“For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail?”

This is Stephanie.
Alright. So I’ve decided to post this ASAP because of the miniscule-almost-nonexistent chance that I might forget to do so later.

Okay so today we finished up Wheatley with a few notable points concerning “On Imagination”. First of all, we introduced the era following Neoclassicism: Romanticism. The main aspects of Romanticism are Imagination, Nature, Individualism, and Symbolism, all of which were somewhat incorporated into Wheatley’s poem. (However, it must be remembered that Wheatley is considered to be Pre-Romantic, because she still incorporates some neoclassic elements into her works, as shown at only the very end of this poem, which I’ll explain later.)

Before I get to the intense stuff, Mr. Laz described three segments of Romanticism: Early Romanticism, which mainly emphasized the components of the new American nation; Gothic Romanticism, which analyzed the characteristics of the human psyche, and included poets such as Poe; and Transcendentalism, which is where you get your Emerson (and where the title came from).

Wheatley begins with a detailed description of the sheer power imagination contains, that it might turn winter to spring (note the natural aspect); this is clearly the majority of the poem quantitatively, and demonstrates the romantic aspect of Wheatley’s writing. However, at the very end, precisely the last two stanzas, she confesses that she realizes winter never left to begin with. This ‘realization of reality’ is what essentially shatters romantic trends of thoughts (which is seen throughout history: that hopeless, fragile yet aesthetic thought that is broken by war, and moreover, reality).

Next, we briefly began Crevecoeur in “What is an American.” Again, a feature of Romanticism is highlighted in the realization of the uniqueness of a nation. The work was seemingly intended for a international audience; the defense and logical buttressing of a new nation is the essence of the piece. Also, aspects of tabula rasa were emphasized, especially the fact that the individual is not just allowed a blank slate, but the whole nation. An appeal was made to the more misfortunate Europeans because of the demand for workers, so Crevecoeur implores these people to immigrate to America and help write its history, and work for the greater cause.

Or, as Mr. Laz says, “To get many French people to come over and die”.