“A Psalm Of Life” By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “W

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Upon first glance, one would think poets born 200 years apart would have nothing in common and write about completely different things. That is not the case with poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) and John Milton (1608-1674). Though born in different time periods, and different countries for that matter, both display similar qualities in their works. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine, on Feb. 27, 1807, to a prominent Portland lawyer and the daughter of a Revolutionary War hero, while John Milton was born December 09, 1608 in London, England to a contract lawyer/ musician and the wealthy daughter of a merchant-tailor. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a traveler, a linguist, and a romantic who identified with the great traditions of European literature and thought (hwlongfellow.org). John Milton was an English poet and controversialist who was a champion of liberty and of love-centered marriage (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Even though they were raised in different countries, both came from similar backgrounds. Henry and John both had fathers that were lawyers and mothers that came from wealth and stature. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the second child of eight children, attended Portland Academy and then Bowdoin College, graduating in 1825. He was an excellent student whose skill in languages led the trustees at Bowdoin (of which his father was one) to offer the young graduate a professorship of modern languages. He prepared himself further with study abroad (3 years in Europe at his own expense) before undertaking his duties. "A Psalm of Life," was one of his best-known poems. It reflects the influence of the famed German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, whose dynamic philosophy suggested to Longfellow the direction of his rather moralizing and trite hymn to action: "Life is real! Life is earnest! / ... Be not like dumb, driven

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