Transcendentalism Impact On Life

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are two of the most inspiring and accomplished writers to ever walk upon this Earth. They dared to question how people lived and how people should live. They were light years ahead of their time with their transcendentalist ideas. Transcendentalism can be defined by this quote, “People... have knowledge about themselves and the world around them that "transcends"... what they can see, hear, taste, touch or feel”(History). This is a perfect explanation for what a transcendentalist is and what makes them so special. There are several important transcendentalist ideas that were expressed by Emerson and Thoreau, but few are as necessary as these; nature, self-reliance, and life quality.

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.

Transcendentalism was a literary movement in the 19th century that deliberately pushed forth the exploration to define spirituality and nature in a new context. So much as it is to explore, the movement had an undertone of rebellion against current societal circumstances in which writers during this time sought to change not only their environment, but also the reinvention of oneself. Also simultaneously, the Industrial Revolution took place during this time and glorified the economic growth, which sparked an era of new human thinking.

Henry Thoreau’s masterpiece, Walden or a Life in the Woods, shows the impact transcendentalism had on Thoreau’s worldview. Transcendentalism is a philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual over the material. Transcendentalism puts the emphasis on spiritual growth and understanding as opposed to worldly pleasures. Thoreau’s idea of transcendentalism stressed the importance of nature and being close to nature. He believed that nature was a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment. A walk in the woods therefore was a search for spiritual enlightenment. One should look ‘through’ nature, not merely ‘at’ her.

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.

Transcendentalism is a social and philosophical movement that taught five tenets of how to live life. Those tenets being; Everything reflects the divine soul, God is in nature and man, use your intuition to relate to God and nature, be self-reliant and express your individualism, and be spontaneous and seize the day. Thoreau and Emerson reflect all of these tenets in their poems, and they’re shown in the character Mr. Keating in the movie Dead Poets Society. He teaches the kids at this school all about transcendentalism in English class, and throughout the movie you see the positive and negative effects of his teachings.

The philosophy of Transcendentalism, according to the article “Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy” is believed to have been created and led by Ralph Waldo Emerson, which is why he is considered by many literary scholars and historians to be the father of Transcendentalism. Throughout the years, this philosophy attracted other artists and thinkers such as the American Romantic novelist Henry David Thoreau. These prominent and poetic individuals created an insight for this movement, believing in the true and significant values of individualism, minimalism, and spirituality in their lives. These specific aspects can be found in Thoreau’s most famous work, and Transcendentalist staple, Walden. This novel was a reminiscence of his life

Transcendentalism has influence the way writers write and live their own lives. Henry David Thoreau was one writer you embraced transcendentalism in every aspect of his life. Emerson’s work influenced Thoreau significantly. In March, 1845, Thoreau began to build a cabin, on the north shore of Waldon Pond. He moved near the pond to establish a life of bare necessities. He wanted to be as close to nature as possible to establish spiritual enlightenment. (McElrath 7) He lived the transcendental idealism. He lived with nature and removed all material life away for himself. He live only with the supplies need to survive. Even by building his cabin he showed many trait of a true Transcendentalist. Thoreau was self-reliant by using his own skill and knowledge to build his cabin. His own instincts was used to place his cabin on Waldon Pond.

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

The most important thing in life is about being happy and enjoying life to the fullest. Some would go as far as to end their own life to end the pain of what couldn’t be achieved on earth and make it possible in a better place such as characters like Neil Perry, Dead Poets Society. Some make a huge difference in their life by following what makes them happy which we can find them today in celebrities like Miley Cyrus. This literary and philosophical movement called Transcendentalism took place over 100 years ago but still very important today in 2017 because it influences humans to become more independent, to stand up for our rights and to be nonconformist. The idea of transcendentalism is especially valuable in today’s society because we have

The idea of transcendentalism was only understood by few people because the idea of it was too complex for many to understand. Henry David Thoreau stated, “I should have told them I was a transcendentalist. That would have been the shortest way of telling them they would not understand my explanations” (Reuben 1). Only people who were able to call themselves “transcendentalist” had their own thoughts of what transcendentalism was, which we figure were actually based on the thoughts of others. Transcendentalism was defined almost like a philosophy.

Transcendentalism was an early philosophical, intellectual, and literary movement that thrived in New England in the nineteenth century. Transcendentalism was a collection of new ideas about literature, religion, and philosophy. It began as a squabble in the Unitarian church when intellectuals began questioning and reacting against many of the church’s orthodoxy ways regarding all of the aforementioned subjects: religion, culture, literature, social reform, and philosophy. They in turn developed their own faith focusing on the divinity of humanity and the innate world. Many of the Transcendentalists ideas were expressed heavily by Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his essays such as “Nature”, “Self Reliance”, and also in his poems such as “The

Emerson in fact had a first hand account of having a difference in opinion when it came to religion. He started his career as a Unitarian minister in Boston’s prestigious Second Church, only to find himself doubting the very religion that he had committed himself to after his beloved wife’s tragic death (“Ralph Waldo Emerson”). At first, young Emerson attempted to search for religious solace and consolation but to no avail; there was simply a part of the philosophy that was false in his eyes. He tried to seek religious relief and consolation through his religion but to no avail. Thus, he became disheartened by the Unitarian philosophy and turned to other inspirations during his grand tour of

Transcendentalism was a reform movement that was pioneered by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 1830’s and 1840’s. Most of the emphasis with it was placed on individualism and rejection of traditional religion, which they believed there was no need for. The basic belief was that everyone can communicate with God and nature in their own way and that each soul is a single part of a Great Spirit.

According to Dictionary.com Transcendentalism is, “any philosophy based upon the doctrine that the principles of reality are to be discovered by the study of the processes of thought, or a philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical”, but that’s only part of what Transcendentalism is. Transcendentalism is standing for One of the first people to write about Transcendentalism were Henry David Thoreau writer of “Resistance to Civil Government” and Ralph Waldo Emerson writer of “Nature” and “Self-Reliance”. Those writers through their writing inspired people like Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi.