I picked the Transcendentalism Movement because I found it to be very interesting. From all the different literary movements we had to choose from Transcendentalism seemed the most revolutionary. It was an entirely new way of thinking for America back in the 1800’s.
The Transcendental Movement started around 1835. The movement was all about individualism and spiritualism. The idea was that you could achieve true spirituality with god not through the doctrines of man but through communion with nature. The belief was that there is divinity in all of nature so to get closer to God you get closer to nature. Some of the writers associated with the movement are Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bronson Alcott, Margaret Fuller, and Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalism’s influence even reached authors who criticized or openly disliked the movement such as Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Emily Dickenson (1830-1860’s).
The Transcendental movement lasted about 25 years from 1825-1860. America went through a lot of change during that time. The Mexican American War was fought from 1846-1848. The Gold Rush started out West in 1848. The Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850 (1830-1860’s). Abolitionism was growing in the North. This is when people were starting to look at the convention of slavery and beginning to see something wrong with it. Through the transcendental movement some tried to find beauty and spirituality in nature when the whole country was in turmoil.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a major author and founding member of the Transcendentalism Movement. He was born in Boston Massachusetts in 1803. His father, a liberal Unitarian minister, died when he was 8 years old. His mother raised him and his ...
... middle of paper ...
...by depriving yourself and living your life within certain strict parameters, you could get close to God by appreciating the beauty of his creation. The idea was heretical at the time. I believe that the Transcendental Movement was the beginning of free thinking as a reality not just an ideal.
Works Cited
“1830-1860’s Transcendentalism.” The American Novel. Mar 2007. Educational Broadcasting Network. 28 Mar 2010.
Applebee, Arthur, et al. The Language of Literature: American Literature. California ed. Evanston: McDougal, 2006. 363-368
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Nature.” Oregon State University. 28 Mar 2010
Porte, Joel. “Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882.” 1979. Oxford. 28 Mar 2010
...r the inspiration he requires to learn more about himself. Finally, McCandless follows his own intuition to the point of death. These ideas presented by McCandless not only demonstrate transcendental ideals, but the fathers of transcendentalism themselves lives closely resembling that of Christopher Johnson McCandless, a man who desired to live as close to nature as possible; however, volition alone could not save him from his unintentionally self-inflicted demise.
Transcendentalism to some is may just be a long, lengthy word coined two hundred years ago that is not used today, but to other people, people like Chris McCandless, it is a way of life. They use these qualities to shape their life and strive hard to follow them. Chris McCandless was so focused on embodying the qualities of transcendentalism that he failed to see how much danger he was putting himself in. He had little to no common sense as shown by Westerberg. “But there were gaps in his thinking. I remember once I went over to the house, walked into the kitchen, and noticed a god-awful stink. I mean it smelled nasty in there. I opened the microwave, and the bottom of it was filled with rancid grease. Alex had been using it to cook chicken, and it never occurred to him that the grease had to drain somewhere. It wasn’t that he was too lazy to clean it up- Alex always kept things real neat and orderly- it was just that he hadn’t noticed the grease” (Krakauer 45). McCandless embodied the values of transcendentalism by believing in living closer to nature, believing in the dignity of manual labor, and being self reliant.
In this essay, I will compare the philosophies of transcendentalism and anti-transcendentalism through the writings of Thoreau and Emerson vs. Melville. In Thoreau’s excerpt of “Walden”, he tested the transcendentalist philosophy through experience. Emerson’s transcendental writing style is displayed in “Nature”. In Melville’s excerpt of Moby Dick, he exhibits anti-transcendentalism in his work.
When I was first exposed to the concept of Transcendentalism in my English class, the idea seemed farfetched and rather abstract. Upon further readings and research, I discovered that the concepts, although they originally seemed esoteric, where works of true brilliance. Society has made it hard for individuals to exist when things like popular culture seemingly brainwash youth into doing whatever is considered “cool”. Transcendentalism is a powerful concept which should be acknowledged by my generation, for the points encompassed in Transcendentalism are more vital today than ever. Transcendentalism is the philosophy of striving to live a life of independence, simplicity, and oneness with nature.
Modern day transcendentalists are not easily found anymore in society. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what a transcendentalist is. By being your own self, following your own standards and being yourself, you become transcendental. By looking at the Robertsons’ way of life, they would make a tremendous example of modern day transcendentalists. Their religion, love of nature, and individualism create a transcendental lifestyle.
Transcendentalism is the American literary, philosophical, and political movement of the early nineteenth century. This movement had a large focus on the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson was considered
The word Transcendentalism, as used at the present day, has two applications. One of which is popular and indefinite, the other, philosophical and precise. In the former sense it describes man, rather than opinions, since it is freely extended to those who hold opinions, not only diverse from each other, but directly opposed. (1)
...n with Emerson got him started with the Transcendentalism movement, which came natural to him because of his love for nature. Author’s personal experiences reflect greatly in their own work.
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
The movement of transcendentalism was a powerful movement that began to emerge in American in the nineteenth century. These powerful movements made readers question, challenge, and examine what they were accustomed too. Transcendentalism was the belief that what the person can see, touch, feel, taste, or comprehend goes beyond those senses. People were to knowledge their thoughts through instinct and imagination not through logic or the senses; they were to trust themselves to be their own authority on what is right. When people were able to receive these ideas not as a religious beliefs, but as a way of understanding life then they were consider a transcendentalist. Transcendentalism was one of the many literary writing styles used during
“Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy.” U.S. History Online Textbook. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.
Transcendentalism is a social, religious, and literary movement: a philosophy. Combining elements from the romantic period with eastern philosophical beliefs, it sought to fight against rationalism and conformism by inspiring individuals to look into their inner selves and embrace their own beliefs. One of the spearheads leading this movement was Ralph Waldo Emerson: an American writer and philosopher who sought to teach others what he himself had found. Transcendalists, such as Emerson, viewed society as a catalyst for downfall and instead believed that humans were inherently good and pure; embracing our inner feelings and emotions and ignoring expectations and conformity are essential to achieve happiness and fulfillment. Such ideas can
Transcendentalism was a religious movement that started in the late 1820s and 1830s. The main focus of transcendentalism was the perfection and goodness of a human being, nature, and the universe; it was also thought independence brought about the best in people. It was presumed that society was the cause of the corruption of purity in a person. Anti- Transcendentalism was a more realistic view of the world. They thought man was capable of evil as well as easily being deceived and their proneness to sin and self-destruction. Anti- Transcendentalists believed that making decisions solely on logic will create a negative effect in actions and thoughts.
According to the notes Transcendentalism is a philosophy that originated in the 1830’s. Also the notes informed me that Ralph Waldo Emerson was the chief leader who began the movement by meeting regularly and with other intellectuals of the time to discuss a various array of topics. Emerson wanted people to be better in touch with our inner selves, god, and nature. In the essay Self- Reliance Emerson argues that we need to learn to be a lot more individualistic. Emerson in this essay exemplifies the transcendentalist virtue of individualism. In Emerson’s other essay Nature he again is talking all about the power of nature. He believes that nature can actually lead us to God, and to our true selves. In the essay Nature Emerson says “Nature
He appealed to people by sharing his essays, lectures and poetry. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s first book was titled Nature, this book consisted of the very thoughts that best depicted Transcendentalism. Emerson spoke of society and how it is corrupting the minds of humans by making materialism common and undermining self-reliance. He believed greatness could be achieved through oneself. I agree with Emerson when he talks about people being the best versions of themselves when independent and away from society in nature. The most significant aspect about Ralph Waldo Emerson is his involvement and importance to the Transcendentalist movement. He is known as the father of transcendentalism, the movement took place during the late 1820’s and 1830’s in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It began with the founding of the Transcendental Club and the purpose of the organization was to think spiritually as opposed to thinking scientifically. This movement became popular to other scholars in nearby areas of Cambridge. Thus, Emerson met new people through the Transcendental Club such as: Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Thomas Carlyle, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Theodore Parker and others. “In 1836 and later, a club of perhaps a dozen thoughtful persons, men and women, formed the habit of meeting at each other’s houses for the informal discussion of such topics as mysticism, pantheism, personality. Nobody knew who first dubbed them the “Transcendental Club”: the culprit observed a prudent anonymity” (Firkins, 1915, p.66). In the Transcendentalism chapters of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Firkins goes into depth on one piece of writing from the Journals that Emerson wrote during the transcendental period. Firkins then goes on to explain the relationships between Emerson and Thoreau, Hawthorne and a few others. He has meticulous opinions about the personal affairs of Emerson in his review when referring to both Emerson’s