Jefferson and Blake

The Enlightenment and the Romantic Era are two periods that differed greatly. Out of these contrasting eras came different literary styles and purposes. Thomas Jefferson and William Blake are two primary examples of diverse authors from equally diverse eras. Although the Romantic Era grew alongside the Enlightenment, it placed value on emotion or imagination over reason, where as the Enlightenment focused on reason and logical thinking. Unlike the Enlightenment, Romanticism allowed people to get away …

…and its creator through imagery and personification characterizes the Romantic Era as a whole. The Enlightenment and Romantic Eras were composed of contrasting ideals as were the writings of different authors from the two periods. The rational views of the Enlightenment were instilled in Thomas Jefferson and influenced his writing of The Declaration of Independence. William Blake, however, was a romantic whose primary concern was to vividly express emotions as in his poem “The Lamb.”