Alex Mumme
English 3
Ms. Garrett
Transcendentalism Essay
October 31, 2014
Our Everyday Facets
There are many facets in our everyday life that have changed since the times of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, the starters of the original Transcendentalism movement in the 1830’s. The facets that stand out the most from the time of the movement till now are Industrialization, Democracy and Government, thoughts on War, and our Past times and Hobbies. There are more than these four I have listed here, but i found through direct quotes that these four facets have been the ones that have changed the most over the last 180+ years.
Industrialization was a period of social and economic changes that transforms humans from rural lifestyle to
…show more content…
This quote found in the chapter, “Conclusion” is merely a plea for those who cannot deal with adversity to go to war and not come back. Thoreau says, “Only the defeated and deserters go to the wars, cowards that run away and enlist.” This quote written in this section talks about those who are cowards, and afraid to face the adversity in life go and enlist in the army. Thoreau said that war lasts for eternities and thats where cowards go. In response with todays society, those who are the bravest and the strongest are the ones that go to the Army, this is because they want to serve and protect our country with pride. Thoreau would agree with why men and women go to the Army because its shows pride rather than being a cowards. Thoreau would be against sending the most brave people to serve our country because they should not have to leave and let the cowards …show more content…
Hobbies in the world of Henry David Thoreau were different because he was always againt going with the same routine, which is opposite to what everyone does now. He would sit in the woods in a cabin, whilst other people would go about their business. Unless you are a wilderness expert, you don't go and live out in the wild for an extended amount of time. This quote about past time and hobbies by Thoreau is clearly explaining that he lived a life of solitaire and no routines.
“My nearest neighbor is a mile distant, and no house is visible from any place but the hill-tops within half a mile of my own. I have my horizon bounded by woods all to myself; a distant view of the railroad where it touches the pond on the one hand, and of the fence which skirts the woodland road on the other. But for the most part it is as solitary where I live as on the prairies. It is as much Asia or Africa as New England.”
This quote tells us the reader that Thoreau wants to be all by himself, a hobby that he integrates into his life. Thoreau would be against all of todays hobbies because they all follow a routine; and as said many of times throughout the essay, Thoreau is all against the ideas of having the same routine
In conclusion, by temporarily removing himself from society and thrusting himself into nature, we are better able to understand how Thoreau conveys his attitude towards life. He believes that in order to enjoy it one must free himself or herself from the high-tempo nature of society, live life more simplistically, and experience the reality that is hidden by all the things that are irrelevant in our
Stacy notes that this passage is related to "a person getting a sense of their self in relation to Nature." The Web material describes Thoreau’s practice of linking landscape and identity.
Specifically in his want “to hitch north. Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip(48).” His defiance to live a smooth live aided with eh technological advancements of society and rather disobey what is expected, leads him to live purley how he believes it should be lived. Moreover, the fact that merely one action from a monthly long trip would “wreck,” everything and damage the purpose of all his time, highlights his dedication towards living such a lifestyle. While seeming shocking, this supports that he “wants to suck the marrow out of life(…)” and truly “live deliberately” philosophically considered key by Thoreau. Thoreau’s philosophical idea of “sucking the marrow of life,” purposely enforced the idea of achieving an independent lifestyle where one make sure they “suck” the best aspects of life out and enjoy all the aspects it offers which are often hidden or not
While Emerson never truly factored his transcendentalist ideals into his daily life, Thoreau made a point out of living out his days as a man free from society and connected to nature. In 1846, he refused to pay his poll tax to the government because he believed the war was unjust and did not want to support the government. In doing this, he showed that he remains strong in his own beliefs and will not agree with something just to conform to society. He also showcases Emerson’s philosophy on learning by forming beliefs based on his own life and morals, which were based in nature, receiving instruction from Emerson’s ideas on self-reliance, and taking action against something he believes is unjust. In an excerpt from one of Thoreau’s books, he says, “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” (Thoreau 16). What he is saying through this is that he wants to evaluate himself in the context of nature and understand what life is like in its purest and fundamental form. He hoped to gain a knowledge of the world and explore what nature had to offer and learn from his experience. Also, Thoreau is letting his readers know that connecting with nature is essential in finding yourself and
Thoreau believed that labor was not only the activity that could bring material profits, but also a play which made 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.
Thoreau states, “I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary”. In this statement is is trying to distinguish between the life that he already has and the life that he wants in solitude away from civilization so that he has time to think through the deeper meaning of life.
Henry David Thoreau along with a select group of people propelled the short movement of transcendentalism during the 1830s to the 1850s and was later brought up during the Vietnam War. Many of the transcendentalist ideas came from student who attended Harvard University during this time period. Henry David Thoreau’s individualistic anarchist views on society were developed throughout his early life and later refined in his years of solitude; these views on society and government are directly expressed in much of his work.
Throughout the passage many devices appear so the reader can have a deeper understanding of Thoreau’s attitude towards life. “Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito’s wing that falls on the rails. Let us rise early and fast, or break fast, gently and without perturbation;
...farm, mowing the grass, feeding the animals, and harvesting the garden. The only real value of the farm, the close contact with nature, can be had for no cost. Thoreau found more freedom in his small hut by the pond where he was truly free from the trivial life of living in a village. He was free from the commercial rat race and was able to let himself be roused by nature.
To trace the origin of the Transcendental movement one needs to go back to the city of Concord, Massachusetts. There during the early 19th century many well-known and world-renowned authors were following the practices of one man, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson, who was considered America's first philosopher, had earlier traveled to Europe and became fascinated by the concepts of one German philosopher known as Kant. According to Emerson's understanding of Kant, there were two pure objects in the world in which are the bases of everything, nature and soul. He took this philosophy and brought it back to America where it later, with the help of Henry David Thoreau, revolutionized American literature.
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
For example, Thoreau found enjoyment within listening to the birds sing and thinking while the sun rose. He advises people to not find pleasure in things like the “cinema,” but rather within simplicity. He also mentions that he would enjoy doing housework such as cleaning the floors because it would provide him with amusement while allowing him to connect with his thoughts. Lastly, he says, “a man must find his occasions in himself, it is true. The natural day is very calm, and will hardly reprove his indolence”(Thoreau 56). This means that a person can find entertainment within themself, rather than within something else. He believes that the natural day will be enough to keep anyone entertained. Thoreau’s transcendentalist views are evident here because he writes that connecting with nature is better than attending a man made establishment such as the
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.
Henry David Thoreau is a naturalist, and enthusiast of simplicity, he expresses his passion for simplicity in his essay “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For.” He wrote this essay after living in the wood, he contrasts simple life in the wood from busy life in the urban area, through this comparison, he attempts to convince his audience that simplicity is better.
Thoreau writes that we should simplify our lives as much as possible, and that we should only worry about our own affairs. He then closes the paper by writing that he does not want to work any harder than he has to, but that he wants to use his mind to work through life. One of the many ways Thoreau keeps his life simple is he only imagines buying a farm, however, he never actually does so. Instead, he uses the land only to observe and write about the landscape. By not ever actually buying the farm, Thoreau illustrates his belief that everyone should live free of commitments for as long as possible.