American Romanticism

"A Dream Within a Dream"

by Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow:
You are not wrong who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
Edgar Allan Poe's "A Dream Within a Dream" is an intriguing and cryptic poem that
delves into the issues of perception, reality, and the transient essence of existence.
From a psychological standpoint, the poem delves into the fragility of human
experience and the significant impact of time on our lives.

The poem opens with the speaker bidding farewell to a loved one, expressing a
desire to capture a moment in time with a kiss. This introduction sets the tone for the
investigation of the transient character of life and the ephemeral nature of our
experiences.

The words "You are not wrong who think / That my days have been a dream" imply
disappointment or skepticism regarding the speaker's experiences. This could allude
to the idea that our views and memories are subjective and vulnerable to distortion,
similar to a dreamy experience. The speaker's admission that their days have been a
dream shows an understanding of the impermanence and illusory nature of their life.

The poem then offers a series of rhetorical questions, pondering whether the loss of
hope and the passage of time decrease the worth of our experiences. The sentence
"Is it therefore the less gone?" indicates the speaker's reflection on the impact of
time on the worth and realism of our recollections.
It emphasizes the existential challenge of comprehending the fleeting nature of
existence and how it influences our vision of the universe.

The concluding lines of the poem, "All that we see or seem / Is but a dream within a
dream," capture the poem's fundamental topic. Poe proposes in this passage that
our entire reality, including everything we experience and believe to be true, may be
a layer of illusion within a larger dream. This idea calls into question the stability of
our concept of reality and pushes us to consider the subjective character of our
experiences.
 American Romanticism
"O Captain! My Captain!"

by Walt Whitman called

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here Captain! dear father!

This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;

Exult O shores, and ring O bells!

But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
 "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman is a profound and very emotional poem
about the psychological impact of loss, notably the killing of President Abraham Lincoln.
From a psychological standpoint, the poem digs into issues of sadness, admiration, and
the complicated emotions felt in the face of catastrophe.

The poem starts with the speaker addressing the captain, who is a metaphor for Lincoln.
The shout "O Captain! My Captain!" conveys a strong emotional connection and a
personal stake in the captain's fate. This emotional bond serves as the foundation for the
speaker's psychological examination of the captain's demise.

The initial stanzas convey a sense of relief and triumph, as the ship representing the
nation has weathered storms and reached its destination. The bells ringing and people
exulting symbolize the joyous celebration of victory. However, this tone swiftly shifts as
the speaker realizes that the captain lies "fallen cold and dead" on the deck. Here, the
poem captures the intense grief and shock experienced in the aftermath of loss.

Throughout the poem, the speaker communicates a tremendous sense of longing and
denial, pleading with the captain to rise and join the celebrations. This represents the
psychological battle to accept the fact of death and the want for the dead to return. The
recurrence of the phrases "O heart! heart! heart!" highlights the speaker's mental sorrow
and the terrible impact of the captain's death on his psyche.

The poem emphasizes the speaker's unwillingness to accept the captain's death. The
image of the speaker's arm supporting the captain's head and the appeal for him to rise
represents a frantic attempt to ignore the loss and maintain a sense of connection and
guidance. The juxtaposition between the speaker's optimism and the captain's
lifelessness heightens the psychological turmoil and sense of loss.
 American Gothic
"A Good Man Is Hard to Find"
By Flannery O'Connor

"A Good Man Is Hard to Find" follows a family's ill-fated road trip to
Florida. The story centers around the grandmother, a self-proclaimed
lady who clings to her outdated notions of gentility and moral superiority.
As the family embarks on their journey, the grandmother insists on
visiting an old plantation house, leading them astray. Along the way, she
recalls stories of a dangerous escaped convict called The Misfit.

After a series of misadventures and arguments within the family, their

car eventually ends up in a ditch. Coincidentally, The Misfit and his
criminal companions arrive at the scene. The Misfit, a cold and
calculated man, engages the grandmother in a discussion about the
nature of good and evil.

As the story unfolds, The Misfit decides to execute the family members
one by one. In a chilling twist, the grandmother pleads for her life,
invoking her sense of decency and goodness. However, her pleas fall on
deaf ears, and The Misfit ultimately shoots her as well.

The story concludes with The Misfit reflecting on the encounter, stating
that if Jesus truly raised the dead, then he "wasn't there" to see it. This
concluding remark raises questions about the nature of faith,
redemption, and the presence of grace even in the face of evil.

"A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is a masterful example of O'Connor's

ability to blend dark humor, moral exploration, and vivid
characterizations. It delves into the complexities of human nature and
the often unexpected consequences that arise when morality is
challenged.
 "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor offers
psychological insights into the intricacies of human conduct,
delving into topics such as moral hypocrisy, the origin of evil,
and the transformational power of grace. The figure of the
grandmother, who battles with opposing ideas and actions, is
used to explore cognitive dissonance. The Misfit personifies
psychopathy, exhibiting characteristics such as a lack of
remorse and a proclivity for violence.
The redemption and grace theme emphasizes the possibility of
transformation even in the face of wickedness. The plot also
delves into the psychological effects of violence and trauma on
the characters. Overall, O'Connor's story provides a deep
psychological study, delving into cognitive dissonance, the
psychology of evil, redemption, and the psychological
consequences of violence.
 American Gothic
Nemesis
By H.P. Lovecraft

Through the ghoul-guarded gateways of slumber,

Past the wan-mooned abysses of night,
I have lived o'er my lives without number,
I have sounded all things with my sight;
And I struggle and shriek ere the daybreak, being driven
to madness with fright.

I have whirled with the earth at the dawning,

When the sky was a vaporous flame;
I have seen the dark universe yawning,
Where the black planets roll without aim,
Where they roll in their horror unheeded, without
knowledge or lustre or name.
The poem "Nemesis" by H.P. Lovecraft delves on psychological
topics such as terror, psychosis, and humanity's effort to
grapple with the unknown. The poem shows the narrator's
rising psychological pain and overwhelming anxiety as he
travels through the subconscious and the depths of the night.
The narrator's psychological misery is heightened by
Lovecraft's use of cosmic imagery, which stresses the
insignificance of human existence in the face of a huge and
indifferent universe.
The poem eventually delves into existential dread and the
limitations of human comprehension, ending in the narrator's
journey into insanity. Overall, "Nemesis" investigates the
psychological consequences of terror and the confrontation
with the incomprehensible, allowing readers to journey with the
narrator into the abyss of the unknown.
 Late American Romanticism
"Inspiration"
By Henry David Thoreau

Though a boy, I sought for ghosts,

And sped through many a sky;
But little saw I to convince,
Yet aye was tantalized.

Fain would I some strange music hear,

Or see strange birds or flowers,
Or woman’s face divine and fair,
To glad my lonely hours.

But never could I see or hear

The sights I dreamed of most;
’Twas but myself I seemed to see,
’Twas but myself I lost.
 The poem dives into psychological issues of longing,
imagination, and the human search for something more than
the mundane. The poem depicts the speaker's childhood
curiosity with the supernatural, as well as their desire for unique
encounters that transcend the confines of regular life.
The poem, however, also emphasizes the speaker's inability to
fully achieve their aspirations and visions, resulting in
unhappiness and loss. The struggle to reconcile one's idealistic
aspirations with the constraints of the external world is
highlighted by the tension between the speaker's imaginative
world and the limitations of reality. the fundamental human
need for transcendence and the psychological effect of
unfulfilled goals.
It challenges readers to consider their own longings, the
interaction of imagination and reality, and the search for
something more than the everyday.

Late American Romanticism

 "Art"
By Herman Melville

In placid hours well-pleased we dream

Of many a brave unbodied scheme.
But form to lend, pulsed life create,
What unlike things must meet and mate:
A flame to melt—a wind to freeze;
Sad patience—joyous energies;
Humility—yet pride and scorn;
Instinct and study; love and hate;
Audacity—reverence. These
Must mate and fuse with Jacob's mystic heart,
Till the gold midst the virgin ore
Glow like the bush, while the wild flames roar
The poem "Art" by Herman Melville dives into the psychological
difficulties of the creative process, revealing the inner battles
and complexities experienced by artists. The poem implies that
artistic creation entails the artist combining contrasting
characteristics and experiences. Within the artist's brain, these
opposing elements, such as melancholy and joy, humility and
pride, must converge and harmonize. This confluence of many
attributes is analogous to the transforming process of refining
gold from raw ore.

"Art" emphasizes the internal difficulties and tensions that

artists face as they navigate their creative pursuits from a
psychological aspect. The poem emphasizes the psychological
interplay between the artist's personality, feelings, and
experiences. It highlights the process of reconciling and
combining diametrically opposed qualities in order to create a
deep and transformative piece of art.

Melville's poem encourages readers to reflect on their own

psychological and artistic journeys, as well as to consider the
difficulties artists experience in balancing competing parts
inside themselves. It invites reflection on the transformative
potential that emerges when these diametrically opposed traits
are integrated and exploited in the pursuit of artistic expression.
 American Realism
"Richard Cory"
By Edwin Arlington Robinson

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,

We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,

And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good Morning!" and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich—yes, richer than a king,

And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,

And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
 Edwin Arlington Robinson's poem "Richard Cory"
discusses the disparity between external appearances
and inward reality.
The villagers love and envy Richard Cory, a wealthy guy
with a sophisticated manner who appears to have the
perfect life. However, the poem concludes with the news
that Cory, despite his seeming success, commits
suicide.
This contrast highlights the complexities of human
experience and calls into question the notion that
exterior success ensures interior satisfaction. The poem
explores psychological themes such as perception,
loneliness, and the impact of society expectations on
personal well-being.

American Realism
 "I Am Not Yours"
By Sara Teasdale

I am not yours, not lost in you,

Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still

A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love—put out

My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
A taper in a rushing wind.
Sara Teasdale's poem "I Am Not Yours" explores the
psychological dynamics of love and individuality.
The speaker maintains their independence while
expressing a desire for a strong connection. They want
to be immersed in love but are afraid of losing their
sense of self. The poem emphasizes the delicate
balance between closeness and personal identity in
partnerships.
 American Naturalism
"A Man Said to the Universe"
By Stephen Crane

A man said to the universe:

"Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.
 Stephen Crane's poem "A Man Said to the Universe"
delves into the psychological concerns of existentialism
and the human yearning for meaning.
The poem describes a conversation between a man
and the universe, in which the guy wants attention and
validation but is met with indifference. It addresses
questions about human importance and the hunt for
meaning in an enormous and seemingly indifferent
universe.
 American Naturalism
"The Dying Dancer"
By Jack London

She danced, and I, bearing her at arm's length,

Remembered that there was no music playing,
Though through the air the murmur of many voices
Came floating to us, and yet
She danced.
Her steps were but a shadow's semblance,
A ghostly motion as she swept along.
And I, like the dumbfound multitude,
The gapers and the ones who have no memory,
Touched my cap to the little dancer
And thought on nothing.
 Jack London's poem "The Dying Dancer" tackles
psychological themes of perception, conformity, and the
ephemeral aspect of existence.
The poem shows a dancer who continues to perform
despite the lack of music, sparking reflection on the
subjective aspect of reality and the influence of society
conventions.
The speaker acknowledges the dancer's presence
momentarily but does not dive deeper into its
importance. Overall, the poem challenges readers to
consider the role of conformity in their lives, as well as
the value of authenticity in the face of society
expectations.
 American Modernism
"In the Old Age of the Soul"
By Ezra Pound

I have seen many things,

Satin and jewels and gold
And silken men, and women
Proud with their faces behind their fans.
 Ezra Pound's short poem "In the Old Age of the Soul"
covers psychological themes of wisdom and
contemplation. The speaker reflects on their interactions
with material affluence and society facades, implying a
fatigue with superficiality.
The poem urges readers to contemplate the deeper
meaning of life beyond outward appearances and
emphasizes the necessity of sincerity and self-reflection
in the search of true fulfillment.
 American Modernism
"Dreams"
By Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
 Langston Hughes' poem "Dreams" is a brief but
profound exploration of the psychological meaning of
dreams. It highlights the significance of keeping on to
one's dreams as a source of inspiration and drive in
one's life.
The poem delves into the psychological effects of unmet
goals, portraying them as impediments to human growth
and fulfillment. Finally, "Dreams" encourages people to
preserve and pursue their aspirations, understanding the
enormous impact they have on identity, purpose, and
well-being.