Gardening, Civil Disobedience, And Self Reliance

“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil” -Ralph Waldo Emerson in Self Reliance. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a transcendentalist. Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that originated in the 19th century and was primarily influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalists’ main beliefs are: self-reliance is essential to one’s life, nature is divine, every person should have an optimistic outlook, and humanity needs to adhere to their personal morals and beliefs. In today’s world we still see a multitude of the beliefs of transcendentalism.

Transcendentalism influenced the 19th century and emphasized on the value of the individual and intuition. It was an idea that people were at their best when they we self reliant and independent. Ralph Waldo Emerson was the movements most important figure along with his main follower Henry David Thoreau. These two people were the most influential people during this movement. Transcendentalism was all about being an individual and it still endures today in modern culture. It is particularly evident in modern music. Modern music expresses individuality and the idea of being something other than the majority.

American Transcendentalism was an important philosophical and literary movement which placed an emphasis on staying true to one’s beliefs and expressing oneself no matter the situation or consequence. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau fully embraced these beliefs as their influence has allowed these

The time period of transcendentalism changed the views of many people through setting different principles otherwise known as tenets. These tenets I am going to focus on is: confidence, self-reliance, free thought, nonconformity, and the importance of nature. Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement in the 1800’s where people responded to the strict rules back then. They declared that they didn’t have to follow all of the rules and decided to go off of independent tenets. Many pieces of literature contain some or all of these tenets, the ones I’m going to discuss and analyze today are Still I Rise by Maya Angelou that focuses on self-reliance and stanza 1 and 52 from Song of Myself by Walt Whitman which focuses on all tenets of transcendentalism. All of the 5 tenets are very important, but the one that overcomes all the others in my life is confidence. Many pieces of literature contain at least all tenets, but reference them in different ways.

During the 19th century, the philosophy of transcendentalism was revolved around nature, self reliance, and self determination. Nature was believed to be the foundation of the universe and the human person. Artists involved in the movement believed in self actualization, self reliance, and self-determination, where the mind of one person is greater than that of an entire society. Transcendentalism also stresses the philosophy of imagination, where imagination should be used to understand the world and unexplainable phenomenons.

Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement that occurred in America after the Enlightenment and before the Civil War. Transcendental authors espoused nonconformity with mainstream society while at the same time advocating a closeness with nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are both very famous examples of this movement in literary culture, expressing their feelings on all aspects of life through their writing. Many Transcendental authors heavily disagreed with their societies at the time and took it upon themselves to write about their feelings, whether it was in a direct or rhetorical fashion.

The Transcendentalism period arose in America in the year of 1836 by the founding father Ralph Waldo Emerson. In 1836, he published an essay by the name of “Nature,” which reiterated the attention of many writers and philosophers who believed in the same concepts. Many of the church followers during this time were upset with the way the church was functioning, so they turned to nature and Emerson’s ideas. Consequently, he created a club where people of his fashion and intellectual could meet and share beliefs. Emerson named the club the “Transcendental Club;” many people joined it, including his friend Henry David Thoreau. Neither Emerson or Thoreau favored the way society thought or the way the government worked; this is why hey turned to nature for deeper understanding. Both Emerson and Thoreau believed in freedom, self-reliance, individuality, internal spirit, and were transcendentalists.

Transcendentalism was a huge cultural movement in the nineteenth century; however, the ideas of the movement still continue to influence our society in the twenty-first century. These ideas of Transcendentalism have continued to exist throughout many years because the ideas remain relevant to society. In fact, the problems that many Transcendentalist writers encountered still happen today in new forms. These similar problems include conformity, the role of government in society, and the importance of nature. In general, people still feel that society needs to better itself for the benefit of all individuals, which is at the heart of Transcendentalism. Some of the ideas that Transcendentalists constantly defended included individualism,

Transcendentalism was an early philosophical, intellectual, and literary movement that thrived in New England in the nineteenth century. Transcendentalism was a collection of new ideas about literature, religion, and philosophy. It began as a squabble in the Unitarian church when intellectuals began questioning and reacting against many of the church’s orthodoxy ways regarding all of the aforementioned subjects: religion, culture, literature, social reform, and philosophy. They in turn developed their own faith focusing on the divinity of humanity and the innate world. Many of the Transcendentalists ideas were expressed heavily by Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his essays such as “Nature”, “Self Reliance”, and also in his poems such as “The

The transcendentalism movement first came to be in the mid-19th century as a rebellious reaction to the Age of Reason, illustrated by Thomas Paine, and an overall conformist mindset in their rational way of thinking. Primarily started in New England, Ralph Waldo Emerson was a key component in this new philosophical era of intuitive, spiritual thinking. His unique style of literature (such as Self-Reliance and The American Scholar) as well as Henry David Thoreau’s Walden brought objective ideas into the open, while critiquing the general state of intellectualism and spirituality at the time. The core of the values of transcendentalism can be stemmed from a mix of Hindu teachings and

The philosophies of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson would work well in a society comprised only of highly intellectual, healthy individuals who were willing put forth the effort needed to thoroughly examine themselves and formulate their own opinions about every issue pertaining to them. Emerson said that all members of society should think for themselves and formulate their own opinions rather than conforming to a popular belief. Thoreau said that the best government was no government, and that people should always do what was just. A society that functioned under the ideals of Emerson and Thoreau would have no problems. No money would be

In the early nineteenth century, the Transcendentalist movement blossomed. Centered on Ralph Waldo Emerson, the movement was essentially a critique of what their society had become. Through the industrial revolution, society moved its focus to industries, material possessions and profit, ultimately distancing itself from nature. Transcendentalists believed society was too quick to conform, and individuals did not think as individuals. Transcendentalism encouraged people to find “an original relation to the universe.” (Emerson 3), or their purpose in life, particularly through nature. With the intention of finding a sense of belonging, Transcendentalists Henry David Thoreau and

In the early mid-nineteenth century, a philosophical movement known as transcendentalism took root and flourished in America. It evolved into a predominantly literary expression which placed an emphasis on the corruptions of organized religion, political parties, and societal involvement; above all, the movement promoted the wonders of “nature” and its deep connection to the divine. The adherents through transcendentalism believed that knowledge could be arrived through intuition and contemplation of the internal spirit rather than by the means of the senses. As the two most prominent figures in the transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau whole-heartedly embrace the principles of nature

There have been numerous religious rebellions throughout history, but none quite like that of Transcendentalism. This movement embodies the idea that spiritual growth can be achieved through personal journey instead of conflicting with organized religion. By the time of the movement’s onset, newly gained religious freedom in the United States allowed for new ideas and beliefs to prosper freely. At the heart of this movement was Transcendentalism philosophy famous ambassadors, Ralph Waldo Emerson and apprentice Henry David Thoreau. These men believed nature is what forces us not to depend on other ideas but to develop our own.

Transcendentalism was an American literature movement urging people to look past everyday material life, and reach into their souls to find inner peace with themselves. Transcendentalism originally came from Kantian idealism. This idealism was credited by Immanuel Kant.