When I began searching for a criticism for Bryant's poem to match the Romanticism period on Bloom's literacy, I knew right away that it would not be that hard to get the job done, simply because the Romanticism period is virtually famous for its poems and other literature works. Poetry is not my favorite topic per say, but it is definitely a topic that will interest me if I find the right poem to read. That is why I was very intrigued by the poem "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant. In one criticism I found, the author says that Bryant's poem compares Calvinism and pantheism (Snodgrass). I find this to be very interesting because I never saw this comparison when reading the poem on my own. It is mind-opening to see the many reflections people have of a certain piece of literature, definitely poetry, that can be analyzed in many different ways.
The poem itself I interpreted it being as a warning to everyone that we all die, and that it is something we cannot avoid in life. In a way, it is sort of like a life cycle. You die, then you turn into something with nature. It sounds extremely cliche, but going back to the whole Calvinism thing, where it is believed that all things are in Christ and of Christ, the statement holds true when I analyzed it a bit more. We do just kind of, sort of...die. We never know when it will be that we are forced to leave this world. Nature is somewhat like a teacher that can help us guide us through life, represented in the form of a woman. I think "mother-nature" came to be because nature is nurturing, a lot like a mother. "To Nature's teachings, while from all around-Earth," (Bryant). I love this quote. It basically summarizes everything I was trying to say about nature, it is everywhere. You cannot avoid the trees, water, and skies no matter how hard you try.
When I compare this poem by Bryant to the Romanticism period, I find it to fit the category very well. First of all, Bryant's poem talks about death, a topic not so riveting and exciting in and of itself. This trend was extremely popular during the Romanticism period because authors were beginning to break out of their shell and talk about stuff that beforehand, people feared to discuss or bring up in their writings.
Another aspect I drew from the poem that I found in one certain criticism was the topic of, again, nature. Nature basically defines the Romanticism period in my opinion. Along with getting really gory and gross (thank you Mr. Edgar Allen Poe), authors also began to analyze the importance of nature in the lives of society. Bryant compares death to nature in a way. Like I said before, Bryant says that we die and become one with nature.
I never thought I would analyze a silly poem like this, but I actually got really into it when it came to William Cullen Bryant's poem. I think the Romanticism period produced a very interesting variety of literature, with Bryant't poem being one of then.
Byant, William C. "Thanatopsis." PoemHunter.com. 13 May 2001. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "'Thanatopsis'." Encyclopedia of Gothic Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
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