Transcendentalism And Writing: Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Brent Turner

Advanced Senior English

December 12, 2017

Mrs. Stapleton

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American transcendentalist poet and writer in the 1800s. He led the transcendentalist movement in the mid 19th century. Emerson focused his writings on nature and anti-slavery. Emerson gradually moved away from the religious and social beliefs of his contemporaries, formulating and expressing the philosophy of transcendentalism in his works, like in his 1836 essay "Nature".

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston Massachusetts on May 25, 1803. Emerson's father was actively involved in the church, much like their past ancestors. He grew up in a religious home but he had many doubts, which would lead up to his active …show more content…

A new system of lecturing, lyceum, came about in which Emerson became very fond of. He spoke out against materialism, which is the belief that physical things are better than spiritual items. In his lectures he speaks out against the annexation of Texas. He spoke out against and stood up for many controversial topics in America at the time. In 1851 he began a series of lecture which would become The Conduct of Life, published in 1860. His name was widely across the country because of how popular he had become and how well he was at speaking. He had a unique way of speaking, and even if his audience did not agree with his topic they were still in awe because of how well he worded phrases and spoke .Throughout his speaking career he gave over 1500 public lectures(tamu.edu). He was giving about 80 lectures a year(tamu.edu).

Emerson's writing career took flight in the early to mid 1840s. In 1836 he published "Nature" which is where the central ideas of transcendentalism is expressed. In 1840 he edited a magazine that was started by Bronson Alcott, and George Ripley. Ralph Waldo Emerson published his first book of essay in 1841, and published a second part in 1844. His second published book was a collection of poems. Following that one was a very popular one, "Representative of Men". This was a series of poems that were devoted to great men such as Plato, Johann Wolfgang, and William

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