Summative Entry

 The Nineteenth Century gave me real insight into human and social issues that are still current in the 21st century. This blog through a combination of Creative and Critical posts demonstrated these issues and the contemporary relevance they have. My Initial blog post was a disagreement with Dorothy Coleridge’s negative opinion of domestic life in the film Pandaemonium. My reasoning was that both Coleridge and Wordsworth’s opinions were subjective opinions. These weren’t founded on scientific reasoning or fact, my own reaction to this form of domestic life could be completely different to theirs. This is an issue that is relevant in modern society, people do move away from cities and seek out a more relaxed lifestyle. My second Blog post, which I deem to be my best, was an exceptionally personal one. In the form of a poem I provided a time where nature was the teacher. I discussed the South Coast bush fires of 2019/2020 which were some of the most horrific fires Australia has experienced. My affinity for the south coast made viewing desolation that came as a result of the fires extremely painful, hence, the personal nature of this post. The Romantics believed in the purity and grace of nature. Taking this concept, I formed this second post. This concept is particularly important in the 21st century as climate change is a pressing topic which needs to be treated as such. The third post was a prose piece which featured the artwork Waterfall, Strathfield creek by Eugene Gerard. The piece was in reaction to the artwork from the perspective of hikers viewing it for the first time. They took in the majesty of the precipice as the sun began to set. Once again, I explored the Romantic theme of respecting nature and appreciating its beauty. This concept is vital to our contemporary society as nature is often diminished in importance and pollution is abundant. The final blog post was a creative writing piece from the perspective of a Victorian period husband and father. The man describes the things in life that he holds most dear. This post was a way of portraying the obvious sexism of the Victorian period. The husband earned the income and the wife cared for the children. This is a social issue that is still prevalent even today, however it may not take the exact same form as it once did. There are pressures on both men and women to act a certain way and to do certain things. This blog was designed around the core themes of the Nineteenth Century Literature and revealed how these themes are still issues even to this day.