This is an annotated text of the poem "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant. Click on the words in red for more information about them. Information about the poem and Bryant is provided after the text.

Use the text and the video "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant to identify and understand the characteristics of American Romanticism.

The Heath Anthology of American Literature offers a look at classroom issues, strategies, themes, comparisons, and other criteria for teaching this William Cullen Bryant and his poetry to students.