Reflection: 2 Fireside Poems Analysis

The two poems that I chose to analyze were "Flowers-de-Luce Hawthorn" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and "Sun and Shadow" by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Both of the poems were very good examples of the romanticism writing style, even though they were written by different people. I learned as I read through them that their meanings are both related to nature. Nature is a big part of the romanticism writing.

In "Flowers-de-Luce Hawthorn," the quote "The lovely town was white with apple-blooms, and the great elms o'erhead dark shadows wove on their aerial looms shot through with golden tread," shows me a great deal of detail in just a couple of lines. I can see apple trees all over the place and tall elm trees that cast shadows on the town with the golden sunlight just seeping through. Henry Longfellow was know for using emotion is his poems. His poem really appeals to my senses and my emotions because there is a lot of thought behind his words. I can tell that he is bringing back his memories when he sees these certain things through town and that they have an impact on him. Another quote that I liked from the poem was "Across the meadows, by the old gray manse, the historic river flowed; I was as one who wanders in a trance, unconscious of his road" because I found it very powerful and meaningful. He trusts himself a lot to be able to say that. I think he was trying to get the point across that he does not know where he is going, but he takes it one step at a time, draws everything in, and even though he may be distracted sometime, he does not always have to worry about the road he is on. I just found the quote really inspiring that he trusts his own intuition so much.

In the second poem, "Sun and Shadow" was a more humorous poem to me. It was all about nature and the different things that you see out at see. There was a pretty good message to it I think. I took away from the poem that people are still going to see you whether you are in the sun or in the shadows. In his poem he talks about this from the aspect of the sea, and seeing the captain on the boat, but when I think about it, I tend to compare it to life and how people are going to see me if I am in the spotlight or if I conform with others. The nature descriptions in this poem are very vivid. For example, the quote "As I look from the isle, o'er its billows of green, to the billows of foam-crested blue, yon bark that afar in the distance is seen, half dreaming my eyes will pursue: Now dark in the shadows, she scatters the spray" is a really vivid quote to me because he used so many characteristics like color and objects to describe the view that was being seen.

I could not find a criticism over these two poems, but when I compared them I found many similarities and differences. I find Oliver's poem to be funnier than Longfellow's. They both do a really good job of matching romanticism characteristics. I find that both of them were easy to read and understand because the messages were really clear. I think that they were both very good poems, based on nature aspects.

Holmes, Oliver W. "Sun and Shadow." PoemHunter.com. Web. 9 Dec. 2011. <http://www.poemhunter.com/i/ebooks/pdf/oliver_wendell_holmes_2004_9.pdf>


Longfellow, Henry W. "Flowers-de-Luce Hawthorn." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: A Maine Historical Society Web Site. Miane. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=309>.

Journal #20: Autumn Poem

The poem is very short, so it is hard to write 325 words over the poem. The title "Autumn" is obviously going to be showing us the time of year in which the poem is based off of. The first line of the poem talks about when the rain comes, marking the time of the autumn season. After looking up the meaning of wain, I figured out that the that the oxen are attached to a vehicle that is used for transporting agriculture. From the next line, I can see them standing like the empire and the king, Then from the next lines, I learn that the royal hand is outstretched with blessings, sending them across the land. Then, the shield of the night is the red harvest moon. The moon is located far beneath the heavens, just hanging like an eave in the sky. The steps of the night are by the farmers, who are sending their prayers of a good harvest. In the next line, the sheaves, or the wood is burning, which is probably representing the fire that kept people warm. Today, the flame of sheaves would be like a bonfire. The last line just talks about how the golden leaves are suspended all over the ground, which is one of the characteristics of autumn. This is a good representation of a fireside poem and the romanticism writing because it talks a lot about nature. Nature plays a big aspect in the romanticism writing. In Henry Longfellow's poems, he usually appeals to the emotions of the reader. I feel calm when I read this poem because it is about autumn, which is a comfortable, relaxing time of the year. Also the imagination in this poem is a characteristic of romanticism. When he compares the oxen and the banners to other things in the past, it is almost like he values the past more, and does not really trust the future that much, and that is another characteristic of the romanticism writing period.

Analysis of The Secret of the Sea

The poem I choose to analyze was Henry Longfellow's poem called "The Secret of the Sea." I found the poem pretty easy to understand. After reading it three times through, I picked up on little things that I missed while reading it for a first and second time. Henry Longfellow was an American writer who appealed to the emotions in his work. As I read his poem, that was evident. In the lines " For the secret of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me," he appeals to my emotions because I feel wonder and mysterious. It is almost like he does not quite know the secrets of the ocean, or experienced the heart of the sea, yet they intrigue him and make him excited. The poem reflects the romanticism writing because the whole poem deals with nature, and nature is a major aspect of the romanticism writing. The nature in the poem influences dreams and memories. Imagination, which could also go along with dreams and memories is another big aspect of romanticism writing.

There are not really any criticisms over "The Secret of the Sea" because it was not one of Henry Longfellow's major poems. So, I analyzed it myself. In the first stanza of the poem "Ah! What pleasant visions haunt me as I gaze upon the Sea! All the old romantic legends, All my dreams, come back to me," I took away that Henry is standing by the sea, reminiscing on the old legends and dreams he once had about the sea. In the second stanza "Sails of silk and ropes of sandal, such as gleam in ancient lore; And the singing of the sailors, and the answer from the shore," I envisioned the sails of the ship out on the sea were radiant in the sunlight, while listening to the singing sailor's that were answered my the echo of the shore. In the another stanza, "How he heard the ancient helmsmen chant a song so wild and clear, that the sailing sea-bird slowly, poised upon the mast to hear," I see a bird that sitting at the top of the mast, which holds the sails to listen as the helmsmen of the ship, or the person who steers the ship sings his sailing song loud and clear. In another one of the stanzas, "Woulds't thou--the Helmsmen answered, learn the secret of the sea? Only those who brave its dangers comprehend its mystery," shows me that the only people who can really understand the mystery of the sea are the ones who have been at sea and experienced the troubles in which being brave is the only option.

I feel like this poem really does appeal to my emotions because it really makes me think about my dreams, and then I image myself standing next to the sea, just looking at the horizon and recollecting all my thoughts. I too know that the sea is overwhelming with its beauty and also its space. I do not know the mystery of the sea because of I have not lived the sailor life, or experienced the troubles of the oceans, but when I stand next to the sea, I feel relaxed, and everything slowly starts to come back to me, like Henry Longfellow mentioned.

"Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Poem: The Secret of the Sea." Read Book Online: Literature Books,novels,short Stories,fiction,non-fiction, Poems,essays,plays,Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize. Web. 07 Dec. 2011. <http://www.readbookonline.net/read/3149/12724/>.

Comparison: Rip Van Winkle and The Devil and Tom Walker

I actually enjoyed reading "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Devil and Tom Walker." They were both very interesting stories, that in a way had the same message and closely followed the romanticism writing style. "The Devil and Tom Walker" was one of the more descriptive stories I have ever read. All in all, the story could be summed up in a couple paragraphs, but in actuality it is about ten pages long, which shows how descriptive the writing is, and how things are being carried out. In "Rip Van Winkle," I experienced the same story line, just told in a different perspective.  I like how the stories have the same detail about the wives constantly nagging them and persistently putting them down or yelling at them.

As for the actual writing style, both of the short stories are examples of romanticism writing. For example, one characteristic of romanticism writing is the seeking unspoiled nature. In "The Devil and Tom Walker," Tom ends up going to the Indian Fort that not many people visit because they are too afraid of the things that happened there. To Tom, that is sort of like unspoiled nature because it is not a place that many people visit and he goes there and can sort of clear his mind of all thoughts. It is also a place where he can go to escape the wrath of his wife at times.

In "Rip Van Winkle," there is a seen where the men are sitting and gossiping about news in the town, where it is mentioned if a newspaper were to fall in their laps they would read and discuss the issues. I find this as an example of how the characters value their opinion as compared to the educated sophistication of others. "
But it would have been worth any statesman’s money to have heard the profound discussions which sometimes took place, when by chance an old newspaper fell into their hands, from some passing traveler." The above quote shows me that Rip Values the opinions that were told in the meetings over the government rulers, which is a characteristic of the romanticism writing. 

Another aspect of the stories is the nature that is found in them. The nature described is always vivid and detailed. Nature played an important role in romanticism writing, which was reflected in both of the short stories. In "The Devil and Tom Walker," the quote "It was full of pits and quagmires, partly covered with weeds and mosses; where the green surface often betrayed the traveler into a gulf of black smothering mud; there were also dark and stagnant pools, the abodes of the tadpole, the bull frog, and the water snake, and where trunks of pines and hemlocks lay half drowned, half rotting, looking like alligators, sleeping in the mire," is the most vivid quote of the whole story for me. I can really image the swamp he is travelling through and get a mental picture of what is happening. In "Rip Van Winkle," the quote "On the other side he looked down into a deep mountain glen, wild, lonely, and shagged, the bottom filled with fragments from the impending cliffs, and scarcely lighted by the reflected rays of the setting sun," gives me a clear picture of the mountains and the transition from day to evening. 

Overall, I like the stories and how they portrayed the same message, but had entirely different writing styles to get the message across. They both follow the romanticism writing style, and can closely be compared to each other considering they were written by the same person.

Irving, Washington. "The Devil and Tom Walker." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 240-250. Print.

Matthews, Washington Irving. "4. Rip Van Winkle By Washington Irving. Matthews, Brander. 1907. The Short-Story." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 05 Dec. 2011.