“Music is the universal language of humanity” (Longfellow, thinkexist.com). When most people think of music, they think of it as a subtle art. It's something that most people take for granted in their lives. It's fun to sing a song in the car, dance at a party, etc... It's also a background noise in movies, parties or a variety of other places. Most people never stop to think about the transformative power music can have on them. It should be clear, however, that music does indeed have transformative power. When a person feels depressed, a happy song can lift his spirits. The same also applies to the opposite effect. If someone is feeling nervous, a sad, somber song can bring them back down. However, this is only a small part of the power that music has on our lives. As the quote points out, music is a universal language. It's something that people of all ages, religions, genders and ethnicities can understand and appreciate. This is what truly makes music a powerful force in our world. But what happens when authors choose to put this power into their writing? What kinds of similar messages and questions about music are raised in songs from the Romantic period and the modern era? While it may not seem like there is much in common between two eras hundreds of years apart, there are actually some similar themes in the poems and stories of these two time periods. The most important of these themes is the theme of change and how it can be achieved through music. It's not something that can be achieved simply by being around music. It's something that can only happen when you really listen to the music around you. First, let's listen to the Romantic period and the pieces with...... middle of paper ......tions. Network. 12 December 2010. Oxford Online English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Network. December 12, 2010. Wordsworth, William. "Lines written a few miles above Tintern Abbey." The Longman anthology of British literature: the Romantics and their contemporaries. By David Damrosch and Kevin Dettmar. vol. 2A. Boston: Longmann. 2006. 390-394. Print.Joyce, James. "The dead." The Longman anthology of British literature: the twentieth century and beyond. By David Damrosch and Kevin Dettmar. vol. 2C. Boston: Longmann. 2006.2229-2256. Print.Coleridge, Samuel. "Despondency: An Ode." The Longman anthology of British literature: the Romantics and their contemporaries. By David Damrosch and Kevin Dettmar. vol. 2A. Boston: Longmann. 2006. 606-611. Press.