The Industrial Revolution was truly a great
period of societal advancement. There were new jobs, new wonders of
technologies, and new ways to gain fortune that opened doors to many groups,
and in turn, the individuals. Although the response to new machines,
techniques, and iron making were praised by many, others disapproved of the
advancements from industrial life.
In the picture above, William Blake, a prestigious romantic artist, portrays Isaac Newton as young and muscular, rather than the older figure of popular imagination. Here, he is crouching naked on a rock, covered with algae, at the bottom of the sea and his attention is focused on his diagram which he draws with his compass. Blake, critical of Newton’s scientific approach, shows that Newton merely follows the rules of his compass and is completely blind to the colorful rocks behind him.
In protest to these hazardous machines, toxic pollution, and meaningless deaths, Romanticism arose.
 |
| Newton, William Blake, 1795-c.1805 |
Romanticism was in essence a protest of the
Enlightenment period. The fact that scientific discoveries were being made
about nature, many disapproved and wanted nature to stay as a pure, as a work
of God, not scientific discovery. Public protest was developed into an art form
during the 20th century, known as the Modernist era; thus, playing into the
romantic theme of Individualism and Romanticism as Reaction. Main points of
protest and popular discontent include:
- The Civil
Rights Movement
- The Women's
Rights movement
- The protest against prohibition
Like colorful rocks, during the modernist era, there were many times when people protested for many beautiful things to improve their lives; however, due to advancements, prejudice, and ignorance, like Newton, the people, the government, and cultural society were too busy to look behind them. In consequence, to help those fixed in their views, many years of protests were held to help the public see the colorful rocks behind them.
Civil Rights Movement Protest
 |
| March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963 |
The Civil Rights Movement tackled a set of
injustices laid against people of color in the United States. Because of Civil
Rights leaders, most notably the charismatic speaker Martin Luther King Jr,
laws enforcing segregation and discrimination were struck down nationwide.
The status quo encouraged privileged members
of society not to make a stir, and the disenfranchised population to know their
place and stay in it. As a result of the Civil Rights movement and its
protests, the United States legislature now recognizes all races as equal in
their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Women's Right To Vote Protest
 |
| Women's Suffrage Parade, 1913 |
The idea or theme of individualism refers to the way romantics put emphasis towards the
usually “known” or “accepted”. This theme strives toward gaining more, as in,
more personal gain. Usually, with this action, came the “breaking of the norm”
that would then lead to a change or innovation. We see this clearly with the
Women’s Suffrage Parade of 1913. This event highlights the way that romantic
theme of individualism spreads to the modernist era. The parade itself
consisted of about 8,000 marchers and was the first of its kind, paving a way
towards the nineteenth amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
Bring Back The Alcohol! Protest
 |
| The Temperance Movement, 1800s-1920 |
In the early 1800s, the Temperance Movement was an organized effort to limit or outlaw the consumption and production of alcoholic beverages in the United States. During this period, many Americans (especially the females) feared that God would no longer bless America and her politics because of the immorality of her people. In order to survive and receive His mercy, the temperance movement was organized in hopes to reduced crime rates and improve the overall health of society. Although the banning
alcohol was later repealed, because of politically active women pushing for the quality of life, the road to Prohibition paved the idea of creating a more safer and healthier community for future policies.
Although the ideas of Romanticism
(individualism, nature, and emotions) and Modernism (effects of war, system
failure, and counterculture) differed significantly, the people in both eras
protested the changes going on around them, pushing for more beauty, fairness,
and humanity in life stemming from the themes of romanticism of reaction
(feeling over reason) and individualism (strength to the individual). Both eras
sharing that sense of value in people and ideas—paving the way for a
romanticized way in a modernist world.
“People have only as much liberty as they have
the intelligence to want and the courage to take.” -Emma Goldman, North
American Anarchist, mid-19th Century
TEAM MEMBERS:
Dane Jo
Adam Tayler
Kensie Tayler
Marely Lee
The image of Newton and the calls back to it throughout the post work well to keep things together. The idea it embodies is important as well. I think I often miss the pretty rocks because I'm too focused on some immediate task.
ReplyDeleteSame! I don't think it is always a bad thing to be involved in immediate tasks - I think the honest best is found in the balance (which is also the hardest to achieve). I was reading today about the city bosses of the industrial age. They used their popularity to buy votes and control politics. But they were also much more responsive than government officials to the needs of the poor and the immigrants. Not saying political corruption is okay, just saying that looking at only one side of the picture is rarely enough.
Delete-Kensie
To add a thought to the discussion, modernism seemed to be a period when problems of Industrialism/Romantic extremes were being resolved. Kind of a tying together of appreciating the beauty in and around humanity, while still making progress as a cohesive and intellectual society. We obviously haven't perfected that balance yet, but I think some of these protests helped us to start getting there.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to second your comment that the Modernist period was a tying up of loose ends from the Industrial Revolution and the Romantic period. I was reading Daddy Long Legs the other week--a book written in 1912, and I was surprised at how real the issues were--there’s a lot in there that talks about women’s rights, evolution, Jane Eyre, orphanages, finding one self… A lot of the issues of the day were leftovers from the decades before, and I think that still pertains to today. We’re creatures of inertia, and it’s really easy to settle into the way things have always been done instead of finding the best ways things *should* be done.
DeleteI second Adam because for our blog post we had to find connections between the Industrial Revolution and the Romantic Period and it was hard because one is there to show what the other lacks. Though reformation through these movements you've listed above has helped there to be beauty and coexistence between the two seemingly polar opposite periods.
ReplyDeleteI am totally in agreement of the comparison of Romanticism and Modern Protest Movements having a similar reactionary tone to them. However, it is important to discern if a contrary reaction to something is necessary or not. Oftentimes, these concerns presented and protested by people are very important issues to bring up, but it is important to remember that protesting the way things are is not morally superior to the status quo on its own. Rather, it should lead to either an adjustment to morality and public policy of a nation and culture, or a clarification that cements that which is already in place while addressing concerns presented.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mitchell. Sometimes I feel like we say you should support change just because it is change. Not all change is good. In fact, changing true values would be harmful to society. I think there is a balance between protest/change with keeping the status quo. I think the key is to listen to all sides of an issue. I think as a society we are really bad at listening to only one side of an issue. Often even when we listen to multiple sides, we listen with deaf ears looking only for why the other side is wrong. Here is a great TED talk about listening to multiple stories instead of just one.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg
Amen to this. I feel that if we are going to change things there needs to be a very well thought out argument in defense of the change and a plan for how to implement it. I guess I feel that in a way the status quo is innocent until proven guilty because the odds that I as an individual who has only spent 23 years on the earth, would know more than my society which has been built over a long period of time by many collective experiences is not likely to be the case in most situations. That being said, if the status quo is proven guilty, and it is often, then we need change and I will fight for that change in appropriate ways. Not because it is change, but because it is progress towards a goal I believe in.
DeleteI love what you said, Ryan! That is so true. I read a post a while back on how millenials are becoming much less religious and much more starved for a cause. I think that’s why we’ve had so many upheavals in these last few years. I know plenty of people who throw themselves at causes--and I think a lot of people think that if they do it enough, one of those causes will stick. While the idea is noble and an essential part of finding oneself, this rapid-fire justice can result in a lack of education and planning, which arguably the most necessary ingredient for a successful revolution.
DeleteI really enjoyed this blog post. I was discussing with my group the other day before class and we mentioned how history has an interesting habit of overcorrecting. Each movement seems to be trying to fix the problems they found in the previous generation and therefore go to an extreme to make sure that that is not the case anymore. I think that temperance is a good example of that on a smaller scale. The individuals who participated in this movement saw the problems with alcohol in their predecessors and set out to ban it completely or to control it. I think that as we continue through a pattern of extremes we are getting closer and closer to an ideal society.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the idea of looking behind you at the "colorful rocks." It's a helpful image and intriguing reminder. Sometimes, though, (maybe I'm alone in this) I see the colorful rocks, but I take them as something pretty/interesting to read, learn, and watch movies about, not drawing from them as I should. I feel like a lot of times, I have to be careful to not romanticize history (this is distinct from identifying romantic elements). Viewing things romantically is engaging and relatable, but sometimes that can distract us from actual history. You can look at past events through historically accurate lenses or rosy romantic lenses--for me, they don't often overlap. I hope that we and future generations don't get wrapped up in the exciting counterculture, the drama of the significant shifts that were made, and other developments. Periods like the Modernist era are so important to draw from in order to move forward. Thank you for this blog post! Very thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteI like this statement:
ReplyDelete"many years of protests were held to help the public see the colorful rocks behind them."
and the fact that it awakens us by putting what we now see as basic human rights in the light of the colorful rocks that were once ignored. It works well with the image above of Newton drawing on the ground, and alerts us to the fact that we don't even know what we might be missing out on due to our ignorance. As issues like race equality and women's voting have progressed and become accepted as basic tenets of American values, it makes me wonder what else in the future will become so foundational to our society, controversial as it may be now or in the immediate future.
I love these powerful images you chose. I feel like these ones really are worth a thousand words. When I look at them, they strike emotion into me and cause me to reflect on what happened in those times and the reason behind those times. I do agree with some of the comments above that not all things need to be protested and we definitely need to be consciously choosing what we stand behind. In my opinion, these were all good causes and led the way for a lot of good things in the future. We never know what good will come by sticking with things and being passionate for the common good.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I really love your use of images! I think romanticism and modernism have a lot in common because both of them kind of push back against the more logical, head-over-heart emphases of the previous generations. And while I think it's not a bad thing to ask if change is necessary, I think people can use that as a defense mechanism rather than a good-faith argument to excuse a position that may come more from comfort with the status quo rather than any inherent value that is present in the status quo.
ReplyDelete