Romantic Era The Romantic Period

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The Romantic Era: The Pain of Composition Romanticism allowed poets to have the world at their fingertips. In the course of the American and French Revolutions, political, social, and economic traditions were being shaken. No longer were they bound to what was thought of as appropriate topics for writing. These poets were allowed to use firsthand experience to guide their creativity. Romantics created their poetry by using their own heartfelt emotions. William Blake, I believe, was a visionary with more of a theological or spiritual tone in both his writings and his paintings, whereas William Wordsworth used temporal viewpoints to help him describe his reality of nature. Blake and Wordsworth both used their talent for creating art and exciting passion in their readers with Blake expressing his views on morality, religion and philosophy, and Wordsworth with his ever changing views on man and nature becoming one. William Blake was born in 1757 in London, England. The majority of his education was taught at home by his mother. The Bible was a huge influence early in Blake’s life and would continue to be an inspiration to him in his works, filling them with spirituality. Blake began having visions as young as four years old that continued throughout his life, which had an effect on both his paintings and his poetry. William Wordsworth was born in 1770 in Cumberland. Wordsworth was privileged to have a happy childhood and he had access to the beautiful scenery in Cumberland as well as a full education. Some authors that impressed him were Milton, Crabbe, and Ossian. Wordsworth was privileged to travel to France, Switzerland, and Italy. Blake and Wordsworth both used their childhood experiences as a basis for their poetry. In the... ... middle of paper ... ... be ignorant to what is going on around him. In contrast, I feel that Wordsworth grew and matured and was able to change his way of thinking about the world around him. I feel that he places emphasis on nature, and what goes on in the world around you, creates who you are. I also feel they both use events in the world and in nature to symbolize things that happen in everyday life. In conclusion, the Romantic Period was a time of great opportunity for writers such as Blake and Wordsworth to reach into their mind, heart and soul, and share with the world their experiences of love, loss, and learning. The Romantic time influenced each writer and reader to interpret their experiences in different ways, and as we have discussed, although Blake and Wordsworth wrote about common themes, they differed in the way that they perceived and presented these themes to the world.

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