LITR 4232 American Renaissance 2010 Student Midterm Samples 3. Web highlights: Review at least 3 posts from course website's Model Assignments (4-6 paragraphs)

3. Convergence through Transcendence

Excerpts from three different submissions:

(1) “Even though there are differences between us all, there is also a sameness which unites us and bonds us together as one form. Aristotle said that form is where spirit and matter meet and enter the domain of the sublime. Though our appearances seem to diverge outwardly, our forms do in reality converge internally.”

(2) “In a 2004 mid-term, [BL] postulated that, “the founders of America successfully formed a political divide from England, but never an intellectual one.” The formation of that divide, which encompassed religion and philosophy as well as politics, was the creation of transcendentalism. Transcendentalism, as a school of thought, is very difficult to define. In its simplest terms, it is an elevation of the individual to a higher plane via the recognition of the connection of man and the natural world to the Divine. This is very similar to idea of Romanticism and many of the conventions are the same.”

(3) “When language is inadequate to describe an object the reader is taken into the realm of the sublime.  This realm stimulates the ideas of pain and risk.  This idea is on such a massive scale that sometimes there are no words to describe these ideas. Irving, Cooper, and Stowe commonly use the realm of the sublime within their text to give the reader awe-inspiring emotions.”

          The first submission, in my opinion, is the most relatable and developed of the three submissions. The author brings in an outside source, Aristotle, to help prove their idea that a similar form exists within each person, ultimately uniting them. He goes on to explain that there are inherent differences between each person, ranging from their lifestyles, intellectual capabilities, and views. Yet, at the same time, literature can be used to capture the uniting force between people, and when this is achieved, it becomes sublime. This idea is very interesting, as it goes beyond just a sublime moment that occurs in the text of book, to a sublime experienced by a reader themselves. This type of active literature is fascinating. I had not realized just how unifying experience of that nature can become a truly sublime moment.

          The second submission is more concerned with history than it is exploring the true meaning of transcendentalism. I was not aware of the importance of the cultural divide, and its role in shaping the literature of the nation. The influence of political thought in culture is more obvious, but this submission brings in a fresh perspective. The idea of the divide of socio-political mindsets contributing to a new idea of thought, literature, and lifestyle is a huge event.

          I think it’s strange that the writer describes transcendentalism as “an elevation of the individual to a higher plane via the recognition of the connection of man and the natural world to the Divine,” and calls it “simple”. There is nothing simple about the idea of transcendentalism, in fact its profound nature is what defines itself. Since transcendentalism is completely about the grandeur, and achieving a higher plane of being, it should not be approached as “simple” in any context.

          While I believe that the first submission is the most eloquently written, I liked the third submission the best. I think that the writer should have further refined their idea of the sublime, but they had encroached upon something deeper than just a straightforward definition. They use the phrase “when language is inadequate” to imply the importance of the sublime. This is different than most descriptions of the sublime, because while many submissions might try and define the sublime, this submission instead focuses on the need of the sublime, in a literature context.

          In the third submission, the writer goes on to conclude that Irving, Cooper, and Stowe “commonly use the realm of the sublime within their text to give the reader awe-inspiring emotions.” I am ambivalent towards this statement and think it requires further explanation. It is an immense statement to say that a writer takes their reader to the realm of the sublime. I believe it would be more appropriate to suggest that they described the sublime to the reader, or made the idea of the sublime more relatable, but to actually reach a state of sublimity in every text by each author is a hyperbole.