Writing Comparison: Romanticism vs Rationalism

Of all of the writers that we studied through out the Rationalism period, Ben Franklin was the author that we focused on the most. Franklin was a paradigm for the Rationalism period because of his use of scientific knowledge and rational thinking. Many characteristics of Rationalism period writing would highlight using the authors own thoughts, Deist influences and using facts to back up thoughts. Franklin's autobiography is a perfect example of Rationalist writing. Franklin was very forward with his Deist beliefs.

I never doubted, for instance, the existence of a Deity-that he made the world and governed it by his providence-that the most acceptable service was the doing good to man-that our souls are immortal-and that all crimes will be punished and virtue rewarded, either here or hereafter. (Franklin)

This quote from Franklin's Autobiography clearly states that he was a Deist, and his writing reflected that thought. The passage provided a very broad, general statement about Deism, which was a characteristic of Rationalist writing. His Deist beliefs also led to his creation of his system of 13 virtues, which also were an example of Rationalist ideals. His system was very logical, and it was put in place to make Franklin a better man. Because he held Deist beliefs, he knew that he could make himself into a better person because he was in control of his life.

The literature that we are moving into now is much different from the previous readings. First of all, it is obvious that the passages we are reading are poems, which are different from the Autobiography of Ben Franklin. The lines in the reading have a rhyming pattern, which makes them very different from the non-fiction passages we read in past units. One major difference between the two styles of writing is the use of figurative and descriptive language. The poem that I chose to compare with, Old Ironsides by Oliver Wendel Holmes, uses a lot of very descriptive language, which was a characteristic that was lacking in the Rationalist writing. There were many passages from the poem that were perfect examples of the type of language used in Romantic writing. "The Eagle of the Sea!" (Holmes) is a line that compares a ship to being an eagle. Obviously the ship is not actually an eagle, but the comparison of the giant metal ship to an eagle is a great way to be able to visualize the intent of the author.

This change of style can be linked to many different things. Many of the influences in the writing came from a love for nature. The comparison of the ship to the eagle is a perfect example to support that. The author wrote "Her deck, once red with heroes' blood," (Holmes) which leads readers to believe that the ship had more meaning than just as a ship. The ship referred to in the poem may have been a Revolutionary War ship, and Nationalism was another influence for Romantic writing. Between the two styles of writing, many differences can be drawn to set the two styles apart.

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autoboigraphy of Benjamin Franklin. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus, 1895. PDF.

Holmes, Oliver Wendel. "Old Ironsides." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 211. Print.