Transcendentalism And Walden Comparison

Both view the simplicity found in nature as also divine and perfect. In two very similar quotes, Emerson describes, "The roses under my window make no reference to former roses…they exist

‘Nature’ and ‘Walden’ are two art works basically giving the similar messages to the readers. Their writers are different but one of the things which make these works similar is Henry David Thoreau is affected by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s works and ideas very much. Secondly, their essays are both inspired from transcendentalism movement. Finally, their theme are both the same, they deal with mainly the idea of ‘nature’. While comparing these two essays, it is better to look at them deeper separately.

literary movements talk and express nature in some ways similar or different that will be talked about throughout this essay. The excerpt, “Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson and “Tintern Abbey” by William Wordsworth both express a sense of passion, love, excitement, tranquility, and happiness of nature in many ways throughout these literary works.

Throughout many writings, authors use analogies to compare two indicated topics to one another in a more detailed evaluation. Analogies help the reader to grasp the indicated topics the author compares, giving the reader a further knowledgeable understanding of the comparison. Ralph Waldo Emerson uses numerous analogies throughout many of his writings to create a smooth assessment of the subject stipulated. The analogies used throughout Ralph Waldo Emerson’s writing entitled “Nature” gives the reader more knowledge of the topics, a comparable similarity of the given topics and how the given topics interact together to further explicate the comparison.

Transcendentalism is the American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century that was rooted in the pure Romanticism of the English and the German (Goodman). Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered the father of Transcendentalism because his literature is the first to praise the notable spirituality of nature. The basic belief of the movement is to live authentically; being true to oneself (Day). The movement itself, in the years 1840-1860, is fertile in knowledge because people are now beginning to ask questions about religion. Questions about religion, at the time, would most likely consist of origin, morality, and rituals. Because of the complex level of

Transcendentalism is a popular 19th century philosophy that is vividly expressed through out John Krakauer’s Into the Wild and Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Transcendentalism has three major themes: self-wisdom, nature and its meaning, and social reform. Into the Wild is a true story about a young man named Chris McCandless who seems to live a life based on transcendental beliefs. Krakauer’s studies of McCandless and Thoreau’s story with Walden both present ideas of Transcendentalism in many ways.

The dictionary’s definition of the transcendentalist philosophy is “any philosophy based upon the doctrine that the principles of reality are to be discovered by the study of the processes of thought, experience, intuitive and spiritual”. This philosophy had a huge impact on many writers, philosophers, etc in the 18th century and it continues to do the same today. This philosophy changed the way many of them thought/processed things in life. The transcendentalist philosophy became a way of life for many of them and some devoted their life around it. Thoreau and other writers of his time period such as William Bryant, Herman Melville, Whitman, Dickinson,

Emerson was born in Boston in the early 1800s. After studying at Harvard, Emerson joined the ministry. He spent much time reading about eastern philosophies like Hinduism and Buddhism which began to alter his originally Christian views. In 1832, Emerson resigned from the ministry just after his wife, Ellen, died of Tuberculosis. He spent some time traveling then returned to Massachusetts where he began to write and publish essays and poems about his philosophies, which had shifted from protestant to more eastern views. These philosophies were known as transcendentalism or, transcending into nature and ourselves to find meaning. Emerson wrote his first transcendental piece, “Nature”, in 1836. Nature focused on the idea that one could find peace and understanding through connection with the natural world. One of his next famous works was “Self- Reliance” which he wrote in 1841, “Self-Reliance”. The essay’s focal point was trusting and following your own mind and thoughts. Emerson continued to spread transcendental ideas until his death in

In the early 19th century transcendentalism became a philosophical movement that arose the ideas of understanding life in the simplest of terms. From Thoreau to Emerson, they expressed the ideas of nonconforming from society in order to live in simplicity. Although transcendentalist ideas tend to come and go, society alters the appeal as the influence of transcendentalism occurs in many forms today.

Both Emerson and Thoreau

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.

In the two essays they have multiple similarities, one of these is that they both have metaphors included in them. These metaphors are used to show how the author feels about nature and themselves. One example in the essay “Nature” is where it says, “Nature is a setting that fits equally well” (Line 1). An example in the essay “Self-Reliance” essay says, “Nothing is at last sacred” (Line 14). Another similarity in the two essays is the language they use, they both use language to show how they feel about the topic. By using similar language it makes it easier to understand his essays because once you understand it in one you are going to be able to understand it in all of them. Ralph Waldo Emerson made his essays so the reader had to think

My opinion, Emerson and Muir have depicted their love and passion for nature. Muir as a nature conservationist, explicate the beauty of the nature and how fortunate we are for having not one but two Yosemite. On the other hand, Emerson depicts the beauty and importance of nature to humanity. I been to Yosemite once, I am fascinated to its amazing landscape and superb natural beauty.

Although Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau shared similar views and beliefs relating to Transcendentalism, the approach each author took in writing and making the ideas that were so important and concrete was not always so closely related. Thoreau's argument calls for less government and more independence while Emerson's consistence need for more self-reliance and independence from others. Thoreau viewed God as the higher authority over government, “The church is a sort of hospital for men's souls and as full of quackery as the hospital for their bodies.” (Walden) In "Self-Reliance," Emerson express the idea that the individual should be completely reliant on God. “When a man lives with God, his voice shall be as sweet

Nature and wilderness were very important ideas to some extant for St. John de Crevecoeur and Ralph Waldo Emerson, each had their own opinions and ideas that contrasted against each other and were somewhat similar to each other. Emerson who valued it and looked at the nature as something to proud of had used it many times in his works as examples and that we are part of nature as well and make whatever choices from it as it can from us. While Crevecoeur believes that in every land it has its own form of culture as it does its own kind of nature, and describes how the land and nature was then and how it will be giving details of it in his pieces of work. How they use and see nature is described equally important in both their works “the American Scholar” and “What is an American” but shows how different their views really are in them.