LITR 4232 American Renaissance 2012 Student Midterm Samples #1. Long essay describing and focusing learning, challenges, issues concerning American Renaissance or American Romantic literature. (6-8 paragraphs)

Joe Bernard

A Romantic romp through the (American) Renaissance

Part 1: Creating Relevance for the Roving Adolescent

           So often, the biggest question that one will face when discussing matters with a member of the teenage populace is: “Why does what you are telling me matter to me?” or phrased in another way: “How can what you are telling me apply to my life?” The aforementioned inquiries seem to come up at an alarming rate when attempting to instruct a whole classroom full of teenagers in literature. To answer the probing questions of those developing minds, one should turn to the American Renaissance. This specific period in literature speaks to a host of ideas and emotions that developing minds can latch onto in order to further their understanding of literature, their comprehension of societal norms and movements, as well as their own individual persona.

          Literature tends to not stay in one place, rather choosing to morph into various forms, which excites those who are engrossed in the subject matter, but frustrates those who do not see the practicality or the “Why should I?” of understanding literature, which is the category that the adolescent populace falls into. To tap into a teenager’s brain and help him value the shifting landscape of literature, he must be given a piece of accessible work that excites the brain and “hooks” the teenage reader into desiring to know more. This is where the American Renaissance enter the picture, the period giving students texts that are radically different from the thick and pedantic preceding “Enlightenment” era that they can enjoy; these texts also serve as an entry point to aiding students comprehension of literature. Take for instance Poe’s Ligeia, which discusses a sad lover, death, grotesque dwelling places and a crazy ghost who never wants her lover to forget her. Those plot elements alone contain the potential to draw students into the gothic and give them a working understanding of what the gothic looks like. If students examine Ligeia and then contrast it with a work from Jonathan Swift, they will see how much of a dramatic turn literature took in the Renaissance, as well as see how both elements of Swift (Enlightenment) and Ligeia (Gothic) still exist in modern culture today by looking at satirical works from Mad Magazine and the all too familiar Twilight books (of course, with a bit of guidance from a teacher).  Making connections between the Romantic period and the twentieth century enforce the reality that literature from “back in the day” still has relevance for them today.

          The Renaissance covers a plethora of societal norms and movements that students will find quite relevant to their own lives today. A gigantic issue even today is that of treating all races equally and not discriminating based on background or color of skin. Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans shines a powerful light on racism by casting Uncas and Cora, both of minority status, in large roles within his book. Not only are they the subjects of focus, but Cooper dared to give them mental prowess, civility and even a sense of practicality in the case of Cora (“Don’t just stand there! SWIM!”) With this knowledge in mind, Mohicans can be taught as a novel that attempted to eradicate preconceived notions of minorities and illustrate that the human spirit, not color of skin, is the critical element to success in life. In today’s world, teenagers are still fighting against stereotypes that are attached to their race, students more than willing to place these harmful labels on each other without thinking of the consequences. By using Cooper’s novel to teach against harmful racial and ethnic stereotypes, teenagers can see how even those “old dudes who wrote too much” were fighting against discrimination, albeit in their own way.

          Adolescents are now more than ever seeing both of their parents working instead of just the head male of the household “bringing home the bacon”.  In order to illustrate how much of a shift society has undergone, teenagers can look at The Wide, Wide World by Susan Warner. Aunt Fortune did work around the home and tended to the needs of the farm, but she was always situated at home and saw to the needs of Ellen  (even when it didn’t seem like she was) and those who worked for her. Ellen’s mother was sickly, but did what she could in order to take care of her household.  By looking at both women in the novel, then examining where society is today, students will hopefully appreciate how much domesticity has changed over a very brief period of time.

          Finally, by exposing teenagers to the American Renaissance, they have the ability to glean a better appreciation of how their own individual persona is constructed and what they may be able to add to it. There is no better expert on how those in the American Renaissance viewed the human psyche and spirit than Ralph Waldo Emerson. By advocating that the human spirit must transcend the physical plane and achieve a higher purpose, Emerson speaks to what all humans, especially those of the adolescent population so desperately want: something bigger than them to live for. What makes Emerson’s rationale so appealing is that he advocates finding one’s own path to happiness: “Build, therefore, your own world. As fast as you conform your life to the pure idea in your mind, that will unfold its great proportions.” (paragraph 28). Teenagers tend to follow the crowd and allow their minds to be molded by the messages that bombard them daily from the media, their peers and even parents. By giving this confused age group the encouraging ideas Emerson presents, they will have the opportunity to build their own personality, their own ideas and come out of adolescence with a strong identity.

          If it hasn’t been revealed already through the author’s writing, the author truly believes that the adolescent populace would benefit greatly from being exposed to the writings of the Romantic period. Not only will the future leaders of this country see how the voices of the Romantic era still remain in society today, but also how the societal psyche they live in has changed. Most importantly, teenagers can be uplifted and inspired by these writers, who proclaim a simple message: “Know then, that the world exists for you.” (paragraph 27)