How Does Transcendentalism Affect Society

We can’t live without nature. It’s our home and way of life. Henry David Thoreau wrote a piece about Walden Pond in the springtime. Thoreau discusses how nature has so much to offer. His use of anaphora, diction, and imagery helps to show not only his love for nature, but the impact it has on us.

Thoreau, Emerson, and even Chris McCandless promoted peace, individualism, and the respect of all forms of nature. Transcendentalist authors encourage readers not only to express individual ideas, but to not be bothered by or conform to society. I believe these are wonderful lessons for every person to learn. These same ideas can be applied to my daily life in that I should be my own self and not a “follower” of the crowd. Next, transcendentalists advocate for a constant and increased respect of nature. As a person who loves to spend time outside, I agree with this idea. Emerson preaches the idea of the bond men can have with nature in his essay “Nature.” I agreed wholeheartedly with this message. Lastly, the idea of “true happiness coming only from service to others” struck me. As a firm believer in living a life for God and others, I concurred with this idea. In order for us to have true happiness with ourselves, we must live a life for others. The keys of transcendentalism have caused me to engage in some introspection and challenge my everyday actions. In final, transcendental ideas have prompted positive changes in my

During the period of Transcendentalism, the point was to stand up and to think for yourselves. The Transcendentalist valued the importance of awareness, and had an interest in social reform and injustices. They often spoke out against authority and held an extreme disdain for past authorities. One of the most important parts of Transcendentalism is the concept of extreme individualism. To a Transcendentalist, an individual must be aware of the goodness they possess within and they must be able to use that to encourage others. People need to find their way in life and learn to trust their inner-self. They believed that a person does not need society to tell them how they act or what to believe in. Henry David Thoreau believed in the greatness of people. In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau urges people to practice activism, by this he means that when the government is unfair, people must distance themselves from the corrupt government and fight for what they believe to be right.

In the beginning of creation of humans, nature has always been there as a friend. Nature is the phenomena of the physical world that includes plants, animals, the landscape, and other features that are on earth. Nature has all of the wild and domestic living things. Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American poet that led the transcendentalist movement and influenced other through his ideas and thinking. Ralph wrote “Nature,” and he describes his true feelings toward nature and God and how they have taken part of what has been created and also the relationship to humans. Ralph Waldo Emerson writes the passage “Nature” and he uses comparison between humans and nature and also uses figurative language to convey his appreciation and gratitude for nature.

Transcendentalism is when one goes beyond the regular human experiences of the material world and society to find true peace. Thoreau’s “Walden” is about leaving the cities, abandoning one’s possessions and living out in nature to find one 's true self. Emerson’s “Self- Reliance” is about resisting society and living true to oneself and never following society’s standards. A modern Transcendentalist named Josh from the novel The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian follows in the footsteps of Emerson and Thoreau and tries to live a Transcendentalist way of life. When a person does follow the transcendentalist way of life, they will find that it will always lead back to the material world and society and that they cannot escape it. The Transcendentalist way of life is not a beneficial way of life.

Furthermore, he evokes the notion of the embodiment of nature and how few are able to see it; claiming the ones capable of perceiving such enlightenment are the ones who retain a benevolent innocent spirit—such as child—and who has retained the concept in times of adulthood—the poet. The mind of a child responds emotionally rather than sensorial. As a final remark in Emerson’s first chapter of nature, he states: in order for man to see nature plainly and receive the benefits one must push aside the old ways of thinking and egotism to become, as Emerson states, a transparent eyeball. ‘I am nothing, I see all. The currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am a part or particle of God. The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental” (______). This form of vision represents the primary benefit of Nature, a form of ultimate transcendency where there is a spiritual real of reason beyond material understanding. Humanistic delight in the landscapes, which is made up of many forms, provides an example of this integrated vision in which the universal entity transmits itself into one’s consciousness and makes one sense oneness with God. Nature, is thereby a metaphor of the mind in Emerson’s eyes.

Transcendentalism is when one goes beyond the regular human experiences of the material world and society to find true peace. Thoreau’s “Walden” is about leaving the cities, abandoning one’s possessions and living out in nature to find one 's true self. Emerson’s “Self- Reliance” is about resisting society and living true to oneself and never following society’s standards. A modern Transcendentalist named Josh from the novel The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian follows in the footsteps of Emerson and Thoreau and tries to live a Transcendentalist way of life. When a person does follow the transcendentalist way of life, they will find that it will always lead back to the material world and society and that they cannot escape it. The Transcendentalist way of life is not a beneficial way of life.’

“If a person wished to know what transcendentalism was he should empty his mind of everything coming from tradition and the rest would be transcendentalism” (Boller 34). This literary period has dramatically shaped literature and religion, in America. Many writers like Henry David Thoreau and Emily Dickinson have been influence by transcendental ideas. It is astonishing how an inspiring literature movement can change so much of the world’s view and still is around today.

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

Thoreau wished to open the minds of many revealing the importance of nature “Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito's wing that falls on the rails” (Thoreau II). In the quote, Thoreau discusses how he learned to live deliberately in nature encouraging other members of society to do the same. He has learned that it can lead to harmonization with oneself, to

One of the most famous texts ever written for the sheer purpose of Transcendentalism was Emerson’s Self Reliance. In his essay, he writes about the importance of nonconformity and individualism. In Self Reliance, Emerson tells us to “trust thyself.” From only two words, one can gather the whole purpose of his essay. With nonconformity, man can defend himself against the tendency to become satisfied with life, and lose his own individuality. With “good- humored inflexibility” the self-reliant person can become someone who obeys himself. When it comes to a battle of law or a battle of morals, the self-reliant man will follow his morals and discard the law. One is not to use their logic, but use intuition. Emerson simply was striving for not the superiority of one man, but for originality and individuality of all humankind. He wanted to

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,

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

Transcendentalism beliefs are still prominent in contemporary society. Transcendentalism stresses three key ideas: intuition, nature, and the over soul. It can be defined as a belief that the individual is at the center of society, and no institution is as powerful as the individual. There are many individuals who have exemplified some of these ideas in recent history, and some are currently practicing them. The ideas of transcendentalism began showing up in the 1830’s and were founded by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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.