2021’s Young Romantic Essay writers are asked to address this question (preceded by two quotations):
‘Do you not see how necessary a World of Pains and troubles is to school an Intelligence and make it a soul?”
John Keats
‘The sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.’
PB Shelley, To a Skylark
How can poetry – especially the poetry of John Keats and Percy Shelley – help us cope with adversity?
Professor Sharon Ruston writes: ‘I want to read a well-organised, lively, and well-expressed essay. It should be arguing a point and offer persuasive evidence in its case. We are also looking for someone who has a creative interest in Keats, Shelley, and their circle.’
Rules
Your response can take whatever form, mood or tone you choose: literary criticism, political commentary, personal essay, opinion piece, the script for a podcast. You can agree or disagree.
Entries must be no shorter than 750 words and no longer than 1000, including quotations.
Entries must be original works. Plagiarism will not be accepted. They must not have been published previously, either in print or online or in any other media, nor previously submitted to us. All sources must be acknowledged.
Click to visit the Keats-Shelley Resource Page for students and teachers: videos, articles, websites, readings about 2021’s theme, John Keats and Romanticism.