|
LITR 4328: American Renaissance  |
Final Exam Essays 2015 Sample answers
for
|
 |
Joshua Van Horn
Moral Complexity in the Romantic Era
Moral
understanding has been the pursuit of artists and philosophers of every nation.
Undoubtedly, with the shifting landscape of American geography and ideology,
America’s greatest minds tackled the issues raised by these questions. In the
case of the American Renaissance, it was a pivotal time because following the
European enlightenment moral sentiments became less clear. With the
enlightenment producing a greater degree of skepticism, people inevitably began
to doubt the existence of objective morality. With moral absolutes less
established, the question arises as to whether or not one must turn to
progressive moral relativism? American writers—Henry David Thoreau and Abraham
Lincoln—did not believe so, opting for a path that recognizes the difficulty
presented by notions of morality, while also suggesting that one is capable of
discovering the best action to take in any moral situation.
Perhaps the greatest moral concern of the Romantic period was the issue
of slavery. As a system that had existed in the nation for centuries, slavery,
during the Romantic era, was more complicated an issue than it is today. It
being a part of everyday life, people were accustomed to it being tolerated, and
it also helped to bring success to societal functions. Because of these
circumstances, people were reluctant to give up the practice. Without question,
America would be affected-- positively and negatively—through the prevention of
the practice, and for that reason, decisions about it were to be considered
carefully.
In Resistance to Civil Government
Henry David Thoreau acknowledges the complication of the moral issue of slavery,
while still suggesting that action be taken place in regards to the
controversial subject. Speaking of evils, Thoreau writes that man is not
responsible for eliminating all wrongdoings from the world, but that “it is his
duty, at least, to wash his hands of it” (Thoreau 13). Here, Thoreau, while
claiming that there exists a moral absolute-- the evil of slavery-- suggests
that though one may be sure of this, it is not one’s responsibility to force
that knowledge on others. Instead, one must behave in a manner in which one’s
behavior does not lend the evil its support. Thoreau places responsibility in
the hands of the individual. He does not appeal to an objective moral code, nor
does he suggest that morality is futile. Rather, he places the distinguishing of
right and wrong in the hands of each individual’s conscience, saying, “the only
obligation I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think is right”
(Thoreau 5). Doing this, Thoreau is able to acknowledge the complicated nature
of morality, while also urging his readers towards action.
For Thoreau, it is about acting in ways that ensure one does the right
thing without impeding on the freedom of others. This is the point of passive
resistance or civil disobedience in that it offers one an opportunity to do what
is right without directly impacting other people’s lives. This is also the point
of voluntary simplicity, a practice in which one reduces the amount of resources
one uses in order to not have unnecessary ties to things that hold one back from
proper moral behavior, reflected in Thoreau writing, “You must live within
yourself, and depend upon yourself always tucked up and ready for a start, and
not to have many affairs” (Thoreau 21). Both voluntary simplicity and civil
disobedience work together in order to ensure that one can choose to behave in
whichever way one sees fit without having to endure the consequences of being
effected by others, and vice versa. Thoreau suggests this path because he
understands the gravity of every moral decision. Placing responsibility in the
individual urges one to do what is right without forcing others to do the same.
While many writers took up the issue of slavery, anyone with an
elementary education of American history knows that President Abraham Lincoln
also spoke passionately about the subject. Like Thoreau, Lincoln was able to
perceive the complications concerning moral issues of slavery’s magnitude.
Near the end of the Civil War, in his second inaugural address, President
Lincoln, speaking of the two sides of the war, says, “both read the same bible
and pray to the same God, and each invokes his aid against the other...That of
neither has been answered fully. The almighty has his own purposes” (Lincoln 4).
Here, while having already made obvious
what side of the war he is on, Lincoln admits to his audience the problematic
nature of the civil war, suggesting that no moral situation is absolutely clear.
This is similar to Thoreau in that it demonstrates that though moral absolutes
may be harder to come by than they once were people still have a responsibility
to act “as God gives us to see the right” (Lincoln 4). Once again, the
responsibility is placed within the conscience of the individual. Instead of
putting emphasis on doing what is absolutely right, Lincoln suggests that one
does what one perceives as being right. This sentiment reveals Lincoln’s
insightful understanding of the difficulty of moral issues.
With the enlightenment rearranging moral structures, it was important for
men like Thoreau and Lincoln to come along, and act as a prophetic voice to a
nation that was unsure of its moral direction. Studying these men, one not only
comes to realize how complicated the nature of morality is, but also that there
are ways in which these complications can be resolved. Instead of searching for
clear black and white answers, one must rely on critical thinking skills to
solve the problems presented by each issue. In studying moral issues, one can
either fall into despair, believing there is not absolute right or wrong, and
therefore no clear explanation of how one should behave, or one can understand
the complexity of moral issues, take heart, and make decisions that one believes
are correct. According to Thoreau and Lincoln, one should choose the latter
path, and it is because of this belief that it is important that the writings of
these two men are continued to be taught.
1865 flag of the USA