LITR 4232 American Renaissance 2012 final exam—Answers to Question A1 final exam assignment

Joe Bernard

Part A1: Context, Color and Children

          Examining the Romantic period of American literature has unearthed a number of fantastic concepts and ideas that the author has gravitated toward. However, distilling the amount of knowledge learned into two or three concentrated areas for the sake of a questioner would be quite difficult, but it must be done; after all, one cannot carry on with a conversation partner about the effervescent naturalism that pervades Emerson or the abstract personification that Dickson heavily relies on before said conversation partner will attempt to try and change the subject. So then, to answer the curious examiner who asks what the author has learned about the American Renaissance, the aforementioned author has concentrated his learning into three areas: context, color and children.

          Context is a critical concept that was driven in quite heavily by the American Renaissance due to the intimate relationship the literature and history of this period possess. Take for instance the direct correlation of the slavery question and Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Stowe’s novel was a reaction to the brutality and overall harshness that slaves had to endure. Without the pressing issue of slavery, Stowe would have never produced such a stunning novel and thereby given future generations a snapshot of what life truly was like for the oppressed African American peoples. Another example of context influencing literature is Davis’ Life in the Iron Mills, said work focusing on the grinding existence of industrial workers who appeared to have nowhere else to go, no future to drive them forward. One could take this work as a commentary on the industrializing United States and how said movement, although progressive on technological fronts, was yet another form of slavery, bonding the human spirit to the cold, never ending cycle of the mills. If industrialization had not sowed such ill-tasting fruit, it is likely that Davis would have never put forth such a powerful portrayal of history. While the aforementioned examples are simple in nature, they drive home a key point about literature and history: literature comes from the historical context it is produced in. Neither Davis nor Stowe manufactured their novels off in some kind of Thoreau isolationist cabin; instead, they relied on the current events of their day to carry their writing. Context gave them their subjects, said pattern one that the author appreciated and learned quite thoroughly.

          Color is another aspect of the Romantic period that jumped out as most critical. When the author refers to “color”, it is in regards to the appreciation that the author feels for those works that were produced in the Romantic era by men and women of color who gave their audience a more “colorful” portrayal of their situation; their stories were told by their own people, not just Anglo-Saxons who had only sentimental stereotypes cemented in their minds. The slave narrative of Frederick Douglass is one such example of an individual of color who produced a “colorful” account of his life, allowing readers a glimpse into the struggles that an African American, slave or free, had to face on a daily basis. Frederick Douglass was not the only African American who gave the people of his day a glimpse of the plight of the African American; Harriet Jacobs and Sojourner Truth both spread awareness of the horrific conditions that their people had to endure. By examining the Romantic period, one can truly appreciate the perspective of a member of an oppressed race who gave his or her audience a peek into their lives, allowing present and future generations to see issues more “colorfully” or more fully.

          Finally, the author learned how much the Romantic period applies to children; more specifically, teenagers, an age group that the author has been instructing. As alluded into several class meetings and the previous examination, teenagers are filled with angst and bombarded by all sorts of messages that divide their attention in ten different directions. This age group does not have a concrete hold on their identity and seeks to replicate the latest trend or fashion so that they can “fit in” with their peers. The Romantic period teaches that attempting to “fit in” with the rest of society does not necessarily grant a sense of identity fulfillment; it is only through self-examination and relying on one’s heart that will get the job done in terms of discovering one’s true identity. One can only forgive for mentioning Emerson yet again in this context, but his encouraging words in Nature answer so many lingering questions that the teenage populace have. Of course, Emerson isn’t the only author who can aid teenagers in their quest to “find” themselves. Thoreau and Whitman both advocate individualism and allowing the teenager to find his or her own path, although the author would be cautious to advise students to pursue Thoreau’s exact course of action (the author does not want to be responsible for students refusing to pay taxes or ending up in a jail cell due to not paying said taxes). The aforementioned figures of literature brought forth a concept that the author will remember: the Romantic period is perfect for those gangly and goofy teenagers who need a helping hand to discover themselves.

          To summarize the learning that occurred in this course, three concepts were employed. The first one is that of context, more specifically how the historical context of the Romantic period(or any period for that matter) influenced the birth of novels that gave the people of that time and succeeding generations a picture of what sort of issues were being dealt with. Color is the second aspect of learning, said aspect dealing with the “colorful” accounts given by minority peoples who allowed readers, both past and present, to see issues through the lens of a minority. Finally, the Romantic period is one the speaks to children between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, such figures as Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman advocating for those young people to find their identities through individual self-examination, not blending in with society but rather vaulting above it to find their niche.