ENG 242 95
Byron’s Bad Boys by Mallory F., Heath R., & Amanda R.
http://www.wayneccfaculty.com/wp-content/uploads/ByronicHeroClip.flv
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- Mallory F. & Lisa H. participate in a poetry reading
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- Michael G., Amanda R., Lisa H., Anais T. & Ashley T act out a poetic reading
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- 10/1/10 – ENG 242 Coffee House
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- Anais T.
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- Amanda R.
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- Julie A.
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- Julie A.
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- H. Radford
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- Leigh J.
This class is just awesome!
We are currently studying Romantic poetry in ENG 242-95, and I think that the things that the Romantics had to say are still very relevant today. Especially William Blake, who wrote about injustices in this world, usually concerning the church or the government. Unfortunately, there are still many examples of that in our world. The current healthcare problems, the struggling job market, priests mistreating young boys, pastors embezzling money and many more instances relate to what Blake was trying to say hundreds of years ago about the corruption in law and faith.
In Blake’s poem London, he writes “I wander thro’ each charter’d street….And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe.” The same could be said of many cities in our own country, how discouraged many people tend to look and feel. While the specific instances may vary, it is amazing how pieces of literature remain relevant over such long periods of time. Throughout history, we are all connected through these common experiences and feelings that the Romantics wrote about with such passion.
There is no doubt that the Romantic Period gave us timeless advice through poetry. For instance, the poems of William Wordsworth urged us to slow down and enjoy the world around us. He wanted us to look at our surroundings without an urge to profit from them. In “I wandered lonely as a cloud”, Wordsworth tells us how much sheer pleasure he received from spotting a patch of wild daffodils. I’m fairly sure that most people today have never even been in a completely wild nature scene. Through this poem, we realize what we have missed in the lavish environment that surrounds us and that we can discover joy in the slightest of things. That is why I believe the Romantic Era shall always pertain to the contemporary age.
The Romantic poets that we are currently studying in our class have lessons that are very revelant today. For instance, Samuel Taylor Coleridge focused in his poetry on man’s fascination with the supernatural. He created stories of mystery and horror that have still resonated in our literary world today. In his poem “Christobel”, a woman uses potions to make herself look like a man’s bethrothed, and changes back into her regular self after they are married. It is that type of horror that makes people think of current models of horror like R.L. Stine and Alfred Hitchcock. Today, we still have a great fascination with the honor genre, especially with the Vampire saga called Twilight. We also have horror films like Paranormal Activity and The Ring (Just to name a few) that still feeds on our fascination with the supernatural. Even though Coleridge got the world started on the supernatural, it still fascinates us in our current day and time.
Wordsworth’s poem We Are Seven he talks about a girl who has lost her brothers and sisters but the child still carries part of them with her. This is a very romantic element. Wordsworth is dismissing logic and embracing childish innocence. I have lost people in my life but I still carry them with me to this day. While this poem was written over 200 years ago this issue is still in our world today. Even with our society’s advances I don’t think anyone could have put it better. In the words of the great:
“We Are Seven”
Wordsworth was our “nature” guy. I have submitted two nature pictures to Mr. Jenkins, so hopefully you will all be able to see them. Wordsworth was the type of person who respected and loved nature. I think that what he wrote about is still relevant to today. However, I do think that because of the many advances we have in society, and the “immediate gratification” attitude that nature is sometimes not thought about. On the other hand, there are people who see society becoming so technology-driven that they have become more outdoorsy to get away from it all. I believe that because of this Wordsworth is still very right on target with a lot of people. The way he felt about a rainbow for instance. That is one of the first things we learned in class. “My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in a sky,” is one of his most famous lines. In that sentence alone you can feel how passionate he is about nature, and how it is just a miraculous gift from God. Personally I get in my “nature” moods. I can appreciate nature from indoors when its 100 degrees out.
I was done appreciating nature about halfway hiking back up the Grand Canyon, but I still appreciated the beauty of it all; and I feel that that is the essence of William Wordsworth.
William Blake was a powerful poet who knew how to voice his opinion in just the right way so as to cause a response in his audience. Primarily, Blake wrote to bring to the light the injustices of man and the part the Church of England and the government played in corrupting youth and adult alike. Unfortunately, I believe Blake’s writing is still relevant today. Although he wrote hundreds of years ago, Blake’s poems still ring true today. Through the unique organization of his poems into separate collections including Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, Blake takes his readers from a world of innocent and uncorrupt purity in heart and action to a world made bitter by the corruptness and trials of life. In such a way, Blake allows us, the reader, a close look into what will become if the injustices toward mankind are not recognized and eradicated. His principles of love and justice are principles we still long for today and yearn to see resurrected in the corrupt and sinful world we live in today.
It is amazing how the poets of this particular era eloquently wrote about the injustices and beliefs of the people during this time. What is even more ironic is the fact that many of these issues can be found in most modern societies today and we can relate to these poems even now.
Wordsworth has left a wonderful impression on me as a poet. His deep affinity for nature is admirable. I believe if more of us took a moment to appreciate nature as he did, we will then experience the richness of being one with it. It does become very spiritual and the romantic poets vividly expressed this with their works. The poets of this period touched on emotions, the supernatural, childhood, and the language of the common man.
I have enjoyed the poetry in this section and the daily quotes Mrs. Spicer has given us to ponder on.
“Fill your paper with the breathing of your heart”
-William Wordsworth
The Romantic poet that was known for his use of the supernatural was Samuel Taylor Coldridge. He loved bringing a sort of suspense and horror to his readers through his poetry that is still followed today. In his poem Christabel, a woman wants a man that is betrothed to another woman. She drinks a potion that makes her look exactly like the man’s betrothed and shocks the man by returning to her original self after they are married. It is that legacy of supernatural horror that Hitchcock and R.L. Stine use in our present century. The supernatural story that has hit our nation is the Twilight Vampire Saga, which brings vampires and werewolves to light. It is still used by our horror filmmakers, making recent movies like Paranormal Activity and The Ring that envelop their stories over the supernatural. His obsession with the supernatural is something I have become engrossed in. His legacy has been carried on through the years, and it is still used today. And we can read about it through the famous poetic works of the supernatural through Samuel Taylor Coldridge.
I would definitely say that Lord Byron was the leader of “bad boys.” He does not seem to have any shame in writing about or living out his voluptuous imagination. There is a rising population of “Byron’s boys” that are continuing to spin their own lustful hungry webs. Because of this budding population, I feel that Byron’s writings are even more relevant today than when they were published.
The era of Romanticism began in the second half of the 18th century. This time period introduced a number of authors who wrote many different styles of poetry and other writings that are still popular even in today’s world. One of these Romantic time period poets is William Wordsworth. He is the one who tends to be the most in tune with nature and the true beauty and meaning of it. I truly think the worth and importance of nature itself is still relevant. The world as a whole began with nature. Overtime people have become self-centered and ignorant, all the while pushing the beautiful world of nature aside. People truly need to take a step back from their busy lifestyles and appreciate the world around them. One of my favorite quotes by Wordsworth is, “Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.” We could really learn so much from the world around us if we were to actually take the time and attempt to be in tune with nature and all it has to offer.
I definitely think that Lord Byron is very relevant to today’s world. Every where you look you see “Byron’s boys” plastered on almost every billboard, movie screen and magazine. “but i write this reeling having got drunk exceedingly today” ( Fragment, Don Juan). I’m pretty sure that when I flipped through the T.V. channels this afternoon, there were at least a dozen shows that had one character going through exactly what Byron is describing. I think now even more than in Byron’s time “bad boys” are accepted, even dreamed of by women of all ages.