Transcendentalism Essay

followers. Keeping Dickinson's famous reclusivity in mind, one could say that in her lifetime she was neither a leader nor a follower. Dickinson never tied herself to a specific school of thought or philosophy, she was simply herself” (American Transcendentalism Web, 2011). Without realizing it, Dickinson too was a large part of the transcendental movement. Louisa May Alcott, was a transcendentalist as well, but unapologetically. Her father was a leading voice and teacher of the movement; therefore

Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau in their two story’s Into the Wild and Walden show us the world of Transcendentalism through their eyes. Transcendentalism is a religion, movement and a life style to some. It’s the idea of being equal amongst all humans no matter what race or decadence; it’s accomplishing and having self-wisdom, and being one with nature devoting your life to the wild. Chris McCandless’s decision to devoting his life to the perpetual and thick Alaskan forest, and the menacing

When talking about Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman a similar question of “What came first the chicken or the egg?” comes to mind. Scholars may argue that without Emerson and his influential sermons and speeches that Walt Whitman would have never found his voice, but how can someone who so many consider one of the greatest poets of all time cease to exist? Ralph Waldo Emerson knew what he was doing when he published The Poet. It was an outcry for the American people to speak a truthful narrative

later published it under the name of Walden. Emerson and Thoreau were the founders of transcendentalism and were, obviously, known as transcendentalists. “Transcendentalism is a very formal word that describes a very simple idea. People, men and women equally, have knowledge about themselves and the world around them that "transcends" or goes beyond what they can see, hear, taste, touch or feel” (Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy). Thoreau was considered the more radical out of the two men

Taylor Fink Professor Jonathan Cook English 231 10 July 2015 Emerson Vs. Whitman and Their Influence on Each Other When talking about Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman a similar question of “What came first the chicken or the egg?” comes to mind. Scholars may argue that without Emerson and his influential sermons and speeches that Walt Whitman would have never found his voice, but how can someone who so many consider one of the greatest poets of all time cease to exist? Ralph Waldo Emerson

advocates is that a simplistic lifestyle allows one to live freely and wholly without the binds of tyranny and modern “conveniences.” Within Henry David Thoreau’s passage, probably the most conspicuous example of Thoreau’s theme of minimalism and transcendentalism is when he states, “Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!” (Thoreau 6) Essentially

that these insights present is great, but they all accomplish the same thing: providing a glimpse into the complex working of the human mind. This goal is not an easy one to accomplish, but throughout the history of Romanticism, Gothicism, and Transcendentalism, it was done time and time again. One can begin reading a story from one of these periods in the name of pleasure without any intent of gaining knowledge, but upon finishing the text the reader will certainly know his or herself at a much more

publication and a platform for transcendentalists to discuss their opinions and viewpoints, some of which were controversial (“Transcendentalism” 844). Supported by many transcendentalists, Brook Farm was a socialist commune that addressed numerous class issues (“Transcendentalism 844). Created by George Ripley, Brook Farm ended in disaster soon after its inception (“Transcendentalism 844). Thesis: The theme of Americans turning away from nature, despite its expanding territory, to join the “machine” of

which was a revolt against the “Age of Reason” and the beginning of Romanticism. Emerson’s essay is about Transcendentalism, the belief that every human has his own way of thinking and personal inborn knowledge to build his opinion, independent from the common beliefs of the community and he should believe in and express his opinion to be successful. Emerson supports the idea of Transcendentalism by urging his readers to trust their own ideas, beliefs and common sense, to listen to and to trust their

philosophy of insight and not of tradition, and a religion by revelation to us, and not the history of theirs?” this quote tells that people should go back to nature, and not focus on other people's history, but our own. Ralph Emerson's ideas on transcendentalism all go back to nature, and what humanity should do to rejoin it. Another author made a short story called “To Build A Fire,” by Jack London which portrays a man and his dog in the cold weather of the Yukon. “It did not lead him to meditate upon