Dark Romanticism and The Minister's Black Veil

Hawthorne was an influential writer in Dark Romanticism and is considered one of the key figures in the movement. Dark Romanticism's history was discussed in my previous blog post, and if you feel the need to educate yourself on it's characteristics and notable authors please looks it up. Masterfully written in my opinion. Well to start out this analysis for Dark Romantic characteristics this quote will open up, "It was tinged, rather more darkly than usual, with the gentle gloom of Mr. Hooper's temperament. The subject had reference to secret sin, and those sad mysteries which we hide from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from our own consciousness, even forgetting that the Omniscient can detect them (Digital.)" This quote is from Hawthorne's short story The Minister's Black Veil. The quote talks about the sermons the minister gives after mysteriously garnering a black veil that covers his face for an unknown reason. Hawthorne used this as symbolism for the veil of sin that we all live behind, but refuse to acknowledge. It clouds our judgement and we are so accustomed to it we don't even realize it's there. It's like committing a sin so many times, knowing it is wrong, but eventually becoming accustomed to it and not even acknowledging the fact that is a sin after a while. This psychological analysis of all humans, and his thought that all humans are sinners is a key characteristic of Dark Romanticism. The entire idea of this and his representation of humans being ignorant of their sinful nature, and the nature of man to pick sin over any other option demonstrates his characteristic writing of Dark Romanticism and firmly cements the story into this literary genre. The whole aspect of the entire story being more psychological and focusing on the town's peoples fears and focusing on their nature of sin and ignorance is distrustful of humanity as a whole and shows his lack of faith in the good nature and hope instilled in man. Upon the death of the minister this line is written by Hawthorne, "All through life the black veil had hung between him and the world: it had separated him from cheerful brotherhood and woman's love, and kept him in that saddest of all prisons, his own heart; and still it lay upon his face, as if to deepen the gloom of his darksome chamber, and shade him from the sunshine of eternity (Digital.)" This line shows the sacrifice this man had to give for his people. He connected with them on a better level and the people recognized his symbolism for sin and the dark veil that covered his face. This example of the man dieing alone and sacrificing all he could for the benefit of his people is a bittersweet end and showcases the sheep-like and foolish nature of humans. These characteristics and incidents in the story showcase Dark Romanticism and cement this story and Hawthorne as one of the key figures in the movement and his excellent and psychological writing style.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Minister's Black Veil” In American Literature. Willhelm, Jeffory, comp. McGraw Hill. Columbus, 2009. Print.

Journal #25: Mask

Wearing a mask to hide your emotions is a thing that all people do at one time or another. I don't know why we do it, but it is a foolish thing. It keeps others who care about our well being from knowing what is going on inside our head and if something is wrong. They won't be able to tell and only want to help us in the first place anyway. I wear a mask when I am angry so I don't ruin or other peoples days and sour their moods up by being rude to them. That is one situation in which wearing a mask is a pretty good thing, but otherwise you really shouldn't and it will only end badly for you. Talking about your feelings, while sounding really sappy, helps quite a bit. It helps you get things off your chests and reveals any problems you might have with somebody and from there you can figure out possible remedies for what ails your relationship. At the same time it can be bad because you might offend certain people by telling them something because other's don't handle information well. The worst situation to wear a mask in is when you are depressed because withdrawing from people and pretending you are find will only lead to your demise faster. These are my opinions on wearing a mask and stuff. I still have about 100 words left....well ok then. While sounding pretty sappy you really should try and talk to somebody when you're feeling depressed. Depression can lead to a bunch of bad junk and in the end you will only hurt yourself and those who care about you the most, and it's a very selfish move. You need to find whoever will listen to your and explain your problems. Everything will usually turn out better, you'll get help and move on with your life happier and learning how to deal with sadness and bad situations much better.

Dark Romanticism and The Pit and the Pendulum

The Pit and the Pendulum was a short story written by Poe highlighting the effect of terror on a prisoner captured and condemned to death by the Spanish during the Inquisition. Dark Romanticism was characterized by it's subject matter and the style. It was a branch of the Transcendentalist movement with less optimism and hope for the human race. Dark Romantics were less inclined to sympathize with man and believed all of our faults were wrought on by sin and self-destruction. Also in light of the Transcendentalists instead of viewing nature as a safe haven for self-realization and a spiritual place, the Dark Romantics saw it as an evil force that worked to it's own advantage and destroyed any who stood in it's way with force. The first example of Dark Romanticism comes with this quote in the story, "I saw the lips of the black-robed judges. They appeared to me white -- whiter than the sheet upon which I trace these words -- and thin even to grotesqueness; thin with the intensity of their expression of firmness, of immovable resolution, of stern contempt of human torture (Digital.)" In this excerpt the author tells of his condemnation at the hand of some unknown judges. His fate is sealed by these unknown being whom we are given the interpretation of seeing them as somewhat demonic. This condemnation to torture is an example of the sinful nature of man and his contempt for his fellow being. The rest of the story plays off of fear and attempts to immerse the reader in the man's cell so they can feel the same horror as him. Most Dark Romantic stories (especially Poe's) tend to depend on the supernatural to aid the story, but in contrast The Pit and the Pendulum is much grittier and realistic. One of the most effective images that Poe utilizes in the story is the image of Death hanging the pendulum that will eventually kill the narrator. It is extremely effective due to the impending nature of death for all of us and it is a metaphor for this. It is also effective in that Death is a traditionally frightening image and what better image than that of the face of death to evoke fear in the narrator and by extent the reader. Poe is masterfully able to use the primary senses to put the reader in the shoes of the narrator and truly frighten them. Due to this ability the reader feels as if they are in the shoes of the narrator and the effectiveness of the short story is multiplied and has a lasting effect on the reader. These are simply a few of the characteristics of Dark Romanticism that Poe demonstrates in his short story The Pit and the Pendulum and through his excellent use of symbolism and metaphorical representation he crafts a haunting tale of a doomed man and what could possibly be last days on Earth after his condemnation at the hand of seemingly demonic judges. The man's tale and his attempt to survive are a classic and remain with the leader long after they have read it.

Poe, Edger Allan. “The Pit and the Pendulum” In American Literature. Willhelm, Jeffory, comp. McGraw Hill. Columbus, 2009. Print.

The Raven Analysis

The Raven was a poem written by Edgar Allen Poe in the early 1800s and is considered one of the most famous pieces of Dark Romanticism. Several critics and pundits have analyzed this work and picked it apart to discover it's meaning and the symbolism and other similar cogs and gears that move the poem and give it such a wallop. One such analysis of the poem describes it as "Many readers who prefer sunshine to the weird lights with which Mr. Poe fills his sky, may be dull to its beauty, but it is none the less a great triumph of imagination and art (Digital)." This description puts so much praise into this poem and rightfully so, because the poem is viewed as a classic and one of Poe's greatest works. The analysis goes into great depth of the rhythm, the writing style and the masterful atmosphere Poe paints and can so vividly place his reader in. The analysis focuses on all of these aspects and masterfully regards Poe's beautiful writing style and his skill as a poet. The writing style is one of the main focuses of the analysis and the author goes into detail about the rhyme scheme and how Poe used it to enchant the reader and meld them into the dark and atmospheric world he painted and left a lasting impression on them with his masterful use of the scheme that most people will not even realize. His use of Nevermore haunts the reader long after they have finished reading his brilliant and dark poem. Another aspect that the analysis analyzes is artistic nature of the poem and how Poe's masterful writing style makes it so congruous and artful. Through his use of language he transposes his simple literary poem into a masterful work of art that is analyzed in schools to this day and left a lasting impression on the world, cementing itself as perhaps his magnum opus and the cornerstone of Dark Romanticism. The rhythm of the poem transports the reader to the realm of Poe and puts them right there with the narrator and the raven to feel the same pain and haunting demeanor of the narrator as he feels trapped and hopeless against this demonic raven who crushes his hope and dreams of being with his love for once more. As the author says "The rhythm of this poem is exquisite, its phraseology is in the highest degree musical and apt, the tone of the whole is wonderfully sustained and appropriate to the subject, which, full as it is of a wild and tender melancholy, is admirably well chosen (Digital)." This quote demonstrates the dedicated nature of the author to the small details that Poe put into his work and their dedicated analysis and appreciation of the rhyme scheme and Poe's subtle use of rhyme and the English language demonstrate the core mechanics of their analysis of the poem. This analysis did and excellent job of picking apart The Raven and showcased the authors excellent skill of analysis.

Analysis of The Raven

The poem begins with a man sitting in his chamber reading a book. He begins to doze off and eventually falls asleep until awoken by a rapping on is door. He gets scared and tells himself it is just a visitor and ignores it. The rapping continues and he begins to be scared. He thinks of is lost love Lanore and morns for her. The rapping begins anew and he goes to answer the door after reassuring himself that it is just a visitor at his door. He opens it and nothing is there so he looks around an opens his window and a Raven flies in. It perches itself on a bust of Pallis Athena and says the phrase nevermore. The man accuses the raven of being a demon and several other things but the bird only responds with nevermore. He yells at the bird to leave but the bird responds as always. He then asks it when he will be with his love Lanore again and the bird responds nevermore and the man grows saddened and stops communicating with the bird while it just stays perched on the bust.

There were several literary devices in the poem including the use of rhyme scheme to set mood and darken the atmosphere of this already bleak poem. Another literary device is symbolism in which he uses the bust as Athena as a representation of the man's courage and giving him strength to see what is at the door. Another symbol is the bust being over the door and representing protection of him while giving him strength and courage.

The figurative meaning of the poem is the raven representing fear and the thought of there not being an afterlife. The man is afraid that he will never be with his love again and the raven represents a manifestation of his fear that his love is gone forever and there is no hope that he will ever see her again.

Journal #24: Anxiety and Fear

Ha good one. Me being afraid of something, that's a complete jokes. I'm too much of a complete man to be afraid of anything. I once fought an entire army of ninjas while saving a flaming box of puppies from the evil Empire. I didn't even feel an ounce of stress or anxiety that entire time. In fact my tear ducts are clogged shut due to the massive amounts of testosterone my body produces. But in all actuality I really hate heights. It's not even funny how freaked out I get when I go up really high places. Now I'm fine with flying but skyscrapers are out of the freaking question. I had a panic attack when I went up on to the Sears Tower and was frozen in place with fear. I just can't go up to really high places. It's like the time I saw an explanation of several different types of phobias and the explanation for fear of heights was something along the lines of You're really freaking high up! How the heck are you not freaked out right now? In my opinion being really freaking high up is the freakiest thing in the world. Spiders are creepy too. Those things are little demons sent up from hell to devour the flesh of the living...actually that's zombies not spiders but same difference. I hate those things so much and I have a hatred of them that burns like a thousand red hot suns. I see a little demonic little arachnid I smash the crud out of it and burn it. I really just hate those things so much and they freak me out. Don't tell anybody but I will screech like a small child when seeing one of those things. Heights and spiders are the only real things that freak me out otherwise I'm pretty much the bravest person ever, and like I said I have a massive amount of testosterone that makes me the manliest man ever in the entire history of the world hands down no questions asked end of story.

Journal #23: Unplugging

Hahahaha oh lawdy please. Me go a week without some form of technology? Hahahaha That's a laugh. I would go into withdrawals and collapse from technologic denial. I use my iPod throughout the day and I average listening to about 6 different albums a day. If I were to not use my iPod or listen to at least a single album in a day I would probably die. That's a bit of an exaggeration but still I really like my technology and have become quiet attached to it. I like my computer, consoles, and my cell phone a bit too much to just go without it for a weekend. And I just flat out hate camping so that wouldn't go over well. As you know from my previous blog entries I freaking hate camping and the outdoors in general so I really don't think I would willingly go out on a camping trip with friends. Maybe if I was kidnapped and had a gun to my head I would go out on a camping trip, but otherwise no freaking chance am I going out in the woods and pitching a tent and living out there. Also cars are nice. I like driving and they're very convenient. So yeah all in all I wouldn't enjoy nor be able to go an entire weekend without technology. It sounds cliche and stupid but seriously I like my music and my other technological stuff way to much to just give up on them and not do it for an entire weekend. So anyway in summary I dislike the outdoors and would refuse to go out there unless I was forced by gunpoint or tankpoint (is that a word?) and forced to camp out for the weekend, but rest assured I would NOT enjoy myself as I was partaking in the frolicking and what not. Also I really like technology and music and all that goods stuff too much to not use it for a weekend and that's that and what not I guess. Blog done.

Gahndi and Thoreau

There are many similarities between Thoreau's speech and Gahndi's speech. Both men were extremely important figures in during the period Thoreau being a leader of the Transcendentalist movement and Gahndi being the most important person in India and fighting for Indian independence from the English crown. The two were extremely strong-willed and knew what they were fighting against and wrote essays or in Gahndi's case gave a speech highlighting all the issues and tackling them all in a very sophisticated and well-done manner. The issues they were fighting for were in essence the same and actually Gahndi has stated he was influenced by Thoreau's writings and the Transcendentalist movement so the similarities are that much more evident.

The theme of the two writings are the same, both are up in arms and refuse to pay a tax, but for different reasons. Thoreau writes about not paying the poll tax because he believes it screws out the poor and thus they aren't allowed to vote and voice their opinion, which he sees as extremely jaded and a step backwards for the country. Gahndi on the other hand wrote a speech in which he addressed the public directly and talked about the importance of not paying the salt tax that was coming. He talks about what would happen if they refused to pay taxes and why they should. At one point Gahndi says "Even free India will not be able to accommodate a greater number of public servants. A Collector then will not need the number of servants, he has got today. He will be his own servant. Our starving millions can by no means afford this enormous expenditure. If, therefore, we are sensible enough, let us bid good-bye to Government employment, no matter if it is the post of a judge or a peon. Let all who are co-operating with the Government in one way or another, be it by paying taxes, keeping titles, or sending children to official schools, etc. withdraw their co-operation in all or as many watts as possible (Digital.)" This line acknowledges what will happen after the people achieve a free India and what will happen to the government workers. Gahndi holds no resentment towards the civil workers but expresses his disdain with the government itself and the higher ups who make the decisions, similar to Thoreau who dislikes the higher ups in the government and the aristocracy in America.

These are a few of the similarities and differences between Thoreau and Gahndi. Gahndi was more direct and selective of his audience and knew the point would get across to the correct people and action would be taken as a direct result of his speech and his writings. Thoreau on the other hand was not a public speaker, but a writer. He only hoped that the right people would read his message and take action, inspired by what he wrote. The principles and themes of the two essays are the same but the method of delivery is drastically different for both.

Famous Speeches Of Gandhiji : On The Eve Of Historic Dandi March." Mani Bhavan - Gandhi Sangrahalaya: Mahatma Gandhi Museum & Reference Library. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. .

Journal #23: Morality

Morality is a tough subject. Romantics said that it was ok to break the law if breaking it was morally superior, so long as you paid the price afterward. This question reminds me of a scenario in which a man needs to buy some medicine for his ill wife and she will die if she doesn't get it soon. The man has $3000 to his name and the medicine is sold at $5000, despite the fact that the medicine is manufactured for only $2000. The man goes to the pharmacy to buy the medicine and tells the pharmacist he will pay a down payment and swears to get the rest of them money to him when he has it, but the pharmacist refuses and tells him he needs all of the money to buy the medicine. The man then leaves the store and breaks in at night to steal the medicine for his wife. This in my opinion is a situation in which disregarding the law is an acceptable alternative because the moral aspect of it is greater. The man saved his wife by stealing the medicine, and while it is usually wrong to steal in this situation the pharmaceutical company is truly in the wrong. They are pricing the medicine too high and despite the man having enough to make the company a profit he was still turned down and forced to turn to crime to save a life. I think that Romantics would agree that saving a life at the expense of breaking the law is acceptable. This situation is not commonplace and extremely rare, so these types of occurrences are not normal and would be acceptable to break the law if the damage done by breaking the law was not severe and by breaking the law the moral benefits were greater than the harm done, and serving your punishment for your crime would make it acceptable in the opinion of a Romantic writer. Blog done.

Journal #21: Emerson and Franklin

Emerson and Franklin were on very opposite ends of the literary spectrum. Emerson was one of the most important figures in Transcendentalism and believes firmly in the idea that man could overcome any hardships and come to his full potential by self-introspection and deep personal realization. Franklin on the other hand was a firm Rationalist. He believed in Science and technological progression with nature and self realization not having a role in his style. He believed in spirituality for personal achievement and by following a strict personal code would one reach their highest level of capability and achievement. This is somewhat similar to the views of Emerson in his ideas of the ability of man to achieve and other themes. These are the only two main similarities between the two authors because their two movements were on completely opposite ends of the spectrum and had many conflicting ideals and motifs. Despite the differences though the idea of self-realization through some form of self is a common theme shared by both men, albeit their methods were different. The key themes of Rationalism were the idea of thought and progress, with logical thinking having more value than other things. These conflicted greatly with the ideal of Transcendentalism and the very similar Romantic Movement. Those two movements came about as essentially foils to Rationalism and it's idea of Scientific progress. These conflicting ideals showed the differences between the two writers with some being very drastic form their views on science and technology from their few similarities in their ideas and opinions of self-realization and the will and ability of man through their own achievements. All in all the two men had extremely radical and different views on several aspects because of their literary groups and their upbringings, but despite this they had similar viewpoints on the capabilities of humans and the means through which self-realizations and achievement could be achieved. These are the main similarities and differences between Franklin and Emerson.

Journal #22: Emerson Analysis

Ralph Waldo Emerson had a large influence on the Transcendental movement which in several ways was similar to Romanticism, but in his latter years Emerson rejected the idea of Romanticism. Romanticism was heavy on the idea of going out into nature and finding oneself, while Transcendentalism was heavy handed on the idea of finding oneself through personal revelations that did not require outside influence, only heavy self-introspection and revelations. All in all the aspects of the two movements were similar on the surface but upon deeper introspection and analysis one can find the differences and discern between the two movements. Transcendentalism was a very influential period in literature for America and the lasting impression of the literature written at the time is still felt today and is echoed in several authors today and in the Modernism movement. The entire idea behind Transcendentalism is vaguely similar to Romanticism, but the two movements have their differences along with a few similarities that usually end up with people overlooking the differences and simply classifying the two movements together incorrectly. The two are similar in some issues on the surface but upon further more in-depth analysis one can see the overall depth and complexities in both issues and properly distinguish from Romanticism and Transcendentalism.

One of the things that sets Emerson apart from Romanticism and firmly plants him as a Transcendentalist writer and proofs some of his withdrawals about Romanticism is this quote. "Most readers of American literature know the story of Emerson's refusal to mourn. His first wife Ellen died in 1831, when she was nineteen. Five years later he lost Charles, the brother to whom he was closest (Digital.)" This quote demonstrates the inability of Emerson to mourn properly or his unique method in which he dealt with loss and hard and heavy emotions. Romantics were much more emotion heavy into emotion and expressing it, and would have dealt with the loss of a loved one or a close friend in a very dramatic fashion that showcased their grieving. Because of his disassociation with emotion and rejection of traditional grieving methods it disconnected him from Romantics and while he still believed in human potential and self-actualization through achievement it demonstrated his distance from the emotion of humanity and his thought that it was trivial and unimportant to the working spirit and behavior of man while still rejecting the idea of technological and scientific progression as the sole focus of mankind which kept him in some similar space as Romantics, but due to his reservations of emotion showed him as a true Transcendental writer.

These reasons, mainly Emerson's emotional detachment from other people and thought process of work and self first and before all other matter, while still distancing himself from the scientific and technological marvels of the time solidified himself as a Transcendentalist, but concreted him straight out of the Romantic and Realist literary groups. Despite several similarities with Romantic writers he rejected the emotional aspect of Romanticism and his emotional coldness and stone faceted attitude served as crucial aspects to this.

"Emerson and the Work of Melancholia." Raritan (Spring 1987). Quoted as "Emerson and the Work of Melancholia" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Updated Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. (accessed November 10, 2010).

Journal #20: Self-Reflection

Ok so I'm supposed to write about self reflection and all that good stuff. Wooo. I can barely contain myself I am just bursting with enthusiasm about this journal. I really don't like going into nature and all that mumbo jumbo. I hate nature for the most part if you would refer back to one of my previous entries you would find that a fact. I like technology and most of society too much to just go into the woods and "find" myself which in my opinion just sounds like a massive load. I hate this hole Romantic thing in most cases and the whole thing about finding yourself and being one with nature. I just don't buy into it and I'm much more comfortable being around technology and other people plus I don't even have any issues about who I really am and stuff. I've got most things figured out about who I am so I don't think I require any self-reflection. I mean I suppose in a way when I just shut out the world and listen to my music I am Self Reflecting but not really because I mainly just analyze the music and rock out to it so no I guess I don't self reflect when I'm listening to music. Yeah that's my main take on self reflection and stuff so I guess I don't really have much else to write about. I'm not even self reflecting right now, except I guess I kind of am because I'm revealing how much I loathe self reflecting which is ironic in a sense right? I don't know like I said I don't buy into it and I would much rather be around all my technology and other people because that's more comfortable and gives me more of an identity than going into the woods and finding myself. I just don't like nature and think that's stupid. So yeah that's my whole take on this whole issue and whatnot. Excelsior!

Journal #19

My ideal United States is a land of awesomeness. Actually it would probably be a land where the Apocalypse has already happened and zombies roam the land. Imagine a world like Fallout with zombies from Dawn of the Dead and stuff. Not infected, but the undead who were all slow and shambling. It would be so amazing. I would roam the countryside being an awesome zombie slaying hardcore dude saving survivors and taking down roaming zombie hordes while keeping the ideals and values of America strong by fighting the communist invader. Remember this is Fallout world where communists in China caused the War with the United States and everything is like it was in the 50s. This is my ideal version of the United States because it combines one of the greatest games ever with the coolest thing ever zombies. Fallout and zombies would just be so amazing you don't even realize how excited I am just typing about this. I mean America would be in shambles and only select villages of people would still be around but still it would be totally awesome because I would awesome, well even more awesome than I already am and we all know how that is. But anyway yeah I would roam the wasteland with my trust companion Mountain Lion whom I would name Borealis. Me and Borealis would be the best killing zombie team in the entire universe and we would rescue people from the zombie horde and pick up chicks. That would be so fun. I would have a field day in an apocalyptic remnant of the shattered United States. I would have so much fun it would be obnoxious how much I would enjoy myself. I would totally rule over most places as King/Lord/God of everything, and I think I would probably be revered as a God in most places which makes this version of America my ideal version. Six more words and I'm done.