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Rip Van Winkle and Romanticism
In the world of literature, there are many types of writing that an author can take to express his ideas. Their topics can be explained through life experiences, biographies, poetry, or other forms of literature. One of the forms that authors use is Romanticism. There are many qualities that define the different viewpoints of Romanticism. Rip Van Winkle, “Thanatopsis,” and “The Cross of Snow” are all examples of writing from the period of Romanticism.
Rip Van Winkle is a story written by Washington Irving. This was a story mainly about a lazy man who did not want to do any type of work, at home or at work. He was said to be useless on his farm, his land and property falling to pieces. Irving says, “The great error in Rip’s composition was an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor”(p. 156 1st paragraph), which was just one of Irving’s many uses of inflated language. Madame Van Winkle would always nag on Rip constantly, to do work around the house and possibly even help to raise their children.
Perhaps the nagging of his wife and his dread of labor is what Rip escaped from when he spent a good amount of his time at the village’s small inn in town. “Here they used to sit in the shade, through a long lazy summer’s day, talking listlessly over village gossip, or telling endless sleepy stories about nothing.” (p.157) Even in the security of his peers, his wife would track Rip down, and scold all the men for being among each other, instead of being at home with their families. These surprise visits are what led to Rip’s escape into the Kaatskill Mountains.
After wandering with his gun and his close companion Wolf, Rip tracks himself into the upper parts of the Mountains. Soon after, Rip comes across a stranger who was carrying what looked like a keg of liquor. So with the help of the Hollands, which is Dutch Gin, and a whole day of hiking, Rip fell into a deep, solemn slumber. But when he woke up, he did not know how long he had slept or where both of his companions had gone off too. He rises from his spot, and with his aged gun, he heads back to town, trying to find an excuse for his angry wife as for why he had been gone for so long.
The 1919 World series resulted in the most famous Scandal in Baseball history. Eight players from the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the series against the Reds and were banned from Major League Baseball. (“History files-Chicago Black Sox”) All eight players were expelled in an attempt to save the purity of the game. The White Sox lost the opening game of the series nine to one, and then ended up losing the series five games to three. (“Black Sox Scandal”) They had won the American league pennant and were highly favored to beat the Reds in the World Series. (“Bankston, Carl. L”)
During the 1919 MLB season the Chicago White Sox were one of the elite teams. Many of the players had formerly been on the 1917 World Series winning team. The 1919 World Series has ever been a phenomenon to many sports enthusiast still to this day. The series started out seeming like any other World Series played before. Two highly talented and competitive teams playing for what some call the most prestigious honor in baseball, to be crowned world champions. But many adopt the Reds had some help. What started as a few simple gamblers trying get rich quick, turned into one of the most predominantly and surly one of the obscurest scandals in American baseball past and present? With the nation already in disorder the 1919 World Series scandal made many American lose assurance in the...
scandal of all time, The 1919 World series. Corruption, money, greed, power, and even organized
...ture of King George in “Rip Van Winkle.” Rip returns to his village twenty years after he left and realizes that someone has transformed the King into George Washington (541). Irving, realizing that much of life is merely a refashioning of the same ideas and structures into something that looks new, has taken an old German folk tale and turned it into a story of American life. We may live in a time with vastly different resources, technologies, and opportunities, but the urges that drive us are still the same.
Romanticism is a revolt against rationalism. The poets and authors of this time wrote about God, religion, and Beauty in nature. The romantics held a conviction that imagination and emotion are superior to reason. One such author is William Cullen Bryant, he wrote the poem Inscription for the Entrance to a Wood. This poem uses many literary devices, and has a strong message to portray to the reader.
This was brought on by the economic conditions of this time, including low pay and the frugalness of the White Sox owner, Charles Comiskey. This type of scandal more than likely would never happen today, due to the high pay baseball players now receive along with them being ban from baseball (future high salary). Finally, due to the reverse clause during 1919, I personally do not begrudge the players for throwing the game due to their low pay and needing to make ends meet. After all, it was normally during this time for players to work close with gamblers for this
Next the story introduces Dame Van Winkle, Rip’s stern wife. She maintains contempt for her husband’s “insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor” (Irving). This tyrannic...
“Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving and “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne are both stories of male individuals who leave their community, only to return with their views on life changed forever. This essay will decipher the similarities and differences between these two short stories.
Young, Philip, Fallen From Time: Rip Van Winkle. Kenyon Review, Vol. XXII (1960): 547-73. 457-479.
How would you react if you fell asleep for 20 years then woke up and everything has changed. That is what happened in Rip is the iconic myth told in America, “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving. In Rip Van Winkle, Irving creates an American myth that showcases early American mythology through his well planned out integration of a remote setting, a mysterious event, and a positive perspective.
In RIP Van Winkle, Dam Van Winkle is abusive, nagging, and sarcastic. In Rip Van Winkle, Washington Irving states that “but what courage can with stand the ever-during and all besetting terrors of a woman’s tongue.” He seems to imply that he did not like women who gave their opinions and spoke their mind. It seems that Rip is going into the woods to escape his wife.
In Rip Van Winkle, Irving shows his doubts in the American Identity and the American dream. After the Revolutionary war, America was trying to develop its own course. They were free to govern their own course of development; however, some of them had an air of uncertainties on their own identity in this new country. Irving was born among this generation in the newly created United States of America, and also felt uncertainty about the American identity. Irving might be the writer that is the least positive about being an American. The main reason for this uncertainty is the new born American has no history and tradition while the Europe has a great one accumulated for thousands of years. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, Irving borrows an old European tale to make it take place in America. This tale related to the Dutch colonists haunts the kaatskill mountains. In order to highlight the American identity, Irving praises the “majestic” mountains which Europe lacks. He describes the mountains that “their summits…will glow and light up like a crown of glory” Nevertheless, the use of these ancient explorers into Rip Van Winkle only to show that although American has formed its own identity, no one can cut its connection with Europe. No wonder when America was still under tyranny of the British rule, some people still cannot cut the blood relationship with Europe. Therefore, the American identity is blurred by their relationship with Europe since then.
The small town was isolated from the rapid industrialization in the pre revolution era which influenced the Dutch to live a simple, traditional, slow life style. In this era Rip flourished. Rip was known and loved by the whole town because he would come to aid anybody at the first sound of distress. Despite of all the help he provided to the town he did not participate in his life at home, “Rip was ready to attend to any body’s business but his own; but as to doing family duty, and keeping his family in order, it was impossible,”(31). He neglected his farm because he believed it to be a useless piece of land and found a greater reward in helping others with their farm. He also neglected his children as they basically grew fatherless. Rip would seldom be at home due to what he describes as a shrew of a wife would be constantly barking orders at him to be participate more in the household and the children’s life.
Irving composed the story in light of the American individuals at time when society has changed drastically due to American Revolution. The analogies of Irving's Rip Van Winkle cover an array of Revolutionary encounters: America before English enforcement, early American provinces under English principle, and after the American Revolution. He suggests that there is an immense contrast which leads Rip astonished, to know he is in some other time. This could symbolize the American's perspective on their new home.
The 1919 Black Sox scandal filled America’s sport with shame and embarrassment. For the first time baseball’s dark side was brought to light- their sparkling reputation dashed. Swirling in controversy, major league baseball declined to recognize what was happening around them, an event that marked change in not only baseball, but the culture of a nation. “What took place in 1919 growing post war cynicism, race riots, and accelerating industrialization signaled the death knell of the small town ideals.” Joe Jackson, Earl Weaver and the Black Sox were in the heart of it all.