Thoreau And The Transcendentalist Movement

Nature is a major transcendental value which both Emerson and Thoreau thrive off of. Emerson

The death penalty is a very controversial topic that has been the top of discussion for years around the world. Christopher Hitchens, a political journalist in Washington D.C., writes an essay entitled “Scenes from an Execution” in which it is clear that he is against it. To get his views across in the essay, he uses light humor rather than very serious scenarios directed toward it, although it is a very serious topic. For example, he says, “it is quite easy to book an appointment with death, and see for yourself your tax dollars at work” (Hitchens96). Christopher Hitchens uses rhetorical diction such as ethos, logos, and pathos to attack capital punishment also known as the death penalty.

Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson were the leading Transcendentalists of their day. In their works, they communicate transcendental philosophy such as there is a human spirit that is able to intuit the fundamental truths of the universe, the reflection of the human spirit in nature, and spiritually uniting all forms of being. In “Civil Disobedience”, Thoreau stated his confidence in the unity of individual souls with nature and with God that gave nobility and vivacity to human action and made conceivable a faith in the ability to impact social change in coherence with God's reasons. Emerson’s essay, “Self Reliance” reflected his beliefs of the significance of the human self and nonconformity. Emerson and Thoreau discuss concepts

Henry David Thoreau was a nineteenth century American author who lived during the height of Transcendentalism. He became an important contributor to this movement (“H. D. T.” Poetry Foundation). Thoreau received much information about this movement from Emerson, a noteworthy friend of Thoreau. Thoreau wrote many significant works in American literature, including Walden and “Civil Disobedience.” The works of Henry David Thoreau were strongly influenced by the Transcendentalist movement and centered around his stay at Walden Pond.

Transcendentalism was a very influential and important movement of its time. It allowed for free thinking and a simpler life. Authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were the main voices of the movement, and they wrote about pressing problems of the time. The literary pieces, " from Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson and "from Civil Disobedience" as well as "Slavery in Massachusetts" by Henry David Thoreau, exemplify the society that they lived in, its government's questionable decisions and why you should resist them, and the need to be alone in the modern day. Ralph Waldo Emerson teaches us that to be alone, and experience nature to its true potential is incredibly important in becoming a better and more independent person overall.

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are two of the most influential writers of the Nineteenth Century. They influenced the American society and future writers to become an individual through their own writings. Transforming a movement known as Transcendentalism, both Emerson and Thoreau used this simple idea of nature, society and individualism to their advantage. Both used this simple idea to not only understand themselves, but also the world around them. Emerson and Thoreau held many of the same values on nature and relationships, but they did not agree on everything individualism had to offer a man.

People must look to nature for healing and companionship instead of being afraid of nature. Again, Thoreau is very touched by

Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement that occurred in America after the Enlightenment and before the Civil War. Transcendental authors espoused closeness with nature while at the same time nonconformity with mainstream society. It is interesting to compare and contrast the bonds that the writers Emerson and Thoreau promoted by using details from several works of literature.

“Emerson inspired his audience with the excitement of taking part in a renaissance in which the human mind was about to step up to a higher plane of understanding.” When Emerson met Thoreau, he immediately recognized the intellectual curiosity and writing ability he possessed and took him as his protégé. With Emerson’s sage wisdom and friendship, Thoreau was able to strengthen his already deeply held beliefs about nature and society and share them with the world. As Thoreau and Emerson grew in fame and followers, they were able to launch the social movement of Transcendentalism, which maintained the core tenants that both Thoreau and Emerson espoused, that of the inherent goodness and beneficial aspects of nature, and the corrupting influences of American society. With the changing cultural climate that Thoreau was now a leader of, he was finally able to arrive at the inspiration that led him to develop his influential ideas regarding wildness and the woods on Walden

Thoreau begins by using a series of metaphors to describe his approach towards life. Thoreau writes, “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close…” Thoreau believes that the greatest joys lie in nature, in fending for yourself, and in enjoying simple pleasures. By “sucking out all the marrow of life” Thoreau wants to live life to the fullest; for Thoreau to do this he had to get rid of distractions, thus living in the woods. Thoreau aims to cut away what he feels like is getting in the way of nature “cut a broad swath” and wishes to get close to the true essence of life. Thoreau continues writing, “ We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us.”

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 intellect that surrounds the movement, the era of Transcendentalism is also known as the American Renaissance. To a great extent, modern society is affected by the literary works like Henry David Thoreau’s through his legacy he leaves behind, lifestyle constantly on exhibition throughout his writings, opinionated views in his manuscripts, and evidence of his values in modern today’s societies. Other venerable pioneers of this movement include: Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Frederick Henry Hedge, and Amos Bronson Alcott.

Henry David Thoreau, perfected the philosophy of transcendentalism, furthermore he is the most well known example of transcendentalism . Thoreau was not the founder of transcendentalism, the credit for that goes to Ralph Waldo Emerson. Transcendentalism had its beginnings, as a protest against the general state of culture. The main themes of transcendentalism are: individuality1 , practicing non-conformity2 , carpe-diem3 , love of nature, and utopia4 . Here is a quote from Thoreau that encompasses the two beliefs of individuality and nonconformity.

This idea added the pot that the world around us goes beyond what we can comprehend. Two great philosophers who helped found transcendentalism were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Their ideals were the foundation for transcendentalism. They both show their ideals in the essays Self-Reliance and Civil Disobedience. Emerson’s Self-Reliance promotes the idea that individual experience is far more important than anything someone else could teach you.

Henry David Thoreau was one of the greatest leaders of the Transcendentalist movement. He guided this movement through his writings, personal tragedy, beliefs and friendship with Ralph Waldo Emerson. Essentially, Transcendentalism revolves around the ideas of being one with nature and the right to protest peacefully when laws went against one’s own beliefs. Henry David Thoreau was able to lead this movement due to his education, experiences, and family influences. Thoreau is not only remembered for his naturalistic and philosophical writings, but also for his outspoken lectures and essays.

Has the time come to consider socialized health care or some hybrid, why or why not. To help answer this question, we need understand what the definition of “socialized health care” means. According to definition found in Wikipedia (2016), “medical and hospital care for all at a nominal cost by means of government regulation of health care and subsidies derived from taxation.” The phrase “care for all at a nominal cost” sound like a goal that everybody wants, but when you add the phrase “by means of government regulation” after it, now the whole definition changes. The notion that government need to intervene to provide health care cost to all automatically instill in our psyche that our “freedom” is restricted to some degree. It says