John Greenleaf Whittier. were varied in nature, some reflecting the ideals of the Romantics, other works focusing on the

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1 Sample Student Mrs. Johnson English 10 CPA 15 December 2016 John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier s writing career spanned from the 1830 s to the 1890 s. His s were varied in nature, some reflecting the ideals of the Romantics, other s focusing on the abolition of slavery, and his later s characteristic of the Realist Movement. Growing up in rural Massachusetts, John Greenleaf Whittier s poem Snow-Bound was inspired by personal experiences and reflects nature and the imagination which are characteristic of the American Romantic Movement. Whittier was one of four children born to Quaker parents, and he spent his early years Thesis Statement ing on the family farm. Spending his boyhood and youth on a farm, Whittier came close to nature, and later described the rural scene of his locality more faithfully than had any other writer up to that time ( John Greenleaf Whittier ). Because of his responsibilities ing on the farm, Whittier received little formal education. He did, however, love to read and spent many Biographical information hours reading religious inspired stories and poetry. By the time he was fourteen, he began writing his own poetry. In 1827, Whittier briefly attended Haverhill Academy, where he was both a student and an instructor. Although school was not a large influence on him, he was greatly affected by his parents and their religious views. Through their teachings, he gained an appreciation for local history and the Quaker religion. Another great influence on his life was his older sister, Mary. Unbeknownst to John, she sent one of his poems to the Newburyport Free Press and at the age of nineteen, Whittier s first poem was published ( Whittier, John Greenleaf ). This was his first introduction to the world of publishing, where he spent many

2 Student 2 years as the editor of various publications, such as The American Manufacturer (1829), and The New England Weekly Review (1834). It was through these experiences that he came in contact with another great influence, William Lloyd Garrison. The reading of Garrison s Thoughts on Colonization (1832), and actually meeting Garrison, caused Whittier to become an abolitionist ( John Greenleaf Whittier ). Whittier spent the next several years of his life writing, ing for abolitionist publications, and immersing himself in politics. Some of Whittier s most passionate poetry was inspired by his strong belief that slavery should be abolished. He had many of his anti-slavery poems published over the years, but these poems are not what he is most well-known. His most famous poem, Snow-Bound, was inspired not by his political views, but by his childhood memories. Snow-Bound, published in 1866, is a three-part poem set during a severe December snowstorm in Massachusetts during Whittier s youth. The first part of the poem talks about the arrival of the storm and the transformed landscape the next morning (Byrne). Full of description and imagery, the poem goes on to tell the story of the boys, which include Whittier Author s and his brother, shoveling a path from the house to the barn so they could tend to the animals. Part two of the poem focuses on stories told around the fire by his father, mother, uncle, aunt, and elder sister, now lately gone (Byrne). In addition to these family members, a schoolteacher and a religious woman are at the house, waiting out the storm. Finally, in the third part of the poem there are references to the world outside their comfortable home and tales of war along Summary of selected with the busy life that people lead (Byrne). Although his subject matter in the poem changes with the various parts, the beauty and power of nature is a constant throughout, as he clearly describes the beautiful landscape blanketed by snow. Whittier (also) recalls the self-sufficiency Subject matter of of his family and recounts their close-knit circle of domestic affection as seen through a week of

3 Student 3 enforced winter isolation (Angyal). Clearly, he enjoyed spending time with his loved ones. The overall message of the poem is to enjoy time spent with family and friends because one day they will not be with us on earth. Learning to appreciate the people and things we have in life is one of the Romantic ideals he conveys in his poem, Snow-Bound. In addition to appreciating the simple things in life, Romantic literature also celebrates nature, stresses the importance and expression of emotions, and recognizes the beauty of the imagination. American romantics emphasized material simplicity, living close to nature, and the honest manual labor of the self-sufficient farmer and frontier dweller ( Romanticism ). This can be seen in Snow-Bound as Whittier depicts the life of a simple Massachusetts farming family as they deal with a snowstorm of great proportions. In the poem, the narrator, calls to mind the tales of the world of nature told by his uncle of moons and tides, of weather signs, of birds and beasts (Jaskoski). These images of nature abound in the poem, as the snowstorm is described in great detail and memories of nature are recalled. In his masterpiece Snow-Bound, Whittier harnesses a scene from his youth for a Romantic meditation on the value of family love and affection amid nature s cruelest season. He interlaces scenes of family activity, of and leisure Long passages linger on the frozen scenery, the comfortable hearthside, and old tales told to pass the time (Byrne). The comfort Whittier felt throughout this experience is a testament to the love he felt for his family. Furthermore, the importance of feeling and emotion is evident as Whittier s expresses his admiration of family members and friends in the poem ( Romanticism ). The embracing theme of Snow-Bound is that the lives of common, ordinary people whether inhabitants of a rural New England farm or tormented slaves are worthy and full of dignity and delight (Jaskoski). The poet shows respect for the people he shares the experience with as he views the time spent as an opportunity Theme of the Characteristics of the literary movement Evidence from the

4 Student 4 be with loved ones and share stories, rather than as a forced confinement. His delight is evident as the characters in the poem experienced, a time of enforced inactivity and of restricted movement (which) becomes an opportunity for reflection, insight, and enlightenment (Jaskoski). They take advantage of the opportunity to express and reflect on their emotions as they sit around the fire waiting out the snowstorm. Yet another characteristic of the Romantic Movement, the value of the individual's experience can be seen in the way Whittier describes the snowstorm ( Romanticism ). Moreover, the beauty of the imagination comes alive in the poem when the narrator describes the young children digging a crystal-walled tunnel through the deepest drift (Jaskoski). Only the imagination of a young child could see a seemingly difficult and dull task of clearing a path to a barn as creating a magical crystal-walled tunnel. As you can see, the poem was written in the Romantic style as he describes these happy childhood memories. John Greenleaf Whittier s poem Snow-Bound is a true reflection of the Romantic Movement in the way he infuses nature, emotions, and the imagination. The poem shares his fond memories of his family, spending a week together during a snowstorm, isolated from the Conclusion rest of the world (Angyal). The writing of this nostalgic poem helped him to deal with the the loss of his beloved sister, Elizabeth, in 1864, (which) left him increasingly isolated (Angyal). By writing this poem, Whittier felt less alone as he recalled the Snow-Bound experience. He reminds the reader, through his reflections, that family is something to appreciate and treasure, just as other Romantics believed nature should be appreciated and treasured.

5 Student 5 Works Cited Angyal, Andrew J. "John Greenleaf Whittier." Critical Survey of Poetry, rev. 2 nd ed., Salem, Literary Reference Center. Byrne, Joseph P. "John Greenleaf Whittier." Magill s Survey of American Literature, rev. ed., Salem, Literary Reference Center. Jaskoski, Helen. "Snow-Bound." Masterplots, 4 th ed. Salem, Literary Reference Center. "John Greenleaf Whittier." Dictionary of American Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, Gale Biography In Context. "Romanticism." Literary Movements for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Literary Movements, edited by Ira Mark Milne, 2nd ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2009, pp Gale Virtual Reference Library. "Whittier, John Greenleaf ( )." Discovering Authors, Gale, Discovering Collection.