Immortality" laments the boundaries imposed upon children by education. According to the poem, children, who enjoy and appreciate everything, learn to become disenchanted by learning. The poet's cure for this is a return to childhood innocence and an enjoyment of nature. For Wordsworth then, nature is the cure for the blandness imposed by modern society.

Walt Whitman

Whitman's poetry disregards all rules, regulations and forces of propriety. He focuses utterly on the self, like Wordsworth does. In "I Sing the Body Electric" Whitman however focuses on the joy it is to be human without first going through the anguish found in Wordsworth's poem. Whitman's rebellion focuses on the complete enjoyment of the self, especially those considered taboo by society.