PURITANISM and CARPE DIEM
(on the basis of two poems)
Poetry was created in 16th century and 17th century America under the influence of socio-
cultural and religious beliefs of the period, unlike other periods, Poets have used poetry to
protect and express their ideology. Therefore, when reading their poems of the period, we not
only know the poets, but also learn the thoughts and mottos that exist in their minds.
Nathaniel Hawthorne and Walt Whitman, one of the important poets of the period, frequently
mentioned their own ideologies in their poems. Leading of these ideologies are puritanism
and carpe diem.
Puritanism and carpe diem, though different from each other, are not exactly opposite
ideologies. While one is a term advocating a religious ideology, we can call the other a
motto.To begin with Puritanism, it is a form of Protestant doctrine and worship that defines
itself as seeking "purity", opposing the reformist movement initiated by Elizabeth I in the
British Church in the 16th and 17th centuries. Later, the structurally was distorted puritanism,
Hawthorne Nathaniel has carefully studied and subjected his poems.Hawthorne sought to
portray the moral law versus the puritan history and to reveal the corrupted aspects of the
Puritan faith. Hawthorne shows the town of Puritan and characters deeply affected by
Puritanism. In Puritan communities, sinning results in a very serious punishment. However,
Hawthorne went deep into this ideology, describing it as reaching the soul and loving God.
That is why in his poems he talked about what puritanism actually is in its essence, trying to
emphasize the true meaning and essence of this ideology. For example, when we examine his
poem "Go to the Grave", it is possible to see this clearly. The poet emphasizes death directly
with the name he gave to his poetry. He makes an introduction to poetry, starting with an
inevitable end that every living thing will one day reach.
Go to the grave where friends are laid,
And learn how quickly mortals fade,
Learn how the fairest flower must droop,
Learn how the strongest form must stoop,
In these lines, we see that the poet describes death as an inevitable end for all living things. The
bowing of a flower's neck is actually its wilting. The wilting of a flower is death for it. The
phenomenon of death is the cornerstone of Puritanism. Because, according to them, we will die
eventually and reach God, so the essential peace is possible by being with God.
Learn that we are but dust and clay,
The short-liv'd creatures of a day.
Yet do not sigh -- there is a clime,
Where they will dwell through endless time,
