He has blind faith because whatever path nature makes he will follow. Wordsworth takes on a very pantheistic view and sees the universe and nature as divine. To describe this divinity of nature Wordsworth uses vocabulary... ... middle of paper ... ...ar to religious praise songs meant for God. Again Wordsworth sounds grateful for the fact that nature is Thompson 5 everywhere. This is another characteristic of nature that sounds similar to how many would characterize God, omnipotent.
One of his essays, appropriately titled, "Nature," was the first published essay on Transcendentalist philosophy. Emerson theorized that man was one and the same with nature and he wrote about his experiences with nature. In "Nature," Emerson wrote that, "In the woods, we return to reason and faith. "Although he was the one to write this, it was Thoreau who went to extremes and took this literally. Though Emerson and Thoreau both believed in living in harmony with something, they differed on what it was they were to live in harmony with.
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).
The actual experience of recognizing this beauty and specialness in other creations is known as instress. Hopkins frequently used nature to illustrate inscape and instress. His poems about nature show that what is unique and different about each creation, is also similar, in that each being and creation is created by God. Humans in fact, though each a unique individual, are all reflections of the love and glory of our heavenly Father, and the sacrifice of Christ our Lord. Therefore, even though we are all different, we are all linked by our creator.
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... ... middle of paper ... ...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.
After the American independence, writers started to write about man’s relationship with nature, god, society which was called transcendentalism. Emerson and Thoreau were transcendentalists who had similar views about life and nature. As Thoreau was Emerson’s student they were both great writers who strongly believed in the idea of Self Reliance and God through nature, although they had their own style of explaining nature, their differences were of very little. This essay will however talk about the relationship between man and nature in Emerson and Thoreau. Firstly this essay will talk about Emerson’s view on man’s relationship with nature.
The famous poem “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer is a lyrical poem that focuses on nature, in which God has made. A tree is used in this poem to emphasize how the works of men is incomparable to the works of God. This poem is a proclamation of God’s omnipresence and omnipotence. An aabbccdd rhyme scheme is used in this short but well expressed couplet. Personification is frequently used frequently throughout the poem to make it evident to the readers that God’s creation of nature is living.
A Comparison of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Beliefs concerning Simplicity, the Value and Potential of Our Soul, and Our Imagination. Henry David Thoreau tests Ralph Waldo Emerson’s ideas about nature by living at Walden Pond, where he discovers that simplicity in physical aspects brings deepness to our mind, our soul to its fullest potential, and our imagination to be uplifted to change our lives. These two men believe that nature is what forces us not to depend on others’ ideas but to develop our own. Nature is ever changing so we must keep searching for explanations about human life. They feel that nature is the key to knowing all.
In his poem, The Worship of Nature Whittier takes his readers on a spiritual journey through a world untouched by man. The title of the poem is an indication that the reader should prepare himself or herself for some sort of spiritual experience. Whittier uses the word "worship" to title his poem because by the end of the poem the reader will learn that there is much more to the natural world than water, land, and sky. The poem starts with the birth or creation of nature. Whittier explains to his readers that the natural world has existed since God created it.
Some people would argue that God is a being who watches over us, however other would argue that God manifests through nature, our surroundings, and us. Transcendentalism revolves around the idea that God is nature. It also supports the theory that God is all around us and inside of us and we should be self-reliant and strive for simplicity. These transcendentalist ideas and traditions were present in Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, as Janie experienced herself and the world around her head on over time. The book revolves around one particular idea that God is nature and we should live close to nature, for it is our greatest teacher, and it is once again God.