--His attitude toward the Indian is one of fascination and he sees the Indians as very different from himself. He does, however, see the Indian as being closer to the white man than he had "read in poetry". (Michelle Klotz, Amna Kadiki, Kim Thomas, Nick Lutz)

 First, I found the buffalo hunt rather weak. I'm sure if I was a hunter the passage would have thrilled me. But while I'm reading this I can do nothing but hold my hands up;dumbfounded. I mean, to kill for the sport can be breathtaking when it's equal competition (not necessarily kill always). But examine, he has the power to kill; a mind and a gun. He also has the mechnism to carry the kill out; his horse. All the buffalo has is the speed to run away. The buffalo could possibly ram the horse and cause the man to fall off the steed but not all buffalo have that mental capacity to do so. I think Irving could get a much bigger rush hunting themselves; now that would be exciting; everything would be fair! I know it's quite an extreme idea but I just don't agree with Irving's idea of thrills. I do feel that he exudes a romantic ideal in that he really captures the feelings that are swelling inside when he goes on his adventures. Also, he gives his true ideas and beliefs on the topics he discusses. I think he really captures the romantic attitude in that he speaks his mind. (Matt Landis)

 I think what I found most significant was the mental comparison I developed of hunting parties I went on as a youth. Most of the hunters in the party had the same cavalier attitude toward nature as Irving and his party had. It never occured to us that the game and the countryside would not go on forever. Nature served no higher purpose than sport to Irving and his companions.
I must pause and reflect that many of the things that Irving saw were new vistas for the white man and must have seemed another world to him.I was mmesmorized by his depiction of the buffalo hunt as it so paralled my own first deer hunt at the tender age of 13. As did Irving,the thrill of the hunt quickly left me when I gazed at my helpless victim and contemplated my reasons for taking that animal's life. Irving's attitude toward nature was that of a man who appreciated it's beauty and wildness but it was there for his use and no other reason. I found interesting his comparison of the Osage and the horse as if both were creatures of the wild. He seemed definately curious and somewhat surprised at the humaness of the Indian culture he comes in contact with. I do hear the voice,however,of one who sees his own culture as superior to that of the Indian.
In what sense might his attitude toward them be called rommantic? Perhaps in that emotion with which he expresses his feelings toward what he sees. Perhaps in the almost mystical quality the he gives the Indian and the obvious admiration that comes accross in his view of the Indian's connection with nature.
Perhaps romantic in the sense that it was a great adventure. Perhaps in the sense that he writes with a mind that is open to new experiences and thoughts. He seems less concerned with the plight of the Indian and sees less the noble savage and less the poetic beauty of nature than does Bryant.( Chris White)

 My favorite part of "A tour of the prairies" was the bee hunt. I enjoyed irving's sense of humour and use of metaphor's in describing the bee's catastrophe. however, i think the most significant part of the stories was the fact that the party was on a mission to promote peace among the indian tribes of the plains ("to promote a general peace among the tribes of the West,and urging them to lay aside all warlike and bloodthirsty notions...") Ironic that only a few years later, the indians would have to defend themselves from those who purported to promote peace in their world. Irving's attitude about the indians is hard to pinpoint...at one point he says that other men treat the indians as little more than savage brutes or animals, yet at other times he himself refers to the indians as such. i guess, though, that this could be excused as the language of the times, and though it seems politically incorrect to us, it must have been the only way to refer to these strange creatures. anyway, i guess works outweigh words, and in this respect irving treats the indians with a grave reverence. he is quick to note the indians' rapport amongst each other, and include descriptions of their sense of humor that had probably previously been ignored in literature. he depicts the indians in an objective and loving manner, showing their emotional reactions and feelings to certain occurances. this is what i think romantic literature is a writing style that expresses emotions fully and completely, so that it is possible for the reader to climb inside the author's head and see what they saw, to experience what they experienced, to feel what they felt, and to think about what you've read long after you're finished. (Gil Hodges) To graduate student responses to Irving

Poetry of William Cullen Bryant.

 -In the 4th stanza Bryant connects the waterfowl with god, as god is the power that teaches the bird how to fly, but does'nt dictate his path. In the last stanza Bryant relates his own experience to the bird's, showing how they are both divinely guided through life. Bryant's God is a father like figure e.g. shows direction but does'nt force you down a specific path. (Wayne, Amy, Donna, Ian, Jennifer)

 Bryant is saying in the last stanza that God directs nature or at least has a hand in the process. If nature be made of God than it is surely good. What God makes(nature) is far more lasting and beautiful than anything man has made. This notion of the spiritual and worshipful sense of nature is certainly Romantic and much more so than Irving.I especially liked the lines

    My heart is awed within me when I think 
    Of the great miracle that goes on,
    In silence, round me the perpetual work
    Of thy creation,finished,yet renewed

 To graduate student responses to Bryant 

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