Romanticism!

I wish I lived back in the age of transcendental writing. The emphasis on life, death, nature, and all of the emotions in the writings- paired along with aphorism filled poems- enticed me from the start. How could I not want to exist in a time with such romantic literature?

In "The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls", the rhythmic pattern and simple refrain enforces the lesson that life moves on, like the waves and the skyline and the never ending water cycle. From "A Psalm of Life", encouragement is spewed from stanza to stanza, dripping advice on how to live meaningfully in the now. Both of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's works stresses ideals that our modern society still upholds. When teenagers tell each other to "get over it", it's really a more direct (and rude) way of expressing "The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls"'s theme: move on. Or when "You only live once!" is shouted before an incredibly exciting action, the speaker is trying to partake in a "live fast, die young" attitude, one that has been more and more common since the transcendental age. Though the romantic writers (and even the colonial writers) are now long gone, their works live on inspire future generations. 

However, I believe Longfellow would turn over in his grave if he found out how we've been using his aphorisms. Proclaiming "Life is real! Life is earnest!" is no excuse for ridiculous behavior, like intense weekend partying or experimental drug usage. Each generation takes the works of the previous and twists them, mixing and playing with them until they fit their needs- but, there are still those who love and devour romantic works for their intended purposes.

Manipulation

Teenagers and parents don't always see eye to eye, especially about curfew or material goods. How does one convince his parents for an extension or an early gift? He uses manipulation, a more extreme form of persuasion.
Like in Thomas Paine's "The Crisis",we teenagers also formulate our thoughts into a format that convinces our listener to agree with us. Paine's ethical appeal, "if there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace", forces the reader into considering there is a right and wrong choice: to stand against the rebellion or to let the fight fall to his children. This parallels the teenagers' attempt when we ask to stay out later because "all the other kids are" or to have something because "all the other kids have it". We try to guilt our parents into thinking they're doing something wrong, that their decision is misinformed and that the way "all the other kids" parents are doing it is right.


Most children have asked for sweets and, like this picture, have appealed to their parents' emotions. How could they say no if their darling angel is so sad without it? Thomas Paine appeals to his fellow Continental Army men by saying their children will "curse his cowardice" because a successful fight would have made them "happy", free from British rule. By playing on the heartstrings of both parents and guilt of the soldiers, both listeners are agree.

Persuasive rhetoric isn't only found in literature. If we look around- or even examine ourselves- we'll see we take persuasion to the next level in our lives: manipulation for what we want.

Proctor's End

When reading the tragic end of John Proctor's life, I see the same behaviors in our school.

He confesses to "binding himself to the Devil's services", when he clearly hasn't because witchcraft doesn't even exist, to appease his captors and to earn his freedom back. When he rips up his statement, he defies authorities by silently declaring his refusal to be publicly acknowledged as a male-witch. Like an accused victim in Salem, a gossiper in school has the same options: to spread malicious talk or to take a stand against it. The option to deny witchcraft charges parallel the chance to hinder a rumor about a harmless fellow classmate. In both cases, the person involved would be punished for whatever they choose: either labeled a witch or gossip, or punished with death or social exclusion.

I, also, related to Elizabeth Proctor. She watched Proctor admit the truth, and practically sign his death warrant. I hear girls share terrible secrets about others, and I see the instigator cold-shoulder her friend if she doesn't agree. Both Elizabeth and these courageous girls bear witness to the injustices of their society.

John Proctor was browbeaten to admit to a lie, but he found his moral center again. As students, standing up for the right thing doesn't even create major punishments- maybe just a little awkwardness between friends. If it's even easier to stop the flow of rumors than the ocean of accusations, why do we still let it happen?

The Crucible

Seldom do we find ourselves with the power to control whether someone lives or dies. Much less the lives of thirty-nine innocent women. Abigail William's witch accusations nearly condemned these women to an unjust death sentence. This shows her crazy-teenager-in-delusional-love side, but also why she becomes a personal favorite character of mine.

Her unrequited love- or, actually, lust- for Proctor motivates her to new extremes of evilness: the death of gentle townswomen. Only prompted with a cause- hope to replace Elizabeth- does she fabricate intricate explanations for each woman's connection to witchcraft. Most critics hate Abigail, however, I feel for her. She was young and impressionable, the two cliches necessary to fall completely head-over-heels for a man twice her age. Consumed with her craving for Proctor, her only desire was to be HIS desire- only remotely possible through the execution of Elizabeth.

Yes, I'm making a case for her, not against her. She wasn't surrounded by loving parents growing up; she didn't experience what a traditional family should be like. She only had her warped sense of romantic love derived from Proctor's lusty advancements. As of Act Three, her power over those lives create for her a false sense of security- because she can't possibly be hanged as a witch if she confesses, and the chance of sleeping with Proctor instantly skyrockets. I believe Abigail is highly manipulative (a trait I highly admire, actually) and intelligent, but also a lost young girl who aches for attention and love after being bereft in her childhood.