WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT

William Cullen Bryant was deeply involved in political issues and became a national spokesman for liberal causes. He advocated for the abolition of slavery, freedom of speech and religion, the right of workers and many other causes.

Bryant's poems reveal a deep childhood influence. He was captivated by nature and roamed the countryside where he lived. He often reflected upon the nature that surrounded him and it's meaning.

HE THOUGHT OF NATURE AS A REFLECTION OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT AND A POTENTIAL ANSWER TO HUMANITY'S QUESTIONS ABOUT LIFE.

Bryant read English Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

ROMANTICISM

ROMANTICISM

• Imaginative
• Emotional
• Self-expression
• Freedom
• New Ideas

THANATOPSIS

MAIN POINTS

• Death
• Time
• Life
• Spirituality
• Fear

Death is inevitable. Thanatopsis discusses the idea that everyone will eventually expire just like the other entities that came before us.

"Thou shalt lie down with the patriarchs of the infant world - with kings, the powerful of the earth, the wise, the good, fair forms, and hoary seeds of ages past."

We will return to nature where we came from. Bryant's use of words helps paint us a picture of his ideas.

Time will continue on throughout the ages, even after we are gone.

Embrace death and enjoy life. Bryant encourages humans to accept death willingly

(GO) SUSTAINED AND SOOTHED BY AN UNFALTERING TRUST