Oneness in Walden, Nature and American Scholar
Some of the most prominent works which express a relationship between the individual and nature are undoubtedly Walden by Henry David Thoreau and the essays written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, specifically Nature and The American Scholar. In each of these works, an idea of wholeness, "oneness," with nature is expressed. Thoreau and Emerson both believe that man, in order to live a full, happy life, must live in harmony with nature. Both writers share several ideas as to how this oneness with nature can be achieved, and its significance.
Emerson, in his Scholar address, states that nature is the most important influence on man and his thinking. Because in nature there is no beginning and no end, it is circular, or whole. In this, nature is like God, and like man's spirit, because there is no beginning or end to it, just a circular movement that creates a whole. We also see this idea of a whole in man. Emerson describes men as not many singular entities, but as parts of One Man. God created man as a whole, but with diverse aspects and abilities so that he may better function. As God created man as a whole, so he created nature as whole, and man as one with nature so that he may function better spiritually. In Walden, we are given Thoreau's perspective of One Man and nature. Thoreau believes he can better understand society as a whole by living outside of it, by living in the simplicity offered by nature.
Thoreau and Emerson both believe that to transcend and achieve this oneness with nature, man must educate himself mentally and spiritually. While both writers recognize the importance of books and reading as a precursor to spiritual growth, they also both feel that one ca...
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...nscendentalists, through their theoretical essays and literature, made a strong case for man to recognize the importance of nature in his life. Emerson felt that men who did not achieve this oneness with nature could not experience God or the Divine, and thus their lives were not fulfilling or spiritually whole. In Walden, Thoreau's main purpose is to celebrate life and to help men recognize the potential fullness and elation of life by making them aware of their own ability for spiritual growth. In order to achieve spiritual growth, or transcend, Thoreau feels that one must first evaluate his life and be willing to change it. Other artists of this time echoed Thoreau and Emerson's sentiments in their own creativity, their own journey to spiritual fulfillment, which only strengthened the premise that man and nature were one and that man without nature was not whole.
Literature such as Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Nature” and Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” reflect the tenets of Transcendentalism. They set the foundation for Transcendentalism because Emerson and Thoreau were the “fathers” of the literary movement. Both writers searched for truth and the meaning of life on an individual level that fit their feelings. They demonstrated the perfectibility and self-reliance of individuals. For example, “Walden” tells of Thoreau’s two years of living in the woods relying on himself for food and shelter and trying to simplify his life. He wanted to demonstrate that there was no evil in the simplicity of his forest home. Just as Thoreau’s “Walden” demonstrated Thoreau’s renewal or refreshing of his own spirit, Transcendentalism was the renewal or rebirth of American Literature.
The Ku Klux Klan was established shortly after the American Civil War in 1866 and was prevalent in most southern states by 1870. The group was driven by violence and racism to combat the post war equality legislature that was beginning to pass in Congress. Since then, the Klan has had a long history that has had an impact on America on several levels. There has been a recent strong effort to put an end to their irrational destructive behavior towards African Americans, Hispanics, Jews, Homosexuals, and many more.
The first record of the movement of the planets was produced by Nicolaus Copernicus. He proposed that the earth was the center of everything, which the term is called geocentric. Kepler challenged the theory that the sun was the center of the earth and proposed that the sun was the center of everything; this term is referred to as heliocentric. Kepler’s heliocentric theory was accepted by most people and is accepted in today’s society. One of Kepler’s friends was a famous person named Galileo. Galileo is known for improving the design and the magnification of the telescope. With improvement of the telescope Galileo could describe the craters of the moon and the moons of Jupiter. Galileo also created the number for acceleration of all free falling objects as 9.8 meters per second. Galileo’s and Kepler’s theories were not approved by all people. Their theories contradicted verses in the bible, so the protestant church was extremely skeptical of both Galileo and Kepler’s
Even though millions of individuals in the United States suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), this illness in veterans that served in Vietnam War, Iraq and Afghanistan does not receive a lot of recognition for their service and the traumatic event they experience. This is unfortunate when provided with the information researched that the effects of PTSD for veterans in Iraq and health issues are more than any other military population. Younger military population is viewed by many as ‘puzzling’ and they do not fit with the list of so called ‘minority groups’ (Savitsky et al., 2009). This article spoke about millions of veterans with PTSD following the 9/11, who is depressed and victims of traumatic events are not getting the help they really need. A process of prevention is to educate doctors, nurses, and other people in the medical profession and society in general that PTSD in veterans from Iraq and other war zones is able to be avoided. Another option of intervention or prevention is to get involved with some outpatient mental-health services. These services will help veterans and their families with strategies in teaching practical approaches to cope with PTSD. It will also contribute support on a national, state, and local level in a more consistent manner. This will help men, women, children, and veterans with PTSD, techniques in real-life situations (Savitsky et al., 2009).
Thoreau wrote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” The words transformed people’s lives to think more of the why in life and live with a purpose not just do what they are told, which was a driving idea within the Transcendentalist movements. Transcendentalist were hard to define, but perhaps one of the fathers of transcendentalism Ralph Waldo Emerson defines it most gracefully in a speech he gave, “The Transcendentalist adopts the whole connection of spiritual doctrine, He believes in miracle, in the perpetual openness of the human mind to new influx of light and power: he believes in inspiration, and in ecstasy”. As Emerson’s key student and self-proclaimed Transcendentalist Thoreau fulfilled these requirements to help further this movement of higher
His writings were the exact bases of transcendentalism, which is becoming one with nature because he put the theory of living as a transcendentalist to actual life. He published Walden, which was written in first person about his 2 year experience living in a cabin that he built in the wilderness. Walden expressed the story of how Thoreau moved to the open wilderness to become one with nature in order for him to find out everything about himself. He survived off the land by only using things that nature supplied him with. He begins to see that nature is superior than the society he lived in. He learns how to live in a place that is just a place for him to be able to sit, and he begins to question what the real necessities that people need to survive are? Walden put many things into perspective, which Thoreau shared because he wanted to people to understand the true meaning for living and in order for people to understand they need to seek the natural state of life. He valued simplicity, not bounding their life to material
...e harvesting family would have enough to see them through as well. This led to little agricultural trading outside of Europe while the Byzantines through, Constantinople’s prime location on the Silk Road and outside trade aided by its diverse population, became Europe's wealthiest empire.
In his essay, "Nature", Ralph Waldo Emerson describes man's relationship to nature and to God. Early on, he describes himself as a "transparent eyeball." In this passage, he expresses his view that nature is purity. Emerson believes being in pure nature brings mankind closer to the way God intended life to be. Through nature man and God are brought together.
Throughout the other chapters, Emerson explores the idea of nature as instructor to man and how man can learn from nature. He repeatedly says that nature is a divine creation of God and through it man can learn to be closer to god. However, despite the reverence, awe, and prerequisite mental status, he also presents the concept of nature being 'below' and man on a 'Scala Natura ' of sorts. Although man seen as connected to and part of nature, for he questions if we can "separate the man from the living picture" of nature (26), he finds that nature is nothing without human interpretation because "All facts in natural history taken by themselves have not value . . .. but marry it to human history, and it is full of life," (33). However, there appears to be some more complicated interactions between nature and humans because human language, arguably one of the most important inventions/discoveries in our history is immediately dependent on nature (35). In a chapter titled Discipline, Emerson states that 'nature is thoroughly mediate. It is made to serve," (45). Emerson believes that the human form is superior to all other organizations which appear to be degradations of it (50).
The importance of mental health and its effect on individuals has been underestimated. The stigma and discrimination of those affected by mental disorders still exists today. The advancing technology and thorough research are slowly moving towards a less discriminating and better understanding of mental health. More and more patients especially children and adolescents are being diagnosed with different mental disorders. Not enough programs and grants are given to screen and protect children from developing mental illness conditions. In order to maintain mental health’s importance and decrease the stigma associated with it, further education, prevention, and promotion is necessary.
Nuclear reactors are the future of energy production. Nuclear energy can produce over 500 zeta joules of power; which is equal to about 1000 times the current energy consumption of the world. The usage of nuclear energy is declining and if power companies do not begin utilizing nuclear energy, a lot of needless pollution will be released into the atmosphere causing further damage to our already badly damaged planet. Usage of nuclear energy had been steadily rising until the fukushima disaster in Japan. This disaster caused nuclear energy usage and acceptance to drop drastically. Germany began phasing out nuclear energy and plan to have all reactors shutdown by 2022. Nuclear energy should be fully utilized because nuclear reactors have a high energy output, great longevity, and lower carbon dioxide emissions.
From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.
In his book, Repcheck recounts how a Catholic Church cleric invented a highly complicated theory of the heavens’ architecture. Copernicus made a breakthrough by solving a significant astronomical problem. Everybody except the astronomers had earlier accepted Aristotle’s concept that heavenly objects revolved around the earth in perfectly circular orbits. The astronomers were opposed to this notion since their calculations could not work according to it. Repcheck introduces Ptolemy who described a cosmos in which the earth positioned itself somewhat off-center and other heavenly bodies revolved in one circular orbit inside a second ideal circle at changeable speeds. Even though Ptolemy’s model was rather complicated, astronomers found it to be reasonable in their calculations. Astronomers were still using this new concept even 1500 years later. In this regard, the author starts to bring Copernicus into the picture.
Is it possible to be an ethical meat-eater? Well, in my opinion, it is not ethical. There are many animals that suffer in the process of being slaughtered. Federal law requires mammals be stunned prior to slaughter. Typically, electric current is used to induce a heart attack or seizure. Then a captive bolt gun is used to deliver a blow to the skull or to shoot a rod into the animal’s brain. Eating meat is not ethical; animals suffer, they are tortured, because there are not enough Federal regulations protecting the animals, and there are environmental issues, as well as the health issues concerning the consumption of meat.
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of a fetus or embryo from the uterus before viability (dictionary.com). Those who disagree with abortion think that this is not right, mid evil and a form of murder. All of those thoughts are correct; abortion is the act of removing a fetus from the protection of the mother’s uterus. However, is it not the duty of the mother to protect her unborn child? In this day in age, we are still allowing this barbaric method of ending a pregnancy to happen despite the many alternatives. If an unexpected pregnancy should occur, abortion should not the only option. There are many reasons why abortion should not be illegal in all parts of the world, and people need to know the options available. Adoption is certainly a strong option in a world wanting for children. Abortion is not a method of birth control and people need to be educated on pregnancy prevention and take on some responsibilities.