For many of you, reading and writing aren't your "cup of tea," but in the American Romance unit, reading gets interesting and writing just follows. American Romanticism was a new period born out of the revolution of the British Romantic period. Romanticism was a turning point in the ideals of the Puritans. It does not focus on religion and faith, but on emotion, freedom, love of nature and the intuition of the individual. It also includes the following characteristics: supernatural appearance, imagination, awareness of the past, and belief that people have natural rights (democracy). Romanticism, by far, was one of my favorite periods of American literature taught by Ms. Thornton. One of the selections we read and analyzed in depth was “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving. In this story, we read that “the devil presided” over this town in which Tom and his greedy wife live (Irving 1). This is a supernatural phenomenon, knowing that the devil can only send lawyers. Another example of romanticism is awareness of the past. This is shown when the narrator talks about Tom's whereabouts on the way home. He states that “it was one of the strongholds of the Indians during their early wars with the settlers” (Irving 4). As a trait of romanticism, individualism can be positive or negative. Negatively employed in this selection, Tom said: "Let us get our hands on the property," he said to himself firmly, "and we will endeavor to do without the woman." » (Irving 34). Although this work seems more unusual and very dark for Romanticism, "The Devil and Tom Walker" was a great way to get into Romanticism for students who are just learning about Romanticism. Although Irving's tale captivated us and...... middle of paper .......rne 13). This textual evidence shows an awareness of the past. A sense of intuition can also be found when Dr. Heidegger says, “You should lay down some general rules to guide you, in passing through the perils of youth a second time”” (Hawthorne 19). It seemed to me that he was foreshadowing the “perils” his friends were about to face. There are many examples of romanticism throughout history that can be interpreted according to more than one characteristic. For example, the argument of “whether water was magic or an illusion”. Some might say the water was fake because the mirror showed a grandmother fighting over three grandfathers. The other hand could prove it by reviving the rose in the water. Evidence is essential to making an argument. As long as you can find some to support you, you're set. A counterargument is just fun.