Henry David Thoreau : A Pre Civil War Era Transcendentalist And Literary Figure

Henry David Thoreau’s words that “disobedience is the true foundation of liberty” and that “the obedient must be slaves” is a political statement that never lost its topicality during the Romantic era. Thoreau served as an important contributor to the philosophical and American literary movement known as New England Transcendentalism. Nature and the conduct of life are two central themes that are often weaved together in his essays and books that were published in the Romantic era of literature. Thoreau brought these two themes together to write on how people ought to live a simplistic life through embracing nature. His naturalistic writing intertwined cataloging and observation with Transcendentalist views of nature. Through his life and

Henry David Thoreau was a great American writer, philosopher, and naturalist of the 1800’s who’s writings have influenced many famous leaders in the 20th century, as well as in his own lifetime. Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1817, where he was later educated at Harvard University. Thoreau was a transcendentalist writer, which means that he believed that intuition and the individual conscience “transcend” experience and are better guides to truth than are the senses and logical reason (Prentice Hall 1174). Thoreau is well known for writing Walden Pond, Excursions, The Maine Woods, Cape Cod, and A Yankee in Canada. In 1849 Henry David Thoreau wrote an essay

He feels that everything in the universe is only created for him as if no one else is alive. The power of being alone, surrounded by your own thoughts, by your own nature, by your own world is truly an experience that Thoreau will never want to change. Thoreau values the sensation and thrill that solitude can have on one 's mind. Throughout Henry David Thoreau’s life, he preferred to spend his time in solitude. As being in the company of other people are beneficial, the interactions between them soon become dull and uninteresting. With the appeal of human interaction depleting, self-reflection and solitude are to be used for a replacement for conversing with people. This is because as Henry David Thoreau announces, “I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude”(Thoreau 128). Thoreau’s life consists of being alone for the most part of the day. He isn 't in need of friends in order push past the lifeless moments of time. He himself is the only person he needs. Why must everyone require friends when you have yourself to connect with? You are your own best friend. Thoreau knows this and lives his life constantly digging deeper into his own thoughts asking questions and pondering about himself. He is able to truly discover his inner self to the full extent by being succumbed in his own solitude. In allowing himself to be his own companion he has also allowed solitude to become his best

Followers of the Transcendentalist movement stressed the religious, philosophical and ideological importance of life. Henry David Thoreau was a staunch supporter of the movement. Thoreau felt that a person lived a good life by following his conscience and instincts. He also felt that materialism was a sure way to distract a person from leading a good and moral life. Thoreau proposed for the government to be involved in as little of a citizen's life as possible; he felt too much government control just complicated a person's life. Like most Transcendentalists, Thoreau believed there was a direct connection to God through nature. If a person appreciated nature he would gain a higher understanding of God. Finally, Thoreau encouraged

Transcendentalism, or the belief that there is a direct connection between a man’s individual soul and nature, was a very avant-garde movement throughout its peak; although now, American society continues to grow increasingly distant from it. These ideals are reflected in the works of Henry David Thoreau and Jon Krakauer, as well as the life of Chris McCandless. Throughout Thoreau’s novel Walden he distinctly preaches the belief that in society, men have become more focused on work and material possessions than life’s simple pleasures and freedoms. In the same manner, Krakauer and McCandless both draw inspiration from Thoreau, and ultimately share spiritual experiences throughout their adventures, both seeking to find life’s true purpose. Although many will argue that transcendental ideas and culture are outdated and have no place in today’s humanity, transcendentalism itself, and the ideals possessed by Henry David Thoreau and Chris McCandless have played a major role in American society, in that they appeal to the spiritual side of every man, which accredits to the belief that only life’s bare necessities are required in order to live a fulfilled life. However, it is unfeasible to live a transcendental lifestyle in today’s insatiable, consumerist society.

Introduction Thoreau and Emerson were two of the most influential men from the transcendentalism era, they are even known as the Fathers of Transcendentalism. Two of their most famous quotes Quotes: “I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right” -(Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience”)

Henry David Thoreau proved his importance, through the ways of protesting and taking the initiative to create

Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord Massachusetts in 1817. He studied transcendentalism under Ralph Waldo Emerson and soon he began challenging Emerson’s thoughts. Emerson was the thinker, but Thoreau wanted to know if his ideas would actually work in real life. So, he put his ideas of self-reliance to the test by going to live alone at Walden Pond. This experience produced a very famous piece of work known as Walden.

Transcendentalist has a handful of principals from self-reliance to the thought of technology is harmful.The main tenet throughout the paper will focus on the importance of nature. Transcendentalist views nature as a gateway to the spiritual world, a way to the Omnipower. Henry David Thoreau immersed himself into nature fully “The morning wind forever blows, the poem of creation is uninterrupted; but few are the ears that hear it”(Thoreau II). Thoreau reveals how he has taken the time to observe nature to its fullest extent. He saw nature as a neighbor who was to be respected just as a man would treat another. Ralph Waldo Emerson a great transcendentalist, a mentor to Thoreau. Emerson’s point of view of nature showed how men and nature can become one to uplift themselves from the worldly shackles. Thoreau and Emerson both had a concept that nature was essentials to mankind, one sought out to respect it and the other viewed as a form of release.Nature is important to transcendentalism because it leads to spiritual connection and harmonization.

For centuries, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson have long been considered the leading benefactors of transcendentalism. Transcendentalism, a system based on the idea that, in order to understand the nature of reality, one must first examine and analyze the reasoning process that governs the nature of experience, is an ideology that the poet Walt Whitman, a quintessential American voice, embodies the lifestyle of. The experience should be one free from social conformity which Thoreau and Emerson are inexplicably governed by. Though both are major steeples in the philosophy, Walt Whitman deserves as much credit for his impact on Transcendentalism. With his commentary about nature, deviation from modern society, and reasons to live

6. Read Thoreau's biography here and discuss his connection to Emerson. Thoreau was Emerson’s “live-in handyman, mentor, neighbor, and friend”. He studied with Emerson and learned his Transcendentalist ideas. Emerson was already well known, so he helped Thoreau publish and become a stronger writer.

The idea of Transcendentalism has greatly intrigued many scholars, poets, authors, and just ordinary people, for many years, as it provides an interesting outlook on the importance and beauty of nature. Two avid writers who focused heavily on Transcendentalism were Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. These two poets wrote many excellent works in their time, and they often helped each other, as they were good friends and mentors. They both had very similar, realistic takes on Transcendentalism, and how much better nature is for our society than materialism or new technology. Many of Thoreau and Emerson’s work was written in the mid-19th century, as they were both born in the early 1800s and began their work early in their lives.

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

Henry David Thoreau was one of the prominent writers who came out of the Transcendentalist Movement in the United States during the 1820s and 1830s. Hence, the writings of Thoreau reflect the primary innate characteristics of transcendentalism, which is the strong belief in the power of the individual rather than on the group or society where he/she belongs. This is the reason that in two of Thoreau’s most known essays, “Life Without Principles” and “Civil Disobedience”, he suggested that people must follow their own will and philosophies instead of depending on the government and society. In both of these essays, it is apparent that Thoreau would like people to trust their inner selves and their mental capacities, in short, their overall essences as human beings. Thus, this paper explores these significant issues of transcendentalism as portrayed in the two mentioned essays of Thoreau, as well as the differences in their themes.

The summer of 1845 found Henry David Thoreau living in a rude shack on the banks of Walden Pond. The actual property was owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great American philosopher. Emerson had earlier published the treatise entitled "Nature," and the young Thoreau was profoundly affected by its call for individuality and self-reliance. Thoreau planted a small garden, took pen and paper, and began to record the of life at Walden.