English 306: The Representative Poem Paper - The Romantic Poet

The Representative Poem Paper

Kristen Jackson

9/14/2015

University of Phoenix

English 306/ Poetry and Society

Instructor: Charles Zeitvogel

                The Romantic Poet

The 19th Century was also referred to as the Romantic Era. The theme of the romantic era seemed to be revolt. There was an uprising and a spirit of revolt against the strict and rigid order that was put into place by Classicism. The rules, laws, and dogmas of the Neoclassicism era where questioned and overthrown. Emerged was a new order that focused on freedom. This freedom centered mainly around ideas of personal, spiritual, artistic and political ideals of one’s individual life. The Romantic Era became a movement in history that focused on religion in a more spiritual and artistic aspect.  The Romantic Era gave birth to new religious beliefs. There no longer was this notion that God only dwelled inside of the church. The romantics tended to look toward nature as the ultimate dwelling place of God and more importantly that God and nature were one in the same. Those who believed felt that God’s presence in nature and the universe could only be achieved through self-discovery.

During the Romantic Era there was also an emergence of the Romantic Hero.  According to "The Romantic Era – 19th Century The Romantic View Of Nature & The Romantic Hero" (2015), “The Romantic heroes differed from traditional literary heroes in that they tended to challenge rather than champion the social and moral values of their time. The romantics saw themselves as heroes – the champions of a cult of the senses and of the heart. 19th century intellectuals celebrated the heroic personality, especially in its dedication to the causes of liberty and equality.” William Blake was an infamous romantic poet of the 19th century. His poetry focused more on content and less on form than that of his predecessors. Blake focused his poetry on the innocence of children. Blake believed that all children were born innocent. He felt that once they grew and were influenced by the opinions and beliefs of adults their innocence was lost. He created a set of poems he grouped together called the Songs of Innocence. This group of poems was created and written solely from his view of a child’s perspective. What is important to note is that this perspective was that of an innocent child not yet affected by the world. The poems in this series seem to show human life without the negative connotations of the corruption that was occurring during this period in history. Blake focused on the natural aspects of human understanding in a way that seemed natural and good. The serious focused on Christianity and how it affected those individuals that were privy to it. He shows the innocence of life through the eyes of children.