LITR 4232 American Renaissance
Sample Midterm Answers 2006
Sample Answers to Option
X/Z:
literary-historical / formal-cultural combo
2. Option X/Z (But probably mostly X) – “Romantic Individualism”
Following the Declaration of Independence and America’s newfound sovereignty, the people found the country in an immediate state of emergency. Without papa-Britain around to protect naval trade routes, settle interstate squabbling and generally give Americans a seal of approval, our countrymen were lost for almost a decade. Key to the American Renaissance literary movement is the incorporation of fundamental American philosophy that worked both to bolster the basic ideas of freedom and tenacity while beginning a sincere discussion of the real meaning of equality. Three of the authors we have studied so far epitomize this struggling combination of literary voice and American ethics: Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Using elements of the Gothic, Sublime and Romantic styles, each of these authors argue persuasively for the growth and examination of American philosophy. These ideas, after all, are the only true binding ingredient for a nation diverse as ours.
In Frederick Douglass’ slave narrative, both elements of the gothic and sublime are invoked to stir the reader towards an emotional response. However, these responses are also in line with the basic tenants of American philosophy that states, “all men are created equal”. In chapter five he writes, "I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and incur my own abhorrence.” The individual is the basis of American philosophy and this is how Douglass identifies himself; not simply as a member of the African races. But, he adds in the qualifier that this independent stance comes with harsh, personal standards. The height of “trueness” to him self comes only at the risk of avoiding the depths of his abhorrence. In his most horrific passage, Douglass describes the ultimate degradation of the enlightened individual. “I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!” (Ch. 10) However, Douglass’ narrative is a story of success. Just a few pages later, he reaches his independence. For the American ethos, this encompasses his spirit first and foremost. Without the freedom of will and identity, there is ultimately no freedom. “I felt as I never felt before. It was a glorious resurrection, from the tomb of slavery, to the heaven of freedom. My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place; and I now resolved that, however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact” (Ch. 10). These two contrasting elements fulfill the Gothic idea of light and dark, as well as the sublime aspects of horror and an overwhelming spirit while at the same time discuss the primary issue of American idealism. Can the American overcome the limitations of the past? Can his will carry him towards success? Is freedom from tyranny possible? Is this sense of independence and selfhood morally right?
America was not born as a perfect nation. However, the strength of a nation is sometimes measured by its longevity. America allows and encourages change in all aspects, but most crucially in the areas where moral injustices occur. In a 2003 midterm student DD wrote, “Although Emerson speaks in general, sweeping terms, he preaches that every man has a moral duty to stand for what he knows is right in his heart, thereby sanctifying the Abolitionists cause.” The influence of religion in Emerson’s writing is unmistakable. Perhaps because of this his writing tends to lean more heavily on sublime moments for effect. If the sublime is described as “something that exceeds normal language or categories of thought” (White) Emerson has duly captured its essence. In “Self-Reliance” he writes, “A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within ... Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. In every work of genius we recognize or own rejected thoughts.” Later he writes, “There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion...” (1622). Both passages illustrate sublime incidents while discussing the responsibility of the individual.
In “Resistance to Civil Government” Thoreau explicitly states that the individual is the supreme authority from which governments derive their power. However, he does this with a wonderful mix of Romantic language and sublime imagery. “I perceive that, when an acorn and a chestnut fall side by side, the one does not remain inert to make way for the other, but both obey their own laws, and spring and grow and flourish as best they can, till one, perchance, overshadows and destroys the other. If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man” (1747). The use of nature is specifically Romantic in that it recalls the simplicity of the natural world and the natural order. The analogy of competition requires the reader to consider the role of governments and individuals in both their natural urges and thoughtful moral obligations to their selves and each other. Towards the end, Thoreau argues, “There will never be a really free and enlightened State, until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly.” This passage utilizes uplifting language to promote the status of the individual. Words such as “enlightened”, “higher” and “independent” will probably evoke a higher plane of thought than might usually be associated with the concepts of government.
The mixture of the Gothic to illuminate wrongs, the Sublime to highlight the individual and the Romantic for analogous descriptions encompass the emerging, distinctly American voice of the Renaissance writers. Each of these writers successfully combines then current styles of writing with culturally significant issues and create profound texts that remain universally relevant for all Americans. [KB]