The tale of Rip van Winkle begins before the onset of English colonialism of America under the leadership of King George. Immediately, the audience is aware of Rip’s character. He is a good man liked by his neighbors (Irving 202). He is always ready to assist whenever anyone should need his help even after nagging from his wife Dame van Winkle. With his dog Wolf, he decides to escape the nagging into Kaatskill Mountains where he meets a man, and after a series of games, they start drinking. When Rip wakes up, everything around him seems to have changed. First, the portrait of George Washington at the inn meets him. Even through this, he declares his allegiance to the king, something that might get him killed in the American Revolution. In this story, Dame van Winkle represents England and all its demands and expectations of America. She is overconfident and demands the fulfillment of all her expectations to a tee. England as a colonizer domineered on the political and social lives of its colonies and refused to award the locals their liberty just like Dame. The people in the town symbolize America before and after the period of the revolution. Rip van Winkle represents how England viewed Americans, as lethargic and unworthy subjects of the English crown. Everyone seems pleasant to Rip apart from Dame ( Irving 203) and the nagging would cause Rip to seek solace elsewhere. This represents the pushing away of the American society by England. Rip declares his loyalty to the King at a time when the American people have found their freedom. At this time, the Americans twenty years later, have found their identity and seem excited about the elections, a concept the Rip is unfamiliar with since he has been sleeping for twenty years. The story leads up to the independence of the American people even after their efforts to evade English rule, just as Rip escaped from his wife’s expectations.
The works of James Fenimore Cooper sought to educate the American public regarding issues surrounding the natural resources. His works particularly fostered the pertinence of conserving the environment for future purposes, and he stressed on the beauty of nature and all things surrounding it. In the book pioneers, he was concerned with the magnitude in which the settlers would destroy nature, especially when it seemed that people were so dependent on it. He has forbidden his servants from burning wood in his household as he strives to be an example on the importance of conservation to the people around him (Cooper 224). He receives constant criticism from his neighbors, as they do not seem to comprehend the vitality of conserving the environment, while it was put there for the purposes of their enjoyment and survival (Cooper 226). This begs to answer the debate of who bears ownership of land. Judge Temple, the protagonist conservationist, warns Bill Kirby on the dangers of cutting down trees, and he warns that there will soon be laws that forbid anyone from cutting down trees unnecessarily without the law’s permission. He states,” We are stripping the forests as if a single year would replace what we destroy. But the hour approaches, when the laws will take notice of not only the woods, but the game they contain also,” (Cooper 240). Other characters, in the book like Nutty Bumppo, are not as passionate as Judge Temple, as they hunt and use trees for their own purposes, but they do not see the sense in doing it unless it is necessary and with moderation ( Cooper 227). It is pertinent to conserve the land, just as expressed in Cooper’s writings. It is not proper to leave the environment for individuals to manipulate as they please. Instead, a clear authority has to protect the environment from harmful human behavior.
The Romantic Period
The romantic period incorporated both aspects of self discovery and the ideology advanced by the founding fathers. The period drove creativity with the majority of consideration accorded to the lesson developed from the completed pieces. The writers sought the need to invent a new ideology of writing while considering the existing norms and standards established. They sought to experiment with new genres and advance creativity to reflect the efforts of the society that developed their creativity.
Works Cited
Cooper F. James. The Pioneers- Chapter 1. Web. 16. April. 2013.
Available at:
<http://ebooks.apus.edu.ezproxy1.apus.edu/LITR220/Perkins_2011_week8.pdf>
Cooper F. James. The Pioneers- Chapter 1V. Web. 16. April. 2013.
Available at: <http://ebooks.apus.edu.ezproxy1.apus.edu/LITR220/Perkins_2011_week8.pdf>
Irving Washington. Rip van Winkle. Web. 16. April. 2013.
Available at: <http://ebooks.apus.edu.ezproxy1.apus.edu/LITR220/Perkins_2011_week8.pdf>
