Ralph Waldo Emerson delivers his address The American Scholar to a Harvard audience in 1837, where he presents the three crucial aspects of being an American Scholar. First of the scholarly characteristics was the influence of nature, second was the mind of the past, and the last was action. He states that, “action is with the scholar subordinate, but it is essential.” He further states that that “inaction is cowardice, but there can be no scholar without the heroic mind.” What exactly does Emerson mean by the word action? Is action actually “subordinate” to the other aspect of what is known as the human mind? Action does indeed come after thought, but is it any less important than that of thought? A Transcendentalist philosopher and essentially …show more content…
Both Transcendentalist thinkers derive their ideas from fairly the same foundation, especially considering that Emerson was a teacher and mentor to Thoreau. Nonetheless, there is still the slight difference in that Thoreau’s main focus is the act of taking physical steps to achieve the goal of living with a purpose, while Emerson elaborates on the internal action of thinking and how to connect the influence of thought to the soul. A commonly known phrase is used in the nation when action is not taken at all after thought: “it’s the thought that counts.” But is it really only the thought that counts? Emerson makes a valid point when he suggests that “action is essential, inaction is cowardice, and that there cannot be a scholar without a heroic mind.” However, physical action is just as necessary and fundamental as internal action with thought. As Henry David Thoreau himself states, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under
know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my
The difference between a rock and a human truly just comes down to a few different variations of carbon molecules. Yet this straightforward science ignores why humans, in all of their complexity, stem from such a random happenstance. Only knowing this science of life has not necessarily led to understanding its meaning. For that answer, famed transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau look within the self, rather than in a laboratory. In his essay, Self-Reliance, Emerson hypothesizes the meaning to be in independence; whereas, Thoreau, from his nature experience in Walden, theorizes it to be in simplicity. At the least, Thoreau finds it in a life without an intrusive government, which is the reason he pens Civil Disobedience.
Through this quote Ralph Waldo Emerson was trying to prove that the understanding of nature in human is very little, as all humans do is view nature as something that is materialistic. In the first chapter of his essay, "Nature", Emerson says that if humans were to let go of all the materialistic views they have and interact with nature and observe it beyond the items they would understand the true meaning of nature and its value. His theme through this passage is to show that every single object that humans see before their eyes is not nature. The objects that humans see is a piece of art that humans can easily change to become something different. When he describes the farms he sees, Emerson says that no one owns the farms because as a whole the farms are nothing but of the same, meaning they are a whole piece not individual pieces that are scattered. That is the theme that he is trying to portray through this quote and just like stars, though they are always there, everyone just views them as they are always there "for" the humans, but Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson and David Thoreau both lived during the 1800s in Massachusetts, United States of America. Both of them were leaders of the transcendental movement that happened in the U.S. in XIX-th century. This brought into the social life of Americans a new philosophy not only in religion and literary aspect. Waldo Emerson was seen as the center of the transcendentalism as he built and promoted most of the transcendental ideas and thoughts. Unlike Ralph Emerson, David Thoreau was not as popular but he also helped in building the ideas and concepts of this movement
Transcendentalism believed in the importance of intuition, of the divine spirit uniting all souls, and that true revelation and insight could only take place in nature, where things are most pure. Emerson’s talk that night was called the, “The American Scholar”. In it, he exhorted his audience to throw off the traditions or European scholarships and thought and define for themselves a new American way of thinking. (Shmoop Editorial Team) Twenty-year-old Thoreau was completely gripped. He approached Emerson afterward to introduce himself. The two men had a lot in common and became good friends. Emerson became an important mentor to Thoreau. His impact on the young man’s life was immediately apparent. Emerson was a big fan of journal keeping and encouraged Thoreau to do the same. “So I make my first entry to-day,” Thoreau wrote in his first journal entry on 22 October 1837. Thoreau kept up the habit all of his life, and his journals are an important insight into his philosophies. Also, around this time, he changed his name to Henry
While Emerson and Thoreau certainly have difference of opinions, they recognize the need for public discussion and discourse. Emerson declares “a foolish consistency” to be “the hobgoblin of little minds” (Emerson 367). This is shown in their essays “Self-Reliance” and “Civil Disobedience” in which they support individuality and personal expression. Despite their contrasting views of society and government, the two most prominent transcendentalists in literary history share a passionate belief in the necessity that every American must exercise their constitutional rights and make known their views even and especially if it challenges the status quo.
Emerson was a prominent writer and philosopher of the time famous for his transcendentalist view on life and God. Transcendentalism divided the universe into "Nature and Soul" and classified people as either "Materialists or Idealists" (Schneider, 1987). Transcendentalists disagreed with John Locke's "blank slate" theory of human development believing rather that we are, "born with certain innate ideas that provide a direct connection between the child and God." Therefore, a transcendentalist should "hold oneself above merely material concerns and to focus one's energies on attaining moral and spiritual excellence." (Schneider, 1987). Thoreau held these ideals very close to his heart. Even as a boy he had...
“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.”(Emerson 196). These two lines written by Ralph Waldo Emerson exemplify the whole movement of transcendentalist writers and what they believed in. Though to the writers, transcendentalism was a fight for a belief, unknown to them they could have been fighting for the betterment of human health. The transcendentalist writings of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson have directly affected the health of modern society through the idea of transcendental meditation. Through modern science, scientists have linked increases in health among individuals through the use of transcendental meditation.
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
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, philosopher and historian. The roots of the political views of Thoreau derive from Transcendentalism - a philosophy that became influential in the late 18th century and 19th century. Transcendentalism rejects the idea that knowledge can be fully derived from experience and observation of the physical world. American transcendentalism reached its peak in New England in the 1840s, under the leadership of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson argued that, while the physical world is important, providing us with necessary goods and frequent beauty, people should live their lives based on truths grasped through reason, not just physical perception. Emerson served
With the statement, “Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them,” Thoreau is saying that many people in the world, including the United States, are not able to enjoy life because they are too preoccupied with working and earning wealth to buy unnecessary goods. Thoreau believes that men only need four things to survive: fuel, food, shelter, and clothing. However, according to Thoreau, people still strive to obtain more and more unnecessary material goods. To obtain these goods, Thoreau writes, “He has no time to be any thing but a machine,” meaning that men are so busy working to make excessive money that work consumes their entire lives. Thoreau, on the other hand, ignores “factitious cares” such as excessive wealth, furniture, and a large home, in order to enjoy his life and not be forced to live his life as a machine.
Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817 and died there peacefully on May 6, 1862. He was described by Hawthorne as "ugly as sin." He loved nature, and his constant preoccupation was exploring the woods and ponds making detailed observations of plants and creatures. Henry led a singular life, never marrying, and marching to his own drummer, as he put it. From 1845 to 1847, he lived alone in a small cabin he built by Walden Pond near Concord. He described this unique experiment in natural living in "Walden" criticizing those who "lead lives of quiet desperation" with all the trappings of customary society. His personal independence and straightforward manner was harsh to some people, and he gained very little recognition during his lifetime.
Transcendentalism is a belief that would, in a way, consume Thoreau`s thoughts and it would be portrayed throughout his many works that he published and wrote. “Transcendentalism regarded nature, both as symbol and actuality” (http://www.notablebiographies.com). Thoreau wrote about being a transcendentalists in Walden; or, Life in the Woods. Another belief that he had was that he wanted an end to slavery. Thoreau was an active abolitionist until the end of his life. Thoreau wrote about being an abolitionist and how he felt on the topic of slavery. One of his works that focus on the abolition of slavery is Slavery in Massachusetts. In Slavery in Massachusetts, Thoreau wrote about taking a stand. He took a brave stand for Captain John Brown, an abolitionist. Thoreau wrote about taking a stand for him because Captain John Brown led an uprising against slavery and eventually got convicted of treason and died for this uprising against slavery. Thoreau really admired Captain John Brown for his bravery. His beliefs were portrayed throughout all of his works of literature. Thoreau was an outspoken man and defended his beliefs without a doubt. He was not ashamed to speak what he had on his mind and he did exactly
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emerson is a firm believer of maintaining self-reliance and values rather than following the crowd. He also explains that in order to be truly successful in life, a person must make decisions and trust in his or her judgment. In today’s society, teenagers are more likely to not be self-reliant because the teens feel they will be judged for having different beliefs. People today need to realize that they should not conform to be like the rest of the world, they must not depend on the judgment and criticism of others, and people must refuse to travel somewhere in order to forget their personal problems. Through Emerson’s piece, readers are able to reflect on how people in the world today must try to be independent of others and uphold their personal opinions and philosophy.
When thinking about the transcendental period and/or about individuals reaching out and submerging themselves in nature, Henry David Thoreau and his book, Walden, are the first things that come to mind. Unknown to many, there are plenty of people who have braved the environment and called it their home during the past twenty years, for example: Chris McCandless and Richard Proenneke. Before diving into who the “modern Thoreaus” are, one must venture back and explore the footprint created by Henry Thoreau.