French revolution changed the entire status of French society by violence. Edmund Burke pointed out that French revolution caused terrifying chaos on society because it destroyed old system (order) that inherited from the past. Burke ‘s observation on society is that people use rational thinking to justify, question, and revolt authority. During the process of rational thinking, people have lost their emotion, feelings, and nature. Burke’s view is related to Shelley. Shelley emphasized on idea of Romanticism (love, emotion,beauty of nature and etc.). “Poetry redeems from decay the visitations of the divinity in man.” He believed that poetry can have huge impact on man and society, poetry can help man to regain awareness to the surrounding (nature, emotion and etc.). With those awareness of emotion and nature, people can create a new humanized society rather than rationalized society.
Declaration of the rights of Man and of the citizen and The rights of Woman, those two declaration of the rights are in the language form. They were expressed in words. Language is some kind of order. Human creation of language shows that we as human want to follow orders and rules. Shelley stated that “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the World.” Since Poetry is based on both imagination (love, emotion,beauty of nature and etc.) and language (order). Shelley pointed out that new post-revolution society should base both on emotional thinking and rational thinking.
“The most unfailing herald, companion, and… receiving intense and impassioned conceptions respecting man and nature.” What Shelley trying to say is very similar to Kant’s view. People with awareness of emotional thinking and rational thinking can work together to address any problems in society or give opinions to institutions. They can come up ideas that can benefit the society as whole. Communicating freely and accepting ideas, reasons freely in the new post-revolution society is very important. The use of emotional thinking and rational thinking constructs a better humanized society.