Romantic Values example essay topic

The Romantic Period was a period characterized by dramatic changes in the views of people and their way of thinking. Nearly all the attitudes and tendencies of the eighteenth century including classicism and rationalism were redefined or changed dramatically. A great deal of values that were considered important, were replaced by new ones that nowadays "rule" over our appreciation towards certain things. However, these changes brought with them both positive and negative drawbacks and influences. For example, Romantic values emphasized self expression. They encouraged the expression of a person's most intimate feelings and opinions.

In turn, people spoke up and expressed their opinions towards certain policies, without the fear of being accused of treachery. An example of this is Lord Byron's Speech to Parliament. In his writings he defended the lower class of society. In addition, he criticized the way the higher class was taking advantage of the necessities of the working people and repudiated the measures that were taken against them.

Yet another writer who celebrates this value is Thomas Babington Macaulay in his work titled On the Passing of the Reform Bill. It is a political commentary that details the problems that the government faced with Parliamentary representation. Before, if anyone dared to go against any political policy or measure they would be arrested immediately, even executed. Nowadays, people believe fervently in freedom of expression, to the extent that whoever does not allow another person to express their opinions is committing a grave crime. However, certain groups take advantage of this and ruin other's reputations and careers. They don't take into consideration the consequences of their words or actions.

Another value that was the celebrated by Romantic writers was the supremacy human nature and behavior over the perfect human being that early artists portrayed. In addition, nothing was more sublime than the human being, his / her persona and beauty. This is the case of Don Juan, written by Lord Byron. In this excerpt the author reflects on old age and death, issues that shape our personality and way of thinking towards life itself. This allowed for people of that time period to understand these phenomena more in depth and accept them as natural occurrences.

Nevertheless, people today focus on maintaining their physical appearance intact. In other words, they are not willing to accept that aging is a natural process and is a fundamental part of our life. The Romantic writers insisted so much in making us see that death and aging are both natural processes, but at the same time tell us youth is beauty, that today people are resilient to accept this as the truth. They undergo dangerous surgeries or starve just to maintain a youthful, healthy body.

No matter the consequences. In conclusion, the Romantic period along with its writers, painters, and poets caused an emergence of feelings and values that were not existent until that time. The appreciation of beauty and the expression of one's emotions in a controlled manner are among these. Although they were positive at that time and still continue to be, they have become distorted and self-destructive. Even though they have encouraged people to do things that are considered righteous, they have also had negative drawbacks.