Dark Romanticism

1) Edgar Allen Poe- I believed he believed against transcendental philosophy because if people were all pure in their minds then his stepfather wouldn’t have disowned him. Neither would his three wives die of the same disease, it seemed like he was cursed and that’s why he believed that people weren’t all pure and godly.
Herman Melville-I believed he believed against transcendental philosophy because he witnessed cannibalism. He probably felt that if all men were pure in their minds and in touch with god, then they would’ve known against eating human flesh.
Nathaniel Hawthorne- I believed he believed against the transcendental philosophy because he disowns his family. He knew that his family was doing wrong by killing all those people and so he knew that all men couldn’t be all good.

2) Honestly I believe that I would fall more into the category with the Dark Romantics. I simply don’t believe that men are 100% pure, we are pure in some ways, but definitely not 100%. That’s just like saying that everyone is perfect in the way that they think and if that’s the case then no crime would ever happen. Everyone has a bad side to him or her and certain people just let their bad sides overcome them when certain things happen to them. Those are well known facts and those facts help prove my decision on being more on the Dark Romantic side.

4) This poem was awesome! I read every single line. It describes the Dark Romantics belief in many ways; there were times in the poem when the author felt anger within himself. He felt hatred and violence and he wanted to hurt someone or something, that right there shows proof against the transcendentalist belief because they believe all men are good and pure in their hearts. "Evil thoughts became my sole intimates-the darkest and most evilest of thoughts". That shows how he had these thoughts in his head that basically urging him on to do something bad. He started off loving his animals taking care of their every need and then he gradually started to change, he began ignoring their needs and basically reverted to moping around the house. Then finally one day he just snapped. "The fury of the demon instantly possessed me. I knew myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take flight from my body and a more then fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre of my frame. I took my from my waistcoat-pocket a pen-knife, opened it up, grasped the poor beast by his throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket!"

5) I feel sadness and I can feel his anguish and depression through his words. I can imagine how angry he was with the raven for not really giving him a full answer! "Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from a unseen censer swung by Seraphim whose foot falls tinkled on the tufted floor. Wretch I cried, thy God had lent thee—by these angels he had sent thee respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forgot this lost Lenore! Quote the raven Nevermore." He wants the answer to his questions his preparing himself for the worst of worst thoughts and the entire time the raven would only reply was nevermore. He never gave him a direct answer.

This poem describes an anti-Transcendental idea by showing how upset the bird made the author. The bird represented evil and pain and it hurt the author by revealing the answers to his questions that hurt the most. Even though the bird only said one word it inflicted pain. The author asked would he ever see his wife again, it replied nevermore. He asked when would the raven leave him alone and the bird replied once again nevermore. He was agitated and angry and the bird was calm and peaceful.

6) Edgar Poe was born in Boston in January 1809. His parents were actors, and they separated less than a year after his birth. His mother took him, his brother and his sister on tour with her plenty of times. A little while after his 2nd birthday she died. In 1815, Edgar moved to Britain with his "adopted" family and received his education there; they moved back to the states in 1820. In 1827 he joined the army. When he was 27 he married his 13-year-old cousin. He wasn’t a well-trusted person and was involved in many lawsuits throughout his life. He remarried three times and all wives died of tuberculosis. His life was full of pain and anger, which was his main motivation for all of his work. He could write stories based on the pains he once experienced and that’s why he was so talented; he could actually bring out the pain of his life through his work. Even though he’s passed, I still think he’s one of the best writers ever.