Category: Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism is a philosophical and literary movement that occurred in the 30s and 40s of the nineteenth century (Philips et al. 30). It has a potent impact on American literature due to the changes in belief systems. The movement also expressed the essential moral of the American experience.

In the context of the American literature, transcendentalism indicated a belief that the material world guided by intuition rather by reason offers wider opportunities for considering the invisible, spiritual world in which beliefs and truths stand behind the material representation. The movement, therefore, played an enormous role in shifting attitudes to religion, society, and morale.

Its philosophical roots could be found in the Puritan representation of the supernatural and the divine. Within this context, the supporters of transcendental movements considered a man to be the center of the world, whose nature should not be corrupted by social and political institutions. The movement expressed protest against the traditionally accepted vision on culture.

The emergence of new transcendental ideas reshaped the American literature introduced in the works by Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman in such a way that it contributed to the excellence and maturity of the literary world and led to the later period of the American Renaissance.

Transcendentalism and romanticism were two adjacent movements whose philosophies were closely interconnected. Although it appeared much earlier in the eighteenth century, romanticism had also achieved its highest peak of influence and development in 1840 (Philips et al. 16). Apart from temporal coincidence, both movements had several similar philosophical and ideological conceptions.

In particular, both movements were created as a protest against established religious laws, traditions, and culture. They also opposed a religious movement called Calvinism that asserted the predetermination of human fate. Further, supporters of the two movements placed a significant emphasis on the anthropological center and its strong connection with nature.

It should also be stressed that romanticism emerged as opposition against objective reasoning. Similar to romanticism, transcendentalism protested against the prevalence of dogma and religious traditions. Finally, both movements encouraged humans to rely on themselves. Each, therefore, was empowered to find his/her truth and path in life.

Despite the evidence similarities, the movements had diverse outlooks on religion, particularly on the conception of God. In this respect, transcendentalism relies basically on religious systems because God was essential for understanding the dogmas of their philosophy (Philips et al. 32). Moreover, transcendentalists strongly believed in the omnipresence of God in every sphere of human life.

In contrast, romanticism was less concerned with the concept of divinity (Philips et al. 18). Their comprehension of religion was confined to a personal level. In other words, romanticists strongly believed in the capability of individuals to confront both their right and wrong actions.

A person-centered approach to perceiving the reality, as well as the focus on the institution and its importance for humans became the central conception of the movement. Guided by Emerson, particularly by his essay called Nature, the movement propagated non-traditional appraisal of nature, as well as a place of humans in it.

Emerson work directly refers to the underpinnings of transcendentalism, which is brightly represented in the following passage: From the earth, as a shore, I look out into that silent sea. I seem to partake its rapid transformations: the active enchantment reaches my dust and I dilate and conspire with the morning wind (Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson 550).

The following lines prove the entity of man with nature. It is, therefore, logical for Emerson to refer to nature as to the Universal Being (Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson 550). The natural world is endowed with a spiritual meaning which can be conceived from beyond. While explaining the meaning of the Universal Being, Emerson asserts, The aspect of nature of devout.

Like the figure of Jesus, she stands with bent bead and hands folded upon the breast. The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship (560). Once again, the author does not focus directly on the central position of God but represents humans who are guided by the divine laws embedded in nature.

Apart from deliberation on the unity of man with nature, Emerson highlighted three spiritual dilemmas related to the place of nature in a mans world about nature, as well as how a man experiences nature. Also, the philosopher attains much importance to the way an individual develops. In this respect, Emerson assumed that the spirit of nature and divinity is expressed through man.

In this essay called Self-Reliance, the writer stated, To believe your thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men,  that is genius (Self-Reliance 13). In other words, an individual should not rely on the externally existing belief system because of his ability to self-cognize and appraise the world based on personal attitudes and beliefs.

Transcendental concepts are brightly illustrated in the book Walden written by another outstanding transcendentalist Henry Thoreau. In this work, the writer focused on individual independence from a societal belief system, spiritual discovery, and exploration of individual self-reliance.

The autobiographical style of exposition was closely connected with the criticism of the Westerns material and consumerist culture, which did not contribute to natural revival. In particular, Thoreau argued, 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, &discover that I had not lived (n. p.).

The passage broadly uncovers the main idea of the book. In particular, the author highlights its opposition against the social institutions corrupting human minds and limiting individuals spiritual pathways. Referring to the origins, of nature, therefore, was the key solution to the problem of unveiling the actual purposes of human life. The human instincts should be prioritized to help individuals address their original needs and concerns.

Despite deep deliberations on the connection between man and nature, Thoreau did not refer to religious issues but made an accent on criticizing the materialistic world, which is deprived of spirituality and main virtues. Whitman is another brightest representative of the transcendental movement whose progressive ideas also went beyond the frames accepted for that period.

Leaves of Grass is considered to be the most controversial poetry collection in which specific emphasis is placed on allegorical and metaphorical representations of the world. Like Emerson, the poet attained much importance to the increased role of humans in nature. Whitman also emphasizes the role of the spirit and the mind.

In particular, The Song of Myself reflects the core of Whitmans vision of poetry and life. The transcendental features of the poem are represented in the following lines: The lunatic is carried out at last to the asylum a confirmed case, He will never sleep any more as he did it in the cot in his mothers bedroom (Whitman 28).

Dead Poets Society is a drama film revealing an inspiring story about an English teacher and his unconventional approach to teaching poetry. The film also propagates Walt Whitmans poetry revealing free and revolutionary thinking.

Poets deliberations on the sense of life are identical to those adhered by John Keating. In particular, Walt Whitman called for the entire society to open up peoples mind and develop alternative views on the surrounding world. These conceptions are congruent with the transcendental ideology.

In conclusion, it should be stressed that the transcendental movement was oriented on revealing the hidden potential of man, as well as his close affiliation to nature. The supporters of this movement encouraged to consider the spiritual the core of human essence because it relates heavily to its nature and intuition.

The brightest representatives of the movement  Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman  managed to trigger the main ideologies and trends in transcendental movement. Though their views on the philosophy slightly differed, the philosophers reshaped the American literature and gave it a second life.

Aside from philosophic foundations, the writers and poets of transcendentalism were much concerned with social institutions and their negative influence on human self-perception. Rather, they strongly believed that a human is a self-reliant and independent personality who is capable of making individual choices.

Similar aspects are represented in the film Dead Poets Society where the protagonist relies on the ideologies of Walt Whitman.

Works Cited

Emerson, Ralph Waldo, Self-Reliance. US: Arc Manor, 1995. Print.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. US: Taylor & Francis, n. d. Print.

Philips, Jerry, Ladd Andrew, and Anesko, Michael. Romanticism and Transcendentalism: 1800-1860. US: Infobase Publishing, 2006. Print.

Thoreau, Henry David. Walden: By Henry David Thoreau. US: Mobile Reference. 2009. Print.

Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass: The First Edition (1855). US: Digireads.com, Publishing, 2008, Print.

Transcendentalism is the movement in literature, philosophy, and religion developed in the first part of the 19^th century in the USA. This movement is associated with the development of some of the major American values, including individualism, creativity, and the focus on action (Roy 2). Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau can be regarded as the two most remarkable figures among transcendentalists as the former developed a sound theoretical basis for the movement while the latter followed the theoretical principles and applied them in his real life. These two thinkers contributed greatly to the development of the movement through the focus on certain basic values and principles as well as the promotion of particular aspects of the overall paradigm.

One of the most important principles of transcendentalism was the belief that old institutions were full of flaws. For instance, religion was among the primary targets of criticism as the institution of religion was too rigid and far from nature and real life. Emerson claimed that there could be no institutions or people between the individual and God (Goodman 149). Interestingly, he could provide sound arguments to support his point as he could have become a minister like his father, so he knew many facets of the religious life of American society. Thoreau followed Emersons point and stressed that it was unnatural to build any boundaries between the self and the universe. The thinkers stressed that people were created as a part of the natural world, which made any institutions unnecessary and even harmful.

Importantly, thinkers also criticized other types of institutions. They were devout abolitionists and supporters of the movement for womens rights. Clearly, Emerson and Thoreau believed that all people were created equal, so there could be no difference when it came to their rights and opportunities (Goodman 206). It is noteworthy that one of Emersons primary postulates is the belief that the individuals potential is limitless, so it was unnatural and vicious to put any restrictions or limits. Thoreau went even further as he emphasized the need to be fully integrated into the natural setting and live a simple life that meant no rules or regulations that were not consistent with the laws of nature. As for the terrain of literature, the two thinkers promoted the ideas of creativity and less focus on works of the past. Emerson claimed that the works of writers and philosophers could not be used as examples and frameworks as this was a form of the development of limits (Goodman 198).

Another central point within the movement is associated with the attitude towards nature. The two thinkers believed that nature was the major or rather the only source of inspiration for peoples understanding of their selves, as well as ways to live in society. At that, Emerson and Thoreau had quite different perspectives as the former had an idealistic view of nature, while the latter had a more practical approach (Sato 124). In simple terms, Emerson focused on the need to achieve spiritual liberation through close attention to the wonders of nature that were the manifestation of the divine (qtd. in Sato 128). Thoreau was not as concerned with allegories and the search for the supreme force. The thinker promoted the simplicity of human life or rather his ideal of living in the wild. His views on nature and his methods to support his claims made other people see him as radical and eccentric (Roy 2). Thoreau lived on his own far from the advances of technology and comfort for two years. The philosopher shared his experiences and argued that the period he lived out of the society was the time of complete harmony with nature and self.

Importantly, this is one of the points where Thoreau, Emersons ideas follower, went further and developed his own paradigm. Emerson praised nature as an ideal and the model to look at, but he did not promote seclusion (Sato 124). The thinker rather stressed the need to destroy all the artificial limits created by the human society. Emerson tried to bring more natural processes to the society while Thoreau tried to change the way the human society existed. Emerson concentrated on the inner world and peoples beliefs and perspectives whereas Thoreau saw other aspects as important. For him, understanding that all people were created equal and the human could not be regarded as the master of natural resources was not enough. Thoreau dreamed of the society where people could be as close to nature as possible.

It is necessary to consider the way the thinkers contributed to the American individualism. As has been mentioned above, Emerson emphasized that the individuals potential was limitless, which also meant that people had to be self-reliant when it came to their opinions, beliefs, and actions (Goodman 198). Thoreau was more radical, and he tried to prove that every individual could live a secluded life and achieve the greatest level of self-reliance and enlightenment. At that, the two thinkers encouraged and inspired people to explore their selves as well as their creativity.

It is important to add that both thinkers stressed the need to act rather than merely contemplate. Emersons point concerning the limitless potential of the individual is the basis for this focus on actions. Thoreau put it in simple terms and stated that people had to try hard to understand what their ideal world could be. The next step had to be trying hard to make the ideal world merge with the real one (Roy 2). The thinkers experiment can be regarded as one of the ways the philosopher used to promote his ideas. Clearly, he developed a particular image of an ideal world for himself and made his ideal the reality he lived in.

In conclusion, it is possible to note that Emerson and Thoreau were two significant figures within transcendentalism who developed a specific framework for the movement. Emerson and Thoreau (who was one of Emersons followers) had similar views on many issues, but they had quite different perspectives on some aspects. It is noteworthy that Thoreau was more radical and practical while Emerson paid more attention to the theoretical aspect. The two thinkers believed that the individual had the limitless potential that could be realized if more natural processes replaced the ways that existed in the American society of that time. It is possible to state that Emerson and Thoreau contributed greatly to the development of the American individualism and the need to act and create. In other words, the two thinkers managed to shape the society and contribute to the development of the unique nation.

Works Cited

Goodman, Russell B. American Philosophy Before Pragmatism. OUP Oxford, 2015.

Roy, Amitabh. Transcendentalism and Thoreau: A Critical Reading of Walden. Indian Journal of Applied Research, vol. 5, no. 9, 2015, pp. 1-2.

Sato, Maki. The Implications of Aesthetic Appreciations of Nature: Comparison of Emerson and Thoreau. Pacific and American Studies, vol. 15, no. 1, 2015, pp. 123-142.

Transcendentalism and Romanticism were two movements that were very influential to the authors during the 19th century. This era helped authors express prevalent ideas and beliefs during this time. Transcendentalism was based on individualism and focusing on yourself and by focusing on bettering one’s self and practicing individuality will shape your life into the life you think you deserve. Romantics believed in connection with nature, interconnection, and peace within one’s self. Once you get a connection with nature, the connection with God will come as an internal force. Although, Transcendentalists believed God was an external force. Romanticism, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is defined as “a literary movement (as in early 19th century Europe) marked especially by an emphasis on the imagination and emotions and by the use of autobiographical material.” While transcendentalists had a strongly believed in God and the divinity, Romantics on the other hand favored more upon the nature of emotions and freedoms. The respect for nature existed throughout both movements. Based upon the works that we have read in class by Walt Whitman, Frederick Douglass, Herman Melville, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, the movements of both Romanticism and Transcendentalism has influenced the ideas their writings.

Walt Whitman’s audacious poetry voided the overwhelming ideas of his time. Transcendentalism was sought as the foundation through the majority of his writing. Throughout his writings Whitman creates this new trinity of god, humanity and nature and utilizes them mutually with one another throughout his writings. He created a nature where individuals didn’t have to seek God for answers or explanations. Whitman thought everything around him was for him and how his life is going is the what he deserved. He felt as though all aspects of nature had a purpose behind presence and no part could be greater than each part in light of the fact that the parts were always dealing with benefit of the entirety. According to Whitman in “Song of Myself”’, everything had a purpose behind their reality, ‘They are but parts, any thing is but a part.’

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery around 1817, but eventually moved to the north and became involved within the abolitionist movement as a writer. Throughout his writings, Frederick Douglass sought characteristics as a transcendentalist. Douglass believed in self-development and self-reliance as this is a characteristic of transcendentalists. After his master’s wife taught him the alphabet and small words before her husband forbade her from teaching him, he saw that learning meant freedom, so he decided to learn to read at any cost. His journey as a slave was described as not only self-reliant but also a result of practicing individualism as he progressed in attaining freedom and learning to read and write. Being literate would help him understand his surroundings better so attaining freedom could be easier. Because Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave was written by Frederick Douglass himself, the story he told was emotional and raw, so the audience got the true feel. His actions towards his freedom and liberty made me characterize him as a transcendentalist. His relationship with God also added on to the characteristics of him being a transcendentalist as they favored God. Along with Frederick Douglass being a Transcendentalist he is also considered a Realist. Realism was a literary era that started in the nineteenth century. The idea of realism was to push the real events of life as opposed to those that were envisioned or made up. Realists were authors who expounded on genuine individuals in genuine circumstances, a resistance to sentimental writing. Douglass’s story is the accurate meaning of Realism – the actual events of life. There were numerous risks experiences with expounding on his slave life and few individuals had the capacity or strength to do it. As in the definition, Douglass expounded on his encounters as a slave and the things he suffered all through being a slave and endeavoring to accomplish opportunity.

Harriet Beecher Stowe was seemingly against slavery while never really experiencing being a slave yet being a white lady who was brought up in a Puritan culture. She learned about slavery from stories that she overheard as a child mostly from her parents who were abolitionists. Stowe expressed ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ to point out the issue of the brutalities of slavery. Stowe had no experience in being a slave and enduring the brutalities yet wrote to make this an exact portrayal of slave life. Her story is more objective concerning slave life than Fredrick Douglass’ account versus Douglass’ narrative was progressively subjective, as being a slave himself and he endured physical just as mental anguish from his encounters. Douglass shared progressively realistic and disturbing subtleties in his story. He shared everything about could review of the absurd cruelties that he had both seen others experience and suffered himself. Both Stowe and Douglass communicated their frustration for those ignorant of the true meaning of slavery. In their works, they both show their frustration for individuals who call themselves Christian and keep on taking part in parts of slavery. Stowe enlivened the truth of the lives of slaves, which might possibly haven’t been acknowledged by most of slaveholders.

Herman Melville was born in New York in 1819. Melville importantly influenced the Romantic movement as his well-known novel is Moby Dick. Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick used elements of nature, individualism, imagination, and freedom to tell a story of whalers on a ship in attempt to kill an albino whale who took the leg of the captain. Throughout the novel, the whalers were chasing the whale. Melville used the whale as a representation of God as romantics favored God. My analysis of Moby Dick influences my reasonings of Herman Melville being a Romantic.

Similarly, if these creators didn’t distribute their works, we wouldn’t have distinctive records to depend on today with the goal that we could shape our very own points of view and sentiments on critical occasions ever. Additionally, Romanticism and Transcendentalism are both one of a kind developments in scholarly history since they demonstrate that happening occasions impact what individuals expound on, and what individuals expound on can likewise impact how others see those equivalent occasions.

The Giver by Lois Lowry expressed ideas and thoughts of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. I will analyze how the main character Jonas goes through a journey of individualism and self-expression as the novel progresses and how it relates to Emerson and Thoreau. Jonas is able to grow throughout the book due to the internal and external conflicts he endures. My interest in this theme of individualism and the realization of it in a small society intrigues me because I am in a time in my life where I am getting a sense of individualism. I have had some experience with the topic of individualism and transcendentalism due to the reading responses we’ve done in class. In class, we have talked about how society can spoil an individual’s identity. I would like to find a connection between all of the sources, and the novel in the way that Jonas evolves to find the importance of individualism and Transcendentalism.

Transcendentalism is the idea that institutions corrupt an individual and that people tend to be their best selves when they are independent and self-reliant. The focus of an individual should be more nature and their personal growth. According to Studies in New England Transcendentalism “Nature is the embodiment of spirit in the world of sense—it is a great picture the be appreciated” and this idea is greatly touched upon by Henry David Thoreau throughout his life (4-5). He believed so much in this philosophy that he went to live in the wilderness to be minimalistic. Being a naturalist and minimalist for two months allowed him to connect with his divine and most in tune self. In Thoreau’s essay Walden he expresses the importance of nature and how individuals become absent-minded when it comes to the individuals around us. As Thoreau says, “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” he is saying that individuals are so occupied with doubts that the actual experience of life is neglected (Thoreau 316). In modern society, humans are so focused on their own life and wrapped up in their own issues they forget the greatest importance of being the divine-human in society. In David Thoreau’s Walden he talks about how humans tend to focus on their own personal lives without any regard to other people. In Emerson’s essay Self-Reliance he expresses the importance of finding one’s identity. The basis of Emerson’s essay is that he wants readers to stray away from societal expectations. He wants them to follow their own specific likings. Once readers find their identity Emerson wants them to fully accept their identity. Emerson and Thoreau want individuals to use the beauty and truth of the natural world to grow into people that have reached their highest potential. According to the previous book Studies in New England Transcendentalism “the individual soul comes in contact with and appropriates to itself the spirit of God” (5). The Giver will touch on how the main character Jonas continues to find himself as he travels the natural lands after escaping his society. In the eyes of Emerson and Thoreau, Jonas will reach his peak with a spirit closer to “God”. When transcendentalists mention a relationship with God, it is because they believe that the private knowledge of God embraces individualism. Having a closer relationship with God promotes the focus of nature and opposing materialistic tendencies.

It is important to maintain a sense of self and individuality to avoid groupthink. According to Individualism & Collectivism by Harry C. Triandis, “the individual can decide how to behave without following the norms of his/her in-group” and that is the idea of individuality (20-21). Individualism is the idea that it is very important to take care of yourself. It is the belief and practice that one person is unique and self-reliant. Society tends to have its ideas on what is good and proper which halts people’s creativity. If everyone in life had the same relations with everyone there would be a very boring society. This thought is proven in The Giver where society was very bland due to the fact that everyone went through life just like everyone else in the community. The thought of transcendentalism is that in order to really live life, an individual must experience pain and joy. They must be given access to make choices. If these qualities of life are withheld, like in The Giver, each person is just a robot. The people of the society in the giver do not really get to experience pain or joy. One of the joys of life that the parents to not get to experience is the birth of a child, specifically their own children. The parents are given children that have reached the age of one so they do have kids. But do not actually get to grow and bond with their own baby for the nine months of gestation. That type of joy should be allowed but unfortunately it is stripped from them in the novel. Another thing they are stripped from is the pain of losing a loved one. In the book no one understands that concept of the “release”, therefore, they do not understand that it is loss. The controllers on the community claim that they do not want anyone to suffer but losing someone opens people up for growth. With the community under strict control no one actually gets to grow emotionally, or spiritually.

Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver starts off with the idea that their society is a utopia but it turns out that the community is actually a dystopia as the story progresses. In the community everyone is equal, and there is no uniqueness. According to The Role of the Individual within Society: “The Giver” by Lois Lowry and “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley written by Adam Umak and Danielle Tarner “Themes such as the power of knowledge, conformity, censorship, governmental control, and responsibility for self is hindered” in the novel. One way that society hindered individually from the very beginning was the age milestones for all of the kids at once. At age one babies get assigned to their homes, which means parents don’t even get a chance to raise their own children. When the kids are four years of age, they get jackets that button in the back to teach them interdependence. It is not a bad idea to teach interdependence but kids develop in different stages of life, giving everyone that milestone at the same time limits individual development. At age seven, they get their jackets that button in the front after they gain interdependence. Children at the age of nine get bikes, which represent maturity and structured independence. The bike allows the children to move through the community on their own but it is false independence because there are cameras watching their every move. In the twelfth year, the kids are given their assignment in the society. That impedes their self-identity because they are given a job at the age of twelve wherein other societies people do not get careers until their twenties. The kids don’t get a chance to actually experience teen years because they receive a career so young. They don’t even get to decide what they want to do when they get older limiting choices they get to make. The control of those age stages are perfect examples of governmental control and conformity because the government is controlling the growth of kids when they are individual milestones. By grouping the milestones of every kid it promotes conformity although it is not good. Once the society cannot control them as kids, that is when the cameras that are all around the community become of importance. The cameras are live and auditory features. When someone does something wrong like touching, for example, the camera tells them that it is against the rules to touch and keeps repeating it until they stop touching. That hinders a sense of responsibility because it is a constant reminder that it is against the rules. Gaining responsibility is about having rules and having to remember them on your own to create responsibility. The society is counterproductive because it wants so much control that it does not allow people to gain true responsibility. According to The Role of the Individual within Society: “The Giver” by Lois Lowry and “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley written by Adam Umak and Danielle Tarner “controlled and predictable society is synthetic” which is the truth because the founders of the community created their own little protective world.

When Jonas hits the tender age of twelve he is assigned as the receiver of memory. In the novel, Jonas manages to break the control of the society with the help of a wise old man called “The Giver”. He is able to use his conflicts to develop human emotions and save the community. Jonas goes through a series of internal conflict throughout the novel. One of the issues he faces it when he realizes how sheltered he is and narrow-minded his society is. Jonas has to decide if he is going to stay in a closed-off society or leave the community he has always known. In the novel Jonas is stuck in a community where there is no color resulting in a blandness. According to an article “The Philosophical and Ethical Significance of Color in Lois Lowry’s The Giver” by Han, and Lee argue that the community’s emphasis on Sameness leads to colorblindness. As Jonas gets more skills he sees the world in color for the first time. Since Jonas cannot see color it didn’t allow the community to experience racism. Although there can be bigger issues when it comes to seeing color people’s race it diminishes individuality. The colorblindness is a symbol of the community’s overprotection of the families. Jonas’s community does not appreciate individuals but prefers everyone to function as a single unit. Jonas later realizes that his society reduces them from human beings to subjects decreasing individuality. As Jonas is able to see more color it symbolizes the evolution of his self-expression. According to the article, “The Philosophical and Ethical Significance of Color in Lois Lowry’s The Giver” by Han, and Lee “our sense experience is always filtered through the inner structures of our mental faculties, without which we cannot make sense of the world”. Their thoughts explain that things cannot be grasped without the basics of things. Jonas was never going to be able to see color because the concept of color was never meant to be understood in the society. The way the society used censorship, it allowed people to still live in their sheltered society but if they were to escape and enter into the real world, they would not survive. The knowledge that their citizens were allowed to know was just enough to succeed in their world but not enough for them to survive in other societies.

The main character of the novel, Jonas, does not only deal with internal struggles but with external struggles as well. He has issues with man and nature throughout the book. In the beginning “The Giver” transfers positive memories to Jonas so he would not get overwhelmed. Jonas managed to progress very fast resulting in him advancing into new memories. “The Giver” shoes Jonas the true meaning of “Being Released”. In his society, they make being released sound like it was a good thing but when Jonas received the memory, he realized it is murder. He realized that when his father has to release babies if they do not meet certain requirements, that he is, in fact, killing babies. Jonas acquires animosity towards his father because he doesn’t understand how his father could do things like that. Later on in the story, the release of a special baby named Gabriel puts Jonas in a very uncomfortable situation but the higher powers and the people that work for them. As Jonas goes back and forth with himself on if he should leave his controlling society. He knows that the only way to stop his community from this cycle if sameness it to leave. Unfortunately, he knows that he has to leave with baby Gabriel because he is a special one like himself. If Jonas were to leave the community and break the outer layer of protection, the society would automatically feel the happiness and sad things of the world. According to the article “A Return to Normal: Lois Lowry’s The Giver” the ending of the novel would be Jonas returning his society to normal. As Jonas’s society is blocking everyone in the community from those experiences, there are other societies that are participating in life the normal way. Breaking the boundaries would return their society to the way life was meant to be lived. So, as Jonas decided to escape with Gabriel, he is able to discover a world where they can decide their own fates and live as free beings.

The novel written by Lois Lowry, The Giver is connected with the thoughts of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Throughout this paper, I have been analyzing the ideologies while trying to understand the conflict the main character Jonas faces. Those conflicts allowed Jonas to realize the importance of individualism. As the book progressed he adapted the thought process of transcendentalism. As it neared the ending of the book where Jonas decides to flee his society, it may have seemed very radical to the leaders of his society but in reality he is just searching for his ability to make choices since it was ripped from him. The society gave an impression that everyone in the community has to be perfect but according to an article “A Return to Normal: Lois Lowry’s The Giver” “Adolescence, as currently constructed, serves as a transition period, a time of change, adjustment, discontent, and rebellion”. Although the adolescent years may be challenging, it better helps them develop into better-prepared adults. The way the kids are structured to grow up they almost don’t have adolescent years because they go straight into adulthood with careers. Overall, the main result from this analysis is that there we clear relationships between the thoughts of Transcendentalism and Individualism and the growth of the main character Jonas from the known novel The Giver. Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson expressed their concerns about society and how controlling it was and it was exemplified in the novel, where the controllers of the society rules everything. No one was allowed to stray from the ideas of the society or it was considered unruly resulting in a “release”. With some thought, the novel The Giver related to Emerson and Thoreau on an idealistic level.

Origins and Core Concepts of Transcendentalism

During the 19th century, a new movement known as Transcendentalism emerged that greatly impacted world philosophy and literature. Transcendentalism is made up of many different, yet connected concepts, such as individualism, nonconformity, and the divinity of nature. Transcendentalists believed in the inherent goodness of humanity and nature and argued that people reach their full potential when free of society’s corrupt institutions. Believers of the movement emphasized the idea that a person can improve himself through nature and “transcend” his knowledge of the world by following his intuition.The founder of Transcendentalism was Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose work started the movement and created a new period of US literature. He provided a positive view of religion and argued that nature was the place where God could be found. This went beyond what was taught in church and was against the more “conservative” beliefs of the Unitarian Church because it held the sanctity of nature on the same level of God. This idea that nature allows man to be one with God and is more powerful than civilization was attractive to many.

Emerson’s Vision of Nature and the Divine

Emerson had a huge influence on his time and gained many followers, among them was Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau’s and Emerson’s work focused on self discovery and they urged their readers to look towards nature for individual growth and a better quality of life. They believed that everything is connected and by living in harmony with nature, it can become a refuge for the soul. Emerson and Thoreau, along with other modern environmentalist authors, argue that nature is sacred because it offers a connection to the divine to those who embrace it. (Thesis)In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s first essay, “Nature”, he argues the sanctity of nature by describing it as the closest thing to the presence of God and a tool to reach the divine. He believes nature is on the same level as God and suggests that mankind can reach this level by embracing it. Emerson credits his harmonious relationship with nature for his connection with a higher spirit:In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life,-no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair.

Standing on the bare ground – my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space,- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see allIn this passage, Emerson praises the natural world and its ability to fix all things. He believes that when people are in nature, they “return to reason and faith”. As a result, nature becomes a spiritual escape and an opportunity to connect with a higher spirit. Regarding Emerson’s personal experience, when he immerses himself in nature and truly feels it, he realizes how insignificant his problems are: “Standing on the bare ground – my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space,- all mean egotism vanishes.” By letting himself “bathe” in the “blithe air”, Emerson merges with nature and finds the divine feeling he had been searching for. His emphasis on the sensory feelings felt from the wind makes the readers feel the same vividness of nature that Emerson felt. This use of imagery gives the readers a reason to appreciate nature and makes them see the full sanctity of nature because it is described in such a positive light. It is evident that Emerson found this spiritual state because he described the feeling as being “uplifted into infinite space”, indicating that he had reached God’s level.

Ultimately, Emerson was able to reach this level because he approached nature from an unbiased viewpoint and new outlook on life. He advocates for the importance of looking at the world in a new way and explains that his connection with the divine is thanks to his new perspective: “I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all…” The transparent eye-ball is a metaphor for Emerson’s new perspective on nature that is absorbent rather than reflective. This inferred that Emerson wanted to take in all nature had to offer and as a result, he was able to discard all feelings of selfishness and see the full sanctity of nature because he realized his insignificance in front of something so great and beautiful. When he says “I am nothing; I see all”, Emerson acknowledges that his physical body is “nothing” when he embraces nature, but at the same time he can also see all. This is a paradox and by using it, Emerson shows how he reached the divine while persuading his readers to become one with nature. Using the eye-ball as a tool, Emerson got to experience nature’s divinity and see its true value.

Thoreau’s Experiences and Reflections at Walden Pond

Henry David Thoreau, writing in the mid 19th century, published Walden in 1854. He went to live at Walden Pond in 1845 for the purpose of finding harmony with nature and testing his transcendental views in the real world. Because he was a student of Emerson, Thoreau shared similar ideologies about nature and its sanctity. His relationship with nature described in Walden reveals how Thoreau followed Emerson’s transcendentalist beliefs and reflects the idea that divinity is everywhere in nature. Thoreau’s poetic writing style and romantic tone help him emphasize the value of nature because it includes allusions, analogies, and metaphors that describe nature in a positive light. He recounts his stay at Walden Pond and explains how his cabin, along with the weather, invoked a connection to the divine:To my imagination it retained throughout the day more or less of this auroral character, reminding me of a certain house on a mountain which I had visited a year before… The winds which passed over my dwelling were such as sweep over the ridges of mountains, bearing the broken strains, or celestial parts only, of terrestrial music. The morning wind forever blows, the poem of creation is uninterrupted; but few are the ears that hear it.

Olympus is but the outside of the earth every where.In this excerpt, Thoreau depicts Walden Pond as a place so beautiful it can only compare to Mt. Olympus, home of the Greek Gods. Thoreau writes like a poet by appealing to the senses and using vivid imagery to describe the natural world. When he says his cabin looked like an “auroral character”, Thorueau expresses a positive attitude towards nature because an aurora projects a colorful image across the sky. This use of an analogy gives the readers a more grandeur view of the world so that they can better see the value of nature from Thoreau’s point of view. When Thoreau describes the wind passing through Walden Pond as the “celestial parts” of “terrestrial music”, he is combining the earthly qualities of nature with the heavens. By combining the two, Thoreau argues that nature is sacred because it has a heavenly effect on mankind. Furthermore, when Thoreau states that “The morning wind forever blows, the poem of creation is uninterrupted; but few are the ears that hear it. Olympus is but the outside of the earth every where”, he is sharing his Transcendentalist beliefs that nature is a powerful and Godly force. Thoreau uses the wind as a metaphor for the voice of God.

The metaphor describes nature as an infinite “poem”, thus inferring it is sacred because God’s spirit is everywhere in nature. As well as acknowledging the sanctity of nature, Thoreau also conveys the importance of embracing nature when he says “few are the ears that hear it”. This means only the people that become one with nature can hear the wind and be able to connect with the divine. In the same passage, Thoreau uses another metaphor of Greek Mythology to prove that nature is sacred: “Olympus is but the outside of the earth every where”. By alluding to Olympus, Thoreau is arguing that nature possesses the same level of divinity as the home of the Gods. This makes the readers realize that heaven and earth are the same place and that if you embrace nature for what it is, you will see divinity everywhere in the natural world. Thoreau’s Walden is a meaningful expression of the sanctity of nature because his advocacy for oneness through nature illustrates how one can reach the divine. Both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau had an incredible influence on the Transcendentalist movement and the nature writers that emerged from it. Emerson’s “Nature” gave birth to a new set of ideas and Thoreau’s Walden is abound with vivid descriptions of the divine spirit present in nature.

Modern Environmentalism and Transcendentalist Legacy

While these concepts still exist, Transcendentalist writing has evolved into works that focus more on mankind’s impact on nature than the simple beauty of the natural world. Modern environmentalist writer, Edward Abbey, is a product of the new American nature writer and while his works are contemporary, they include transcendentalist beliefs similar to those of Emerson and Thoreau. In his essay “The Great American Desert”, Abbey showcases the value of nature by expressing his love for the desert and his desire to protect it. He dissuades his readers from visiting the desert, but also invites them in an attempt to make them see nature as a whole: “those who learn to love what is spare, rough, wild, undeveloped, and unbroken will be willing to fight for it, will help resist the strip miners, highway builders, land developers…” In this passage, Edward Abbey appeals to the readers emotions to argue that the open spaces of the deserts are sacred places. When he says “those who learn to love what is spare, rough, wild, undeveloped, and unbroken will be willing to fight for it”, he is stating the importance of embracing nature and the positive effects it can have. By embracing the whole desert, including its “rough” and “undeveloped” qualities, Abbey’s love for the desert transcends beyond the average person because he was able to overlook its negative qualities.

Some people might suggest that Abbey’s views go against transcendentalist beliefs because he is dissuading his readers to explore nature, but in reality he is only dissuading the “land developers” and other people who come with bad intentions. Similar to Thoreau’s claim that only a few can hear the voice of the divine, Abbey is claiming that the people who love nature will be able to reach the divine because they “will be willing to fight for it”. By fighting for it and resisting man’s abuse of the deserts , Abbey believes you are worthy to travel the desert and therefore able to see the beauty of nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson, like Abbey and Thoreau, strongly believed that one’s outlook on life greatly affects their ability to make meaningful connections with nature. He feels that as we get older, we start to take nature for granted and stop seeing it for what it is. In “Nature”, he explains how society has distanced people from their true selves and prevented them from seeing the importance of nature: “To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun… The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child.”In this passage, Emerson argues that if we all had the spirit of a child, we would be able to see the divinity in nature because children’s eyes are more “transparent”.

Emerson and Thoreau on Youthfulness and Nature’s Sanctity

This idea can be compared to the quotes by Edward Abbey and Henry David Thoreau because they all describe nature as a powerful force that offers a connection to the divine to those who embrace it. His statements that “few adult persons” can see nature and “Most” don’t see the sun are hyperboles and help Emerson illustrate the extent of damage society has caused. By acknowledging that “The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child”, Emerson expresses the importance of maintaining a youthful spirit because he is saying that only children can truly experience the beauty of nature, as they have not yet started to ignore nature. When the sun “shines into the eye and the heart of the child”, it not only allows the child to see the beauty of nature, but also to connect with it on a deeper level. Above all, Emerson’s advocacy for the necessity of maintaining a childlike spirit is significant because youthfulness is an important transcendentalist value that connects us to nature and all of its sacred elements.In the chapter “Brute Neighbors”, Henry David Thoreau expands upon the importance of youthfulness by describing the young birds at Walden Pond as beautiful and pure beings. Enchanted by their spirit, he writes about their eyes: “The remarkably adult yet innocent expression of their open and serene eyes is very memorable… They suggest not merely the purity of infancy, but a wisdom clarified by experience. Such an eye was not born when the bird was, but is coeval with the sky it reflects.” 238Thoreau’s wondrous tone and suggestive language show how having a young spirit can represent a kind of eternal wisdom or divine quality. He uses a paradox when he says the eyes are “remarkably adult yet innocent” to engage the readers and give them a glimpse of something truly beautiful and interesting. He also uses imagery when he describes the eyes as “open and serene”, which helps paint a more accurate picture of the birds youthful spirit because open eyes suggest a state of taking in everything.

Conclusion: The Enduring Influence of Transcendentalism on Nature Appreciation

Due to this instinct, Thoreau sees “not merely the purity of infancy, but a wisdom clarified by experience.” This statement is significant because it helps Thoreau argue the sanctity of nature and the importance of embracing it. By saying the phoebe possesses both the purity of infancy and wisdom from experience, Thoreau is suggesting that he found an animal with a perfect balance between its animal instinct and spirituality. This proves his idea that animality and spirituality don’t have to be in conflict in nature and helps him argue that by taking in all nature has to offer, you can reach the same level of divinity as the phoebe.

What are Transcendentalists? Who were they? What did they stand for? Those are all the questions that you are probably asking, and I will answer them. Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1820s-1830s, in the United States. They stood for respect for nature and self-efficiency with elements of Unitarianism, and German Romanticism. They also embraced idealism, and opposing materialism. There are a few people who were transcendentalists, and they wrote about it. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margarent Fuller. There are five different beliefs for transcendentalism, and those are: Contemplating nature can allow you to transcend to the real world, everything is a reflection of God, Individualism and self-reliance are better than following others, A person’s true feelings and intuition are more valuable than book knowledge, and a person’s instincts can lead them to understand God’s spirit. For this essay, I will be talking about Henry David Thoreau, and his essay called Walden. The main theme of this essay is life can be easy and pleasant if your wants are simple. We create many of our own problems by wanting things that we do not actually need. The background of the essay Walden that Thoreau: Thoreau felt the need to confirm his unity with nature. On July 4th, 1845, he started an experiment of “essential” living. Living simply, studying the natural world, and seeking truth within himself. Thoreau built a small cabin by Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. He lived there for more than two yearss, writing and studying nature. Walden is a mixture of philosophy, autobiography, and meditation upon nature. Now, you may be asking, why was this written in the first place? Well, I’ll tell you. “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 teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived,”

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” I think the author’s intent with this quote is that he would rather have someone tell him to truth, rather then having love, money, and fame. He cherishes truth more than anything it feels like, and nothing else would be able to compare to it, like money. For me, I would rather have truth as well, then have money, fame, or love. I hate getting lied to, and I would not want someone lying to me, so I understand where Thoreau is coming from when he says “give me truth.”

“I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon to be wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone, I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.” With this one, I think that Thoreau is saying he likes company, but he would rather be alone. I think what he is saying is that he enjoys being alone rather than being with people, even if their the best of people. He says that nothing more companionable is being alone, so, I’m assuming that he loves to be alone more than anything, and that is probably part of why he decided to go to Walden by himself.

“However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are the richest. The fault-finder finds fault, even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poorhouse.” In this quote the way the author feels to me is that just because your life may be hard, it can get better. Just because your having a hard time in life. The fault-finders find faults in everything, even good things, even if your life is bad, you should still love it, because even if your house may not be how you want it, you can still experience things that other families will experience.

The lasting impression that Walden has on me is a positive one. I feel the same way that Thoreau feels about how life can be easily and simple, as long as you make it easy and simple. I do believe that we create our own problems, and people always want things that they do not actually need, and honestly I can admit I’ve been that way in my life as well. People should learn to appreciate nature more, because I think that nature is beautiful. If you sit outside long enough, you’ll see how beautiful nature can be, and then you might actually be able to enjoy it.

The way I can translate this into my daily life would be like some of the quotes, for example, the one that was talking about if your life isn’t good, you should still like it. I do not personally like my life, but I have to get used to it because it is the life I live, and I should change it if I would like to change it, but you should like it on the way to changing your life.

The ways that this can alter my behavior is nature. I love nature, and Thoreau opened up my eyes even more to how beautiful, quiet, and peaceful nature can actually be. How precious the animals are, and even how it feels great to be alone, out in the wilderness.

During the 18th century in the north, several philosophical movements were beginning to occur. One in particular happening during the market revolution was the Transcendentalism movement. It involved the combination of European Romanticism and the lifestyles of the United States. Just like other movements happening, this one started with one person and grew by people agreeing with that one person, in this case Ralph Waldo Emerson. Those who continued to follow this movement created artwork, wrote poems, and had ideas made for this term. Transcendentalism has more than one understanding and has evolved since then.

During the market revolution, civilization was evolving with more and more ideas every day. With that beginning, it was “encouraging the identification of American Freedom” (Froner 268). Emerson is known to be the father of transcendentalism and wrote about alongside Henry David Thoreau. Emerson believed that one could have their own “judgment over existing social traditions and institutions” (Froner 268). One could have more freedom to think whatever they wanted to instead of having to think thoughts they are influenced to follow and spread to others. Emerson helped shaped the becoming of others and the nation’s self-identity.

One of Emerson’s writings includes “The American Scholar,” where he “urged Americans to stop looking to Europe for inspiration,” but instead do what they want to do for themselves (ushistory.org). Transcendentalists believed that God also had his part, but anyone could freely think what they wanted to about him. Emerson believed that God was in fact “revealed through nature” (pbs.org). In the first section of his essay, he states that “the first in time and the first in importance of the influences upon the mind is that of nature” (Emerson). Nature was to be seen as a big key during this time period. Nature was connected to everything man. Meaning without nature a person could be lost. Which is where the phrase manifest destiny became in to play.

Manifest Destiny also came about during the 18th century and its ideas was that the “United States is destined by God” (Ushistory.org Editors). More than how transcendentalists saw God, manifest destiny made it look like anyone could do anything with the power of God and believing in him. The first person to mention this phrase was John Sullivan. Sullivan worked as an editor for two newspapers columns and had mentioned this was the expansion towards the “new frontier” was going to occur (Ushistory.org Editors).

Others who contributed to transcendentalism were Henry David Thoreau and Alexis de Tocqueville. Tocqueville, being from France, has a piece called “American Democracy” in which he states five key things Americans go by from what he saw happening in the American society. Love of equality, absence of tradition, individualism (just like transcendentalism and manifest destiny), tyranny of the majority, and the importance of free association were the five characterized features.

Henry David Thoreau was another who followed into what Emerson had said, he had “admired” Emerson for his great work (Ushistory.org). He is also known as another original thinker alongside Emerson. Thoreau’s idea was focusing more on the nature part. He is also known as one of the original thinkers of transcendentalism. His book “Walden”, he discusses himself being more in the wild and living with it. He then goes on to question “whether it is of the devil or of God” making one wonder that they did think of the two during their time period (UShistory.org). Like many other movements, this one had other ideas made by ones who did not quite look at it the same way. As events occurred, the subject of transcendentalism had been seen as another thing to some.

One like Immanuel Kant, believed to have built the system, was to understand that “the mind was not a blank slate that is written upon by the empirical world…” (“Immanuel Kant”). He talked how this dealt with ethics and that everything was constructed by our environment and what happens due to our actions. Another who was not in fact a man to follow transcendentalism was Margaret Fuller. Fuller, who wrote “Woman in the Nineteenth Century” where she “sought to apply to women the transcendentalist idea that freedom meant a quest for personal development…” (Froner). John Muir was also inspired by the transcendentalists of the “pre-civil war era…” (Froner) like Thoreau. He had considered that “forests were God’s first temples” (Froner).

As many things’, transcendentalism led to artwork was another big thing during this time period. One in particular was the one involving the Hudson River school. One of the members, Asher B. Durand, made a painting called “Kindred Spirits”. The painting symbolized the group who followed transcendentalism. In the painting you can see two men on a cliff, nature surrounding them. The men were said to be speaking “the wilderness is yet a fitting place to speak of God” (“Nature Transformed”). Nature is where everything is calm, and one can find themselves. To them, it was their reality.

Transcendentalism is a philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual and transcendental over the material and empirical (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Emily Dickinson, a famous poet of the 19th century and a devout fan of Transcendentalism, in her poems, she presents ideas that diverge from those present in the essay “Where I Lived, And Where I Live For” written by Thoreau.

Everything related to nature seems splendid to Thoreau. In his essay “Where I Lived, And Where I Live For”, he writes about how he goes from looking for an expensive estate but ends up going to the woods. He describes himself as living“far from noise and disturbance” (72). To him, nature is an escape from the chaos of society and a return to purer origins. Contrary to what most people would seek for in a more comfortable life, Thoreau chose to live in a rough dwelling lacking both a chimney and plastering. He appreciates how he is surrounded by nature the wildlife. He writes in his essay, “An abode without birds is like meat without seasoning. Such was not my abode, for I found myself suddenly neighbor to the birds; not by having imprisoned one, but having caged myself near them.” (74). Instead of seeing the birds as interference, he sees them as his “neighbor”. He enjoys living in this kind of environment because he can truly free himself from the cage of society and devote himself to the embrace of nature. Living in nature not only brings relief mentally, but also brings Thoreau pleasure spiritually. His daily routine is as simple as “got up early and bathed in the pond;” was sacred in “that was a religious exercise,” he considered it “one of the best things which I [he] did” (76). In his mind, nature is the symbol of purity, all that it contains are great and delightful. Living in accordance with nature is the only way for him to feel spiritual jubilation.

Although being a fan of transcendentalism, Dickinson has some different perspectives on the natural world. She doesn’t see the natural world as perfect as what Thoreau writes in his essay. She enjoys having close contact with nature, this makes her not only discovers the beauty of nature, but also sees its cruelty. In her poem “A Bird came down the Walk”, she writes, “He bit an Angleworm in halves/And ate the fellow, raw” (3-4). The words “halves”, “raw” describe the merciless of the bird. The food chain between birds and worms, predators and prey, makes Dickinson realizes that not every creature in the forest is innocent. Additionally, she also believes out that people actually can’t coexist with nature. In the third stanza, she writes, “I offered him a Crumb/And he unrolled his feathers/And rowed him softer home—” (14-16). The bird rejected her offer of crumbs and horrified flies away. He is unable to understand Dickinson kindness even she is trying to show her friendliness. Instead of showing his appreciation, he is shocked and chooses to fly away from her. This makes Dickinson thinks that the gap between human and animals will never disappear, and people can not actually become part of nature.

Transcendentalism was a philosophy that promoted self-reliance, intuition, and independence. On one hand, Thoreau’s idea of Transcendentalism is to escape the stress of society and to appreciate nature. He prefers to sit on his own wooden chair in the woods rather than on a comfortable sofa in the estate. On the other hand, Dickinson’s poem strongly refutes Thoreau’s points of nature. Although she treasures nature in the same manner as Thoreau, she is not oblivious to its cruelty and sense of distance. Comparing the ideas from both authors, it’s easy to tell that Dickinson’s poem diverges from Thoreau’s idea of a Transcendentalist.

Works cited:

1. Dickinson, Emily. “A Bird came down the Walk” 1862, Dickinson packet
2. Merriam. Webster Dictionary
3. Thoreau, Henry David. “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For.” Transcendentalism: Essential Essays of Emerson & Thoreau, Prestwick House, 2008, pp. 74-77.

Transcendentalism arose as an American philosophical movement in the early nineteenth century. Similar to romanticism, transcendentalists share a deep respect for nature and the individual. The movement emphasizes transcendence, or going beyond. In addition, transcendentalists strive to be self reliant and divine. During the development of Transcendentalism, America was facing a dichotomy. On one hand the nation was growing and was beginning to flourish. This flourishing helped the new civilization gain self confidence and made progression inevitable. On the other hand, problems began to develop and were made worse as the country began to prosper. Some of the problems include slavery, poverty, and the development of materialism.

My junior year of high school was when I began to understand the importance of being an individual. While teaching us the significance of protest, my AP English teacher my junior year had us read a portion of Henry David Thoreau’s essay Civil Disobedience. The essay, to put simply, argues that citizens should disobey any laws if they are inequitable. Prior to reading, I had no knowledge of transcendentalism, or even philosophy in general. I knew the importance of protest, but I never knew that an individual could take it to such an extreme. After reading the portion, I became fascinated with Thoreau and his commitment to equity and nature.

Shortly after being introduced to Thoreau, I decided to go to my local library and check out books on Thoreau. As I began to read more into Thoreau, I was introduced to Ralph Waldo Emerson. I simultaneously read some of their works and as I did, I became more content with myself and being an individual. To attempt to replicate Thoreau, I spent most of my time outside of school going on long walks through the desert where I lived. On these walks, I would take a book with me, usually something of Thoreau’s, and a journal where I would write down things that perplexed me. After walking for a while, I would find somewhere to sit and use the time to self-reflect and write down the many philosophical questions, mostly relating to metaphysics, that would come to me while on my walk.

At the time, I did not realize what I was doing and how it would affect my character. Devoting most of my time outside of school to trying to understand the secrets of the transcendentalists, in short, changed the person I was. In a way, it could be compared to a coming of age experience or just me being an angsty teen who shared the belief that “all good things are wild and free.” (Thoreau 43). Prior to ever reading any Thoreau, I had never invested time into anything outside of school, friends, family, etc. It was not until I was introduced to transcendentalism that I began to think of the big questions.

I would like to say that everyone feels as if they are an individual and that they are special, which is something I had always felt. After going through what I would like to call a transcendental phase, it makes you understand not only the importance of your individual self, but also your relationship with nature. It allowed me to form a better appreciation for the land around me and all the plants and animals that inhabit it. With this in mind, I believe it is important to teach Thoreau and Emerson.

Now that I am a bit older and am growing the skills to think analytically, I can understand how transcendentalists like Thoreau and Emerson can be thought of as a bit extreme. I would like to argue though that it is the extreme/demanding of their philosophies that make them great.

In the beginning Walking, Thoreau immediately addresses the difficulty most everyone has with understanding the art of walking. Before becoming a walker, one must “send our embalmed hearts only, as relics to our desolate kingdoms.” (Thoreau 5). In addition, if you have paid your debts, made your will, settled your affairs, and are a free man, then Thoreau believes you are ready for a walk. With the average American having thirty eight thousand dollars in debt, I am sure most of us are not ready for a walk based off the pay your debts requirement. Later on, Thoreau includes that walking has to come from the grace of God, and that a walker must be born into a family of walkers. Again, with having these requirements to fulfil it is clear why Thoreau has only met one or two other true walkers. Upon reading his qualifications of being a walker, it is realized he is using walking as an extended metaphor for people who think freely while they walk. In other words, a person who walks in the eyes of Thoreau is one who does not do it as part of an exercise or physical gain, but instead detaches themselves from society and uses their walk as a mental or spiritual exercise.

Thoreau distinguishes the difference between the natural forest and a front yard or garden. Specifically, he enforces that you are supposed to saunter into the deep forest whereas a garden is made to only walk through. Today in America, when most people are walking, they do so on a sidewalk or a road. Usually when people walk along the street on a sidewalk, they are accompanied by trees or bushes that were intentionally planted there. There are multiple uses for trees to be included in sidewalk paths such as providing shade or to make the street look pleasant and have the appeal that a forest may. When attempting to observe this through the eyes of Thoreau, there are obvious criticisms. While walking on a sidewalk, we like to remind ourselves of the sensation of what it is to be in a forest. Although there can be no problem with doing so, it has the potential to drive us further away from a connection to nature. Because we have already fulfilled our physical walk and were surrounded somewhat by trees, there is no need to dwell deep into a forest or seek nature for a couple hours. With the produced lack of engagement with nature, we are not able to lose ourselves or think freely as Thoreau and the few may have. It demonstrates a disconnect from nature and that society is comfortable enough to disregard it until the point that most urban trees are seen more than wild ones are.

To Thoreau, “life consist with wilderness. The most alive is the wildest. Not yet subdued to man, its presence refreshes him.” (Thoreau 36). With this in mind, nowadays most people would not strive to go and live in the wild. For something to be wild, it has to be in its natural place. Making the assumption that nature is man’s natural place, we are living in an environment that is not quite suited for us. Thoreau wrote that in most men the desire for a society is stronger than being alone in nature.

Having all things considered, Thoreau can be quite critical. While Thoreau is comfortable spending his time “sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements” others in lower social classes are forced to work, many of them plowing the fields that Thoreau does not appreciate (Thoreau 7). This whimsical approach to wilderness could be overlooked were it not for the audacity of Thoreau to belittle the livelihoods of the people who make their living off the commercial value of nature. This perception of nature raises the question of whether Thoreau should be taken with a grain of salt. He views it romantically, referring to nature as “the jewel which dazzled me” but seems to forget that were it not for the exploitation of this jewel he would not have a home to live in, paper to write on, or any of the other luxuries in his life that nature provides him (Thoreau 37). It could be argued that he values the nature he exploits more than the commercial farmer or that he limits himself to what he takes, but a hint of hypocrisy still remains. For instance, his father was a pencil maker and Thoreau even work for his father during a brief period. In the words of Thoreau, a man’s ignorance is not only useful, but beautiful (62).

Personally, I believe that when we absorb the world around us and our environment we are able to become aware of our ignorance. When we are in urban environments, it is easy to think that we know it all. Thoreau’s point is that until we are able to be with nature, where we can truly think freely, then we understand that despite what we think we know there is still so much that we don’t know. The exercise of walking in nature breaks you down spiritually and reminds us to keep an open mind and open ourselves up to knowledge. We have achieved great things as a society, but if we do not devote some time into our relationship with nature then we will live under the false impression that we know everything.

To conclude, transcendentalism should not be overlooked simply because it has the tendency to be extreme. Not only has the transcendental movement been highly influential.

Without Thoreau and Emerson, there is the possibility that I wouldn’t have sparked curiosity for the world around me and began pursuing philosophy.

With that being said, I would like to acknowledge that transcendentalism may not be for everyone. As I mentioned prior with my criticisms on Thoreau, they can be quite whimsical and disregard others who do not have the advantages Thoreau, and other transcendentalists, may have had. I have come to find that what transcendentalists say is meaningful, but at times it can seem almost impossible to live as a true transcendentalist.

Transcendentalism is a philosophical and literary movement that occurred in the 30s and 40s of the nineteenth century (Philips et al. 30). It has a potent impact on American literature due to the changes in belief systems. The movement also expressed the essential moral of the American experience.

In the context of the American literature, transcendentalism indicated a belief that the material world guided by intuition rather by reason offers wider opportunities for considering the invisible, spiritual world in which beliefs and truths stand behind the material representation. The movement, therefore, played an enormous role in shifting attitudes to religion, society, and morale.

Its philosophical roots could be found in the Puritan representation of the supernatural and the divine. Within this context, the supporters of transcendental movements considered a man to be the center of the world, whose nature should not be corrupted by social and political institutions. The movement expressed protest against the traditionally accepted vision on culture.

The emergence of new transcendental ideas reshaped the American literature introduced in the works by Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman in such a way that it contributed to the excellence and maturity of the literary world and led to the later period of the American Renaissance.

Transcendentalism and romanticism were two adjacent movements whose philosophies were closely interconnected. Although it appeared much earlier in the eighteenth century, romanticism had also achieved its highest peak of influence and development in 1840 (Philips et al. 16). Apart from temporal coincidence, both movements had several similar philosophical and ideological conceptions.

In particular, both movements were created as a protest against established religious laws, traditions, and culture. They also opposed a religious movement called Calvinism that asserted the predetermination of human fate. Further, supporters of the two movements placed a significant emphasis on the anthropological center and its strong connection with nature.

It should also be stressed that romanticism emerged as opposition against objective reasoning. Similar to romanticism, transcendentalism protested against the prevalence of dogma and religious traditions. Finally, both movements encouraged humans to rely on themselves. Each, therefore, was empowered to find his/her truth and path in life.

Despite the evidence similarities, the movements had diverse outlooks on religion, particularly on the conception of God. In this respect, transcendentalism relies basically on religious systems because God was essential for understanding the dogmas of their philosophy (Philips et al. 32). Moreover, transcendentalists strongly believed in the omnipresence of God in every sphere of human life.

In contrast, romanticism was less concerned with the concept of divinity (Philips et al. 18). Their comprehension of religion was confined to a personal level. In other words, romanticists strongly believed in the capability of individuals to confront both their right and wrong actions.

A person-centered approach to perceiving the reality, as well as the focus on the institution and its importance for humans became the central conception of the movement. Guided by Emerson, particularly by his essay called Nature, the movement propagated non-traditional appraisal of nature, as well as a place of humans in it.

Emerson work directly refers to the underpinnings of transcendentalism, which is brightly represented in the following passage: “From the earth, as a shore, I look out into that silent sea. I seem to partake its rapid transformations: the active enchantment reaches my dust and I dilate and conspire with the morning wind” (Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson 550).

The following lines prove the entity of man with nature. It is, therefore, logical for Emerson to refer to nature as to the “Universal Being” (Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson 550). The natural world is endowed with a spiritual meaning which can be conceived from beyond. While explaining the meaning of the Universal Being, Emerson asserts, “The aspect of nature of devout.

Like the figure of Jesus, she stands with bent bead and hands folded upon the breast. The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship” (560). Once again, the author does not focus directly on the central position of God but represents humans who are guided by the divine laws embedded in nature.

Apart from deliberation on the unity of man with nature, Emerson highlighted three spiritual dilemmas related to the place of nature in a man’s world about nature, as well as how a man experiences nature. Also, the philosopher attains much importance to the way an individual develops. In this respect, Emerson assumed that the spirit of nature and divinity is expressed through man.

In this essay called Self-Reliance, the writer stated, “To believe your thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, – that is genius” (Self-Reliance 13). In other words, an individual should not rely on the externally existing belief system because of his ability to self-cognize and appraise the world based on personal attitudes and beliefs.

Transcendental concepts are brightly illustrated in the book Walden written by another outstanding transcendentalist Henry Thoreau. In this work, the writer focused on individual independence from a societal belief system, spiritual discovery, and exploration of individual self-reliance.

The autobiographical style of exposition was closely connected with the criticism of the Western’s material and consumerist culture, which did not contribute to natural revival. In particular, Thoreau argued, “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, …discover that I had not lived” (n. p.).

The passage broadly uncovers the main idea of the book. In particular, the author highlights its opposition against the social institutions corrupting human minds and limiting individuals’ spiritual pathways. Referring to the origins, of nature, therefore, was the key solution to the problem of unveiling the actual purposes of human life. The human instincts should be prioritized to help individuals address their original needs and concerns.

Despite deep deliberations on the connection between man and nature, Thoreau did not refer to religious issues but made an accent on criticizing the materialistic world, which is deprived of spirituality and main virtues. Whitman is another brightest representative of the transcendental movement whose progressive ideas also went beyond the frames accepted for that period.

Leaves of Grass is considered to be the most controversial poetry collection in which specific emphasis is placed on allegorical and metaphorical representations of the world. Like Emerson, the poet attained much importance to the increased role of humans in nature. Whitman also emphasizes the role of the spirit and the mind.

In particular, The Song of Myself reflects the core of Whitman’s vision of poetry and life. The transcendental features of the poem are represented in the following lines: “The lunatic is carried out at last to the asylum a confirmed case, He will never sleep any more as he did it in the cot in his mother’s bedroom” (Whitman 28).

Dead Poets Society is a drama film revealing an inspiring story about an English teacher and his unconventional approach to teaching poetry. The film also propagates Walt Whitman’s poetry revealing free and revolutionary thinking.

Poets’ deliberations on the sense of life are identical to those adhered by John Keating. In particular, Walt Whitman called for the entire society to open up people’s mind and develop alternative views on the surrounding world. These conceptions are congruent with the transcendental ideology.

In conclusion, it should be stressed that the transcendental movement was oriented on revealing the hidden potential of man, as well as his close affiliation to nature. The supporters of this movement encouraged to consider the spiritual the core of human essence because it relates heavily to its nature and intuition.

The brightest representatives of the movement – Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman – managed to trigger the main ideologies and trends in transcendental movement. Though their views on the philosophy slightly differed, the philosophers reshaped the American literature and gave it a second life.

Aside from philosophic foundations, the writers and poets of transcendentalism were much concerned with social institutions and their negative influence on human self-perception. Rather, they strongly believed that a human is a self-reliant and independent personality who is capable of making individual choices.

Similar aspects are represented in the film Dead Poets Society where the protagonist relies on the ideologies of Walt Whitman.

Works Cited

Emerson, Ralph Waldo, Self-Reliance. US: Arc Manor, 1995. Print.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. US: Taylor & Francis, n. d. Print.

Philips, Jerry, Ladd Andrew, and Anesko, Michael. Romanticism and Transcendentalism: 1800-1860. US: Infobase Publishing, 2006. Print.

Thoreau, Henry David. Walden: By Henry David Thoreau. US: Mobile Reference. 2009. Print.

Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass: The First Edition (1855). US: Digireads.com, Publishing, 2008, Print.