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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Research Paper

Decent Essays

Henry Longfellow
In doing my research on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I have composed my essay into four parts. First, I started off by describing Henry’s early childhood all the way to old age. Then, I went on to giving a description of what the Romantic Period was. After that, I explicated his poem Flower-De-Luce and talked about how it fit the Romantic Period. Finally, I included a copy of his poem and a works cited page to show where I found my material to put my essay together.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born on February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine. He was the second oldest out of eight children. Everybody who met him found out that he had a very imagination, and had an appetite for learning (Maine Historical Society 1). When he …show more content…

He uses figurative language such as, allusions and metaphors. In his poem he says “And winged with the celestial azure, bearest / The message of some God.” meaning that he believes that the flower-de-luce is a flower for God (Longfellow 1). In the lines “...And down the listed sunbeam rides resplendent / With steel-blue mail and shield. / Thou art the Iris, fair among the fairest, / Who, armed with golden rod…” Henry uses metaphors to show that the flower is strong and sturdy but, at the same time, it is soft and fragile (1). Not only does he use figurative language, but he uses a major component that defines poetry during the Romantic Period. Henry uses deep and true feeling while writing Flower-De-Luce. He uses words like beautiful, radiant, joy, and says things like “...fairest among the fair…” showing his deep appreciation for the flower-de-luce (1). Above all he uses nature, which is one the more important things that was used in poetry during the Romantic Period. Henry’s entire poem is about a flower. In the lines “O flower-de-luce, bloom on, and let the river / Linger to kiss thy feet! / O flower of song, bloom on, and make forever / The world more fair and sweet.” He talks about how beautiful it is and how it brightens his mood and day when he is around it (1). Along with nature, he uses imagery throughout the poem to paint a picture of how beautiful the flower-de-luce is. Henry describes the beauty of the flower-de-luce by saying “Born in the purple, born to joy and pleasance,...” (1). In the poem Flower-De-Luce Henry focuses on the beauty of nature by dedicating a poem to the flower-de-luce, which has elements of Romanticism throughout

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