American Romanticism

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Well one thing that is obviously romantic and imaginative about Sleepy Hollow is that it is a ghost story. Of course this could never happen but it is a nice adventure of a guy, who frankly is kind of jerk, who gets his in the end. While I read this story I had no bad thoughts about him dying. I think that’s what’s romantic about this story. Normally in life the jerks and bad guys get ahead in life and get the girls, but in this story the jerk gets what he deserve at the end.

It also has a sense of irony to it. A man that doesn’t believe in ghost and only listens to ghost story’s to get to with women dies from a ghost. Well maybe not die, they never said that, they just said they never found his body just his hat. It’s kind of romantic that he becomes a ghost story. His tale will be told after he is gone, and then the villagers say you can hear him whistle. This is a romantic story because of how the things react to one another and the sense of wonder and imagination to it. Even though it would never happen it is easy to believe in it.

The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head.
I guess this would be an example of how this story could be considered romantic. Since everything was so bad during the days when he wrote this, he made up something more frightening that would make people feel better about there lives.

Away, then, they dashed through thick and thin; stones flying and sparks flashing at every bound. Ichabod's flimsy garments fluttered in the air, as he stretched his long lank body away over his horse's head, in the eagerness of his flight.
This is a good example of romanticism because a chase through the woods would rarely ever happen. Plus the story makes it out to be some kind of exciting adventure and it kind of gets your heart pumping. A good piece of fiction, that’s what make’s it romantic.

Thanintopsis

I think he is talking about life and death in this poem. He starts out with saying how beautiful mother nature is a beautiful thing ."She has a voice of gladness, and a smile And eloquence of beauty, and she glides into his darker musings, with a mild And gentle sympathy, that steals away". Then he starts talking about the final hour, or "the last bitter hour", and at the end he wonders what people will think when he’s gone. This is romantic from my point of view of how he makes death out to be a beautiful thing. I guess death can be beautiful but most of the time its just ordinary. He described with and elegance and happiness about it.

The Ropewalk

I really didn’t understand this poem that well. I would say the writing is describing some of the beautiful things in the world, or at least some of the things that he thinks seem beautiful. The most beautiful things he talks about are the mountain banks and the girl with faded loveliness. This is describing some of the nicer easier things to look at in the world, not the terrible, ugly, and sometimes tragic things we see almost everyday. You can picture a calm and peaceful place in your mind sometimes and it can help you calm down and relax.

Paintings

I think paintings can be considered romantic by their beauty. There aren’t that many beautiful, nice or peaceful places left in the world. This picture is a good example of a romantic picture in how calm and peaceful it is. The clouds and the sky are reflecting off the water, the sun making its way through the clouds. No buildings or distractions, just god’s creation at it’s finest.




This is a romantic painting because of the colors of the scenery. You very seldom see rainbow’s, especially a perfect one. You also have the duck and the ducklings, which is a kind of nice way to look at life. A mother taking care of her children and not having to worry about anything else. Its fall and leaves are all colorful and all over the place. This picture is romantic because you rarely see anything this peaceful.