Transcendentalism During The Romantic Period

345 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Thoreau's view of nature

The Romantic Period was a time when authors and poets focused on the beauty of nature and people’s own intuition. Instead of writing about political matters and governmental ideas, writers focused on emotions and nature. Henry David Thoreau, a transcendentalist author during the Romantic Period, focused on the transcendentalism ideas, which values nature and one’s feelings. In Thoreau’s essays “Walden” and “Civil Disobedience” he portrays several transcendentalism tenets throughout them.
Henry David Thoreau’s view on life was to live simple and mindful. After graduating college at Harvard University, Thoreau got a job, that would earn him just enough money to meet his most important needs; he didn’t believe in wealth and materialistic things

Show More
Related

  • The Philosophies of Transcendentalism

    372 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Civil Disobedience In Thoreau's Occupy Wall Street Movement

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    He didn 't believe that the world should stop work and live off the land, on the contrary, he believed, “The human dignity, wild life force and freedom were preserved within such a working process. Thoreau believed that labor was not only the activity that could bring material profits, but also a play which make man complete and developed simultaneously” (Ma 384). Thoreau 's work was experiencing nature and living transcendentally in order to share the quality of life that nature provides. We see Thoreau in many aspects of today 's society whether it 's Lisa from The Simpsons, a means of transportation, or political protests, they all follow a Thoreauvian idea of looking at the bigger picture and seeing what really matters. This way of thinking was created because one man decided that society was too mainstream and he moved off to the edge of town and reflected; people these days that do that are referred to as “hipsters” but the influence had to come from somewhere, and that was Henry David Thoreau. A closer reading of Thoreau 's works can put a new perspective on a common thing and provide a new outlook on life. Thoreau was not one to preach rather do something about it, not for the money or the fame but because of his “love of life— reverence for all the life in the

    Read More

  • Walden by Henry David Thoreau

    534 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the first section of Walden entitled "Economy," Thoreau develops his ideas of living simply and deliberately.  He believed that "it is best to want less," and that "there is no point of living if it is not deliberate."  By living deliberately he meant giving each part of life attention, whather in observing humans or nature, and living during "all moments of life."  He believed that humans had only four basic necessities: food, shelter, clothing, and fuel.  The object of each of these necessities is to "conserve an individuals energy."  He also believed that "gluttony is bad," and so we should "only content ourselves with possesions that we need."  Thoreau focussed on living deliberately,  and stated "to settle, and to feel reality in its fullness, is the point."

    Read More

  • The Failure Of Romanticism-Transcendentalism

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    Process philosophy is the philosophy that embraces change and the developmental factors in a society. “Process philosophy was created out of the failure of Romanticism-Transcendentalism, a failure which resulted in a very profound theological shift” (Martin, 2006, pp. 145). The failure of the Romanticism-Transcendentalism period caused people to question the belief system that was present. The uncertainty and second guessing ultimately had people looking for something else to put their beliefs into. This was when a new philosophical outlook was formed, process philosophy. This new outlook was very different from the old outlook in which there were no real absolutes that exist. Since no real absolutes exist, which can also be referred to as relativism, there is no belief of the supernatural which means there is an absence of God. “The abandonment of the supernatural, then, leaves us with a process view of life and existence, including man. We shift from an absolutist view to a process view, which comes to be known as process philosophy” (Martin, 2006, pp. 149). Shifting from an absolutist view to a process view of life inevitably

    Read More

  • Transcendentalism Essay

    1717 Words  | 4 Pages

    Transcendentalism is based on the belief that institutions in the society corrupt an individual’s purity. Transcendentalists believe that people are at their best when they are truly independent and self-reliant. They also believe that from independence and self-reliance, a true community is formed. Even though Transcendentalism is not recognized, it still exists in the modern society. Though not clearly outspoken as in Emerson and Thoreau’s times, many people in today’s society still have transcendental beliefs. Transcendental ideals are found in songs, films, books and other works such as media and advertisements. One example is the song “Get up, Stand up,” by Bob Marley, it is found to be influenced and has inspiration of transcendental elements such as Solitude (individuality), self-reliance, non-conformism (anti-institution), anti-materialism, nature and spirituality.

    Read More

  • Inscription for the Entrance to a Wood

    370 Words  | 1 Pages

    Romanticism is a revolt against rationalism. The poets and authors of this time wrote about God, religion, and Beauty in nature. The romantics held a conviction that imagination and emotion are superior to reason. One such author is William Cullen Bryant, he wrote the poem Inscription for the Entrance to a Wood. This poem uses many literary devices, and has a strong message to portray to the reader.

    Read More

  • Transcendentalism Touches Modern Culture

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is Transcendentalism? Though this may sound like a new topic to you, its major tenets have been around for almost a century and many are still influencing modern life today. Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century, centered around the premises of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Along with Emerson, other important Transcendentalists including Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickenson, and Walt Whitman also took on the unconventional morals of this movement. Today, we are going to delve into a few of these major premises practiced by Transcendentalists. The first principal is that God can be found in both nature and human nature. The second principal is embracing individualism. Both of these aspects play key roles in creating the foundation for Transcendentalism that was both seen in the 19th century and modern society.

    Read More

  • The Kind Of Life In Henry David Thoreau's Life?

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever woke up in the morning and asked yourself, “Why am I living this life?” Throughout the book of Walden, Henry David Thoreau questions the lifestyles that people choose; he makes his readers wonder if they have chosen the kind of lifestyle that give them the greatest amount of happiness. Thoreau stated, “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().” This quote is important because most of society these days are so caught up in work and trying to make ends meet that they lose the values in life. Thoreau was forced to change his life when he found himself unhappy after a purchase for a farm fell through. On Thoreau’s journey he moves to Walden and builds a house and life from nothing but hard work, symbolizes many different objects.

    Read More

  • Emerson and Thoreau

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    An influential literary movement in the nineteenth century, transcendentalism placed an emphasis on the wonder of nature and its deep connection to the divine. As the two most prominent figures in the transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau whole-heartedly embraced these principles. In their essays “Self-Reliance” and “Civil Disobedience”, Emerson and Thoreau, respectively, argue for individuality and personal expression in different manners. In “Self-Reliance”, Emerson calls for individuals to speak their minds and resist societal conformity, while in “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau urged Americans to publicly state their opinions in order to improve their own government.

    Read More

  • Transcendentalism

    1611 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people have theories and philosophies about life in general. There have been hundreds of thousands of books published by many different people on the ideas of people in the past and the present. Transcendentalism falls in amongst all of these ideas. There have been articles, essays, poems, and even books written about this subject. Transcendentalism has effected many people since the philosophy was first introduced. The idea was complex and hard to grasp for many commoners and therefore it was understood by few people, and some would think that the idea was not understood at all and that was part of the idea. Henry David Thoreau once stated about himself, “I should have told them at once that I was a transcendentalist. That would have been the shortest way of telling them that they would not understand my explanations” (Reuben 1).

    Read More

  • Thoreaus Elements of American Romanticism

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ing Henry David Thoreau into a prominent American Romantic writer. Such elements include his writings about life in Nature having great solitude; he became friends with the surrounding plants and animals. Secondly, he wrote about what was occurring day to day at Walden’s Pond which showed him as being individualistic. Moreover, there was the idea that God can only be found in nature, and pantheism was constant idea in his book. Finally, Thoreau wrote about intuition as a means of obtaining knowledge, and his use of senses as a tool for building intuition. These ideas time and time again show the various aspects of Thoreau being portrayed as an American Romantic which has lead to a great historical achievement as a writer that he well deserves.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Transcendentalism And Dark Romantics

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the American Renaissance, writers were put into one of two categories. The categories were the Dark Romantics and the Transcendentalists. Some Dark Romantics include Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving. The Dark Romantics stories included creepy symbols, horrific themes, and psychological effects of guilt and sin. The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving gives a few examples as to why life is meaningless to some people.Humans are not all good, there are some cruel people in this world. The Pit and the Pendulum tells you exactly why.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Thoreau And Chris Mccandless

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thoreau conveys many points in his writing and a large recurring one is the state of society. As stated before, he believed that people are too focused on physical gain and modernization which leads them into desperation. He adds on to this belief later in the book asking that above all else whether it be money or fame he be given honesty (Thoreau 246). To Thoreau, the truth is more important than anything measurable in status. Thoreau believes that a minimalist lifestyle is a good lifestyle, similar to Mccandless. He speaks of how it is good that he can put all of his belonging in one pile in his yard because it removes the clutter from his life (Thoreau 85). He also says that his best quality in life is to want very little, because it keeps himself true to himself and keeps him from distraction. Thoreau also believes that every man should be one in himself not oppressed by the government. He says that everyone should be able to be themselves whether is is in accord with the government or not (Thoreau 240). He is essentially saying that the government should not be a part of people's life decisions only to maintain the

    Read More

  • Walden Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thoreau, among the most heralded writers of the North American continent, may have lived on his little as possible, but the grandeur of his writing style suggest quite the opposite. This does coincide with a key part of Transcendentalism - putting matters of the mind and spirit far above any materialistic preference. Chapter 5 of Thoreau’s memoir Walden explains his reasonings for isolation through several rhetorical strategies that emphasize the splendor of aloneness and nature.

    Read More

  • Thoreau's Civil Disobedience and Walden

    1527 Words  | 4 Pages

    To conclude, Thoreau believed that people should be ruled by conscience and that people should fight against injustice through non-violence according to “Civil Disobedience.” Besides, he believed that we should simplify our lives and take some time to learn our essence in the nature. Moreover, he deemed that tradition and money were unimportant as he demonstrated in his book, Walden. I suggested that people should learn from Thoreau to live deliberately and spend more time to go to the nature instead of watching television, playing computer games, and among other things, such that we could discover who we were and be endeavored to build foundations on our dreams.

    Read More

More about Transcendentalism During The Romantic Period

Open Document