How Did Longfellow's Life Differ From Individualism?
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During the early 1800’s puritanical period, many of their writings were based on logical and straight forward thinking. Many of these selections included but were not limited to sermons, documents of history, and poems based on religion. Meanwhile, other writers were being influenced by the literary styles of those in Europe. In Europe, the genre of writing was called Neoclassical which was literature that imitated classical forms, where as in America they turned more so to a form of writing, which would later be named the Romanticism Era. These authors looked more so to nature and individualism for inspiration. Some of authors from that period include, Henry David Thoreau, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Washington Irving. One selection from this…show more content… I believe that he thought that all people had the right, and ability to be whatever they choose to be. In stanza two of Psalms of Life, he wrote “Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, was not spoken of the soul.” In my opinion, it registered as saying that people live in daily life not to die, but to live to its fullest, from life (birth) we will eventually return back to dust (dead), but we DO NOT LIVE to die. When people are born they do not have expectations, they are innocent children being brought in to life by knowing adults. A lot of these children grow up to become pessimists, Longfellow believe that was not the intended goal and that you were born to thrive as person in this universe no matter what it is, and that that was your intended goal on…show more content… Unlike, puritan’s Longfellow looked to pull on the heartstrings of his readers. In Psalms of Life, stanza 8, line 31 and 32, he awakened the soul of the readers with the decree “A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, seeing, shall take heart again.” In this excerpt, the writer explains that even though you are down trodden, you can lift your spirits and soul and become a happier person. Pain and sorrow doesn’t last forever. I conceive the same notions as Longfellow, being emotional is only for the moment. It is nothing wrong being upset about things, seeing as though that is one of the main qualities that forge the definition of being hue-man. Longfellow’s writing literally shaped American