the analytical essay on the enlightenment and romantic movement

Posted: November 27th, 2013

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Analytical Essay on the Enlightenment and Romantic Movement

One of the main ideas behind the explanation project as Galileo wished-for was that human beings could be able to understand the basic structures of the humanity without necessarily having to rely on spiritual participation. Believers of this movement believed that human beings were capable of using reason to create a better world. They had faith that people had the capability of being balanced and used it as a way to do away with the traditionally held beliefs, thoughts and tradition. This included the views held by the church about Christianity. Advocates of the movement such as Voltaire argued that true religion was, loving God and others, and not conforming to the religious beliefs that were spread by the church at the time. The movie “Into the Wild” shows some of the thoughts proposed during the enlightenment period.

The movie is about a young graduate who left everything, including his family and friends, and starts his life in another place. He does not seem to know what he is looking for and he ends up dying alone. The main character in the story highlights some of the views of the enlightenment period, especially his views concerning God and religion. In one scene, he says that God’s place surrounds people wherever they are and in whatever they are doing. He also states that one does not need human relationships to be happy and he states that God has placed happiness all around people. His desire for intellectualist and idealist natures is also shown in the movie. The main character is a top performing student. In one scene in the movie, he says that he would rather have the truth rather than money, love or fame. .

The Romantic Movement was first shown as a movement to reject the intellectualism that had spread during the enlightenment period. Those who agreed with the movement criticized the fact that the enlightenment period lacked romantic ideas and creativity. They appreciated the fact that individuals were highly diverse and unique. They encouraged the idea of people discovering themselves and knowing what made them different from the others. In a way, they encouraged rebellion as they encouraged people to live their own way and discover their identity. The movie “Deliverance” rightly shows the ideas held by advocates of the Romantic Movement. The movie is a story of four male friends who decide to spend a weekend canoeing on the Cahulawassee River, which is the only remaining untamed river.

All the men have different characters and personalities. They all live a good and secure life in the suburbs and their decision to canoe down the river is at first unthinkable. They clearly do not reason, and in the end, nothing seems to stop them. Some of the local people they encounter warn them against going down the river but they do not listen. Those who supported the Romantic Movement did not support the industrial society and they complained that it had created problems such as the love for material wealth and a lack of concern that individuals showed for their fellow human beings. This is clear in the movie, especially the encounter with the mountain men. The mountain men are not pleased to find strangers in among them. They use violence as they attack them and even abuse one of the men sexually.

The protagonists in the movies portray different views concerning the environment. The men in the movie, “Deliverance” seem to be worried about the river but they are over excited when they manage to get through the rapids. They see the river and the gorge as challenges that they have to overcome, although they are not sure of the results. One of the men expresses his views concerning hunting. He tells one of his companions that he does not understand why people hunt and kill animals. The main character in the movie “Into the Wild” seems to enjoy nature and his surroundings. He admires taking risks and venturing into the wild and unknown places. This is seen in his decision to leave his home, family and friends to travel across the country. He survives on wild berries and other wild fruits for some time. He does not seem to care much for animals though, as he is willing to hunt them for food.

In the movie, “Deliverance” the main characters feel that they have to canoe down the river before it becomes dammed. They complain about the fact that the area is becoming civilized. In one scene, as the friends are enjoying a quiet evening, one of them remarks that the woods and the water hold something that is clearly lacking in the city. The men in the movie “Deliverance” have to conquer the challenging wild river of the south. They have to look for ways of ensuring that they come out of their weekend encounter alive. They see nature as a way of hiding the truth. This is seen in the way they use the river to hide the dead bodies. They mention the fact that the water will cover up everything and they will not have to answer to the law.

The main characters in both movies do not seem to care much for the animals and this is seen in the way they choose to hunt them for food. Encouraging frequent hunting of animals could be dangerous since it would lead to the extinction of some animal species, especially those that can be used as food. The main characters seem to enjoy the freedom that is realized in the wild. In both movies, the main characters express the fact that civilization has not entirely been beneficial to human beings. They seem to stress the fact that they should enjoy the untamed nature while it lasts. The ideas brought out in these cases could benefit the environment. It could encourage the people to conserve the environment in its natural form. This maintains the natural beauty of the place. Encouraging hunting could only benefit a few individuals, leaving the rest of the society to suffer.