Journal 20- Autumn

For today's journal, we are supposed to read the poem Autumn by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  This poem is about the beauty of autumn when it comes around every time of year.  This poem definitely reflects the Romanticism period for many reasons.  The first reason is because it talks a lot about nature, which was very prevalent during this time period.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is talking about how everything gets harvested in the fall, and how nature turns golden with the changing leaves.  It is really hard to write another journal about autumn because that season has come and gone, and it is already winter.  It actually snowed last night and there is still snow on the ground.  It is officially no longer autumn anymore.  I should probably get back to the point of this journal so I can get my points for the day.  Another reason why this poem reflects the Romanticism period is because it is not very rational, like when he mentions the hand that casts over the fields for the harvests.  We can compare that to the Rationalist period because it is pretty much the exact opposite.  This is all about feeling of happiness and joy that the season is changing, and it is describing how beautiful it is.  That is basically what the entire Romanticism period was all about.  I really wish this journal would write itself because I accidentally exited out of the poem tab and I do not know how to get back to it.  I am such an idiot sometimes.  I think for the rest of this journal I will just talk about the characteristics of the Romanticism period.  One characteristic is the love for nature.  It really never talked about anything man made because nature is pure, and it focused on how people should take after that.  When you die, you eventually become part of nature, so you might as well live peacefully with nature.

Reflection- The Chambered Nautilus

For tonight's relfection on poetry and its meaning, I chose to read the poem The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes.  In the following paragraphs, I will share the literal meaning of the poem, how this poem reflects the Romantisim period, and the meaning based on the literal meaning, poetic devices and personal knowledge.

First, I will start with the literal meaning of the poem, or what I think it is.  At first, Oliver Wendell Holmes is describing a ship.  The ship is very majestic and is sailing in a place that seems very mystical because of the creatures described in it.  Sirens and sea-maids are both made up, so the literal meaning is obviously not the true meaning of the poem.

"THIS is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sails the unshadowed main,—
The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair." (Holmes).

 The poem The Chambered Nautilus most definitely reflects the Romanticism time period for several reasons.  The first reason is the description.  Every detail is described so you feel like you can actually see it or are experiencing it.  For example, the stanza quoted above is describing where the ship is sailing, and how it is sailing.  Things like "In gulfs enchanted" (Holmes) and "And coral reefs lie bare" (Holmes) let your imagination create a picture of what is going on in the scene, which is a trait that was very common during the Romanticism period.  Another reason why this poem is an obvious one from the Romanticism period is how prevelent nature is.  The entire poem is about a sea creature and how he lives.  Before reading this poem, I did not know what a nautilus was or looked like, so I looked it up.  Once I saw an image of it, I knew what it was right away because I am very familiar with the beach and ocean, etc.  I thought it was remarkable how Oliver Wendell Holmes was able to write an entire poem about such a little guy.  I think they are cute and I am weird.  Look them up.

Based on the literal meaning and my own personal knowledge, I think Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote this poem telling the tail of a small sea crustasaian to tell a story of survival.  He is telling how the small nautilus lives in part of his shell, and when he is ready for something different, he simply creates a new level in his home.  I think Oliver Wendell Holmes is trying to let people know that life goes on; you have to face challenges everyday and learn how to overcome them.  When the nautilus outgrew his living conditions, he moved on and started a new life for himself.  Through all of the trials and errors, the small nautilus manages to stick it out, look forward and move on into the future.






"801. The Chambered Nautilus. Oliver Wendell Holmes. 1909-14. English Poetry III: From Tennyson to Whitman. The Harvard Classics." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. http://www.bartleby.com/42/801.html.

Reflection- Washington Irving

For tonight's reflection, I read the story The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Iriving.  I knew from the very start of reading this that I would find some enjoyment out of it for one specific reason.  Not even a full page into the story, Washington Iriving told the tale of Kidd the pirate.  What is more interesting than a pirate?  I can tell you that the answer is almost nothing.  Pirates are full of excitement and adventure!  I sound like a little Kidd again....get it?  Okay, back to the point of this reflection.  I really liked how Washington Iriving started out his story with a story in itself.  Especially one about pirates.  Oh my gosh, light bulb!  I bet that's why Mr. Langley is making us read this!!!!!  As I am reading this story, I am feeling worse and worse for Tom Walker.  His wife sounds absolutely horrible!  It says that she is "fierce of temper, loud of tongue, and strong of arm" (Irving 245).  Tom Walker must have been miserable all the time for being married to a woman like that.  I am sure that his wife was not a happy person either, and maybe she just had an aggressive personality that could not be helped.  Although, the story did say that you could tell by Tom Walker's face that she took her aggression out on him physically.  Poor little guy.  Later in the story, I found a sentence to back up my thoughts about his horrid wife quite accurately.

"...but Tom was a hard-minded fellow, not easily daunted, and he had lived so long with a termagant wife that he did not even fear the devil." (Irving 246)

Honestly, how bad of a person do you have to be to someone for them not to be afraid of the devil?  His wife seriously gets worse and worse as the story goes on, because later she is pushing Tom Walker to make a deal with the devil for the only one reason: so they can get Kidd the pirate's gold and be rich forever.  She is a very selfish person.

There are many ways that I can see this story relating to the Romanticism period.  The one that stuck out to me at first was the description of nature.  We learned that during the Romanticism period, nature was very important.  From the very beginning, when he was telling about where Kidd the pirate hid his treasure, to when Tom Walker was taking the short cut through the swamp and met the stranger, the scenery and nature was almost lifelike from all of the description.  The imagery really helped me understand and picture the story more.  Another way that I think this story could be related to the Romanticism period is the true meaning of the story.  It definitely involves a lot of emotion, whether it be the greed of wanting the treasure or the relief of no longer being abused by your crazy wife.  I think that emotion drove this entire plot.

Washington Irving.  "The Devil and Tom Walker." Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. New York, NY: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 114-18. Print.