The Romantic era was a time when people embraced imagination, emotion and freedom - quite a contrast to the preceding neoclassical era, which emphasized the values ​​of reason, judgment and authority. . The values ​​of the so-called romantics are embodied in the poetry that developed during this period. Romantic poets, such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, composed poems filled with passion and intense emotion. Both poets also incorporated into their works two elements that became an example of romantic poetry: an intense love of nature, in which man interacts and unifies with nature, and, as Coleridge stated , “the balance or reconciliation of opposing or discordant elements or qualities.” ". This balance of opposing elements, or contradictions, is a main theme of two famous Romantic works: "She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways", one of Wordsworth's famous "Lucy Poems", and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", a literary ballad. by Coleridge. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay The first contradiction in Wordsworth's poem is present at both in the title and in the very first line, which reads the same: “She [Lucy] dwelt among the untrodden paths” Observe the words “inhabited” and “unexplored”: a dwelling is a house, and. a house is something familiar and welcoming. An “untrodden path” is something unknown and strange – in fact, it is almost the exact opposite of a house or a dwelling. however, achieved the union of these two contradictory elements: she took up residence in an unknown place, where others did not venture. This is the first example of the union of opposite elements. A second example of contradictory ideas is the theme of the individual versus the general in this poem. Generally, people didn't know Lucy - "She lived unknown, and few could know/When Lucy ceased to exist." This shows that Lucy was not very important to others and was quite lonely. Lucy was, however, of great importance to the poet: “But she is in her grave, and, oh, / What a difference to me!” This shows that the narrator cherished Lucy very much – he considered her a “violet” and a “star” – while others did not. The two ideas, therefore, of being of great importance to an individual and of little importance to the general, are brought together in the context of the poem. Another element that contradicts the idea that Lucy is of great importance to the narrator is the fact that Lucy does not have anyone of great importance to her. Wordsworth describes Lucy as "a servant whom there was none to praise/and very few to love..." In other words, Lucy cared for no one, but the narrator cared deeply for her - “The difference for me! » The opposing ideas of passion versus indifference—the narrator's passion for Lucy and Lucy's indifference toward others—are also united in the context of this poem. A final example of the union of opposing elements in this poem is Lucy's beauty in relation to her loneliness. Wordsworth describes Lucy as "A violet by a mossy stone/ Half hidden from the eye!/ Beautiful as a star, when only one/ Shines in the sky." In these lines, the poet describes Lucy's beauty, internal or external, and her uniqueness. Despite Lucy's beauty, she is alone, outside the bounds of society. This idea is contradictory in two respects. First of all, Lucy may be "as beautiful as a star", butthere is no other star in the sky, and it may be like a "violet", but it is isolated, next to a "mossy stone". She has no one around her to observe or recognize her beauty, and she goes unnoticed by everyone except the poet. It is the contradictory idea of ​​beauty versus blindness – that is, the blindness of others to Lucy's beauty – that is united in the context of Lucy's life. A second way that Lucy's beauty and isolation give rise to opposing elements is the way that Lucy's isolation makes her more beautiful to the narrator. If there is only one star shining in the sky, there are no other stars to compare it to, and that star is more beautiful in itself than when it is among many other stars. A violet is also more beautiful alone than when it is in the middle of a field of violets. The reason Lucy is so beautiful and makes such a difference to the poet is because her separation from others makes her more unique in his eyes. What makes Lucy so special in the poet's eyes, then, is her isolation, the same thing that makes her unimportant to others. This is another contradictory idea that is found in the context of Lucy's life. In Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" there are many examples of unions between opposing or discordant elements. The first example is at the very beginning, during a wedding. Marriages are commitments, or unions, between men and women, or opposite elements. The marriage imagery that continues throughout the ballad is a constant symbol of the union between opposing elements. A more specific example of a union between opposing elements is when the sailor and the wedding guest come together. The two men are very opposites: the wedding guest is cultured, elegant, and within the bounds of society, while the sailor is rugged, hardened, and outcast. Their discordant qualities coalesce as the wedding guest listens to the sailor's story. A double contradiction develops in the relationship between the sailor and the guest. The Mariner, a rugged outcast, is actually the more sagacious and erudite of the two - although the wedding guest may seem more cultured and civilized, it is he who needs to be taught a lesson by the Mariner rough and shaken by the sea. . The lesson the sailor teaches is: “He who loves best prays well / Man, bird and beast / He who loves best prays / All things, great and small; / For the beloved God who loves us / He created and loves everything. These words are certainly not spoken by a vulgar and crude barbarian, as most would have considered a sailor. The opposing elements of the Mariner and the Guest are therefore united in two ways. The more superficial opposing qualities of the guest's elegance and the sailor's ruggedness are physically united by the telling of the sailor's story. The underlying opposing qualities of the sailor's wisdom and the guest's need to be taught come together as the sailor teaches a lesson. He obviously teaches successfully, as the wedding guest is described at the end as "a sadder and wiser man,/he rose the next morning." Many other unions of discordant or opposing elements exist in the sailor's story. One of the first is caused by the appearance of the Albatross. The Albatross represents both God - "As if it were a Christian soul, / We saluted it in the name of God" - and nature, two elements which oppose man, separated at the same time of nature and God. The Albatross, however, unites with the ship's men when it follows them and perches on their ship for nine days - "The Albatross followed,/And each day, to feed or to play,/He is come to the salvation of sailors "So it is with the union between!,.