The word “love” is used in many ways, and it can have different meanings. It is a transitive and intransitive verb, meaning to feel tender affection for somebody, such as a close relative or friend, or for something such as a place, an ideal, or an animal. Brotherly love is an example of kindness between families. Young children need unconditional love. Someone can elicit deep interest and enthusiasm in another person. Gerber critiques the word love and decides, “The word love can result to a strong liking for or pleasure gained from something.” Mr. Gerber uses love as a verb, to like something very much, such as he loves watching old movies on TV. Also, love is used to feel romantic longing for somebody. The Romantic Era relates to a movement in late 18th- and early 19th-century; music, literature, and art departed from classicism and emphasized sensibility, the free expression of feelings, nature, and interest in other cultures. This era includes

Transcendentalism, Fireside poetry, Dark Romanticism, and New American poetry. All Poets use the word love to show loss, passionate attraction, desire, and grief. Bryant, Whittier, Thoreau, Poe, and Whitman’s poems “The Death of the Flowers,” “The Frost Spirit,” “Friendship,” “Annabel Lee,” and “Ashes of Soldiers” instruct lessons about love. All of these poems are written in different styles and use the word love in many forms. The five kinds of poetry have one author and an example for each poetry style.
The Romantic poet, William Cullen Bryant was a newspaper editor. Bryant uses exposed to English poetry in his father’s vast library. Later, he became a well-known Romanticism poet. Romanticism is a movement in literature that celebrates nature rather than civilization. His poems in general are influenced by feeling over reason. He died at the age of 84 years, but his poems still live forever. One of his poems is called “The Death of the Flowers” and is based on feeling over reason. The tone of the poem is sorrowful. In the poem he communicates his love for the loss of his friend. Bryant expresses his scornfulness and says, “So gentle and so beautiful, should perish with the flowers” (Bryant line 30). The flowers sprung, and then when winter comes they die. In these lines he compares his friend’s loss to flowers. He is very sad that he no longer can see his friend. Bryant says, “And we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief” (Bryant line 28). He can’t accept that life becomes short for his friend. His love is far too strong to forget his friend. Bryant misses her and relates her to nature. Nature has a cycle or a brief life. During his later career Bryant travels widely, makes public speeches, and continues to write a few poems. “The Death of the Flowers” is one example of the poetry that he writes. His poems teach us how he thought and experiences life. Fireside poetry is a branch of Romanticism.
The Fireside poet, John Greenleaf Whittier was known for being a reformer and politician. After the Civil War Whittier turns from politics and dedicates himself to poetry. In the year 1826 Whittier published his first poems. History says that Whittier was a founder of the Republican Party. Most of his poems are accurate delineation of New England life, history, and American themes. Fireside poets’ primary subjects are the domestic life, mythology, and politics of America, in which several of the poets are directly involved. The poem “The Frost Spirit” belongs in fireside poetry, because Whittier uses symbolism and mythology. Symbol: The frost spirit symbolizes coldness and winter. The frost spirit is a mythological creature and is a symbol of cold. Whittier says, “In the sunless cold of the lingering night/ Into marble statues grow! / He comes, - he comes, - the Frost Spirit comes!” (Whittier line 15-17). In these lines, coldness is rapidly approaching. He gives cold a character which is called the frost spirit. Then, the frost spirit symbolizes winter. Whittier says, “Shall bow again to their winter chain/ And in mournful silence pass/ He comes, - he comes, - the Frost spirit comes!” (Whittier line 31-33). Whittier in his poem warns of the winter that approaches. The New England region is well known for their long winters. His meters and rhythms are conventional and his poems tend to be too profuse. Nevertheless, as the voice of the New England villager and farmer prior to industrialization, his work portrays an important period in American history. Transcendentalism poets came from Romanticism.

The Transcendentalism poet, Henry David Thoreau was an essayist. Thoreau was born in concord, Massachusetts on July 1817. His writing influence corresponds to Transcendentalism because his belief is an ideal spiritual state that ‘transcends’ the physical and is only realize through the individual’s intuition. Thoreau died of tuberculosis on May 1862 but leaves behind a series of assays and poetry. The poem “Friendship” belongs to the Transcendentalism because its ideal is spirituality. The theme is love needs to be a component of friendship in order to succeed. Thoreau says, “What power there is in Love/ His inmost soul to move/ Resistlessly/ Two oaks I mean, which side by side” (Thoreau lines 43-46). Love is might in this poem. Love needs to be the force that keeps friendship together. He compares love and friendship with two oaks that always stay side by side. They never depart from each other because they can not. The roots are so deep in the ground that the two oaks stay side by side forever. Well, love and friendships’ roots need to be deep in the relationship in order to be successful. Thoreau expresses and says, “Drawing Love’s bands more tight/ Service he ne’er shall rue/ While one and one make two/ And two are one (Thoreau lines 37-39). In these lines, Thoreau compares love and friendship with bands that simply need to be tighter. Then he says that one plus one makes a whole. He emphasizes that love is a component of friendship. Dark Romanticism is a literacy subgenre that emerges from the Transcendental philosophical movement popular in nineteenth-century America.

The Dark Romantic poet, Edgar Allen Poe was born on 19 January 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of actors Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins and David Poe. Mr. Boyer comments over the Dark Romanticism and says, “Author considered most representative of the Dark Romanticism is Edgar Allen Poe”. Poe’s psychologically thrilling tales examining the depths of the human psyche earned him fame during his lifetime and after his death. Dark Romanticism is works of literature that are influenced by Transcendental thought but which did not completely embrace the movement comprise the category. The poem “Annabel Lee” is categorized as a Dark Romanticism poem, because emotions are gone wild. Image: Love is a visual image of grief. Poe expresses and says, “That the wind came out of the cloud by night/ Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee/ But our love it was stronger by far than the love” (Poe lines 25-27). Poe’s own life is marred by tragedy when his wife dies in 1847. Love becomes a visual image of grief. Poe says, “For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams/ Of the beautiful Annabel Lee” (Poe lines 34-35). In these lines Poe’s emotions fly high and describe his grief. He says that even the moon is not contributing with his dreams of Annabel Lee. There are conflicting accounts surrounding the cause of Edgar Allen Poe’s death. Some claim that he died from alcoholism, was murdered, or he was found unconscious in the street. Today, the truth is that he still lives, when his poems are read. New American poets derived from Romanticism.

New American poet, Walt Whitman was a journalist and essayist. He was born in Long Island, New York, the son of a Quaker carpenter and descended Dutch Mother. New American poets are innovators who broke with established traditions. His poems are known for the masses with bold, passionate, and often uncontrolled poetry in free verse. The Civil War had its effects on Whitman. The poem “Ashes of Soldiers” is known for his passionate love. Similes are used to describe the love for the fallen soldiers. Whitman says, “Noiseless as mist and vapors” (Whitman line 9). He loves the sacrifice that the soldiers do and their condition is sadly noiseless. When the soldiers die they become noiseless as mist and vapors. Mist and vapors do not make noise whatsoever. They just move then disappear into the sky without making sound. Another simile is when, Whitman expresses his love for the soldiers and says, “That I exhale love from me wherever I go, like a moist perennial dew” (Whitman line 51). Here Whitman uses a simile. He exhales love like perennial dew. Dew is moisture condensed upon the surface of cool bodies especially at night. Perennial is present at all seasons of the year. That means that Whitman exhales love like dew wherever he goes. In New York, Whitman witnesses the rapid growth of the city and wants to write a new kind of poetry in tune with mankind’s new faith, hopeful expectations, and energy of his days. The poem “ashes of Soldiers” is only one of his examples. The Romantic Era includes Transcendentalism, Fireside poetry, Dark Romanticism, and New American poetry.
Poetry in the 19th century is the high of literature in America and the old continent. Bryant, Whittier, Thoreau, Poe, and Whitman’s poems “The Death of the Flowers,” “The Frost Spirit,” “Friendship,” “Annabel Lee,” and “Ashes of Soldiers” instruct lessons over love. In “The Death of Flowers” Bryant demonstrates his love that he has for the loss of his friend. The tone of the poem is sorrowful. In the poem “The Frost Spirit” poem, Whittier shows his love for the New England winters. Symbol: The frost spirit symbolizes coldness and winter. The poem “Friendship” Thoreau explains how love should exist in a friendship. The theme is love needs to be a component of friendship in order to succeed. Edgar Allen Poe’s grief is illustrated in the “Annabel Lee” poem. Image: Love is a visual image of grief. In “Ashes of Soldiers” poem, Whitman demonstrates his love for the dead soldiers. Similes are used to describe the love for the fallen soldiers. Tone, symbol, theme, image, and simile elements are used to show love in different ways. All poets use the word love to illustrate different meanings. Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Fireside poetry, Dark Romanticism, and New American poets are dead but they are still alive when their poems are studied, shared, and read. Everyone in modern days inherits their passionate, unique thinking and life style by peering into their legendary writings. William Cullen Bryant, John Greenleaf Whittier, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allen Poe, and Walt Whitman may be in a deep sleep inside their sepulchers but are fully awake in their poems.

Works Cited
Boyer, John. "Love." American Record Guide 64.6 (Nov-Dec 2001): 249(1). Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. Gwinnett County Public Schools. 5 Feb. 2009
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Bryant, William. “The Death of the Flowers.” Poem Hunter 2009. Paris, France. 16 February 2009 .
Gerber, John C.. "Hate & Love." Discovering Authors. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. Gwinnett County Public Schools. 5 Feb. 2009 .

Poe, Edgar. “Annabel Lee.” Poem Hunter 2009. Paris, France. 16 February 2009 .

Thoreau, Henry. “Friendship.” Poem Hunter 2009. Paris, France. 16 February 2009 .

Whitman, Walt. “Ashes of Soldiers.” Poem Hunter 2009. Paris, France. 16 February 2009 .

Whittier, John. “The Frost Spirit.” Poem Hunter 2009. Paris, France. 16 February 2009 .

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 15.02.2010

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